Thetownend.com

There's been some mention of it in the trivial things that annoy you thread, but time to graduate to it's own as it's sticking around


This Fanzai thing the club seem to have replaced all their social media information with: the fact that they're trying to make me get it has got my back up, but is it any good, and does anyone in the know know what the deal is with this? Are they paying for us to cut off communication to fans by all other routes or is it a friend of a friend type arrangement?

More generally, what kind of business makes it hard for their customers to get information about them? If they're going to carry on with this when it comes to ticket details, that's not going to end well.

(Feel free to additionally speculate wildly on the fact that Gareth Barry is one of the "big name" footballers involved in the launch of the app last summer)

This on twitter made me smile in response to the post that Boo had signed (they fuzzed him out if no one saw it)

I'm interested as to how it'll work when matches are on.

Currently we have the club, Sam M & ASD all doing live updates from the game as it happens all via twitter. I'm intrigued whether the club plan on moving their coverage all onto fanzai and hoping the fans ditch twitter to follow them, which lets face it, isn't going to happen.

This whole deal appears incredibly naive by the clubs marketing & social media department, obviously it's come from higher up that this app is now to be used, but using this and only this app without warning, whilst it's obviously unfinished and not populated? This app could be incredible, but no Swindon fan will take too it now, the club have tainted it but pushing it too hard and too early. Drop in the occasional link alongside normal tweets and it may have worked. but now, I can't see it working at all.

An awful all round launch tactic, taking into account that the fans already weren't exactly happy with the clubs communication this summer, it's not gone well.

Yeah, I saw that Tom Otrebski (club comms/PR man) had retweeted literally the only positive tweet about Fanzai on the entire of the club's feed - I'm sure the decision was taken higher up than him but it does seem like a poor idea, and worse, a poor implementation of an already poor idea. Like you say Sugg, a phased implementation and an announcement would have been a good start!

If the official Swindon Town website, Facebook account and Twitter feed all closed tomorrow it would have zero impact on my day.

I'm not using Fanzai because it's rubbish or on principle. I won't download it because I simply don't get my news from them.

BBC Wiltshire Sport, Total, Adver... etc

I don't really need or see the point for yet another social media channel to be shoved down my throat. I like being able to use Twitter as a news aggregator. I don't want to have to use another site as a news aggregator aggregator.

Fram what I can see, the only unique thing about Fanzai is that it's a "read only" thing, so posters don't end up with pages of abuse.

No wonder John Terry was quick to jump on it.

They must be on to a winner. Everything's going retro these days and removing the social aspect from a social app and making it awkward and read only is so 2001.

 You get all the STFC news you need on the TEF, which let's face it is fairly small beer, as mostly nothing much is happening...with added bollocks, and soap opera type indignation and floucing out. What is there to add ?

The funny thing is it was redundant before it even started.  Anyone with a twitter feed will get the 'Breaking News' tweet from the club with the Fanzai link, and no additional info.  And then two mins later both Sam Morshead and Andrew Steele-Davis will tweet to tell you what it's all about.

I don't need Fanzai.  It adds nothing.  All we need is at least one willing volunteer (and we have two, as above) to install it and then tell everyone else what's going on.  And I'm not the kind of football fan who can't deal with a 2 minute delay when getting my close season football news.

Thought this was the brainchild of one Michael Standing who appears to have connections with STFC - although nothing official!!

Is it just me, or...

(http://j.static-locatetv.com/images/content/4/887620_banzai.jpg) (http://www.ukgameshows.com/p/images/thumb/7/78/Banzai_1.jpg/300px-Banzai_1.jpg) (http://static.tvbuzer.com/images/shows/bf/bffc3667939e2e2e30747d8641b70321-26386-138-203.jpg)

fanzai is a bag of shit, extra level of clickery I can do without. I've binned the official twitter account.

own goal stfc

 No not just you....I did the Banzai pun a week ago  :)

I will never keep up with you, Reg.

the greatest thing banzai ever did was speed gun the queen mother's hearse!

I literally have no idea what everyone is going on about.  Then again I don't use Twitter or Facebook either. I doubt 90% of the clubs fan base give much of a fuck either way.

I'll bet there's an even cooler version of you out there too.  'Internet...nah!!'

;)

I never moved past a Nokia 6210. Got old way to quickly.

Fansigh.

Same.

So for us uninitiated, what is it and why should anyone give a fuck?

Its basically an app that to all intents and purposes replaces the news section on the OS ( or mirrors it )
In the past the club used to tweet or post to fb an item with a link to the OS as well
Now that link is replaced to one to fanzaiapp with the item itself shortened so you can't make it out until you follow the fanzaiapp link

Unfortunately for most that app continually errors on opening phone/tablet and makes most hang making it unusable.

As posted above luckily within a couple of minutes the post/tweet has been picked up by flic and others so no need to visit either OS or fanzaiapp

Make sense ?

I haven't downloaded the app (for the reasons you've mentioned) but I don't think it even replaces the news section on the OS, it literally just links too it.

It's just an extra step that isn't needed or warranted.

OK more mirrors then but no need to visit the OS anymore for news as all on that app

Can't say I've got a problem with it. Downloaded it. It's simple, looks fine. I don't like how you automatically "follow" random players, but you can deselect all that. I'd rather it didn't replace the website news (which I'm not sure it will) because that serves a very different audience and is a marketing tool.

I think people's ambivalence towards it is as much to do with Michael Standing (the 2015 Diamandis...lurking in the shadows) looking to make a quick buck whilst the club seemingly takes its eye off simple, straightforward PR with the fans.

