On the matter of a website: Helloooo Pryanksters

[temperance14]

Well, the teacher wanted me to approach this realistically.

Some of you remember my bitching and moaning about my webpage design class (aka FrontPage2003 and why you should love it).

I went through the preliminary design process when I started the class back in September. So, for most logic, it would just be redundant to go through the brainstorming, write ups, setting of goals and purpose, diagram of page/site structure….

Like hell. I’ve torn the coding and pages apart to start over. The planning ought to be redone as well.

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Why do I want a website? Or, for the imaginary ‘business’ site, why would Pryanksters want to have another website?

Who are we trying to reach, and what information / entertainment to we want to give them?

How dynamic will the site be? How interactive? What forms or page types do we need? What functions? What bells and whistles do we need to get our information across, to attract attention.

How do we describe ourselves? What do we do for the public, what services offered or sold? What do we know of our history? What do we know of upcoming events, and how often to update? What other outside sources would we link to?

Images, pictures, colors, fonts, themes, sounds?

Y’know, it’s 12:20am….I’ll finish and up most of this tomorrow.
But here are some thinkables:


Who are the Pryanksters? I don’t mean the dust up we had before. Although that will have some affect on other pages that will be in this site….

…..but we are an English Country Dance group. We entertain at Ren Faires, or other Rennaissance themed functions. We don’t earn money from this; this is not a job. Earning money has not been the point of the group. We accept payment to go to some faires---but that is to cover expenses, or refurbish gear.

So….in RL, we do not do this for money. However, for the sake of my Pseudo Site, I am going to design and information page and contact form for those pretend people who want to hire us. And...who knows. Have we ever expressed an interest in hiring ourselves out? (Must re-check Ric and Norm’s sites!) Have we ever had people ask us to perform at their functions, for payment?

At T-Day party 2005 at Hare House, She Who Must Be Fed Chocolate suggested I could make up Pryankster t-shirts and bumper stickers, so that I could have something to sell on the order form I needed to design.

And apparently, the idea of selling t-shirts and stickers to fill the coffers in RL has been of interest for awhile. So, I can make up a page for that.

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We are a teaching group. We teach others how to dance for pleasure, social group, passing on knowledge / hobby group, physical recreation. Hell, we like dancing and the music.

And we need to teach others so that we have new blood and fresh dancers to fill out our ranks. (Yes, yes, and new people to flirt with.)

That’s a RL interest. So, we need a info and recruitment contact page. A way to contact us. A form to fill out your name, address, etc. A form that will create a database.

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We need a page of upcoming events: we want the general public to know where to find us. A page that will be updated regularly. And, as Norm and Ric have done on their pages, links to the home pages of those faires and events where we appear.

(I believe Ric had the wonderful extra notation on his schedule page: not only maps to the individual fair sites, but a link to weather.com for the site location!).

************

OK, have more ideas, but must post tomorrow.

btw-- some of you are Pryanksters. Pretend you’re the client: what do you want on your web page?
Some of you might come to see us dance…or would need convincing. What would you like to see at our website. Besides cleavage, I mean.

Comments

[fools-and-irish.livejournal.com]

What would I like to see? Links to faire websites & guilds we get on with; Siamsa, St. Cuthbert's, & Gathering of the Gaels, for example. And just a splash of history--role of dance in peasant life, who the heck is John Playford and why is his name spoken in a reverential hush. Email contacts & character descriptions for people willing to be contacted for more info about Pranksters.

Maybe?

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

Ah! Actually, that page is already created--well, the page is there and titled, anyway.
"Brothers, Sisters, Kith & Kin".

I knew Siamsa, didn't think about St. Cuthberts (and after gi'en me a spot of tea!). Will of course include Red Rose, and other Morris (I think I will set up all the Morris dancers with their own page), Danse Macbre, and am open to more.

How about non-Renn folk such as Fezzis? Or non-faire vintage dance groups? (On their own, page, of course, so we don't confuse the masses about who appears at a Renn Faire. No, I'm not kidding.)

Was going to have history of ECD page with reference to Playford, Sharp and Shaw.

And instead of re-inventing the wheel, give links to Ric and other sites translations of Playford. I've found about 6 sites that carry some nice interpretatins of Playford. But I've got to say Ric's is one of the best. (Although he's got a different treatment of Cuckolds---throw a kiss over the shoulder rather than bump butts. Would love to see that.)

e-mail contact and a data gathering form for potential pryanksters, yes.

Character description?! Elaborate please!

[fools-and-irish.livejournal.com]

Ellen. Dave. Bob. Casey. You. Me. Alisa. Sarah. Jay. The principals who have developed characters, who are likely to be most colorful &/or possible announcers for the stage shows.

For email contacts, Ellen, obviously, if she's interested. I'd be happy to be listed as a contact for anyone with questions. There might be others. Jay, probably. Sarah C. for Davis contacts.

Links to non-Faire groups: Fezzi's is a natural, with so many of us involved. For others, I personally would restrain it to groups that have a Prankster link--either we do things with them, or there's some overlapping membership.

Just my own ideas, though.

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

Character listing! Lovely idea. I knew we didn't keep you around just for your bonny legs and blue eyes!

[fools-and-irish.livejournal.com]

Ah, but it's a sweet-talker you are. Puir wee Casey ne'er stood chance against such charm and winsome wit. An' it's hardly as tho' anyone, lad or lass, would spare attention for my puir frame when so bonny a lass as yoursel' was in plain sight for all to pine after--

[fools-and-irish.livejournal.com]

"Oh yes. I did that to him in instant messenger, and he played along nicely. See? It's easy to understand."

Gods & monsters. I don't usually get my migraine until after 10 AM. Damn your eyes!

