In my notes last week, I told you about the competition running on the site to win a copy of Keith Haynes' book - Come on Cymru. Well the winner, with the closest prediction of last Saturday's crowd, was Elizabeth Rees from Newcastle.
It was good to meet up for a pint in the Builders with cyber-pal Dave Jones from Texas before last Saturday's match - it's a shame that after travelling all that way he had to endure a 0-0 draw. Still, his next assignment looks like taking him to South America where he will be able to watch some of the most exciting exponents of the game yet still keep in touch with his beloved Swans via the Internet.
The message board on the site has seen some lively debate lately with topics ranging from speculation about loan-signings (Vinnie Jones) to doubts about the successful outcome of the Morfa project. Interspersed amongst these are regular messages of support from Den Haag fans!
As these messages are first sent to me before being posted live, the nonsense of obscene and childish taunts from rival supporters is avoided. This is a problem that needs addressing with the Swans Say board on the official site, where far too often the majority of messages are puerile and/or offensive.
The official site did have an excellent online "Spot the Ball" competition a few months back where entry was free and the prize was two free tickets for a match. Since this first effort, there has been no follow-up despite its popularity.
Here are some constructive comments; the official site does have the potential to become a success, but it currently lacks a driving force or individual responsible for its development. From what I've observed, the secret of a successful web-site is to strive for constant improvement coupled with up to date information.
Links to all Official and Unofficial sites are available at my Swansea Internet Web site. The address is http://www2.prestel.co.uk/gmartin or use the easy-to-remember version http://come.to/swanseacity