My ambivalence to it is to do with its pointlessness. If it was run by Don Rogers and the Dalai Lama I still wouldn't use it.

I don't need another app, I don't need another social network, I don't need another convoluted way to get news about my club (especially when there isn't any.)

It might not be intrinsically "bad" but it's a money making exercise that offers nothing to consumers. I mean they might as well say "hey, we've signed someone. But if you want to find out who give us a quid and punch yourself in the face first."

Yep. Cheers.

Exactly this. There is zero value add, and its the way that if you want to get news via twitter you are forced to use it. On a mobile checking the OS is a bit clumsy whereas twitter is easier/lighter - even if you need to go to the OS at some point to get the full story.

Interesting snippet from the Adver (I know, I'm surprised too)

Currently a chosen method the club are using to disseminate information from the County Ground is the woeful Fanzai app, a social media tool used, it seems, mostly by clients of Town’s transfer adviser Michael Standing that has caused head-scratching bewilderment from supporters.

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/13373342.TOM_ON_TOWN__Why_so_quiet_on_the_County_Ground_front_/

Nothing new there....

They won't talk to him because he keeps writing passive/aggressive articles about how hard done by he is.

http://fanzaiapp.com/

That pic will pull in the punters!

Its probably not helping his case, but if a blanket ban is the way all critique is going to be met with then that's a sad thing.

Its not like the club are explaining anything themselves either.

I'm still ringing Club Call from a Telephone Box

If the idea behind the wall of silence from the club is to get everyone fanzai'd-up, its a fucking stupid idea.

That takes me back.  I was on a civil service course in Plymouth for the second leg of the play off semi with Tranmere in 93.  I was on Union Street pissed up spending a fortune on club call to find out of we were going to wembley or not.

 :girlgiggle: :girlgiggle: :girlgiggle:

At the 87 Selhurst Park playoff, I was on a phone from France to my mum who put her receiver in front of the radio with GWR blaring out.

I think the fans discontent of fanziap is filtering through to those high up at the club, today there's been a few posts on the twitter feed that haven't linked too it, and the supermarine coverage has all be done on twitter alone, which was a relief!

I was on a 12 hr nightshift, spent more than I earned on clubcall that night.

Just post the OS link and story underneath the Fanzai posts on facebook. They'll get the message or I'll get banned trying.

Hi Sam,

Very dissapointing. As I said it's Diamandis-esque. There I said it. I await the TEF wrath.

That said, I won't be using that piece of shit anyway. I can live without the pre-match press confereces.

edit: No I'm not saying Power is another Diamandis. Just this particular thing is the shit he would pull.

Bollocks to downloading more crap. I'll wait until Sam reads and then posts it, if thats the intended way forward.

Let's see how the club explains it and what kind of content is then produced pre-match. If it is as sanitised as you might expect then there's a real problem. When I say if, I may be using the wrong word. If it is sanitised, I won't just repost guff interviews; we'll come up with something different.

I feel much better for moaning a lot about fanzai on twitter. I highly recommend it.

when I was about 12 I didn't understand the cost of that line, my dad had to have a chat with me when a £150 phone bill came through, I was ringing it 3-4 times a day! Haha

First Fanzai ... what next? Players names will change perhaps. Meet Kamikasim and Hirohylton.  :D

On the club call, my mum routinely pointed out the cost of it and to never call the line. I think I might have got permission once or twice to find out something specific like if a game had been called off or something along those lines, but she made sure I knew not to be calling a lot and racking up the bills.

Oh and fuck Fanzai. Piece of shit.

Apparently this fanzai thing is all to do with this mysterious agent man who's pulling a lot of strings at the mo?

I downloaded the app just to at least give it a go. The amount of data you have to provide in order to create an account is a bit absurd, the news feed showed things in a completely useless order and then the app proceeded to crash on my phone every half an hour even without it open.

Great!

If only somebody had mentioned it was crap!

Wonder who they sell your details to?

I thought I'd give it a whirl. Sorry.

I presume the personal data is for analytics which is all the rage nowadays

I wasn't being serious*, but apology accepted and don't do it again.

*well I was serious that its crap, but not that you should listen to me. That would be rediculous.

I don't use apps, and a web version isn't available yet.

Not much use, am I?

You know what, if they'd push official website published news directly through FB and twitter in the normal way, but had value add extra crap through Fanzai  (competitions, behind the scenes, other guff) I'd not have a problem.

It'll die out by September.

Fingers crossed.

What's an app?

Short for apparition, I think

:doh:

Very similar to the Adver running a face in the crowd comp. and then awarding the winner to a Poole fan!!

don't mind a gooner winning it, it's an open comp and maybe we are/can be his second team.

Fanzai is a bit crap isn't it.  I downloaded it the other day.  Woke up yesterday to a stream of fanzai alerts.  Apparently Im supposed to give a flying fuck about John Terry, Gabby Abonglahor et al.  Frankly I have more interest in the contents of my own faeces than these people.  And Ive not a lot of interest in that.

I have now found how to opt out of exciting updates of John Terry's pictures of his wife or whichever bimbo he's fucking at the moment.

they showed a pic of his face and E-mail for everyone to see too!

 It's a modern world.....I thought club call, was a step too far.

 I'd always got any info I needed from someone down the pub, the TEF being the cyber equivalent.

I believe we're playing Everton tomorrow, they've got a few Swindon based fans, but are probably not one of the clubs that pick up the floating vote.

 The ennui of the close season, may mean a < 2K crowd.