Mark, I am very familiar with the WPBA website and how it is maintained. I was hired to maintain their coverage of the BCA Pro Event years ago and was also lightly involved in making changes to it last year.
If you remember, most of the updates that took place on their site were done with pdf files, which made it difficult for the end user. But Anne had nothing to do with the built in Content Management System that their hosting company has set up for them.
Yes, I completely understand what is involved in maintaining a website and I know the problems that the WPBA has with their website. A big part of maintaining a website is having someone who has the time and knowledge of that website to make the changes. When the person who was in charge of maintaining the site leaves, then you have to find someone who can do that job. If you don't find someone, then it isn't that you don't have the ability to maintain it. It is more that you haven't found someone to do it. It is easy to lay the blame at someone else's feet, but that isn't the case here. No one is blocking the WPBA's access to maintain their site. They simply don't have someone who knows how to do it or has the time to do it.
Mark, you and I have sat down many times and discussed the issues that plague the pool world. We don't always agree, but I do value your opinions. I think what we have here is a case of each of us hearing different sides of the story. And the truth is probably in the middle somewhere. One big difference that I see is that I am hearing what I hear from multiple sources and it sounds like you are hearing from one. If even half of the stories that I have heard from these multiple sources is true, then the tour has a serious problem on their hands.
What I do know is that four people busted their asses last year to make sure the tour ran. They handled all of the things that Peg and Jay used to get paid to do and they did it in their spare time. These four people were not doing this because they wanted things ran their way. They did this out of a heartfelt desire to see the tour succeed as best it could. There was no "I/Me" involved when they did this work. They simply buckled down and did it. Now two of those people are gone and they both cite the same reasons for leaving.
The board has known for quite some time that their existing model was doomed to eventual failure and John has certainly inherited a major mess. I do think that John has the best of intentions in what he is trying to do. I simply question the way he is going about doing it. The WPBA is owned by the players and it is ran by the board of directors. Seven equal votes. There are bylaws in place that govern how the board makes decisions and gets things done. Throwing those bylaws out the window and making your own decisions without discussing it with the all of the board is not the way to get things done. If the board disagrees with the way you want to do things, then you were outvoted and you move on.
As far as intentions go, I told Charlie Williams almost ten years ago that I respected what he was trying to do in forming the UPA. I just disagreed with the way he was going about doing it. I thought the players needed a voice in their game and I still do. I told him that I hoped I was wrong and that if I was, I would be the first one to stand up and congratulate him on the great job he did. You and I have both talked about how that one worked out.
I think John has some very valuable ideas and contacts that he can bring to the table. But the WPBA is not a dictatorship. Everything has to be voted on and handled through the proper channels. All board members are equal and all players are equal. The #1 player has the same voting power as the #48 player and the president has the same voting power as the secretary.
You own the BCA Pool Leagues and I own AzBilliards. Both of those entities succeed or fail based on our decisions. If you decide to put a rule in affect that forces all players to wear short skirts and heels when they play, then they have to do that. If I decide that I am going to fill the site with porn ads, then porn ads it is. But we do not have Boards of Directors to listen to our ideas and ask us what we are smoking. The WPBA does. And they do for a reason. Those are called "checks and balances". If someone doesn't like operating under those "checks and balances", then they have a problem.
I hope that the best possible decision is made tomorrow at the players meeting. I hope the players think the decision through and talk to as many people as possible before they make any decisions. If John is gone, then I hope they have a plan. If he stays, then I hope they all find a way to work together for the betterment of the tour. And either way, I hope they do things the way their bylaws require that they are done.
Mike
If you remember, most of the updates that took place on their site were done with pdf files, which made it difficult for the end user. But Anne had nothing to do with the built in Content Management System that their hosting company has set up for them.
Yes, I completely understand what is involved in maintaining a website and I know the problems that the WPBA has with their website. A big part of maintaining a website is having someone who has the time and knowledge of that website to make the changes. When the person who was in charge of maintaining the site leaves, then you have to find someone who can do that job. If you don't find someone, then it isn't that you don't have the ability to maintain it. It is more that you haven't found someone to do it. It is easy to lay the blame at someone else's feet, but that isn't the case here. No one is blocking the WPBA's access to maintain their site. They simply don't have someone who knows how to do it or has the time to do it.
Mark, you and I have sat down many times and discussed the issues that plague the pool world. We don't always agree, but I do value your opinions. I think what we have here is a case of each of us hearing different sides of the story. And the truth is probably in the middle somewhere. One big difference that I see is that I am hearing what I hear from multiple sources and it sounds like you are hearing from one. If even half of the stories that I have heard from these multiple sources is true, then the tour has a serious problem on their hands.
What I do know is that four people busted their asses last year to make sure the tour ran. They handled all of the things that Peg and Jay used to get paid to do and they did it in their spare time. These four people were not doing this because they wanted things ran their way. They did this out of a heartfelt desire to see the tour succeed as best it could. There was no "I/Me" involved when they did this work. They simply buckled down and did it. Now two of those people are gone and they both cite the same reasons for leaving.
The board has known for quite some time that their existing model was doomed to eventual failure and John has certainly inherited a major mess. I do think that John has the best of intentions in what he is trying to do. I simply question the way he is going about doing it. The WPBA is owned by the players and it is ran by the board of directors. Seven equal votes. There are bylaws in place that govern how the board makes decisions and gets things done. Throwing those bylaws out the window and making your own decisions without discussing it with the all of the board is not the way to get things done. If the board disagrees with the way you want to do things, then you were outvoted and you move on.
As far as intentions go, I told Charlie Williams almost ten years ago that I respected what he was trying to do in forming the UPA. I just disagreed with the way he was going about doing it. I thought the players needed a voice in their game and I still do. I told him that I hoped I was wrong and that if I was, I would be the first one to stand up and congratulate him on the great job he did. You and I have both talked about how that one worked out.
I think John has some very valuable ideas and contacts that he can bring to the table. But the WPBA is not a dictatorship. Everything has to be voted on and handled through the proper channels. All board members are equal and all players are equal. The #1 player has the same voting power as the #48 player and the president has the same voting power as the secretary.
You own the BCA Pool Leagues and I own AzBilliards. Both of those entities succeed or fail based on our decisions. If you decide to put a rule in affect that forces all players to wear short skirts and heels when they play, then they have to do that. If I decide that I am going to fill the site with porn ads, then porn ads it is. But we do not have Boards of Directors to listen to our ideas and ask us what we are smoking. The WPBA does. And they do for a reason. Those are called "checks and balances". If someone doesn't like operating under those "checks and balances", then they have a problem.
I hope that the best possible decision is made tomorrow at the players meeting. I hope the players think the decision through and talk to as many people as possible before they make any decisions. If John is gone, then I hope they have a plan. If he stays, then I hope they all find a way to work together for the betterment of the tour. And either way, I hope they do things the way their bylaws require that they are done.
Mike
