Difference between revisions of "Talk:KDHX Arts and Events Calendar Data Entry"

Revision as of 15:20, 20 May 2015

Overview

KDHX provides the Concert Calendar and the Arts & Events Calendars as a public service to the community. The tools required to create and maintain the calendar items are Desk.com and Joomla. You should be familiar with using Desk.com before you begin handling submissions from our listeners and readers.

Submissions are received one of two ways:

1) email submissions received in Desk.com.

2) online submissions using kdhx.org/calendar/event-submission.

The calendars exist in two forms; on our website at kdhx.org and in on-air presentations.

There are also two types of calendars that are presented on the website and on-air;

• Concert Calendar - any event that consists of only a musical performance; i.e., gigs, concerts, musical festivals, etc.

• Arts & Events Calendar - any event that consists of more than just a musical performance; i.e., exhibits, theatre, dance, performance art, charity events, workshops, fairs and festivals, etc.

The information that is entered on our website is used to produce the scripts for the on-air calendar presentations. Since any of these items entered may be used for an on-air calendar segment, we are bound to obey the policies and rules governed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Before proceeding to the next section, please read through the following article, written for our users and outlining our policies for calendar submissions.

How do I get my event listed on KDHX.org or on the air?

Getting Started in Joomla

1.Log in to Joomla.

2. In Joomla, go to the menu Components and choose EventList.

There are four areas here that you will need to access regularly;

• Events - provides search capabilities for events already in our system by Venue, Event Title and City.

• Add Event - produces an empty, fill in form for data entry.

• Venues - provides search capabilities for events already in our system by Venue and City.

• Add Venue - produces an empty, fill in form for data entry.

Getting Started in Desk.com

1.Log in to Desk.com.

2. Make your way to the Available Cases. These are where you will find today's email submissions for the calendars.

3. Start going through the submissions one by one. The oldest submission will sort to the top of the list.

4. Read the submission, scanning it for relevant content; i.e., Who, When, Where and What (a brief description of the event).

Important Note: Desk.com has some issues displaying many emails, especially those that are in HTML format. This may make it hard for you to find all of the information needed to complete a new event. Our "Rules of Submission" state that emails must be sent in text only format, however that is rarely the case. There is an HTML button in the upper right which may provide better viewing. If there are files attached to the email, open at your own discretion. PDF and JPG files are often helpful and safe, documents can often be opened with a text editor. If all attempts fail to retrieve information you can reply to the sender and advise them to put all information into the text of the email and that attachments are not accepted.

5. When you have determined the Venue for this event, go to Joomla and perform a search for this Venue. Review the listing and determine if this submission is new or already on our calendar. Be diligent in performing this step as duplicate entries on our calendars looks very unprofessional and haphazard.

Entering event information in Joomla

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Add Event screen components

• Event Title: Character space is limited, so make the title as simple and clear as possible. Try to leave out presenter names (i.e., Loyal Family presents) whenever possible. Never include the Venue name in this field unless it is also officially part of the event title.

- for Concerts use the name of the band(s), separating multiple band names with commas (,).

- for other events use the title of the event, performance, show, exhibit, etc.

• Alias: Do no enter anything into this field, it will auto-populate on its own when you save the event.
• Venue: The Venue must already exist in our database and chosen from a drop list. You will not be able to type in this field, but will need to use the following buttons to fill it:

-Select - clicking this button will present a searchable list of venues existing in our database. It is very rare that a new venue will need to be added, so please exhaust all search possibilities prior to creating a new one, especially if the venue has existed for more than a year.

-Add - if you are positive that the venue does not already exist in our database, click this button for a fill-in form for a new venue. Please be sure to verify all information on the venue's website or Facebook page, and include the correct phone number and website URL.

-No Venue - used most often when there is no specific venue for an event, or for an event that is laid out over a large area like Cherokee Street, the West End, etc. If there is no venue make sure that the description field carries further information like an address or a URL for more information. There is really no need to click this button. It will auto-fill the venue field with "No Venue," but as soon as you Save the event this field will become blank again.

