News For April 11 - 17, 2005

Contents

• Square Dancing By The Numbers
• Best Square and Round Dance Web Sites
• Hidden Treasures
• More Features ...

Square Dancing By The Numbers

Altavista shows that there are about one million web pages devoted to square and round dancing. There are about 877,000 pages devoted to square dancing only, 102,000 pages devoted to round dancing only, and 73,000 pages that deal with both square and round dancing.

I ran these numbers on both Altavista and Google, but the Altavista numbers were more consistent and credible. The Google numbers did not all add up properly.

The following table shows the numbers of pages devoted to square and round dancing.

Measures of Page Quality

It's really hard to evaluate the quality of these web pages. I'm working on a project that can evaluate the quality of a web page by examining the its source code. That project is only in the planning stages now.

One easy measure of web page quality when the page was last updated. But it's not easy to determine when a page was updated using a search engine like Altavista. Search engines typically allow searches based on the page text, but not file dates.

So, if we can find the string "2004" or "2005" on a web page, this might suggest that the page was last updated within the past year (well, 15 months). This is not foolproof. It is possible that a page has the string "2005" but it was actually written in 2003. We can easily see this by searching for web pages that have the string "2006" ... we'll find plenty of pages that match. Most of them are web pages or fliers about square and round dance events happening in 2006.

It is also possible that a page could have been updated in 2005, but it does not have "2005" anywhere in the page text, just because the web designer did not feel it important to put any kind of date on the page. Since some users might search for a page based on some kind of date encoded in the page, it is considered good practice for web authors to put a date on their pages. Most of the pages on the Mixed-Up.com web site have a tag at the bottom that says something like "Last updated 08 April 2005." That way anyone who looks at that page can know how current or stale it is.

Overall, about 28 percent of square and round dancing web pages give some sign that they were updated in 2004 or 2005, and about 71 percent do not give any such sign.

Measures of Page Usefulness

Another measure of page "usefulness" is a reference to a class or classes for dancers. This is not really a measure of page "quality" as it is a measure of the "utility" of the page for the non-dancer and for the future of the activity for those already dancing. Most of us would agree that beginner classes are necessary for the long-term survival of both square dancing and round dancing.

So how many of these pages refer to a class or classes? It looks like about 30 percent of square and round dance web pages refer to classes.

What Does This Mean?

So what? Is this good or bad? Does it mean anything at all?

If only 30 percent of square dance web pages have been updated within the last year, this means that a lot of the square dance information on the web could be out of date. This is particularly true of information that changes a lot over time, like club pages, classes, fliers, and calendars. But it is less true of reference information like call definitions, cue sheets, and music lists. That kind of information does not go out of date very quickly at all.

It seems that most square dance web pages do not have any indication of publishing date at all. For example, this link shows that only 384,000 square and round dance web pages have any year indication from 1994 (the beginnings of the internet) until 2005. This means that about 77 percent of square dance web pages that indicate any date at all have been updated within the last year. But it also means that only about 38 percent of square dance web pages give any indication of their last update. This suggests that it is important to address the issue of general web page quality and standards, while in addition hoping to keep the pages current.

I more than most know how difficult it is to keep the information on a web site up-to-date. This site has many hundreds of pages, and many of them were written years ago. I try to remove information that is more than one year old, but I am aware of some pages that refer to classes that took place in 1999 and 2000. Trying to keep up with everything is nearly impossible when the data is edited by hand.

If only 30 percent of square and round dance web pages refer to classes, this says more about the hobby in general than it says about the web pages themselves. It is hardly possible to put up a page about a beginner class that does not exist (or got cancelled due to lack of interest). But many clubs don't post class information on the web because it changes too quickly. This is unfortunate because it short-changes both the newcomer looking for a class, and the club looking for new members.

Callerlab has proposed a system whereby square dance classes can register with a national database. This would allow prospective dancers anywhere in the US to find a class near them, if one exists. However, implementation is slow and gaining the confidence of technophobes is difficult.

Future Explorations

In the future, I hope to break down these figures by country and state, to find out which states and associations have their acts together. I also hope that by running these same figures in the future, we will find that the overall situation is improving.

Best Square and Round Dance Web Sites

Here are two different evaluations of the best square and round dance web sites based on the quality of the sites. One is a list of the top-ranked sites according to Altavista and Google, popular search engines. Then my own list of the most useful sites, based on the ability to find cue sheets, challenge information, beginner class information, calendars of local events, and lists of local clubs.

Top sites according to Altavista and Google

These are the top square and round dance web sites according to Altavista and Google, with my comments.

Alaska-Yukon Square and Round Dancing

• Altavista ranked #1.
• Last updated 8 April, 2005.
• Has dance event calendars for April 2005 through February 2006/
• Lists eight clubs in Anchorage, four clubs elsewhere in Alaska, and one club in Whitehorse, Yukon.
• Lists two beginner classes that started in January 2005.
• This is one of my personal favorite square dancing web sites.

North Texas Square and Round Dance Association

• Altavista ranked #2.
• Last updated 4-3-2005.
• Covers the areas of Dallas, Ft. Worth, and surrounding areas.
• Shows nine square dance classes including a 3-week "blitz."
• Lists a total of five clogging clubs, six round dance clubs, and more than 50 square dance clubs.
• Has a schedule of dances April through June 2005, including three beginner-level dances.
• Overall, a very useful page.
• Problems: has lots of un-necessary animated graphics, requires a wide window/screen.

