Village Forum
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, 31st January 2010, 16:22
What’s gone wrong with the ‘Forum’?
Since its take-down and subsequent rebirth there has been little or a distinct lack of interest.
Can it be that previous posters are put off ‘getting involved’ if they post anything contentious? If that is what was intended, it has succeeded.
May the Forum rest in peace, a sorry loss to a community that used its facilities to air its concerns.
It brings to mind the old saying…’Use it or Lose it’
Over to you, people of Northwood.
12 Responses to “Village Forum”
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Village
- - Cowes Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society
- - Cowes Amateur Winemakers
- - Cowes Heritage
- - Cowes Radar Ex-Employees Association
- - Cowes-Deauville Twinning Association
- - Friends of Northwood Cemetery
- - Friends of Northwood House and Park
- - Medham W.I.
- - Newport Rowing Club
- - Northwood Floral Art Group
- - Northwood Village Produce Association
- - Northwood W.I.
Parish Council
Thanks for all these interesting postings. The Parish Council as you know, did discuss the setting up of it’s own website but decided that it would only duplicate virtually in it’s entirety the excellent existing northwoodvillage.org site.
Mind you, where were you all when we discussed this?
If you want the P.C. to take this up again, please email our Secretary at barbara.herbert@sky.com
This may then be put back on a future Parish Council Agenda to which all those interested can attend to speak on the matter at our 15 minute question time at the start of each meeting. In addition the Chairman has a discretion to allow some comments during the actual discussion on the item.
Please also see my own posting regarding this year’s parish elections.
Best wishes, Roger Mazillius
Yes I think you are correct it would seem our village jungle drums normally work and I’m sure the reason is point 2.
I suppose the only way to find out if its a waste of time creating option 2 is to see what feed back this thread gets.
I will be the first to say please go for it.
Fully agree with both points, however knowing the community as I do, I am pretty certain a large number of the people who used to post are aware that it is up and running.
Regarding para 2. This point without a shadow of doubt is the main reason that the forum has lost it’s creditability. I may be incorrect of course?
As to the independence of the other site to which you allude, I am sure there would not be any heavy moderation, with the only proviso that all posts must conform to the law on electronic media.
Needs a greater depth of support before I am willing to provide the web site + forum you seek.
I think both of you are spot on the mark and not drifting from the original post of why has this site gone quite. The site is not used as it was due to one of two things.
1. Most people that used it are not aware of the fact its up and running again.
or
2. People belive the site that was seen to be an independent site that would allow mixed views of the public to be aired, has now been lent on and is now under strict censorship.
If its Number 1 it can be overcome, Number 2 will kill honest public debate on this site and move it to another place. That may be where this new independent site takes over, but it must be independent as already stated not church, council or any other official body that has control of the delete button. We are not mushrooms.
Thank you for your reply to my post; However I think we are drifting from the original thread a little.
Perhaps it would be more in line with web site etiquette if another thread was started?
I am willing to put my head on the line and provide an ‘independent’ web site and forum; but only if the village residents and those with an interest in Northwood show a clear desire for the site to come into fruition.
I am glad it was “tongue in cheek” as it is so easy to set up face book sites but not really what we want here in Northwood.
I think you missed my point on the independent site, its not independent if the council or church run it.
The http://www.gurnardpc.com is a Gurnard Parish Community web site and nothing to do with the Parish Council. I wonder if they even know of its existence. Thats what we need and perhaps some of the people that run our forum could get involved as “Northwood residents” and not through the Church connection for obvious reasons. They do a good job but I appreciate they are very much concerned that any bad feedback however caused is not what a church run web site wants, and I fully agree with that view. So how do we get our own independent http://www.Northwoodpc.com web site?
At last…some response on the forum.
As the poster of the threat that remarked about having a Facebook Site, It was said in jest folks;
in fact I did say it was ‘tongue in cheek’.
However that’s gone, what I would like to look at is the later part of your post that talks about an independent web site, with a forum attached. Like you am concerned over the response to all the crud that built up over a ‘certain post’ It left many people disappointed, more importantly the heavy statements at the head of the forum has without a doubt put a lot of the community off using the forum.
All over the Island there are many examples of good web sites with forums, I believe that the Parish Council should take the initiative and carry out a study in to the costs and etc. it is time our wishes were taken into account.
Looking through the Agenda’s for the last few Parish Meetings, I see there was an item for discussion regarding an independent web site, no guessing what happened to that at the meeting! Tossed items into the long grass, or worse put off till after the next lot of votes are cast.
Below is a copy of an entry for a meeting of the Parish Council on Tuesday, 5 January 2010 commencing at 6.30 pm
11. To give consideration to the setting up of a Northwood Parish Council website
Some where between 5th January and current date, the item 11 of the agenda, listed for discussion
has gone missing? If the item was discussed and disposed of in some form or another, why is there no mention of it in the Report Back?
I for one am in favour of a web site in the name of Northwood Parish Council, divorced from the Church or any other body purporting to represent Northwood. That task, by legitimate election procedures, is the Parish Council.
I dont think a face book page would be as good as what we had before. If we need to set up a new independent site it can be done, http://www.gurnardpc.com is proof of that. A site that is run for the locals and others that is not afraid of stepping on toes of those that think they are above criticism is also what we want. Not just a vehicle to bash people but if they need bashing, providing they have the right to reply and its done fairly and constructively whats the problem? Many issues appeared on our site that I personally was not aware of, and it made me think about issues that others may have wished I had no opinion on, and that is not the case. Information is Power and how some like to keep it to those in the inner circle or those that dont rock the boat.
Free as the wind.
well if the varnish is as expensive as the rest of the project then I quess i prefer that antique, rustic look!
On the subject of the ‘expensive’ notice board…………..its looking a bit sad at present……………not sure who in particular is responsible for its upkeep, but it could do with a coat of something. BJS
I agree with the previous posts, what if we all start a Facebook site? (that is said tongue in cheek) We need to breath life into the Village Forum. certainly it was a terrific tool on which the people who had the village at heart let out their thoughts and concerns. Not every one agreed with every thing that was raised but it did engender debate, some times to a high standard.
No way should we let the forum pass away without at least trying to kick start it back into the brilliant social tool it became. We should not let the high jacking of the forum, by those with axes to grind, win!
With local elections approaching, what other way will we have to express our views regarding the concerns over issues that affect our daily lives?
Yes the Parish Council has stated that the precept will be less than 2009, but has achieved little else of note in my humble opinion.
I think the old Forum was used by most people correctly and had the system allowed instant removal of the odd “incorrect post” then it would still be as busy.
The Northwood House thread was interesting and 99% of the comments are still valid and still relevant and in the minds of those people that are aware of the need to do the right thing with the “House”. Yes its true a few posts were stupid but thats normal and the removal of these would not have been an issue to us.
The problem now is we will never know if this site gets posts but they are censored as being to risky for us, I hope not.
The only way to get true public opinion is to make it free, easy and anonymous and largely uncensored, we had all that before.
I know I could be wrong but I have always thought that some posts were put on the site last year with the intention of shutting it down, and these people might not be stupid, just protecting their interests.
It will take a long time to get as many people involved again in what was a very good communication tool, I bet it got read by more people than that expensive notice board.
tax payer.