• Categories and Sub-Categories: one or more sub-categories can be chosen by holding the Command key while you click, marking the choice with a blue bar of color.

- Please try not to use too many choices; one is sufficient, three is well-described and more than four is excessive.

- During entry, the main distinction between the categories of Concerts and Arts & Events is that Concerts does not require any information, or any editing of existing information contained in the Description field. Every Arts & Events type of entry must include a description.

- Most of the sub-category options should be self explanatory, but please be thorough when deciding which category(s) to choose.

- See Event Categories and Subcategories for a list of categories and their definitions.

Details tab

• Start Date: Use the date, or the beginning date of the event.
• End Date: For an event that lasts for more than one day, enter the last day of the event here. Do not enter an End Date on one day events.

• Start (Time): In military time enter the beginning time for the event. DO NOT use the "doors open" time, but rather the actual time of the performance or other type of event. This field should only be blank if the event is held over multiple days, see the next item for more information.
• End (Time): The ending time for an event is not always needed and will only appear on our website. It is provided as a courtesy to our web readers, but is always optional. Multi-day events should not include any times, unless the times are exactly the same for each day of the event. This field is most useful for events like theatre, festivals and exhibits.

Repeating Events tab

Use this tab with great care and discretion!! Mis-use and/or errors in this tab can easily create multiple entries and create havoc that requires tedious clean-up.

Image tab

Do not use. The image size must be very small when uploaded, therefore it shows up on our website around the size of a postage stamp.

Description field

The Description field is located in the large empty white space on the bottom left of your Joomla window. Any text that is copied from another source and pasted into this area must be run through a text editor of some kind. The WSIWYG editor above the Description field will help you to format and indent text, or to add web links.

There are some restrictions for this field, both policy-imposed and I.T. related.

• Concerts do not require any information in the Description field. This information is not included in the Concert Calendar scripts for broadcast, therefore it is not important that we monitor or populate this field.
• Concerts that are submitted via our online form do not require any editing of the Description field.
• Long descriptions submitted by users are often truncated, which means that after a certain amount of characters the rest of them are omitted. Unfortunately when this happens, it is usually the contact info that is missing, i.e., phone number or URL for more information.
• For a concise listing of our Rules of Submission, please review this article => How do I get my event listed on KDHX.org or on the air?

Writing Broadcast-worthy Descriptions

The data you enter into this calendar is displayed on our website, but is also used to generate our verbal on-air calendars. The new Descriptions that you create should be written to assist our on-air calendar producers, presenting them with "ready to read" copy from the database.

Notes and No No's

1. Keep in mind that we are a non-profit and do not want to encourage commercial interests, but rather inform the public about what events are going on. Any submissions that appear to be purely commercial in nature with no public benefit should be ignored.
2. Keep all information brief and in clear, simple English.
3. Do not use names that come with contact information, i.e., "call Tony at 314-xxx-xxxx."
4. Calendar entries should NEVER contain:

• Calls to action - ”so go on out,” “come on down to”
• Superlatives - ”best," "most popular," "award-winning."
• No price information, not even "free."

To learn more about producing an Arts & Events Calendar segment, visit the Arts and Events Calendar Script Template.

Types of Events

Auditions & Calls for Submissions

Example - New Line Theatre will hold auditions for two shows, the regional premiere of "Heathers" and the first St. Louis production of "American Idiot." No appointments are necessary; performers should arrive for the audition before 7 PM. 314-773-6526

Cabaret and Comedy

Notes - Cabaret and Comedy submissions are usually filled with calls to action and superlative statements. Once you glean most of these out you will be left with very little to work with in a description. For this reason these two sub-categories are exempt from the rule of requiring a Description.

Example - Barbara West presents in "Cole Porter's Rags."

Charity Events

Example - Inspired by the original Dadaists of the early twentieth century, this year’s Dada Ball celebrates the unexpected, ironic and playful. The event will take place at the Koken Art Factory in Fox Park, and features avant-garde cuisine by chef and food futurist Homaro Cantu, a boxing ring as stage and surprise entertainment throughout the night.

