Changing The World Of Bar Billiards..... again!

Haha, bet that scared ya all didn't it? I like the title because it makes me sound like the Steve Jobs of Bar Billiards...... Calm down, it’s not as drastic as you think.

Some very interesting thoughts came into my brain about the future of our game (I’m ill, housebound and bored!), and I would like to share them and discuss if I may…..

This article is about my thoughts and future ideas with regards to the long term survival of our game and the continued use of technology to benefit Bar Billiards as a whole. I also thought given some discussions I’ve browsed today, it might be nice to give you all an insight into my views and the way I think, given the fact that it was me that started this place.

Some of you are scared I can tell….well rest assured, I’m not advocating anything and certainly not putting myself forward, but I would like the discussions, so I hope you enjoy.

I was browsing the forum in depth for the first time since, well since I left it really. Brings it all back, all the hard work setting it up, running it etc. But I can’t help notice that’s it’s been song long now since I set it up, and it got me thinking about the next step.

I’ll explain better what I mean.

When I came up with the idea of a forum to chat and share information, Bar Billiards was very “behind the times” technologically. I knew that for the game to enhance and possibly grow, something “extra” had to be done on top of the much hard work that was already done by various people in various ways, and at the time the internet was transitioning into something that “some people used” into something “everyone must have”. That’s what spurred me on, the determination to take advantage of a new technology. The challenges ahead I knew would be tough, as the general player base of the game of Bar Billiards was not what I would have called “inherently technical”, and people are of course normally resistant to change, but the long term benefits, well you can all see the benefits this forum has brought.

And before I continue writing, I would like to make it clear that I fully support the forum continuing in its present form way into the future. Don’t let anything I say here make you believe otherwise.

But that said, that was then and this is now. If today had been the day 8 years or so ago when I sat down and decided to pro actively help the game in the best way I could, the question I can’t help but think to myself is would I do the same thing again? Would I specifically start an internet message forum as my preferred choice to do my bit for Bar Billiards?

The answer, it’s interesting….. yes I think I would, but I don’t think I would have focused solely on just a message forum.

You see, I remember when the question used to be asked “Do you have a mobile number?” Think about that, does anyone still ask that question? or do we just assume everyone has ownership of a mobile hence the question “I’ll take you’re mobile number”. In the future, what is good and useful today will naturally get replaced with something else somewhere down the line. Just look at Facebooks integration with the iphone. It can now sync facebook data with your contacts etc etc. Is it really so far fetched to believe that in a few years time you’ll just pick up the phone and say “Siri, look up Joe Bloggs on Facebook” and then you wait for friend approval and all the information you needs comes too you?

That, or something like that will soon replace the old exchanging of numbers I assure you. Just as Facebook is replacing social emails between friend, and Twitter is replacing news feeds, and blogs are replacing editorials. It the way it’s always been, and it leads me to this article, what’s our next step in Bar Billiards? What would I do different today, because it’s a different world, with different ways of doing things.

Lets break down the challenges as I see them into two categories, Information and Communication.

For two way communication, yes, I think a message board would still be my preferred  and primary choice. It still as far as I can see represents the best way to chat with people far and wide and discuss issues in details. That’s hard to do in a “Twitter” feed or something like that. Anything else I would come up with for helping communicate between people would be an extra to a message forum.

For information consumption, well, now I’m not so sure. You see I thought of the posting of “necessary” information a bye product rather than the forums primary objective. Of course what happened was everyone realised that the forum was a great way to post information about tournaments, leagues results and all manner of stuff, but strangely my intention was to never “replace” existing information sources, I only wanted to add to them. In some ways this forum is the beneficiary of its own success, and that’s good don’t get me wrong. But I was sad when, for example, the BBQ stopped being published, or websites stopped getting updated as frequently as they used too. That was never my intention. I was a firm believer of adding too and enhancing what we already had, not replacing!

But then of course this forum represents “convenience”, and in the case of printed material…. cost. I understand this, so I guess this is a debate with valid points on each side, to say nothing of having “one place” to see most things will of course make peoples lives easier. I’m glad I left this forum in very capable hands, and I can see more good things that have happened over the years, like Dave Alder giving Secretary updates and a closer link with AEBBA.

So I guess you’re all now either wondering “Glenn, what are you on about?” or “Get to the point Chubbster, I’m falling asleep!”. Well I’ve had some ideas about the future, primarily with regards to ways to publish information rather than communication and I would like to share them with you and explain how I believe each could benefit our game in some way. They all have the present, but more importantly the future in mind.

1.  Mobile Technology Integration and a Bar Billiards App

I have yet to download the Proboards app which is one thing I will look into, but mobile technology represents the future of all technology and tight integration with Bar Billiards would be a huge step. Right now I’m posting on a forum sitting at a computer, the easier it is to strip out the need to find a computer the better and more people will use whatever it is we are using. Now of course we could all just use the internet on our phones, but that’s just boring! (and can be expensive) something like a dedicated Bar Billiards application  would really be something. Now how realistic is that? Well it’s not as far fetched as you think. Many small firms are now getting there own app as more and more people are learning to code in Objective-C (The computer language used to create iphone apps). Now for 2 ways communication this would offer little if nothing, but for access to Bar Billiards related matters it could be an extremely efficient tool.

