website and websites

Written by ned

Sunday, 01 June 2008 20:33

Well were up and running with version 2. Its been a big effort and all thanks are to Shorty really. Without him this would not exist. We have both stepped away from it this last week and just let it fend for itself. How it will evelove is as unknown now as when we started. I guess personally its also been a chance to step away and reflect about what the point of it is. I guess it something to do. Keeps me off the street corners (or more realistically, watching telly). I hope though that it does, in its own little way, provide some positives to the sport. River level info remains at the heart of what were about and the rest of the media stuff is about generating some community thing. I enjoy other websites about kayaking, and find them, at times, informative and inspirational. I hope that we succeed in that mission occasionally. I hope the new interactivity of this site will help draw readers into being participants, but whatever will be will be...

I've tried, and pretty much failed, to drum up intrest for other folks to take on a rainchasers style site for other areas, but its been an interesting quest and has served to underline that my original reason for getting involved was that what I saw on the web did not represent what I saw was reality on the ground (or the water). Obviously my take on it is no more valid than anyone else's, and that is why the more contributors we have, the better this site will become. The more websites there are about UK boating the better for us all. I dont feel the UK websites 'compete' in any way. The idea of competition amongst non commercial, community based sites is redundant, they all contribute to the plurality of sites that reflect the plurality of different boaters. I do though think that there is room for more. More information, more voices, more plurality, more regions speaking out.

I cant help coming back to the theme of the previous post though. Why no real time river level data? Why are there limited ambitions amongst too many younger boaters? Why are the official body still fighting a battle about credibility with the most active boaters? Why cant we draw down significant funding for recreational boating? Why do we always have to be seen to stick together when in reality we are as diverse as the rest of the population? Why cant we 'grow up' as a sport?

I suspect it all goes back to the fact that kayaking is a pseudo crime.

Today I met a guy on the fells who organised this local long distance fell race, the lakeland 100. They expect 100 or so competitiors for the first year, what i'd expect a good river event here would get. They pull in a serious budget from proper companies marketing departments. What would happen to a kayak event here? it would have to be done illegitimately on zero budget.

Yet if we change the legal climate and make it possible to put on something for boaters. A leven extreme race for example. 100's of entries - yep. Telegenic? yeah. Good marketing opportunity? yeah. Get the councils, tourist and youth board people on board? Possible. Suddenly we would be able to go to leven anglers with an offer to restock the river and get some environmental work done. I think in that climate, frictions between river users may well be lubricated quite amicably.

Anyway, I digress. I guess i just feel like the best way i can chip away at these issues is through rainchasers. I know others do their thing in other ways as well, and thats all to the good. I repeat that if we can do anything to help anyone else set up and run their own (not for profit) website then we are up for it and we have no angles other than what's up here.

the next entry will be about somat good and have pictures - promise

and now you can respond ........