I was sat reading the Sheffield Telegraph today and noticed they have an article on the 10 most useful Sheffield related sites. I thought great, they must mention the Sheffield Forum. But not a sausage on it! Disgrace.

Post an email address and we can all swamp them to show which is the most popular and useful website!

Not sure about an email address. But it was Peter Russell who wrote the article - pg.21.

I guess that will be [snip] then!

What were the sites?

Maybe you should ask Alan Powell, the Editor?

I saw it and thought it was absolutely disgusting.

I note in his heading he said the most useful he had found - what on earth was he looking for strip clubs?

Moon Maiden

There is obviously some jealousy going on with the Star & Telegraph and I suspect that they simply don't like / encourage an independent site like this that undermines the news that they carry and the coverage that their own (pretty pants) website gets (ie not a lot).

Sheffield Forum is a bit like CNN for Sheffield - always on, always there.

And the worst of it is... it's free!

Thanks to Phan for letting me know about this. I'm really shocked as I know for a fact that several of the Star's/Telegraph's journalists are members of this forum! Also, the forum is now the largest web site for the region, so it strikes me as very 'odd' that Peter decided that the forum wasn't "useful". I guess providing a way for local residents (nearly 6,000 of them!) to talk with each other, post details of their events and even ask the Liberal Democrat leader of the Council a question isn't useful, right? I mean it pales in comparison to one of Peter's featured sites: (http://www.sheffield-fm.co.uk/) which pretty much just consists of 30 links to external sites such as the Star, the council, etc.

It's even more shocking when you consider that they wrote a story when the site launched and also late last year, I provided them with a photo and story of a tram crash - which made The Star's front page!

I would be very interested to hear more on how the journalist conducted his 'research'?! After all, he claims he looked at 500 Sheffield related sites to select these 10... but I don't believe there are 500 different sites for Sheffield?! I would also be interested to know whether the editor is happy for the Telegraph to be portrayed as being so massively out of touch with the 'online world' of Sheffield...

Watch this space - I may need some help ;)

My understanding of irony isn't that great, but if you search Google for "top 10 websites in Sheffield" guess which site is listed #1... ;)

Thanks to an annonymous donor, you can now read the article:

Top half:
http://www.uploadthis.com/images/9/164.jpg

Bottom half:
http://www.uploadthis.com/images/9/165.jpg

To be honest Geoff, there are 6 thousand members of the forum, and with well over a hundred thousand posts, accessible and updated 24 hours a day I think we know where the future of media lies - and its not in print!

The Telegraph article is just a promotional piece designed to promote awareness of the Sheffield Newspapers website.

Note that www.sheffieldtoday.net doesn't have an open forum. In fact it's useful to compare with the local BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cgi-perl/h2/h2.cgi?state=threads&board=england.southyorkshire&). Interestingly, BBC Radio Sheffield seem to equally ignore SF.

We all know that www.sheffieldforum.co.uk is easily THE most popular website in the region, and the statistics prove it.

Aww, Tony you're too kind ;)

But as for this...

Originally posted by Tony
The Telegraph article is just a promotional piece designed to promote awareness of the Sheffield Newspapers website.

Yes, those were my thoughts exactly. Not only did they include a screen shot of their own site, but they also listed it first and omitted their main online rival. You could argue that this is perfectly understandable, however this *isn't* a promotional article, it's meant to be a truthful and informative article on the top 10 "most most" useful sites for locals!

I urge those of you, who no doubt have better grammar and less anger than me, to write to the Telegraph and urge them to concentrate more on accurate journalism and less on poorly disguised adverts.

Ha ha - out of 5 million websites* and they have got to number 10 and the (2 line) description is of a site that is 'quite slow ... and the information contained is not as compehensive as the others'.

Feel sorry for the other 4,999,990 sites which must be very slow and incomprehesive!

* should also point out that Google is actually telling you how many documents (not websites) include the word Sheffield (not are exclusively about it)

I don't have access to actually reading the Star every night, so I have their website as one my favourites. I log on read for 2 minutes then I'm done. Most of the time I come to the Forum and see the same topics being discussed at length. The Sheffield Forum has provided me more information about current events in Sheffield than the Star ever has. I often read about stuff on the Forum and then go to the Star and search their archives. Usually nothing comes up. So the Sheffield Forum "RULES" on breaking news. Guaranteed, someone witnesses something happening and it hits the Forum long before it hits the paper- if at all. I email my mum every day and she's always amazed that I know things before she does. I log on every day like I'm reading the daily paper, just to see what's happening in and around Sheffield.