Tennessee State Association of Square and Round Dance Clubs

• Altavista ranked #3.
• Last updated recently, but no note exactly when. "Copyright 2000-2004." The only news item regards a meeting in June 2005.
• Covers the entire state of Tennessee, broken up into seven different areas (Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Oak Ridge, Johnson City, and Fayetteville), which correspond to six different local associations.
• I would estimate that the total number of clubs in the state exceeds 100 (but I was unwilling to count them all). Each club has phone contact information, but few if any have email or web addresses.
• The site contains lots of association-level information like insurance and bylaws that are not of interest to a general audience.
• Overall, a very useful site.

Square Dance Center and Campground, Lolo, Montana

• Altavista ranked #4.
• Probably last updated October 2004.
• Has calendars for October 2004 through September 2005.
• This site represents a commerical interest, not a dance club.
• There is lots of round dancing, and there is a link to a beginner class which does not yet have an advertised start date.

border boosters square & round dance association

• Altavista ranked #5.
• Last updated Thu, 27 Jan 2005.
• Covers the Lake Champlain and St. Lawrence Seaway area (USA and Canada - Montreal and Ottawa).
• Has a list of 20 clubs, of which four are round dance clubs, and nine of the others (more than half) are now running beginner square dance classes.
• Has a calendar of events from January through September 2005.
• Overall, a useful site for anyone in the area looking for a beginner class or a round dance class.
• Problem: has some unnecessary animated graphics.

Grand Canyon Square Dance Association

• Altavista ranked #6. Google ranked #5.
• Supposedly last updated in 2003, but it is much more current than that. The next event on the calendar takes place April 30, 2005.
• Has links to 20 different clubs in the Phoenix and Prescott areas.
• Overall, a useful site for anyone in the area looking for a beginner class.
• Includes a sparse events calendar that starts in April 2005 and goes out through 2007.

Vic and Debbie Ceder's Square Dance Resource Net

• Altavista ranked #7.
• Last updated 09-April-2005.
• Overall, one of the three most comprehensive square dance web sites on the net (the other two being Dosado.com and Mixed-Up.com).
• This is a database-driven site to which anyone can contribute information about their club, event, caller, or choreography.
• This is one of my personal favorite web sites.

54th National Square Dance Convention, Portland, Oregon

• Google ranked #1.
• Last updated 2004?
• This site has everything you might want to know about the national convention, which takes place June 22, 23, 24, 25, 2005.
• Overall, a well-planned site that you will find useful if you plan to go to the national convention.

46th California State Square Dance Convention

• Google ranked #2.
• Last updated 11122004.
• This site has almost nothing important you might want to know about the state convention, which takes place April 15, 16 & 17, 2005 (next weekend).
• Problems: the site has one annoying aminated graphic in a prominent location. It has no useful information about the levels or programs that will be called at convention, which halls they will be in, and which hours those halls will be open. The information about callers and cuers is way out of date.

Idaho Square and Round Dance Festival 2005

• Google ranked #3.
• Last updated when??
• Has minimal information about the festival, but has a link to the official festival web site. Unfortunately, the link does not work.
• The convention takes place June 9 - 11, 2005.

Swedish National Square Dance Convention in Gothenburg 2005

• Google ranked #6.
• Last updated 2004-11-27.
• Has lots of information about the convention, which takes place May 14-16, 2005.
• Has separate pages in Swedish, German, and English.

Top sites according to Mark

This page of links shows my top picks, not in any particular order: http://www.mixed-up.com/search/links.html

This list includes six sites catering to round dancers, three sites catering to challenge dances, and four sites catering to dancers in general.

Here are some quick comments:

General sites:

• The EAASDC site is notable for its broad scope: it indirectly includes links to every association and club in Europe.

• Dosado.com was the first large square dancing web site and it is still one of the best. It gets its information from contributions that quickly go stale when the clubs don't update their information. Their system of state representatives to keep tabs is ineffective. However, this is the best place to start when you're looking for a square dance club.

• Callerlab is the best resource for both callers and students. Its resources are mostly caller-related, but the lists of programs are useful for anyone learning a new level up to C3A.

Challenge sites:

• Texas and Oklahoma Advanced and Challenge Page is most noteworthy for its extensive events calendar, which covers far more than just their local region.

• Vic and Debbie's Resource Net is a general site that has lots of challenge level information, including the online form of the popular "Ceder Chest" books.

• Lynette's Challenge Dancing Home Page has lots of technical articles about challenge calls and concepts.

Round dance sites:

• The Roundalab site is most noteworthy for the cue sheets for classic dances, and for the rounds of the quarter going back several years.

• The URDC site is most noteworthy for the list of cuers and higher-level round dance clubs throughout the world.

• The best sites for cue sheets are Roger Ward's Round Dance Internet Directory and Martin Prufer's Round Dance Server.

• Susie Rotscheid's site has many cue sheets, plus interesting articles.

• The Round Dancing Instruction Manual has descriptions of most basic round dance figures in most rhythms.

Hidden Treasures

Here are some treasures hidden away on the mixed-up.com web site. Perhaps you have not noticed these.

• Square Dance Associations in California and Nevada.

• Mark's Portal to Dosado.com - a quick way to access the long club lists on Dosado.com.

• Planning Calendar for the San Francisco Bay area.

• Figure lists contributed by Sharon and Casey Parker. There are separate lists for each Phase 1-6, and separate lists for each rhythm, plus combined lists.

• Some dances recommended by the wise guys on the round dance mailing list.

• Lyrics to your favorite round dance songs.

• Marks list of the most popular round dances.

• The best square dance calendars sorted by type and location.

• NCRDTA ROMs - dances selected recently by the members of the Northern California Round Dance Teachers Association, posted recently.

• Links page - a list of the 400 best square and round dance web sites, hand-selected by me.

• Mobile Edition - view the web site on your Palm Pilot or other small-screen device.

Happy treasure hunting!

Last updated Friday 26 September 2008