The Dorking Advertiser - Worst website ever?
It is funny as I have been meaning to make this post for some days and it was only when a visitor claimed that I had been linking to the Dorking Advertiser website that is became even more relevant.
Frankly I am astounded at the poor quality of the Dorking Advertiser website. As is the trend these days, our local paper is owned by a much larger company publishing similar papers nationwide. But this doesn't excuse the existence of the ICNetwork, which is an attempt to be one of those awful and hideous 'general' portal sites for local news on the web. Terrible design, a search facility that doesn't even work, it fails dismally.
Fine, if you want to ICAnywhere - as long as it is not around here!
Please note:- I have deleted my permanent External Link to the Dorking Advertiser site and replaced it with one to the Surrey Advertiser.
In fact this site is so bad I had to link to it just one more time. ICNetwork aka Dorking Advertiser>>
posted by The Cockerel @ 11:49 PM
22 Comments:
Good God -- this has to be the worst website ever. Cheap in design, hard to find your way around and it is so basic in nature. If that is the best the Advertiser can come up with, they may as well give up. I agree that the BBC Surrey and Surrey Advertiser websites are a very good source of local news but, the blog is much better for news and info, comments and gossip which concerns Dorking. A passionate plea to the Cockerel, whatever you do don't jump ship and abandon the blog to takeover the running of Dorking Ad website. ~AP~
Proper website address for the newspapers in the Surrey region that operate under the Advertiser umbrella:- www.icsurreyonline.co.uk
Looked at the news archives for the various towns and most of them have not been updated since February 14 2008. I think that is when the Dorking Advertiser changed from a broadsheet to a tabloid format. Have to agree it is a crap website.
Hello I have been reading this blog for a few weeks now and would like to bring a new topic to conversation. Has anyone heard about the possible privatisation of Dorking Halls? Why is the council selling off a facility that is already proving successful?
I must say I am incredibly worried about the proposed privatisation of the Dorking Halls. It is no secret however that the Dorking Halls probably just breaks even over the course of a year. The cinema probably makes a huge loss as it simply cannot compete with the likes of the multiscreen Odeon cinemas in Epsom and Guildford. There have been sold out shows recently like Bill Wyman, Alan Carr, Frank Skinner to name a few. Most of the shows however do not sell out and have quite a few tickets available on the night of the show. Saying that, I am a very big supporter of the Dorking Halls. It does offer a very wide range of shows and caters to a wide variety of ages and audiences. To put the Dorking Halls into the private sector would be a disaster. The range of shows would be cut, the local dramatic and theatre groups would be priced out and the cinema would be probably be phased out. Anything that the council has put in the private sector has been a disaster. Look at the Dorking Sports Centre for instance. Since it has opened, there has problems with the temperature, the tiles in the pool, staffing problems and a wide range of problems with the changing rooms, kids pool etc. So, please Mole Valley do not even think about putting our wonderful Dorking Halls into private ownership where profits will outweigh the variety of shows on offer.
Anyone else notice that Origin has made its way back to the High Street? Very strange, the independent clothing retailer has probably come back on a short term lease. Went into Caffe Creme at the weekend. Found the place had a varied menu and was very good value for money. The manager went out of his way to prepare freshly made food. All in all, I was very surprised by this new cafe and I wish the owner all the very best for the future. ~AP~
Ref Origin - the owner has been paying rent on the unit and continues to do so. He vacated a couple of months ago to make way for a new tenant who has pulled out of the deal. Consequently, the poor guy has the landlord holding him responsible for the rent until another new tenant comes along and he has missed out on over 2 months of trade. You will probably see him in there fora little while yet.
Went to the 'new' wine bar in South Street last night. I thought that the place was fantastic - just what Dorking has been crying out for years. The people who are running it are from Dorking. The wine bar has a fantastic range of wines and has London Pride, Fullers Honey Dew and a Czech lager on tap. The food is pretty good as well as it ranges from sandwiches to sharing platters for two or a selections of meats, cheeses and a vegetarian option. It also has bar snacks which consist of chips, hand made crisps and a selection of nuts. I found the wine bar to be very friendly and it seems to be attracting a varied mix of people who long for a place without a television, loud music and quiz nights. Quite amusing, that there was quite a few people from the Star pub there last night who were soaking up the atmosphere as well as the wine. Just hope that this wine bar will be around for many years to come. Jo
I popped into the wine bar this afternoon for a bite of lunch and was very impressed. A glass of red wine is £4.50, ales are £3.20 and the lager is £3.40. A little pricey I know but, the manager is very talkative, friendly and is open to any suggestions which will put the place on the map for years to come. Obviously, they are not going down the sports bar or pole dancing route! It is trying to cater to the crowd who are a little tired of the male dominated, young and quite boisterous clientele. It is trying to portray itself as an upmarket, chilled out place to drink and it succeeds at that.
