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2010.09.04 @ 19:17
Berkshire-Hudson Singing Frequently Asked Questions |
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DISCLAIMER!! The data in our calendars and the directory of groups is gathered from many sources -- both direct and indirect. We make considerable efforts to assure that it is correct, but errors are made and groups do not always remember to inform us of changes. If incorrect information is found please notify us and help secure the correct data for us. What geographic area does B-H Singing cover? We try to cover the choruses in New York from the central Adirondacks to I-84 and east of Herkimer and Oneonta, the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts, northwestern Connecticut, and Southern Vermont. It is easiest to think of our area as equivalent to the listening area reached by the two Public Radio stations in Albany -- WMHT and WAMC -- although we don't try to cover the ever-expanding extended areas that WAMC's Northeast Public Radio Network reaches. |
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What relationship does Berkshire-Hudson Singing have with TimesUnion.COM and YahooGroups.COM? Each service offers features which are important to us; we wish they were all available from one service but that does not exist yet. Like B-H Singing both are entirely free of cost to browsers and subscribers.
There are three answers here. First, for those parts of B-H Singing that are provided through the Albany Times Union, the newspaper provides their Communities service to all non-profit organizations. Second, for those parts of B-H Singing that are provided through YahooGroups.COM the cost is born by Yahoo's advertizers. Each message that is delivered via YahooGroups will have advertising links. These rarely relevant but easily-ignored ads are necessary to pay for YahooGroup's other benefits. Finally, Berkshire-Hudson Singing is otherwise strictly a volunteer effort; the moderator puts in a lot of time and pays some modest costs because he believes in the value of choral singing. The final and most important is investment is made by the chorus directors and members plus audience members who send us data and promote B-H Singing to the choral community. Where do the calendar items come from? The majority are sent in by representatives of the individual choruses. It works best if each chorus assigns a person to be responsible for sending items for the calendar. Forms are provided on the B-H Singing web site for submitting listings. Use of the form assures completeness and consistency in the notices. The forms for sending data for Calls for Singers and Concerts can be found by clicking on the "Send Us Listings" link on any page. A small number of the listings are derived from other sources that come to the attention of the web site managers. Do all items on the calendar generate e-mail reminders? Most of the calendar listings are "calls for singers" or "concert announcements." All calls are sent via e-mail if they are received and posted well in advance. Concert listings for which there is a repertoire listing or other strong description of the event plus full time/date/location information generate announcements. Events shown on the calendar as "Planned", typically have incomplete information and do not generate notices. What are the deadlines and schedules for e-mail reminders? Typically, for each event listed in the calendar two messages are automatically sent to all subscribers. The first is sent one week before the event to provide time for planning to attend; the second is a reminder and is sent two business days before the event. That schedule is largely controlled by the way the YahooGroups calendar service works. Normally, two weeks in advance of the event is the deadline for assured publication. B-H Singing is a volunteer effort, and while we try to post everything - even late items - but there are times when even two weeks is not adequate notice. Therefore information should be sent in as soon as it is known. Is there a benefit to posting events scheduled months ahead? We are aware that many directors are looking at the calendar up to a year in advance. Avoiding conflicts in setting dates and scheduling works is important. Singers who sing in more than one chorus are also avoiding conflicts and congestion in the performance season by looking ahead. Can I restrict the reminders to just certain events? At this time the software that we are using does not support that capability. Can I limit the number of emails I recieve from B-H Singing? The reminder mailings are set to deliver a maximum of one e-mail message each day. That message may contain only one or as many as a dozen notices of events and announcements. We have no other capability to limit the number of messages. May I send an e-mail or post a message to everyone who is a member of B-H Singing? Yes. However, to protect our members from excessive postings it will be reviewed by the managers before it is released. This feature is ideal for making special announcements, job openings, and workshop and festival registrations. Send your information as an e-mail to bhsinging [at] gmail.com. Please format your information to minimize our need to edit and reformat it. We normally will send it out with the next day's announcements. Our chorus does not have its own web page; can we have one at B-H Singing? There are two answers to that question:
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