How to use this website

mylorbridgebowlingclub.co.uk – basic instructions for members (V6. 210823)

1.  General

The Mylor Bridge Bowling Club website is amongst the most comprehensive of its type.  Please read these instructions carefully, but bear in mind that no website can fully replace the need to talk to other members and officials, in order to ensure accuracy and distribution of information.

The site has two distinct areas, Public and Members. The Member’s area contains interactive fixture and booking systems, as well as member details and meeting minutes.  It is only available to logged in members. Log in with the user name and password you created in your application or the one which was issued to you. You can use your email address as the user name but not if you share one with another member.

2.  Member Directory

The Member Directory is only accessible to MBBC users who are logged in and have access to the ‘Member’s Area’. Select ‘Member Directory’ from the top bar. You can view a list of all registered members and, by clicking on any of them, you can see the details for that person. There is also a search function, to help you find a member more quickly. You can amend or add to your own profile by clicking on the ‘edit profile’ button in your own entry, and here you can change your password and add a photo. Any changes you make will only be applied when you click on ‘update profile’ at the bottom of the page.

Any fields that are not relevant, just leave blank. Remember to save any changes by clicking on ‘update profile’ before logging out or closing down. Also note that, whilst you can view other members’ details, you can’t edit them.

Important note if you are updating your profile but not changing your password.
You may get a notification saying ‘confirm new password is required’.  This occurs when your existing password has been entered automatically in the first password box but not the confirmation box.  This is a feature of the auto-fill function on most web browsers and is NOT controlled by the web site.  The system ‘thinks’ you are changing your password and is requesting that you fill in the second password box to confirm this. If you are leaving the password as it is, delete the auto-filled entry to leave both boxes blank, then press the update button.  This will not change or remove your password; to do so you need to enter a new one in both boxes.

To include a profile picture, go to your ‘edit profile’ page and select ‘update image’ in the profile picture section. Next click ‘choose file’ and select your chosen image from any file on your computer, press ‘upload file’ and the picture appears with a selection square inside it. Drag or expand the square to include the section of the picture you wish to use, then press ‘crop image’. Your profile picture will now be included. Again, remember to press ‘update profile’ before leaving the page.  Sometimes an image is too big to upload. If you receive a message to this effect, simply reduce the size of the image on your computer/device and try again.  Use the ‘resize’ option, which should be available on the programme you use for viewing and editing photos.

Each member is responsible for keeping their profile up-to-date as is the case with any online service to which you subscribe.

3.   News

This is, effectively, the MBBC notice board. If you have any news, events, updates, announcements, photos, etc. that you want published, send the details with any supporting documents to info@mylorbowling.co.uk and they can be posted on the site.  Check this page regularly to see notices relevant to you.

Items are displayed in date order (newest to oldest) and remain visible by scrolling down through the page.  News items are not sensitive or confidential and are visible to non-members, including other clubs and official bodies, who may have a vested interest in the content of certain posts.  Members can submit items for inclusion but non-members cannot.

4.   Fixtures

There is a fixture list in the public area. Non-members (e.g. other clubs) can view this list, but it has no additional functionality. Logged on members can view the full fixture details and use the interactive facilities via the members only fixture list in the restricted section.

In the members area under the ’Fixtures’ heading, select ‘Fixture List’ and you will be taken to the full list of fixtures, still to be played, in date and time order. By selecting any fixture you will see full details of the match, including team selection, together with confirmation of whether it is ‘Selected’ or ‘Open’.  Generally, but not exclusively, selected fixtures are league and other competitive competitions. Open fixtures are friendlies, drawn or open days, where teams are picked from a list of players who have expressed a wish to play.

If a selected fixture, only confirm your availability if you are on the team sheet.  Your name will be added to the list of players, picked for that match, who have already confirmed they are OK.  This means that the match manager only has to ‘chase up’ players who have not confirmed their availability.  Do not ‘confirm’ if your name is not on the team sheet.

If an ‘Open’ fixture, and you wish to play, then you should confirm this and your name will be added to the list from which the team(s) will be chosen.

This process has been designed to closely mirror the traditional team selection process (on the notice board), where the nature of the fixture determines whether you confirm availability after the team is picked, or put your name on a list, to register your interest in playing.  Think of it as: ‘Selected’ – Team sheet goes up, you tick off your name.  ‘Open’ – blank sheet goes up, you put your name on the list.

If you are unavailable to play in a fixture for which you have been selected, you should contact the team manager directly and not just rely on the fact that you have not confirmed availability.  The system does not have a specific ‘unavailable’ option, although it does have an option to cancel after confirmation, by going to the ‘Your Fixtures’ page.

 There are several other sub-headings under the fixtures tab as follows;

4a. Amended Fixtures

This is a list of all fixture additions, amendments and cancellations, which have occurred after the publication of the fixture list, at the beginning of the season.  The main list is updated anyway, but this form allows you to see at-a-glance, changes that have been made. When fixture amendments are confirmed, the date and time of the amended fixtures turns red and it is copied to the Amended Fixtures page, which shows exactly what has changed.