As for Dorking Halls, it appears that Mole Valley are going to privatise this wonderful venue without consulting the public. Heaven forbid, if this venue was privatised. The price of admission would skyrocket, the bar would be sold off to the highest bidder and there would definitely be less shows on offer. In other words, it would be an absolute disaster for the residents of Mole Valley.
One last thing, I noticed when I was in Dorking a little bit earlier, is the presence of new signs stating that people who drop litter will be subject to fines of up to £2,500! Looking at the pavement outside the Surrey Yeoman and the betting shop, the council could make a killing if they ever enforced this policy. There are literally hundreds of fag butts all over the pavement. Why are people so bloody lazy? Walking by KFC and three young men decided to empty the contents of their car all over the pavements of Moores Road. KFC bargain buckets, their drinks, their newspapers and to add insult to injury, the driver then emptied a full ashtray all over the road and this was only 100 yards from the police station. Why doesn't the council consistently target the hotspots ie. the fast food takeaways and tell the pubs to clean up their act, as the fag ends, empty cigarette boxes and matches are an absolute disgrace in the centre of the town.
Leatherhead Lip
I popped into Dorking Halls yesterday to buy some cinema tickets and got chatting to the staff about the privatisation. They are really stuck in a bad position and are not allowed to fight against the take over which will be decided by the local councellors on june 3rd. They advised me to get in touch with my local councilor and express any concerns I had about the privatisation of Dorking Halls or Leatherhead Leisure Centre which is also in the same boat. I asked them what would happen to their jobs and all said they had been assured by mvdc that there would not be any staff cuts. But in my opinion to uphold the high standards Dorking Halls has any private company would need to cut back on something, either scheduling good quality shows or wages. So it could happen on
June 3rd, lets hope it doesn't!
As I have said before, the proposed privatisation of Dorking Halls and the Leatherhead Leisure Centre is a disgrace. A classic example of privatisation is the trains. The fares have increased dramatically year on year, services to Dorking from London still end very early, services are still very infrequent and the train stations still are in a very run down state. I agree also with Leatherhead Lip over the state of this so-called great nation. I am distressed by what I see every day; small things which point to a wider malaise. A mother directing her son to urinate against a shop window. Living in a town that welcomed years ago, only to be mugged by children in the Meadowbank recently. And feeling sickeningly overtaxed and being told to enjoy my "subsidised" £2,000+ annual travel costs. Also noticed on the BBC Surrey website, that a 50 year old motorist was killed as his car hit a tree. It happened on the Blackbrook Road in Holmwood, just outside Dorking. This is the third fatality in a matter of weeks. Jo
I believe you have been looking at the wrong Dorking Advertiser website for the past couple of months.
When the newspaper changed over to the tabloid format it changed another website address www.thisissurreytoday.co.uk. It was mentioned in that week's paper I believe.
Although the website is poor in design and in need of updating it has all Dorking news on it.
However all the website's news is put under general news and not seperated.
It is a good website and I think you should have a browse on it.
I cannot believe it that there has been another fatality on the roads in our surrounding area. Heard that the roads around Blackbrook were closed last night. They have re-opened as of early this morning. Reading previous comments, I tend to agree that excessive speeds along these country lanes is a major factor. Also, drivers continue to drive very fast in these awful weather conditions. The roads are very wet, slick and are prone to flooding. Still, the morons continue to race through at unacceptable speeds and ignore the basics like increased breaking distances. Very good website, by the way.
Just a quick note in regards to the Dorking Advertiser which is part of the Surrey Mirror series - Since they have been aquired by Northcliffe, the actual web-site for the Surrey area, which includes the Dorking Advertiser area, is www.thisissurreytoday.co.uk
This is clearly advertised on the front of the paper and they are in the process of commercially advertising it.
So in reference to the original comment, the IC websites have not been updated as they are not part of the Dorking Advertiser anymore.