Who's Who in the Shire

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

Hah! My Eveeel twin Judith Truman (nee Brewster if we did such things as the French do) have given you a greater migraine!

I said you have bonny bits and a wonderful mind. You, sighting the Serendipitous one, thought it was she, and assured her that Barnabas never stood a chance against her charm---but, s'truth indeed! (But how can one feel pity for Master Piper Truman when his failure to roll his save against Mistress Brewster's charms were so rewarded!)

Let's see....then Mistress Brewster/Truman fell into the Pit of Missing Vowels, and came out of it as a WereGaelic Techno......

Ha'e ye any willow bark, Master Mandolin Stringy Plucker? I think I've been struck with your migraine...argh.

OK, I think we've piled these message deep enough on this post....START A NEW ONE!!

P.S. If we can work up a gallery of pics, we can have a character page...hell one for each fair season. If we want to make SWMBFC grind her teeth, we can have "twin pics" for those who go weregaelic periodically!

Re: Who's Who in the Shire

[fools-and-irish.livejournal.com]

I think you might find that She's not the only one to have a cow.

"Fell into the Pit of Missing Vowels..." Have you read Jasper Fforde's "Thursday Next" novels? I'll try to bring "The Eyre Affair" with me tonight, if not. I suspect you'll enjoy it VASTLY. And it's most decidedly in line with Himself's sense of humor, so you'll both have a time.

As for the other, I can send you a photo or so easily enough. We ought to write brief (BRIEF, I say) character-bios, perhaps. Mine will of course assure everyone that IN NO WAY am I getting a feel for the mood of England & Scotland preparatory to the O'Neill's rising.

Who, me? Heck, no. (You'll have to imagine the innocently-batting eyelashes. Because...I don't have them. Ah, well.)

Re: Who's Who in the Shire

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

I (and yes, normally hate this use of the word)...

*LOVE* Jasper Fforde's books!

After reading Lost in a Good Book, I found myself following Mrs. Haversham at Dicken's Fair.

Kept hoping she's have it out with Mr. Carrol for inflicting red queens upon the world, or perhaps with the Flashman at the A.C. Defending the honor of the 'croqet wickets', and all that.

Good morning Master Scully!!

Re: Who's Who in the Shire

[fools-and-irish.livejournal.com]

Ah, and a bright and sunny day to yourself, darlin'. May it bring you nothing but joy and spring breezes.

[tsgeisel.livejournal.com]

Have we ever expressed an interest in hiring ourselves out? (Must re-check Ric and Norm’s sites!) Have we ever had people ask us to perform at their functions, for payment?

Yes and yes. One of my favorite private functions was the Guy Fawkes Day performance we did for a brewery that doesn't seem to be in business anymore, just outside of Placerville. And, yes, we did burn Guy in effigy.

Also, if you can come up with a suitable design, Cafe Press might be an idea for tshirts and stickers.

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

That would be something to bring up with S.W.M.B.F.C. I think she would be VERY interested in a good design anyone had.

I know a lot of our Davis folk mentioned they like the use of the old Dancing Jester Booties for a background pic.

(On my student site, I used a faded version of the Red Rose, since Ric used it, as my common background. And yes, folks, I ended up cribbing a few photos for class use, which I told my teacher up front. At the time I did not have my own photos loaded. Cribbed-for-class photos will be removed. Of course, I could always substitute stick figures until I get proper photos images put in...)

[kay-gmd.livejournal.com]

General goals would seem to be
something fair runners could see, and link to to let them know what we do. Pictures of us dancing and guild site brief explanation
something to draw potential customers to the fair probably covered by above, but enhanceable with Character descriptions and suggestions that they come dance with us maybe a how to with pictures of one of the basic dances
Also what josh said
Of course links to the yahoo group for people who and general info about pryactice for folks want to join (probably not to detailed as if memory serves the bay group practice in someone's house)

[whalejudge.livejournal.com]

Not too detailed is right; after the Army steals the Major back, we probably go back to finding a room the old fashioned way in Davis.

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

And I've got loads of info from the Campus Events folks on how to reserve space....we need to start looking into procedure now.

Let's also contact pyschababble now....she will also be out of the area come fall, but she is working with those folks now.

Thanks for the reminder....I totally forgot that Major arranges our barracks space right now.

[whalejudge.livejournal.com]

Since The English Country Dancers is a UCD student club, we beat people over the head and drag them to our practices...er, the responsibility for reserving rooms is that of perpleflwrchild and her successors.

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

I hate this part of the group. Spring and graduation comes, and everybody migrates. Buggers.

Dancing Space

[serendipity17.livejournal.com]

Campus Events & Visitor Services office in the MU is how Zhaneel, Serendipity, Sillyme, and PerpleFlwr all got space for dancing prior to the Major. We know how to do it, but it must be done by the two people per club with rights and access, namely, the "President" and "Treasurer"--the top two names on the registration form which we fill out with every election. I'd be happy to teach the ins and outs of finding appropriate dance space to whomevers are Student Leaders of the club for next year. Elections should be coming up pretty soon, too...I think we're a spring rollover-charter.

Re: Dancing Space

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

Don't worry folks---wans't planning on taking over, just got excited. I just got some recent contact information. But you're correct: student groups have to go through standard student procedure for booking rooms.

Or we start pryankster pyllaging of vet med students and staff, and bring them around to the dark side.
And they let us dance upon the Advent Calendar that is the Surge floor.

[temperance14.livejournal.com]

Yep yep yep. NEED a gallery page.

Character's page. Do you and Josh mean a description of our gig selves---because that is too cool.

[kay-gmd.livejournal.com]

Aye I belive we do indeed