4b. Past Fixtures

Once a fixture is completed, it automatically moves to the Past Fixtures page, from where the result can be added and viewed. Past Fixtures will retain all original details, including teams.  Fixtures which have transferred to ‘Past Fixtures’, but are then rearranged with a new date, can be edited as normal, and will be reinstated, to the main fixture list.

 4c. Bowling Club Addresses

A list of all the clubs playing against MBBC, with addresses and contact details. Clicking on the postcode will take you to Google maps for that particular club.

4d. Your Fixtures

This shows the list of fixtures for which the logged in member has confirmed availability and provides the option to cancel their availability for any particular fixture. Only the player who made the original booking can cancel their confirmation, except for match managers, who can do this for any matches allocated to them.

 4e. Match Manager – edit fixtures

This section is only available to those members who have been given additional access rights. It allows fixture details to be amended, teams entered and changed and match results/scores to be inserted.  If you select this option, a list of all fixtures for which you are responsible will be displayed. By selecting one you will be able to amend any fixture details or attributes which may have been changed or entered in error. There will also be a text box, allowing you to enter team details, in whatever format you wish.  These details can only be changed by the ‘owner’ of the fixture, although ‘ownership’ can be transferred if necessary.

4f. Match Manager – manage players

This function allows Match Managers to view, amend or delete players who have registered for any specific fixture.

For detailed Match Manager instructions, click here.  For a comprehensive fixture editing reference, click here.

5.   Booking

This function acts like an online diary and reservation system. It allows the green to be reserved for private matches, roll-ups, maintenance, etc. and also shows a complete list of all such bookings.  In Winter the system is adapted to allow reservation of either short-mat or carpet bowls facilities. Only members can use the system.

The process in the outdoor season is to select a date on you wish to reserve the green, then pick your preferred time slot from those that are presented. Each day has five two-hour slots with up to six rinks per slot.  It automatically adjusts the available rinks or times when home matches are scheduled or when rinks are booked.  There may also be days when there is no availability at all, and this will be shown.  Booking is restricted to one rink per transaction so, if more than one is required, this would entail multiple reservations.  Bookings are confirmed by email and a cancellation link is included within the confirmation.  All bookings are transferred to a chart showing the date, time and person making the booking. There is a ‘details’ box in which the reason for booking can be inserted.

The confirmation goes to the member who made the booking and they are the only ones who can cancel or amend it.  If players turn up without booking, that is no problem if the green is free, but in the event of there not being sufficient availability, players who have booked have priority over those who have not.  Step-by-step instructions are included on the booking page.

In Winter, the process is slightly different. This is due to the limited availability, which requires booking to be more specific .

The clubhouse is allocated, on specific days and times, to either short-mat, carpet or both. Each day is divided into five bookable time slots (120 minutes each) and there are two bookings per slot. These could be one each for the two types of mat, or one type could have both slots.  This is an automatic function, so when you select a date and time, it will show you whether two, one or nil mats are available of the type you wish to book.  Similarly, if there is a home match, the relevant times will be blanked out.  This means that you do not need to check fixtures and booking lists; they have already been taken into account.

Before confirming the booking, enter the number of players in your group.  Due to limited availability, we ask that you are flexible, and organise practice session and roll-ups to accommodate additional players when the clubhouse is fully booked.  All players must ensure that they have vacated the mat by the end of their session. If the next session is on the ‘other’ type of mat, the group which is finishing their session is responsible for changing the mats over.

The member making the booking will receive the confirmation, with cancellation link. Additional players in that group will not be able to make any changes to the booking.

In all cases, members who have booked have priority over those who have not.

6.   Membership Application Form

As a member, you are unlikely to apply to join again, but you may want to point non-members to this page if they are interested in joining.

Under the ‘How To Join’ tab, on the public home page, non-members will see this as a blank form to be filled in and submitted as an application to join the club. Logged on members will see it as a completed form (i.e. their profile).  When a new applicant completes the form and clicks ‘register’, notification is sent to the secretary who can print and display the form, as per club rules. The applicant details will appear in the directory as a ‘pending’ member, until approval is given. The information completed on the original form is automatically transferred to their member profile.

7.   Gallery

A virtual ‘picture wall’, which is simply a random selection of club pictures from recent years.  From time to time the photos will be shuffled and new pictures added as they become available.  Any member can send in photos for consideration and inclusion (to: info@mylorbowling.co.uk).  Make sure that, if your pictures include recognisable people (except in general ‘group’ scenes), the subject has not requested that personal images are not displayed.  If pictures include the bowling green, it should look level, not as if it was built on a steep hill! Any submitted photos will be considered, but web admin reserves the right to reject any which don’t meet minimum standards, and to crop or otherwise modify any photo in order to enhance the image.