Taking Issue

Okay, so we got through the first edition of The Incider – and the response has been amazing. So in Issue Two I want to take a look at some of the surprising facts and figures which emerged from our first few weeks online. It also enables me to avoid having to pass judgement on City so early in the season after one win and two defeats, which is another plus.

Firstly, we want to thank you for the positive response you have given to The Incider. The hit rate was better than we ever imagined. An incredible 2,000 individuals hit on the front page of Issue One – amazing considering we only get 11,000 fans to a home game! That figure included 446 of you who logged on within 24 hours of us going live.

More importantly, we got an amazing 11,030 page views that first day, meaning each visitor read an average of 24.7 pages. Considering there were only 30 in total, the figure suggest that fans were logging on to the site and reading through most of the content rather than looking at one or two things, getting bored and logging off again.

Even more fascinating is the fact we have had hits from 11 different countries in three different continents. Ten per cent of hits were from the United States (and, no, that’s not just because RedTop lives there!) As well as the US we had fans logging on from New Zealand, Finland, Canada, Italy, Holland, Spain, Switzerland, Cyprus, Norway and Portugal. Were you among them? If so, please drop us a line letting us know where you’re logging on from and why you’re there. We’d love to hear from any City fans living overseas.

We hoped the site would be popular, we hoped it would make you laugh (even when the results don’t), we hoped it would make you think and we hoped to air a wide range of opinions, not only via our own columns but through the letters page. We’ve received dozens of emails from you. Not just letters, but suggestions and improvements. Thank you for the constructive criticism and for taking the time to write. We are still finding our feet but we aim to adapt where necessary to meet the expectations and wishes of fellow fans – because that’s the whole reason for the website.

As things stand, The Incider is broadly supportive of the current board because we believe they are doing the job well in a tough climate and can see no realistic alternative. However, that does not mean the stance is set in stone or that opposing views will not be expressed – on the letters page and elsewhere. We want as many well-expressed alternative viewpoints as possible on the site – regardless of whether they are in line with our own or the club’s - and we can only do that with your help, so don’t be afraid to email them to us. We will challenge the board and the officials when we feel it is justified to do so –as our Piewatch feature in this issue demonstrates - and we will not allow them to lose sight of the fact that they are purely the custodians of our club and as such are responsible for acting in our best interests. There will be issues in the future on which we will nail our colours very firmly to the mast, regardless of the board's standpoint. We will fiercely protect our independence and aim to act as a watchdog and a fans’ champion. So please, use The Incider to voice your thoughts.

The Incider is in no way approved - or previewed by - anybody within the club. That’s the whole point of being unofficial and independent. They do not censor the content or have any advance warning of what will be in it. The Incider is by the fans and for the fans. Simple as that. The only people who see items prior to publication are the three members of The Incider team. I cannot state it any more clearly, openly or honestly than that.

It has been suggested that some of the items in The Incider are too specific to the forum and will mean nothing to other readers. This is a valid point which we have taken on board. The site itself was, of course, born from the forum because RedTop, Tomarse and I met there. We are all regular contributors and strongly support the official website and forum – and urge those of you who don’t to give it a try and join us there. If we can welcome new users into the City forum community to discuss issues raised on The Incider with like-minded fans, then that is surely a positive thing. We must be careful not to allow forum talk to spread too far into the site because we do not want to limit our appeal. But I think it is fair for us to acknowledge its existence and cater for the forum users who do visit us. Nobody enjoys a joke more than one they feel is aimed specifically to appeal to them, and this is a part of the site that we will continue to provide. Incidentally, Who Are Ya? is not just aimed at forum members – it is an opportunity for all our contributors to send in mugshots so we can all put names to faces. Time will tell whether it is a popular item or not.

Another regular column which drew some criticism was Dickie X. Dear old Dickie embodies the moaning, sceptical fan who sits behind most of us at Ashton Gate. Nothing is simple. Nothing positive can be accepted at face value. That is the type of fan we are satirizing – and as far as we are concerned they deserve it! We believe there are too many of them down Ashton Gate, and if the ridiculing works it is because there is something ridiculous to base it on. The fact that it raised a response suggests that it is a writing style that works. I would point out that we have had no complaints about the item from any individual feeling it is aimed directly at them or that it caused any offence.

The Liam Rosenior interview went down well and we’d like to thank him for agreeing and the club for arranging it when they had no idea what The Incider would be like! We are sponsoring Liam through the season and will be bringing you regular updates on his progress through the season. If he keeps picking up yellow cards at the same rate his is now, then he’ll be joining Aaron Brown and Danny Coles on the suspension list before long and should have plenty of time to talk to us.

I would also point out that any e-mails sent to letters@theincider.com may be published on our letters page. There is, of course, a clue in the email address. Please send any private e-mails to our individual addresses under the 'Contact Us' section, and by all means make it clear that you do not wish your correspondence to be published.

The level of contributions following Issue One has been very encouraging and we hope that as we establish ourselves you will feel more and more inclined to use it as a mouthpiece for your opinions, emotions and humour. If you have any suggestions for new sections or items you would like to see added please let us hear them. It is your site as much as it is ours and without your help and contributions we will struggle to give you the site you want. Your ideas are vital in keeping The Incider fresh and reflective of the mood of the fans, and we enjoy reading every one, so please keep writing in.

Finally we would like to apologise to anyone who has sent in money for the Tony Thorpe Coaster, but is yet to receive their exclusive piece of cork tat. This is due to a problem with our supplier, but we would like to assure you that as soon as your cheques have cleared you won't see us for dust.

Many thanks for all your support. Keep on believing.

edson

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