Keep me informed everyone. Without you I wouldn't know the scoop.

Well if anyone wants to write to the letters page they can email them at:

sheffieldtelegraph@sheffieldnewspapers.co.uk

Letters to that address are for publication, so please make them printable!

Originally posted by Tony
The Telegraph article is just a promotional piece designed to promote awareness of the Sheffield Newspapers website.

Would this be the crappy site with about two news stories on it? Sheffield Forum features far more, and is fully interactive so I can get a response to a query within moments.

Originally posted by Tony
Well if anyone wants to write to the letters page they can email them at:

sheffieldtelegraph@sheffieldnewspapers.co.uk

Letters to that address are for publication, so please make them printable!
I've sent mine!
Come on, everybody:banana:

Originally posted by Tony
Interestingly, BBC Radio Sheffield seem to equally ignore SF.


Except when that boring old fart Roney has nothing to talk about then they seem to rip off the Forum at will.

I dont listen to him but Ive heard him when Im working in peoples house's and more often than not he's talking about something which we have discussed here.

If anyone from Radio Sheffield reads this, for gods sake get rid of that old boring bloke and the coffin dodgers that ring him and put Toby on all day.

P.s The Radio Sheffield Forum is rubbish and dosn't work.

There, thats that of my chest.

Just to add my three pennorth.
Why are we discussing what is not only a blatant advert, and an even worse web site, by a journo who is too lazy to do any kind of research or even type into a search engine...........ignore the buggas that hurts em even more, we are giving them free publicity.

Having said that my complaint email has been sent!

I forgot to add, Geoff I love that piece in the top corner...top man.

Originally posted by owdlad
Just to add my three pennorth.
Why are we discussing what is not only a blatant advert, and an even worse web site, by a journo who is too lazy to do any kind of research or even type into a search engine...........ignore the buggas that hurts em even more, we are giving them free publicity.

Having said that my complaint email has been sent!

I forgot to add, Geoff I love that piece in the top corner...top man.


yeah its bad publicity though

ive sent mine,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,:loopy:

Me too. Can someone post news if any letters are published?

Well, Peter Russell certainly comes across as a guy who's clued up on what he'd probably call the "information superhighway".

The piece is so utterly clueless, it's dangerously close to Framley Examiner territory (www.framleyexaminer.co.uk, a spoof local newspaper).

When I typed in Sheffield on a popular internet search engine

Why not just mention Google?

it gave me 5,130,000 websites to look at and only took 0.11 seconds to find them

Translation: "I'm using the internetweb for the first time in my life"

in other words there are just under 10 sites per person in the city

I get the impression that Peter's perhaps more a fan of the typewriter than the keyboard... :)

I agree Greenback, very Framley Examiner! Is Peter actually on a YTS scheme, his article seems very 'naive' (for want of a better word)?!

I agree. This was a very poor piece of journalism and I think normally the Telegraph is of a high standard. Sloppy, sloppy sloppy.

I have sent off my complaint - Though I have never read the sheffield telegraph, I am appalled that its readers could be missing out on the best sheffield website ever!

Originally posted by Greenback
Well, Peter Russell certainly comes across as a guy who's clued up on what he'd probably call the "information superhighway".

The piece is so utterly clueless, it's dangerously close to Framley Examiner territory (www.framleyexaminer.co.uk, a spoof local newspaper).


LOL!!. I think this 'Peter Russell' may actually be the Framley Examiner's Katie Blirdsnest. Compare styles here:

http://www.framleyexaminer.co.uk/pages/framley073.html

Hehe... you lot are so cruel!

Try googling for Peter Russell Sheffield Telegraph




Sheffield Forum - often ignored, never beaten. :D

Just had my little rant.

You should make a point of emailing them.

It'll **** them off if nothing else.

NM

I just hope the people who handle emails are more competent than Peter 'Katie Blirdsnest' Russell.

Go to their website, click on INFORMATION then click on CITY GUIDE STUDENT MAP.

A nice hand drawn map of the city centre.

Shame it's UPSIDE DOWN and you can't turn it around!

Also, according to their site, in the Sports Section:

Liz Yelling, a former training partner of Radcliffe, finished the race 25th in a time of 2:40:13. Four places behind her was Tracey Morris, who gained her Team GB vest as the first Briton to finish in the London Marathon.

