But one thing that mystifys me completely are these instructions on the bbc.co.uk's 606 comment board:
Sorry, but you can only contribute to 606 during opening hours. These are 09:00 until 23:00 GMT, seven days a week.
One of the golden rules of the internet in this day and age is that to flourish and be a success, you need to give the viewer what they want, and more importantly, WHEN they want it.
606 don't do this. They deliver comment boards around their business hours, ignoring the massive population outside of GMT time zones that may want to deliver some witty chat when they want they have the inspiration, and not when a BBC nerd finally makes it to his desk and can moderate the text.
I'm all for the moderating. The last thing the BBC needs is spamming idiots on their boards (although both Digg and YouTube for example have software that allows the user to identify those posts that are rubbish) making the site look like a playground, but to only deliver that moderation when they want to do it, and not when the consumer wants to post, is just plain ignorant.
It must actually even be annoying for those living in the same time zone. Say you go and watch a game with an 8pm kick-off, get out of the ground at 10pm, get home at 11pm and want to make a comment about the game? Nah. Sorry. Come back tomorrow when we're ready.
Believe it or not, I have actually pointed this out twice to the BBC, once in a survey they asked me to do, and once via the 606 site. I'll keep you updated if I get any response.
On a slightly related note, I was on 606 because of the 6-4 Spur's win over Reading last night. I went to bed when Reading went 2-1 up thinking I couldn't sit around and watch Spurs lose again. I didn't even bother to record the thing despite the HD/DVD recorder sitting there doing nothing. GAH.
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