DanceNet: Submitting event information

DanceNet: Swing Dancing in the Boston area graphic

Submitting your information for Dancenet

So...you want to add your dance information to DanceNet (or TangoNet).

Editor's Note:
I recently timed how long it took to get the street address off someone's website because they left it out in the email. Took about 45 seconds out of my life. Imagine having to do that with every calendar listing I get?

First of all, DON'T send me press releases or long newsletters with your information buried in there somewhere. It takes me a long time to read through all the mail I get to get all the information typed into the website. Don't be surprised if I delete your press releases; I don't have the time for them.

Send me email in text. Don't send me information in a graphic file. I can't cut & paste out of a graphic image. Make sure the important information is at the top of the message so I can see how important it is (how soon will it take place?). Note that any lengthy "press release" is a low priority.

Remember, you have about 5 to 10 seconds to catch someone's attention as they skim through all the calendar listings. That's the same amount time I'll have to figure out which emails I want to process first. And please, no "bullshit". If you tell me you're the "best teacher in Boston", I'll just edit that down to "a teacher in Boston".

If you want to send me attachments as *additional* information, that's fine, but it takes longer to pull the information out of an attachment, not to mention that time it takes to read it. It takes a long time out of my day to read them and I get a lot of them. Note: I will not go to your website to get the information I need so don't just send me a URL.

Rule of Thumb:

If you want to have your dance business listed on this website, find the page where your listing would be appropriate. Then look at the other listings on that page. Send me similar information. And send me a short description of your venue; you won't want me to make up a description of your dance business.

Places to go dancing or new Dance Studios

If you're submitting your dance venue for the places to go dancing page or for the dance studios/schools page, take a look at the other listings on those pages and send me similar information. Don't have a website? Then, perhaps you should start thinking about getting one. How else are you planning on promoting your dance venue on the Internet? Let me know if you have a

page.

Send me:

The name of the venue. Example: Boston Swing Dance Network
the website address/URL, if you have one.
Street address: How else will people find your place?
Contact information: Email address and/or phone number. Remember, there *are* still people who prefer to talk to someone on the phone or prefer to do all communications through email. I prefer an email address.
A *brief* line or two about your business. Basically, tell people what you offer. Everything is subject to being edited.
Anything else I've missed that might help my readers consider your venue.

if you're a dance teacher, put your schedule on a (i.e, *your*) website so people can just look it up. You might only have contact with a customer when they show up for a class. Tell them what classes you have, where they're held, and when they are being held....on your website. They might not want to actually talk to you on the phone.

Bottom line:
if you are a dance teacher, organizer, or otherwise promoter, it's in your best interest (and your job) to get your information to me as soon as possible and in a clear format so it takes very little effort and time for me to put it into the webpages. I provide a free venue to promote your event to thousands (actually, *tens* of thousands) of people every month. Take advantage of that. Unless I know you well and I attend your event, I have no reason to care whether you succeed or fail so make it convenient to take time out of my day to type your information into these pages.

Major dance events

This applies mostly to the "swing-related" events. That includes East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues, etc. I consider these multi-day "National Events" for which people will drive for more than an hour (or even fly) and stay all day(s). Sorry, I'm not into ballroom so I generally won't list ballroom weekend events. Tango events go elsewhere.

Name or type of event Example: Beantown Lindy Hop Camp
Where is the event? Is it a hotel or hall. Links are good.
Address: A link to a web map or directions is nice but at least tell them what to type into Google Maps, Mapquest, or their GPS. Don't assume I live in your state or country so give me that information.
Name of any live bands. Include website addresses if they exist. Live music is an "attraction" and a plus.
Times and dates
Does this event includes "big name" teachers that people don't see all the time.
Logos! This is optional, but it makes your event stand out.
Anything else I've missed that might help my readers consider your venue.

Workshops

Workshops are multiple classes taught on a day or over several days by "big name" visiting teachers. Think Mario Robau, Jr. or Sylvia Sykes. Would you schedule your weekend around their workshops or the other way around, and would you drive an hour to take a workshop with them? A workshop taught by a local teacher is still just a local event and a regular part of that teacher's normal schedule. Because that teacher can be seen teaching classes and workshops all the time locally, their "workshops" won't make the local Boston calendar (they would probably get in a more remote calendar like the one for Maine). That means people like champions Robert Cordoba and Deborah Szekely are now "local" teachers.

Name of the instructor(s).
Where the workshops will be held. Website addresses are always welcome.
When are the workshops?
A link to a page where the classes are listed. Don't assume people will get that information from a flyer. As a matter of fact, most dance organizers don't bother dropping off their flyers at all the possible dance venues so many possible customers won't know about the event. Use this website to reach those potential customers!
Pictures! A picture is definitely worth a thousand words. Try to include a picture showing the instructor dancing or teaching. Show them *moving*.
For examples, check out the workshop pages at DanceNet or TangoNet.
Don't make me chase you down for anything else I need but haven't mentioned.

Calendar listings

For the most part, calendar listings are one-shot dancing events, though workshops (see above) and dance weekends are included. Note that there are calendars for each of the New England states and for the different parts of Massachusetts. On the front page, the

icon is a link to that region's calendar. Go ahead and check them out!

Name of the event: For example, Boston Swing Dance Network monthly dance.
Type of event such as West Coast Swing or Ballroom . This tells people if the venue offers (or doesn't offer) the type of dancing they want to do. Tell me if it's a benefit or for a charity.
Location: Is it a building that people recognize or can find easily. In the dark?
Address: Do you want only local people to attend your event or are you hoping you'll get people driving in from several towns over? Tell them how to find you on a map. Some people have GPS's and want an excuse to use them. If you say "Town Hall" in some town in the middle of nowhere, you're only going to get local people. A link to online mapping sources like Google Maps or MapQuest is extremely helpful but not required. And don't assume I know which state you're in.
Live music? You can always to go a dj dance anytime, but a band that shows up only once in a while is a draw and might get people to leave their homes instead of lounging in front of the TV. Include a website where they can go and find out more information about the band. Note: Some people are stupid enough to have the same name as another local band so a link to their website is a really good idea. (for example, there are *two* bands on Cape Cod that are named the "Moonlighters"; one is a big band, the other is more of a rockish/pop band.)
Time: This is especially important for non-regular events or for public restaurants or bars that are not regular stops for dancing. Tell us when the band will be playing. Give them a chance to have dinner there before the band starts.
Dance floor? Sure, people might be interested in dinner and listing to a favorite band, but the real audience of this website are the *dancers*. Tell your audience if they can expect to be able to dance at your venue. If it's a favorite band, some people might show up even if there's no dancing.
Contact information: Give me an email address or a phone number. I don't want people asking *me* for more information. I don't work for you. And please INCLUDE the area code. The standard US phone number has *10* digits. If the reader has to look up the area code, they might just decide it's not worth the effort and look for something else to do.
If this is a regular event, give me the calendar dates for as far as you know the venue will be open. "Open every Saturday in 2011" is not good enough because it doesn't tell me you've actually looked at a calendar and considered any possible holidays. Remember, the more dates you provide, the longer people can plan ahead for going to your venue.

Any other type of listing

Look at the other listings on this website. If it's related to (swing) dancing, there's probably a good example of a typical listing available. You can probably figure out what you need to send to me.

If you need to know the reasons why this format exists, please refer to the list of frequently asked questions.

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