The Soapbox Archives:

• April 4, 2010:
  

• April 11, 2010:
  I wasn't going to write about it this week, but then someone asked what I was going to write for this week's editorial and the writer hasn't responded to me. This editorial applies to a lot of people so it's not going to go to waste.

  PRODRAFTT@cs.com wrote:

  "You seem to have an aggressive approach on the FAQ site.
  Most dancers are not used to this type of treatment."

  First of all, if you're going to write in with comments like this, please sign your name. It'd be nice to know with whom I'm communicating.

  Second of all, I'm not omniscient; I can't read your mind. Are you complaining about something or are you just making a statement? Don't be vague. Cite examples. Give me a chance to change your mind or take a chance that I might admit you're right.

  But with a lack of response to my email, I'm going to make a guess as to what this person is trying to say:

  I ask the visitors to this website not to ask me about a venue that's not on my website. I put most things regarding swing & ballroom dancing onto my website if I hear about it. However, if it's not on this website, then chances are, I don't know about it. I'm not trying to hide information from my readers. Also, it might help if certain readers would actually make the effort to find the information on this website themselves instead of asking me to personally answer their questions. I think this website is organized pretty well; you don't need to use any pull down menus and you don't need to type anything in. It's all there on the website. I honestly don't have the time to be the community's dance concierge. I don't make money off dancing and I barely have time to go dancing myself. Don't waste my time by asking me for information I don't have.

  If you're a dance or band organizer, then you must understand the basic difference between you and me: you make money off dancing and I don't. You want paying customers to walk in the door; I don't need them. I don't care if a particular dance promoter is successful or if they go out of business (other than the Boston Swing Dance Network and Uptown Swing, the only swing dances I attend regularly) so it doesn't bother me if I don't get information from someone too lazy or self-important to get their information to me in a timely and easy-to-read manner. Whose job is it to try to get more paying customers into the door? I provide a great free way for dance organizers to access the dance community. Each such dance promoter should be tripping over themselves to get their information to me so I can help them attract more paying customers. It's not my job to chase the dance organizers for their information (because I make no money off my website). It's the promoters' job to do what they can to make it easier for me to get their information on this website. That includes reading the list of frequently asked questions and trying to adhere to them. Examples:

  • Suppose someone sends in an event listing for the calendar and they leave out the time? Whose job is it to get that time information? Is it my job to find out when the event will be held? Or is it the promoter's job to make sure they get *all* the necessary information to me? Should a paying customer have to call to find out the time an event will be held or should the dance organizer make sure this information is provided to me?
  • Suppose the street address is missing? Did the organizer expect only local dancers to show up or should distant dancers be forced to find the venue on the web? Should I have to look up the address of a dancing venue or should the promoter provide that? Should I have to spend unpaid time to look it up or should the promoter try to make sure that any new potential customers can find the place easily instead of getting lost and going home?
  • I get a lot of generic "newsletters". Each one takes a while to go through in order to get one or two calendar listings. Should I have to read each one or should the promoters send me a two-line email with just the information I need for the calendar so it'll take only 20 seconds to type it in?

  I spend a ridiculous number of hours working on this website. I try to make sure the information is current, in spite of the best efforts of some dance promoters. And I don't get paid for this "work". Considering the number of people who visit this website, I get surprising few complaints. Perhaps the people who do have issues with this website (and my manners) should consider looking in the mirror for the real problem? I didn't have a FAQ when I started this website. I wonder if the writer (above) had even considered why I needed the FAQ in the first place?

  There are a bunch of dance promoters (and dancers) who appreciate the energy I put into this website for their benefit and they try to make the "workload" as easy as possible. I wish everyone else was as considerate.

• April 18, 2010:
  

• April 25, 2010: