Spreading the Folk Music Map

Subject: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST,Chris Rust
Date: 01 Mar 15 - 10:53 AM

Some of you may be aware that I've had a small success in creating a crowd-sourced Folk Music Map in the past month in the UK. It has over 400 clubs and 70+ festivals, mostly added by members of the public. It's useful for performers but I'm hoping it will help to grow public support for folk music by making it easier to find.

I'd like to see if it can become more international, several people have asked about that, so I've made a few technical changes to help that.

Clearly the folk music culture in each country is different and it would be helpful if anybody could suggest ways to connect with networks that might be interested in sharing the project. In the UK I just told a few folk club organisers, they told their friends and whoosh! Any ideas, particularly about other English-speaking countries?

Thanks, Chris

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: Jack Campin
Date: 01 Mar 15 - 01:41 PM

I think you're going to have to provide genre information. If you look at the event listings at folkradio.hu for tomorrow, they list an event in London, but it's for Hungarian music. They don't list Irish sessions in Budapest and they certainly won't want to know about any in the UK. Similarly, thesession.org will only be interested in sessions where Irish music predominates (and most likely they already have Budapest covered). If you're going to collaborate with sites like those you'll have to provide them with the ability to filter out what they're not interested in.

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST,Chris Rust
Date: 01 Mar 15 - 06:13 PM

Thanks Jack,

There is a 'Music Policy' question on the Festival entries and the 'anything else' section of the Club entry form suggests describing music policy, which quite a few people do. But I'll think about having a 'Music Policy' question for clubs.

Hmm, I'll have to rethink the 'Policy' question as you can't have a 'Policy' and a 'Music Policy' but maybe that should be 'Type of Event'

OK That's tomorrow's job. The Folk Music Map always hopes to get get good suggestions and that was one.

Chris

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 01 Mar 15 - 06:29 PM

My area is looking rather thin. I'd not be able to help but maybe somone at http://www.littlebirdtoldme.info/ could.

One thing to note that I'm not sure you cater for is that a number of the events are monthly, e. second Sunday of the month.

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST,Chris Rust
Date: 02 Mar 15 - 01:40 AM

Thanks very much Jon, actually there's a wide range of options for frequency: 2nd Thursday, 1st and 3rd, etc. Of course there's always the Maverick who goes for the penultimate Wednesday but there's an "other" box to tick if you refuse to conform (hooray for the non-conformists)
But if you know of an event worth supporting the map is open for a member of the public to add it so please feel free.

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 15 - 04:57 AM

might be worth asking Alan Stout of Dublin about this- he has a facebook site called Songmaps which aims to list singing sessions in Ireland- not sure it's got as far as maps as I can't stand FB but it would be a logical extension although there are few 'folk clubs' in Ireland in the English sense....

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: Mr Red
Date: 02 Mar 15 - 09:34 AM

It still doesn't show my submissions. Specially tailored to present a page of venues in specific locations. Chosen to fill gaps in areas on this map. And do the work that those club organisers are clearly too busy to do.

I can't see why they have not been included except possibly that it is not date specific, given that there many entries for any day of the week/month/year in a list which includes festivals, sessions, club and ceilidhs. Post codes grid refs predicted dates all available.

In terms of policy: the way the internet works is connectivity. Relying on people who also take the time is good policy. Linking is what gave the web its impetous, its value.

Without that cooperation I thought I would add a map on my website, it at least shows the geography I refer to. And does link to my own pages. And it is being worked on for clearer presentation.

In 1989 I did a floppy disk along the same lines. Sold a couple. The problem I found has not changed. Enthusiasm is rife when new (clubs &/or websites like this) but when things are not as smooth, orgsanisers loose interest and forget the niceties like updating details. Replacement organisers may not know or care. A quick look at "the Session" website could show you that. It is why I limit geographically and even then my list will never be 100% up to date and I pursue data, procatively. Crowd-sourced works to a different rhythm. Time will tell. And eloquently!

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST,Chris Rust
Date: 02 Mar 15 - 09:48 AM

Sorry Mr Red, I should have got back to you about that.
The reason those entries don't show is that they are links to lists of clubs rather individual clubs. The map shows actual events, not links to web resources.
I thought about it quite a lot but also quite a few of those listings include broken links, the web pages are either dead, nor relevant or not current (no details to hand).
The principle is that if you are expecting to be in Glasgow on a Tuesday, or Minneapolis on a Sunday, you should be able to see what's on directly from the map.
So I appreciate your effort on this but your entries created complexity and removed the immediacy of the map data so I felt I should not include them.
thanks
Chris

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST,Jon
Date: 02 Mar 15 - 09:49 AM

Chris.

"But if you know of an event worth supporting the map is open for a member of the public to add it so please feel free."

I seem to have spent a bit of time here over the last few weeks but I am largely out of any folk music circles (more of say maybe going to say a dozen local events if/when the mood takes me over 12 months than doing anything on a regular basis). As things stand, I'm not in close enough touch with anything to volunteer to keep something updated.

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Mar 15 - 10:19 AM

I've included a link to your map, Mr Red, in my links to other maps. That's on every page of the website except the front map page www.folkmusicmap.com.
Glad to see the map thing catching on.

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST,Chris Rust
Date: 02 Mar 15 - 10:20 AM

Sorry, that last message was me

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 03 Mar 15 - 09:40 AM

Can't help with the need for more listings, but I have a suggestion. Don't use mere numbers to indicate dates. Yes, geeks love numbers, but Americans write dates one way, and Europeans write them another way.

Example: don't type "01/03/2015". That could be January 3 or March 1. Instead type "Mar 3, 2015".

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: David Ingerson
Date: 04 Mar 15 - 02:44 AM

This is a brilliant idea! I hope it will work well. Two suggestions: First I'll second Leenia's suggestion above but amend it to: 3 Mar. '15, more familiar to most of the world.

Second, you might want to include "traditional" in the title as well as "folk." At least in Ireland there is a distinction between the two and the audience you want, I think, would be attracted to "traditional" rather than "folk."

Cheers,

David

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: G-Force
Date: 04 Mar 15 - 05:13 AM

How are all the gaps going to get filled in? I don't know many folk clubs, but even I know of one long-running weekly folk club with an active website which isn't shown. There must be loads of others.

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: Dennis the Elder
Date: 04 Mar 15 - 06:24 AM

I have now put Wath Folk Club on the Map, Chris. It was a pleasure to see you there a few months ago, all of us on the night were well entertained. Please pop in again sometime with your partner in Break a Leg if you can, we cannot wait to see you both.

Good luck with your venture, it certainly is moving at a great pace and is and will be extremely useful.

Dennis

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Mar 15 - 07:48 AM

It would be good to have the same kind of map for festivals.

Subject: RE: Spreading the Folk Music Map
From: Dennis the Elder
Date: 04 Mar 15 - 02:51 PM

If you click on the icon in the top left hand corner you will see that festivals are also separately covered