Congratulations to the Surrey Yeoman for winning week in and week out as the worst kept outside premises in Dorking. This morning, at 10:30am Saturday morning, there was eight pint glasses, a bottle of wine, six bottles of WKD, about thirty cigarette packets, four lighters and 100's of cigarette butts all over the pavement directly outside the pub. Caught a glimpse of the landlady, as she fetched her Sun newspaper and ignored all the garbage outside. Very nice...;)
Looks like a new eaterie/bar is set to open this coming weekend. It is in the former Gossip Lounge premises and it is going to be called the Ceylon Tavern. It is advertising itself a Sri Lankan style restaurant/bar. There is another branch of the Ceylon Tavern up in Battersea and it seems to have very positive reviews on quite a few websites. Just hope that this new eaterie will able to compete with the great deal of competiton in the town centre. Frankie & Benny's is also due to open up very soon on the outskirts of town. It is situated in the former Little Chef/Burger King premises. Also noticed when I was in Dorking earlier this morning, that there is a hive of activity in the premises soon to be occupied by Fatface. There was a lot of workmen measuring up the premises as well as looking at a variety of plans and maps with senior management. Well, I will sign off, as it is really unhealthy to spend my day staring at a computer screen. Cannot wait to take advantage of the much needed sunshine and warmth.
Leatherhead Lip
Great -- just what Dorking needs a Sri-Lankan restaurant! We have more than enough Indian restaurants in the town. What will make this new restaurant stand out from the rest? We have been banging on for years to have a Mexican/Greek/English/Fish restaurant to open up in our town. Why is their little or no imagination when it comes to an owner opening up the same run of the mill Indian/Chinese/Thai/Nepalese/Singaporean/Sri Lankan restaurant? On the same theme, since Scoop opened its ice cream parlour, Caffe Creme and Chimes have decided to get in on the act and serve ice cream as well. Also, the amount of cafes and coffee shops that serve bagels, toasties and smoothies is also staggering. Again, a little imagination would not go amiss. ~AP~
So full of idea's ~AP~ ? How come everyone is so keen to condemn. Why not put your money where your mouth is and open your English Fish restaurant, surely we ought to congratulate and welcome anyone who dares open any kind of business in this poor excuse of a town.
The Mole
Just seen the Dorking Advertiser this week and there is an advertisement stating that Nina Boutique on West Street is having a closing down sale. Nina Boutique is run by the daughter of the guy who manages Two to Four, Viva and is the landlord of many of the premises in West Street. Very sad news that Nina Boutique is closing as it offered very good quality brand names at very reasonable prices. Noticed that The Star made the front page of the Advertiser this week. Robert Hadaway, 27, of Woking, was accused of punching a customer in the face and hit another over the head with a bar stool in a brawl last october during Open Mic night. The landlord was a witness in the trial which collapsed after key evidence was stolen from a courtroom. You really could not make it up!!! What an absolute disgrace that the CCTV footage went missing. The Crown Prosecution Service should be really ashamed of themselves. It is little wonder why nobody has any faith in the police, the CPS and the courts. As for The Star, it is still a top quality pub that offers a real alternative to the football orientated theme pub. Jo
where has everyone gone?
I agree -- where has everybody gone?? It looks like the Cockerel has stopped posting as well. We have not heard from him for almost a month now. Maybe everyone is enjoying the much needed sunshine or maybe the dreaded 'credit crunch' is affecting the Cockerel and all the other contributors as well?? Anyway, it looks like there is another casualty on the shopping front in Dorking. Steads, which has been open for just over a year seems to have shut its doors for good. This is bag / baggage retailer which took over from from Bags etc. early last year. If you still have not heard of it, it is the shop unit which sits at the top of St. Martins Walk and also fronts onto the High Street. It is opposite The White Horse Hotel. All that remains in the shop unit is a few plastic bags and cardboard boxes.
Does anyone have any other news, views or even gossip that is doing the rounds in Dorking??
DORKING Dan
I have driven through Dorking for the last few weeks and have seen that the number of 'Save Dorking Halls' signs have increased in shop windows. I wasn't aware that the halls were to be privatised although I had read that their budget was being cut by about £75,000 as MVDC make savings in the next financial year, trying to make up a £500,000 shortfall.
My interest at the halls is primarily the cinema as it has been the only venue on this side of Mole Valley showing films. As it only has a single screen it will struggle to get some films as distributors are aiming to get returns on films as soon as possible. The fact that the cinema is showing films such as they do is to be commended. I started Village Hall Cinemas in July of last year as I felt that people in villages around Mole Valley (especially the elderly) were missing out on seeing new cinema releases merely due to a lack of access. Started in Newdigate, we have just added Leigh, will start in Peaslake this weekend, Boxhill in April and maybe Bookham in May. We have also had interest from places further away such as Bramley, Godstone and Godalming. Choice of films does seem to be lacking and we are trying to fill this void by changing over to a digital setup that will enable us to shower much newer films, all be it in their 4th or 5th week of release (can't get them any sooner due our size). This would provide people in Mole Valley with more choice. We were looking to form some kind of partnership with The Dorking Halls, so as not to overlap on films being shown, if they privatise the halls this may be in jeopardy.
What sort of films do people feel are being missed at present? - VHC
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