Maybe it's me, but I thought quite a lot of Britons entered and finished the London Marathon. Does that mean if you finish you automatically get picked for Team GB?

Originally posted by alchresearch

Maybe it's me, but I thought quite a lot of Britons entered and finished the London Marathon. Does that mean if you finish you automatically get picked for Team GB?

No, you have to achieve the qualifying time to gain the places available.

Toby has just raised this issue on his afternoon show on Radio Sheffield and says he is appalled that sf was not mentioned. he is now asking people to mail him to say what site they have to visit every day.

My vote is for sf.

:)

I have just emailed Toby. Let me know if he mentions anyone on his show.

It'll be interesting to see if there is anything in the Telegraph tomorrow in the letters page.

Actually, I've just received an early copy of tomorrow's Telegraph, and there's a new article by Peter Russell. Check it out:


A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE SHEFFIELD FORUM

Once again, Peter Russell sits down in front of his computer and takes a trip into ‘cyberspace’


The other day some nice people told me about a forum called the ‘Sheffield Forum’. It’s a forum on the internet where all the people of Sheffield can gather and have fun. So I decided to pop along and see what it was like!

First, I typed the name ‘sheffield forum’ into a popular ‘searching engine’ using my computer keyboard. I was surprised to find that it isn’t a shop on Division Street, but is a type of ‘website’ that appears on your computer’s television screen – it proudly claims to be ‘For Everything Sheffield’. I’m from Sheffield, so it looked like I’d definitely come to the right place!

I used my mouse (not a real mouse!) to click on conversations known as ‘threads’, and enjoyed reading the many comments. Some of them were hilarious, some were sad and some were actually quite boring. It was all quite informative, though I don’t think I’ll be going back to the Sheffield Forum very often. After all, I already have 10 favourite Sheffield websites and that’s more than enough for anyone!

So, it seems that the ‘internet’ is here to stay, and although it’s currently the number one craze, I think its days are numbered. But if you are from Sheffield and enjoy talking about why we haven’t got as many shops as Leeds, the Sheffield Forum might be just what you need!

Well, that’s it from me. I think it’s time I ‘logged off’. Bye!

oooof!

is that made up?

surely? Or is he trying to sound stupid?

Sounds forced and patronising....like he's had to respond to our emails of declaration about this site. Ah well, we don't want people like that on here. Gives the net a bad name.

Sounds like a wind up to me!

Before I get hauled away for impersonating a journalist, I should point out that I wrote that piece myself in a spirit of satirical comment. In no way is it actually by the real Peter Russell.

Thank you, m'lud.

I've sent a text to Toby saying the Classic Rock Bar supports the website and reads it daily. Its funny the number of people who come into the pub and tell me their user ID from this site. It's like a secret handshake!

Originally posted by Classic Rock
Its funny the number of people who come into the pub and tell me their user ID from this site.

What happened to the idea of SF pin badges?

Did Toby find any good sites ? I lost contact as I went out of the area.

Originally posted by Damon
Before I get hauled away for impersonating a journalist...

I wouldn't worry too much - you would have to find a real one first...

Meow ;) (Someone pass me a bowl of milk)

Originally posted by ncrossland
What happened to the idea of SF pin badges?

The first rule of pin badge club is...

:hihi:

Originally posted by Geoff
I wouldn't worry too much - you would have to find a real one first...

Meow :hihi:

Someone pass me a bowl of milk.

and you won't find many of them in the city centre.


passes a bowl of gold top.

I bet half of them browse this forum for news items!

Unless it is web related. I saw a great on in Monday's Star about "South Yorkshire web users are being deliberately targetted by fraudsters".

The article went on about how the '419' scams - where you get an email claiming your long lost relative in a far off country has left you a fortune, or a desperate government official has managed to get millions of dollars and he wants to deposit it in your account - were targetting South Yorkshire.

What a load of drivel. Sheffield Newspapers need to send their journos on a basic computing course, or employ someone who knows something before making arses of themselves.

Ack... just wanted to make it clear that my comments were posted with a tongue firmly pushed in to the cheek and they were only in relation to this one journalist - not the Star/Telegraph in general. On the whole they've been pretty supportive of the forum, running a story about its launch and also crediting the forum for the tram crash story.

Will close this thread before it turns in to any more of a Star/Telegraph bashing (there are other threads already discussing the quality of their jounalism in general).

Let's see what happens tomorrow. If there is anything then feel free to start a new thread.