Dance, Performance Art and Theatre performances

Example - ACT INC 2015 presents "Love From a Stranger," with performances Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, and Sundays at 2 PM. actincstl.com

Exhibits and Exhibit Openings

Note - an Exhibit and an Exhibit Opening will often arrive within one submission, however they should be entered into the database as separate events. The two events will require different information in the Date and Time fields, however the same description may be used for both entries.

Exhibits

• [Title] Alumni Photography Exhibit
• [Date/Time] First date and last date of the exhibit, no times.

Exhibit Openings / Gallery Talks

• [Title] Alumni Photography Exhibit - Opening Reception
• [Date/Time] The date of the reception, no end date with start and end times.

Example - Pulitzer Arts Foundation presents "Calder Lightness," a pristine exhibition underscoring Alexander Calder’s impact on the sculptural medium through his iconic large-scale hanging mobiles, early stabiles and standing mobiles, as well as his less familiar constellations.

Environment, For Kids, Health & Wellness and Participation

Note - These options are usually used in tandem with another sub-category to better identify the event like Charity Events, Festival, Lecture, Exhibit, Film, Workshops, etc., and are rarely, if ever, used on their own.

Lecture/Discussion

Example - The St. Louis Astronomical Society presents "All the Mars Rovers and Discoveries?," and illustrated lecture by Kathryn Powell of Washington University. The event, cosponsored by NASA's Missouri Space Grant Consortium, is open to the public. 314-962-8231 slasonline.org

Open Houses

Example - The 14th annual Green Homes Festival showcases affordable, practical options for sustainable living combined with positive ways to maintain the health of people and the planet. The Butterfly House location will highlight the connections between plant-based green-living ideas and solutions to energy, water and waste issues. mobot.org/greenhomesfest

The Written and Spoken Word

Example - St. Louis County Library celebrates the 2015 Read St. Louis Distinguished Literary Achievement selection with a special event featuring novelist Sue Monk Kidd. Kidd will discuss and sign “The Invention of Wings,” Barnes & Noble will provide copies for purchase and signing at the program.

Volunteer

Note - Volunteer type entries are often complex and very hard to describe in two sentences. A third sentence may help to clarify, use at your own discretion.

Example - CAM seeks volunteers to participate in the living artwork "Sanatorium" by artist Pedro Reyes, on view May 1–August 16 as part of the group exhibition Occupational Therapy. "Sanatorium" is a temporary clinic offering short "treatments" facilitated by volunteer "therapists," who use a combination of ritual and play to bring the artwork to life. Volunteer training sessions begin Saturday, April 26. camstl.org

Workshops/Classes

Example - St Louis Language Immersion Schools are now enrolling Kindergarten, 1st and 6th grades at its French, Spanish, Chinese and International Schools. Tours are available for each school from April 28 - May 14.

URLS, contact phone numbers and emails

There are several rules of thumb in determining what type of contact information should be used in a new event Description.

1. The majority of the Venues in our database contain the phone numbers and URLs for the venue. If the submission is from the Sheldon Concert Hall for instance, we already have their phone and URL in the Venue information so there is no need to reiterate that same information in the Description.
2. If you have a group performing at a Venue, an organization hosting a festival at a local school, etc., they may have their own contact information that they will want relayed. This is the perfect situation for including contact info in the Description, i.e., New Line Theatre performing at the Gaslight Theatre.
3. Omit “www” from web addresses, ex. KDHX.org
4. Email addresses - never, never, never include someone's email address in one of our descriptions, even if they request that you do so or it is the only form of contact provided.

Reviewing Online Submissions

There is one last step in handling a day's worth of submissions, reviewing and editing of submissions received from our Online Submission form at kdhx.org/calendar/event-submission.

1. Go to an Events page in Joomla.
2. Make sure that the Search field is empty by clicking on Reset.
3. Go to the Select State drop list on the far right and change it to Unpublished.

You will now have a listing of new submissions in front of you in random order. Clicking on the Venue column header once, and then again, which will sort your list in alpha order by Venue. This will make it easier to identify duplicate submissions.

DO NOT forget to check all of these user submissions against the database for existing events. MANY of the user submissions received are duplicates of already existing events.