Michael Varney - In no rush it seems

Or will it be abandoned Neigh?

Aye, Neigh

I think most Clanners will opt for :

4)Be part of the team.....and make a meaningfull contribution.
By raising the Titanic and leaving a legacy of our amazing/beloved sport for future generations to enjoy.

If, given half a chance !

Now, I know, most would opt for nr 4 but will he be scratched or will he run ?

Now this is the interesting part of your Post.


Are they (The NHA) man enough to admit mistakes, and start afresh, or will they just ignore all the comments and criticism.

Watch this space !

Abacus , please man, don't blame the site , blame the individual poster

For ever 10 negative posts on this site there is a 1000 positive posts

Was the same the other night when Andrew Fortune said the site is full of pricks, just because 1 or 2 are negative about him

He should really put his name in the search engine and read with pleasure

Rob, read here an outline - the Ambassadors Programme (funded privately)
www.sportingpost.co.za/2014/10/four-day-festival-fun/

rob faux wrote:

Don wrote: Rob, as you know we are trying with the Ambassadors Programme as well and found that a sensible increase in information reaps success in terms of understanding handicapping and being able to apply it. That learning process is quite long for a beginner. Hence the betting buddies only dealing with basic knowledge, racecard stats and win/place bets on the first encounter. This is what Mike Varney meant by 'very little, not to confuse them'.

We all agree on the 'pomp and frills' not equating to conversion - however, racing is trying to raise the bar on the race-day experience at the same time as converting visitors but without forcing it down their throats. At the very least it must be equal to going to eg. a wine farm as an outing (for those who are not a punter, or who will never be a punter). The service must be good, the food must have value, all of those points must have been attended to and bettered.

(I have not heard of the Ambassadors programme and fascinated to know who are the Ambassadors?)

Don ,the learning process is FOREVER as the issues aren't stagnant................after 40 years I still learn,as does every enthusiast or punter.
The trick is only to WHET the appetite, and when people are hooked they tend to search and research on their own initiative!!!!
We will have to agree to disagree on the value of the race day experience.........you see it as a NEED to have ,I see it as a NICE to have!
If what I read is correct ,English racing has no problem with getting people to the track, but have the same financial challenges as us..............is that not a clue?

Don wrote: Chris - are you on the inside of the circle or on the outside? If you are on the inside, that is a problem and needs attention. If you are on the outside, yes the acid test is now to see through which media you are going to pick up the message this summer. Are you using social media and which platforms?

Don, I was just making an observation. I guess what you mean by on the inside and the answer is no. I enjoy a punt and go to Fairview occasionally, usually when invited to a race day and over the years I have organised a couple myself with up to 75 guests. The odd guest may retain an interest.

A couple of observations if I may:

Teletrack will not attract new blood because the viewership is restricted to those already interested.

Jumping castles for the children, fashion shows and Miss Chatsworth type events probably don't attract new customers but they are fun days out.

There is no one solution but Corporate entertainment away from big race days is probably effective. As an example The ladies at Fairview do an amazing job as hostesses and people want to go back. A useful addition would be to have a dedicated person or two to go around the tables discuss all the bet types and invite guests down to the ring to discuss the horses and point out what is going on. Silks, blinkers, shoes, weights, draws, whips etc. There must be a few x jockeys available.

I would market in business magazines and pay for a few advertorials.

Bob I take umbridge!

I wasn't blaming the site; what I wrote was, "I must say this ABC must be the most negative forum in the world. I swear it appears as if nothing is good enough for the rip-apart-everything-clansters that appear here everyday and sow negative seeds; ad nauseam. I will refrain from naming names. We all know who they are..."

I then went on to make a positive comment about the topic of the thread.

I think it clear that I WAS reffering to the individual posters as you have called them.

I do find it interesting though and somewhat of an insult that you would single me out for stating that some of us are just plain tired of the continuous negative rhetoric and industry bashing that goes on daily. With little or no alternatives being offered. Just read this thread for instance. It has seriously curtailed my daily appetite for the site (that is my experience) and I suspect I am not alone.

But be that as it may then...as the administrator of this site I suppose you can single out those that don't tow your line if you so deem fit. Funny that you don't do so to the negative 'kill buzzes' that permeate your site. Perhaps you encourage and protect them by taking task with positively inclined opinions. I suppose provocative controversy like smut; sells.

I would also like to point out, having been a regular visitor to this site, and having read many posts - that your weak effort at spin; when you write, "For ever 10 negative posts on this site there is a 1000 positive posts"
is the exaggeration of the century. I would, with respect, humbly suggest that the reverse actually applies.

You can now go ahead and ban me if you wish...

Umbrage

abacus you are probably referring to me being negative but in my opinion I am being realistic not negative about certain issues..its no use trying to paint pretty pictures if in fact certain situations need urgent attention and help and there are plenty examples..in fact those who paint the pretty pictures with propaganda are doing the harm to the industry as where I and others are talking from the heart..iv been shot down many times but at least people know who I am and what I stand for and as I and others have said before why not make use of us and include us in sorting out the crisis the industry faces instead of ignoring us and calling us every name under the sun..its clear that the powers that be cant help the sinking ship so what have they got to lose ?

Ooo no the last thing our sinking ship needs is a pirate !! FFS !! :silly:

I think that everyone is entitled to an opinion and expressing it as long as it is not insulting or personal, unless proven as fact.

Forums is about venting and putting it out there and many negative comments will disappear if addressed by those concerned.

The real issue is having a dead voice as many good recommendations have been ignored by those in a position to make positive change.

I for one love the straight talk and debate and differences of opinion but cannot stand when people turn an argument into politics and personal insults and attacks.

Thanks for a great forum, lets tolerate and respect each other more and keep the arguments going.

pirates wrote: abacus you are probably referring to me being negative but in my opinion I am being realistic not negative about certain issues..its no use trying to paint pretty pictures if in fact certain situations need urgent attention and help and there are plenty examples..in fact those who paint the pretty pictures with propaganda are doing the harm to the industry as where I and others are talking from the heart..iv been shot down many times but at least people know who I am and what I stand for and as I and others have said before why not make use of us and include us in sorting out the crisis the industry faces instead of ignoring us and calling us every name under the sun..its clear that the powers that be cant help the sinking ship so what have they got to lose ?

I wasn't actually referring to you Pirates...Bob chastised me in this thread on what I wrote in another about the Sansui Summer Cup ad with the taxi's in it. Hence my aggravation. You did not post an opinion eitherway on that thread.

I do however, stand with my overall opinion as stated above that there is way too much negative rhetoric on this forum. It is in abundance. Anything positively stated here barely sees the light of day. (once aired the nay sayers and haters on this site delibrately undermine it as they clearly rule the roost here- and in so doing ensure that the overall impression of racing is negative, {which I might add has been alive longer than all of us with a long and illustrious history} - Ostensibly with the help of the administrator. IMVHO.)

When I first started coming to this site I started a thread entitled, something like, what positive things can you say about SA horse racing. The thread as you can imagine was very short lived and believe it or not (and I can't remember the exact count as it was a few years ago) the negative comments just about outranked the positive. I certainly did not see 10 000 positive comments. I rest my case.

Hi Bud , sorry if it felt like I was getting at you, I'm not

Only pissed of that every time a member says anything wrong , it's the sites fault.

Cheers

Bob