August 14, 2007

How Do I Get There?

If there is one thing that really bugs me about many websites that promote dance performances and related programs is not being able to figure out where the venue is located.

It would seem like the easiest thing in the world for an organization (theater, festival, studio, dance company, etc.) to include complete address information, a map or a map link, and written directions on their website. But often I'm completely baffled by the address information that is provided and I have to take too many steps to figure out how to get there.

So here are my suggestions about providing website visitors with the information they need to get to a venue:

Address Information

The address for the venue should be written-out in its entirety:

full venue name (theater/studio and building name as well if necessary)
complete street address or names of streets at intersection
city, state and zip code

I've been to websites for festivals that don't even tell you in what town they are located in - so I can't even begin to figure out how to get there.

It is very important that the zip code is included. Many people, including myself, go to Google Maps and search for a location. Google Maps can get confused if you do not have a zip code.

Also, you do not want to embed the venue address in a graphic--this doesn't happen too often--because you can't then cut and paste the address for use in Google Maps or another application.

Finally, if the venue is on a campus or other setting with a lot of buildings, you should specify the full name of the building where the performance will take place. And this name should correspond to the name given to this building on any maps and diagrams:

"The performance will take place at the ABC theater in the DEF building, which is behind the XYZ building. See below diagram for location of DEF building."

Maps and Diagrams

Maybe it's me, but I'm always confused by the diagrams and maps that venues include about where theaters are located--this is especially the case with campuses and outdoor venues in parks and recreation areas.

The diagrams are often too small, I can't find the building/theater I'm looking for and I can't figure out where the venue is in the context of a city or town. For some reason the creators of these diagrams think it's sufficient to highlight the nearby streets, whose location I don't know in the first place, and not even indicate which way is north.

Even worse, I'm forced to open up a PDF file with diagrams, which is not something I want to waste my time with.

So my recommendation is to always include a link to Google Maps. This way visitors to your website will never be confused and they can see both a detailed view of your location as well as see where it's located within a larger geographic area.

To create a Google Map link, enter the address for your venue and then click on "Link to this page" toward the top right of the page. Then copy the link that is displayed in a pop-up box.

Even better, Google is about to make it easy to embed maps directly into your website--see story in Mashable. It has been possible for a while to embed Google maps like I did for this customized Washington, DC map of performance venues. But this embedding process is complicated.

Whether you link to or embed a map, you want to ensure that the marker that indicates the location of your venue is in the right place. In some cases, you might enter an address and Google will put the marker a block away from the actual location. If your venue is on a corner, the solution is easy to fix. In the address search engine for Google Maps, replace the street address with the names of the two streets at the intersection (e.g., Main street and Maple street).

Directions

Most websites do a decent job of providing written directions to a venue. The best approach is to write different sets of directions based upon the locations that people are likely to come from.

In addition to driving instructions, it's also important to provide public transportation details.

Printing and Reading

Addresses, maps and written directions should be easy to read and print. All of the necessary information should be on one or two easy-to-read pages that can be printed without any of the information being cut-off.

I thought about writing this post about how I get annoyed with venue maps and directions after reading Ilana's post on DCDanceBlog about her interest in finding good dance websites with accessible contact information.

Trackback Pings

2 Comments