It of course comes with many problems and probably cost, but some kind Bar Billiard App is not as far fetched as it sounds.

2.  Blogs and Wordpress.

I mention Wordpress, I will now tell you about it. WordPress is a free and open source blogging tool and a dynamic content management system. Now what on earth does that mean? In a nutshell, It’s a tool for people with no skills to make fantastic looking websites in as little time as possible, and load them with information as easy as can be and make it look spectacular. If you don’t believe me, go check the New York Times Website, that’s a wordpress site, my personal favorate is www.cnet.com/ one of the most hit websites in the world.

My ambition when creating this forum was to have an accompanying website, make it very, very easy for various people to update, and use the website as the primary information source for many things and leave the two way discussions to the forum. Problem is I didn’t have time, and more importantly I didn’t want to step on AEBBA or local leagues toes and duplicate anything they were doing.

The massive advantage of Wordpress (and other blogging sites and tools in general) with regars to Bar Billiards specifically is it’s ease of use and the smaller amount of time to update. Where as in the past each website had a “webmaste” who was respnsible for bascially everything to do with the site, this is a very rare model to find these days, at least on a large scale. It’s just much more easy and more effecint to have multiple people who can fill in a simple page, press a button and get the info on the website straight away. The BBC website is the best example of this. There is no “Webmaster” as such, a reporter fills in a form on his laptop, and after vetting a button is pressed, and the story is dumped in the appropriate section.

Just image a general all purpose Bar Billiards site, where for example I could be sitting on my ipad at an open, write a report of the tournmanet throughout the day, and within 10 minutes of the last game finishing, have an in-depth report on a website for the whole world to see, as opposed to just a message forum where you have to click through various links to see the information. I have 2 apps on my phone and ipad that can do that already.

“Hmmm” I hear you all saying. “Well that’s nice Glenn, but err, we could just log into the forum to see that, is it really worth it?” Well that leads me to my next, and I believe very good idea….

3.  Twitter and RSS Feeds.

Modern technology is all about convience. In todays world, why wait for someone to find something you want them to see when you can throw it upon them.

A RSS feed (you may have seen them on various websites) is bascially a little button you press and when a story relivent to what you are looking at is posted, you can be alerted on whatever medium you are using (phone, computer) telling you it’ there, and giving you a link for easy access. Here is just one example of a benefit.

Someone posts the start times for an open, the moment they post it somewhere, an automated alert is sent to each person telling them the start times for the competition. No need to look it up, it comes to you. You could also “Tweet” news items and things that various people need to see. It’s an area that I’m surprised nobody has set up already, as a Bar Billiards Twitter feed could be an interesting tool.

Using that kind of model has as Im sure you will agree many benefits in the long term. Give people what they need autamatically, don’t rely on them finding out themselves.

I have one more idea for the future, bear with me and try not to shun it straight off the bat.

4.  The Bar Billiards TV Channel.

Sounds rediulas doesn’t it. I mean come on!!!! Really?

Well yes actually. Here is what you need, a Youtube Account, A Camera, basic editing software and an internet connection.

I am a regular watcher of quite a few internet only TV shows. In the past, online video was a nightmare, a real nightmare, bandwidth costs were huge and editing was slow and painful, to say nothing of the internet speeds at the time, but these days it’s a piece of cake. Just as in the old days a musican had to sign a record deal to sell there material, these days all they need is a computer, some software and iTunes, as so that model works with TV. What’s better is, you can start getting advertising with your videos which scale with how many hits you can get.

Would it really be so hard and so far fetched for some brave sole to go to an Open, record various clips of the day and a few interviews with players and some highlights of the final (I recommending using the iphone 4S Camera, it’s backside eluminated sensor outstanding), come home, mix it together with some video editing software (or do it on the phone with imovie if you like) and put it on youtube?

Just imagine that! I can think of no better way to publise our great game than putting it out there for all to see, letting them subscribe and getting a following. And given the video would be there forever for all to see, just imagine how many people might take a look and enquire about a table local to them?

And so we come to the end of my random thoughts. Now before anyone gets any ideas, no, I have no intention of doing any of these, nor am I critisizing anything that currently exsists. I’m also aware that I’ve made referrence to and spoken of these things being easy! They are of course not. I sometimes forget I’m a tech geek who’s been designing websites and editing videos since the days 14.4k modems and Intel 386’s (Probably only Sav will understand that!). But I thought it would be nice to post some thoughts on what I believe could one day be a possible next step. Some of my ideas sound far fetched, but they are all very doable for some brave souls who decide to take on the challenge and have the time, and for the continued benefit of the game I would love so see someone give one of these a try.

And should anyone ever be inclined to discuss and move forward with things like these but lets anyone put them off an idea, I would like to say one important thing.

I once started a project that although praised by some, was laughted at and riduculed by equaly as many (if not more). I was told it was pointless, not needed, and would never take off or be of much benefit to the cause I intended to support, everyone else just thought of it as some tech thing they would never have the facility to use or see. That  project was this forum.

So I’d love to know your thoughts, and being a tech geek myself, it would be great to hear other peoples ideas, specifclly around using newer technologies to enhance our game.

Thanks for staying with me. Got to blow my nose now, take care…..