12 Dec
2013
12 Dec
'13
12:52 p.m.
Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2013 18:01:13 -0800
From: Alan Winston <winston(a)slac.stanford.edu>
To: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Subject: Re: [Callers] Fw: Creating a CDSS dance depository
Message-ID: <52A918E9.6090708(a)slac.stanford.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
On 12/11/2013 5:35 PM, Chris Lahey wrote:
Good point Alan.
It would be worth asking CDSS whether they are interested in officially supporting this
effort in some way, perhaps even with resources - an intern??
Also it is worth thinking about the purpose of this database. I see two different
distinctly different important ones:
- one is to provide a comprehensive historical archive of dances.
- the other is to provide good information to new callers to help them become better
callers. I believe that Contra Dancing is going to get to be more popular and as a result
there is going to be the need for more callers. A good database with demos, notations,
etc. would help.
Compatibility with Caller's Companion would be valuable for this purpose.
You're absolutely right that something like
that could go up fairly
quickly. I'm just afraid that it would take away from the possibility
of something much more useful, though harder to obtain. I don't think
it's forking the discussion to discuss whether this is a good idea.
Fair
enough.
I've witnessed a number of volunteer web things things that never got
off the ground at all because the requirements snowballed to the point
where it would be really hard to get started. I've now come around to
the position that sometimes, given limited time and resources, and when
one isn't working on life-critical projects, it's worth figuring out
what the minimum effort to do something useful would be, with the idea
that once something is useful it will be easier to find more resources,
and if you get bogged down you've at least got something useful.
So that's my bias in this discussion.
-- Alan 
7 Apr
7 Apr
12:18 p.m.
New subject: Creating a CDSS dance depository
"First Time Dancers get in Free" Promotion Results:
For five weeks this winter we ran a special promotion at the Downtown Amherst dance that
all First Time Contra dancers get in free. The results were impressive:
Jan 29 -12
Feb 26 - 10
Mar 5 - 20
Mar 19 - 8
Mar 29 - 9
Total new dancers: 59 Avg: 11.8 Median: 10
Overall attendance was normal meaning the variations in "Free" numbers was not
affected by the band as far as I could tell.
Many of the new dancers said they would be back and in fact I saw quite a few of them both
at subsequent dances in Amherst and at Greenfield. Some came early in the promotion and
then brought friends the following week. Our organizing committee has discussed various
options to draw new dancers, primarily "First Time Free" and "Second Time
Free". The "Second Time Free" option gives you more feedback about how many
returnees you are actually getting; the "First Time Free" simply lowers the bar
to the ground and is harder to resist (friend to friend). (We also included the option for
anyone who might have tried contra once or twice a long time ago to be considered
"First Time" but I don't know that anyone came in saying that.)
Our series averages 75-85 total each week with a range of 60-160 depending on the band.
The median is definitely under 100 but has gradually increased over the last almost four
years.
I think the promotion was a tremendous success and we're having an ongoing discussion
about whether to try "Second Time Free" for a while or just implement
"First Time Free" periodically. For programming reasons, I don't think it
makes sense to have it for every dance, especially dances that will be extremely full,
such as if Elixir or PeM play or if it's a techno contra (which has other issues for
beginning dancers). However, we might pick a month or a block of dates and do it again
periodically.
Sincerely,
Will
Will Loving
Founder & Programming Director
Downtown Amherst Contra Dance
http://amherstcontra.org
12:19 p.m.
New subject: "First Time Dancers Get in Free" Promotion
"First Time Dancers get in Free" Promotion Results:
For five weeks this winter we ran a special promotion at the Downtown Amherst dance that
all First Time Contra dancers get in free. The results were impressive:
Jan 29 -12
Feb 26 - 10
Mar 5 - 20
Mar 19 - 8
Mar 29 - 9
Total new dancers: 59 Avg: 11.8 Median: 10
Overall attendance was normal meaning the variations in "Free" numbers was not
affected by the band as far as I could tell.
Many of the new dancers said they would be back and in fact I saw quite a few of them both
at subsequent dances in Amherst and at Greenfield. Some came early in the promotion and
then brought friends the following week. Our organizing committee has discussed various
options to draw new dancers, primarily "First Time Free" and "Second Time
Free". The "Second Time Free" option gives you more feedback about how many
returnees you are actually getting; the "First Time Free" simply lowers the bar
to the ground and is harder to resist (friend to friend). (We also included the option for
anyone who might have tried contra once or twice a long time ago to be considered
"First Time" but I don't know that anyone came in saying that.)
Our series averages 75-85 total each week with a range of 60-160 depending on the band.
The median is definitely under 100 but has gradually increased over the last almost four
years.
I think the promotion was a tremendous success and we're having an ongoing discussion
about whether to try "Second Time Free" for a while or just implement
"First Time Free" periodically. For programming reasons, I don't think it
makes sense to have it for every dance, especially dances that will be extremely full,
such as if Elixir or PeM play or if it's a techno contra (which has other issues for
beginning dancers). However, we might pick a month or a block of dates and do it again
periodically.
Sincerely,
Will
Will Loving
Founder & Programming Director
Downtown Amherst Contra Dance
http://amherstcontra.org
3665
days inactive
3781
days old
contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
2 comments
2 participants
participants (2)
-
John W Gintell -
William Loving