Xbox Ireland now under new ownership
The former owner, and the editor, left separately for personal reasons
In December 2005, XboxIreland.com
was sold to Jason Powell with an address listed as ‘Joseph Gardner
Way, Liverpool, GB’. Mark Scully, the previous owner and creator of
the site, is no longer involved with Xbox Ireland — according to Cian
O’Mahony, the then editor, Scully left for “personal reasons beyond
his control”.
Speaking to Games Toaster, Cian O’Mahony
said that he left “because of university and work commitments”,
adding “to give the site the attention it deserves I decided that it
would be best if it were managed by someone else. I may return in the
distant future”
An apparently unregistered ‘Guest’ user on the sites forums
named ‘the Chief’ who’s posts have become official announcements,
lists user ‘xXCKY2K’ as ‘Content Editor’. ‘The Chief’ also
lists new ‘Site Contributors’ as ‘crazy gooner’,
‘olie3146′, ‘Scrapper’, ‘AwakeDreamingUK’, ‘wind it
up’, ’sunny_boy’, and ’skantmaster’. Jason Powell, the
site’s new owner told us “I would also like to state that the staff
list is in the process of getting up dated”.
Also, on the main section of the site, a statement reads – “The
Xbox Ireland team would like to apologise for the recent activity on
the site. Due to management issues as well as other matters, the site
hasn’t been updated on a regular basis lately”.
Related articles
Clarification: XI: we used facts, we did not infer or imply (Dec 10, 2005)
XboxIreland.com launches, backed by publishers (Nov 28, 2005)
pleb on Fri, 3rd Feb 2006 9:19 am
Have you anything positive to say about that site by any chance?
Talk about trying to maintain your omonpoly on Irish games sites. |How
about you try and help new Irish sites rather than knock them?
Guest on Fri, 3rd Feb 2006 7:05 pm
Because rather then report on proper gaming news, he posts about
other irish sites and puts them down to make him feel better about his
own.
Cian Ginty on Fri, 3rd Feb 2006 8:02 pm
To the first poster, who goes by the name ‘pleb’ – we posted facts,
we did not infer or imply (for ‘good’ or ‘bad’). An example of us
trying to maintain a monopoly would be what? Reporting the facts?…
Games Toaster is a general Ireland-focused games site with mostly
Irish news, Xbox Ireland is an Xbox only site with mostly international
news — how do the two directly compare?
To the second ‘Guest’ poster – Is news about Xbox Ireland not
‘proper gaming news’? Is such not news worthy for an Ireland-focused
games site? Where have I ‘put’ ‘down’ Irish games websites, where is my
opinion expressed in the above article?
pleb on Sat, 4th Feb 2006 12:20 am
For example, why mention the message “The Xbox Ireland team would
like to apologise for the recent activity on the site. Due to
management issues as well as other matters, the site hasn’t been
updated on a regular basis lately” being on the main site.
Is it newsworthy for you to reveal that their site has not been
updated? I don’t think so. I don’t see you reporting when other sites
are not updated. Why not let the reader visit their site and see it
themselves.
You have reported upon a number of the negative aspects of the site, as you did before, and ignored the positive parts.
Be a little positive for a change. This is the second or third time
you’ve tried to rubbish them, even if you do deny it. If it happens
again, I, for one, won’t be reading Gamestoaster anymore.
Irish games sites should give each other support. They’re few and far between as it is.
Guest on Sat, 4th Feb 2006 12:33 am
Xbox Ireland is having problems,I don’t see how that is newsworthy
here? Management has changed,hardly a big issue to write about
considering its not a massive site…
Le Chuck on Sat, 4th Feb 2006 9:32 am
Nope, the author here just wants to have his cheap shot.
I don’t see him pointing out any of the positives eg. XboxIreland’s
site design is alot better than the one here, but you don’t see him
reporting on that.
Cian, you may not have said anything negative but that doesn’t mean
you didn’t imply it. Relax and stop seeing other sites as a threat.
Did it ever occur to you that XboxIreland may be able to help you, just like you could help them.
Guest on Sat, 4th Feb 2006 12:50 pm
Three articles all about the one site…very fascinating stuff Cian..
Cian Ginty on Sat, 4th Feb 2006 1:51 pm
With the not-being-updated quote, I think you got me wrong there, I
used the not-being-updated quote because mainly just as an illustration
of how Xbox Ireland told their viewers about the change. If anything,
I’d read that as something like ’sorry we had changes in the
background, but we’re back in full swing now’. It’s good to see a
site communicating with its readers. I wasn’t trying to directly
report the not-being-updated fact, why would I because Games Toaster is
desperate for not been updated quite often?
On is Xbox Ireland newsworthiness, on one hand there’s comments
asking me to support other Irish sites, then other comments are telling
me that a management and editorial staff change at the site –
possible two of the largest things which could happen to website or
organisation — is somehow not newsworthy.
Even if it wasn’t an interesting enough story to publish, we have
a responsibility to update our record on topics we report on — news
publications do this by publishing new stories not editing old ones –
this is what we done.
As before, look to the right hand side panel — what other site
does this, in fact what other Irish games site has links to all/most of
the others? And only about one of these links was requested — we
actively found and published the rest.
Their site design is a subjective matter; it’s a view not a fact,
as is ours. Our design is bland and desperately lacking in colour
(we’re going to try to fix this some what at some point), but
functional and a reflection of our fact-based news coverage. This is
just one view on our design; others may hate it or think it’s just
tolerable. Anyway, do I really have to talk about the newsworthiness of
their site design — which is actually partly illustrated in an image
in the above article?
As for the perception that I see Xbox Ireland as a threat, as I said
in my comment above – Games Toaster is a general Ireland-focused games
site with mostly Irish news, Xbox Ireland is an Xbox only site with
mostly international news — how do the two directly compare?
Attacking me with comments like “cheap shot”, doesn’t exactly
make me “Relax”, but I’m replying coolheaded, without resorting
to cheep shots.
Three articles, one publicising the fact a new Irish games site
launched, the second just a clarification on the first, and the third
new info and an update on the first. And the conspiracy theories pile
in:
Will we make in four? How about anyone write about the site (the
positives or not, it’s up to you) and we will publish it under the
header ‘Emails’ (see the ‘Have your say?’ page vie the top
right hand side menu). I’ve previously offered this to the former
editor of XI, and I offered the new owner and other staff to comment
further then the questions I sent them — offers which at this time
have not been taken up.
lechuck on Mon, 6th Feb 2006 11:53 am
And must you not ask why the conspiracy theories have plied in?
Surely there’s something behind it when so many people think you are
guilty of criticising them.
This site can’t get that many readers and look at the amount of
comments on this article accusing you of wrongdoing. The customer is
always right, after all.
Cian Ginty on Mon, 6th Feb 2006 3:06 pm
I don’t mean to demean your views, but I’d be very cautious
using three to five people who have commented here as to be
representative of Games Toaster’s reader base. Since the first
article we have received at least two private correspondences telling
us how humorous reading the complaints was, we haven’t let this
affect how we have tried to address any complaints. And as someone
commented above, this story is may be of little interest to a lot of
people.
Our story about the Sun’s headline ‘PlayStation Killer’ is a
good example of getting loads of viewers with no comments. Stories we
have previously done have mirrored this, for example our articles on
the GAA game or the Xbox 360 have had numerous visitors but little or
no comments compared to those who viewed the page.
One good thing about being featured on Google News, News Now, and
Topix.net (and sometimes being featured highly in some Irish-related
topic searches on Google/MSN/Yahoo) is that while we get regular users
who want to know all about games and Ireland (that’s one reason why
we cover ’small’ stories), the sites named and others who link to
us on once off bases provide readers who are only interested in few
topics or just larger stories.
‘lechuck’ whatever about “many people think” we have
addressed comments posted by the above people. We did not just take
‘cheap shots’, we did not focus on just one aspect of the comments,
but we tried to addressed all points made by the concerned posters.
Anonymous on Tue, 7th Feb 2006 1:29 pm
You got 2 e-mails yet three to five people have complained, I’m another one now.
That’s 6 to two e-mails. Guess you know what the majority thinks or do I have to point it out.
Cian Ginty on Tue, 7th Feb 2006 2:59 pm
Six anonymous complains does not translate to six people complaining.
Again, I’d be very cautious using these comments as to be
representative of Games Toaster’s reader base — this could be at
best six people who are involved with XI.
Anyway, we have addressed all detailed complaints, and have received
no outstanding response to such. We cant reply to just “I’m another one
now”.
[Edit: Forgot to add my name to this comment early while away from my home PC]