***** web sites!

[Don Petter]

http://www.barbican.org.uk/membership

I suspected that one has to pay, but this is excessive at £240 per year.

Perhaps a member of the orchestra brings it round and discusses the programmes?

[Dave2002]

Perhaps a member of the orchestra brings it round and discusses the programmes?

That might be nice!

[teamsaint]

Just been having a look at the 2014/15 RFH programme of events.
Now, if anybody can direct me to a part of the site that gives a simple listing, with! "at a glance " the performers, music, date, ticket price range etc, (and including associated events such as 6 o'clock concerts) I would be so grateful.

It just does my head in seeing a little box with a publicity photo saying " The xxxxx orchestra with xxxx plays rach......." and having to click on every single box to see what they are playing.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGG GGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

And much the same goes for the Barbican site.

Really, any help gratefully received.
(and paper brochures don't seem to be available at the centre yet either).

Edit: and just to continue this whinge, if you hover your mouse over the square for each individual concert you get further information.but you STILL don't get full info on the works to be played. It really is utter ******. Two goes, and they still don't give you the info.

[Dave2002]

TS

I don't know if Pogles Wood is anywhere near London - http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=pog...&client=safari I fear that some of us have identiied that the best method to find out what's on is to pick up all the printed brochures each time we go near anywhere that has them.

The web sites are just about completely unfit for purpose.

[Serial_Apologist]

TS

I don't know if Pogles Wood is anywhere near London .

It's a kiddies' TV programme from the 1960s - as I've just found out by Wikying tbh - so nowhere near London, or the second Millennium!

[teamsaint]

proper telly that was.
and not just for kids...mind altering substances, class issues......dip in and see for yourselves.

[Dave2002]

It's a kiddies' TV programme from the 1960s - as I've just found out by Wikying tbh - so nowhere near London, or the second Millennium!

Hence the link in my original post! Msg 34. It went under my radar 40 years ago.

[Nick Armstrong]

It really is utter ******

Agreed, total shite - I was trying to find a coherent summary of who's doing what in the LPO's Rachmaninov cycle next season. I'm not a complete numpty when it comes to internet navigation but I failed despite several attempts on the SBS site.

The latest site to have gone to hell in a speedboat is the Guardian - I now get something called 'TheGuardianAlpha' which is enormously less user-friendly. Before, I could go to 'Culture' + 'Music' + 'Classical' and browse the latest live concert or CD reviews with complete ease - it was a particularly rational site, I thought. Now, just a few headlines under 'Music'

Pete Seeger – a life in pictures

'Bruce Springsteen blew my cover'

Kanye West to headline Wireless in London and Birmingham


and no sign or guide at all as to how to get to anything non-pop.

[Gordon]

Yes, I have to agree. Week after next I shall be in London for a couple of days and thought I'd catch a concert or two. So went to the South Bank site and spent ages trying to find what was available. Eventually got a Dutoit/RPO concert at RFH on 12th Feb - Poulenc Gloria and Debussy Daphnis complete. Looking forward to that. Haven't decided about Monday 10th evening yet and have to baby sit Tuesday!

[teamsaint]

What also bothers me is this:
I have a suspicion that the the site is actually designed to make the reader linger longer on each concert, so as to increase the chance of a sale. " Dwell time", as its called in tourism circles".
But I am afeared that in fact these sites have the opposite effect, by making actually diverting poeople from things they might want to see, I certainly would have like to been at the Nicola Lefanu evening recently, but despite reasonably frequent visits to the site , I missed it entirely.

As Gordon suggests, most peoples visits are constrained by external time/finance/taste factors, so why not just make it easy to read, AND attractive to look at .

Actually, the Salisbury City hall site, for example site does a decent job of displaying its events IMO.

http://www.cityhallsalisbury.co.uk/index.php?page=353

It doesn't look as lovely, and we're not comparing like with like...but its easy to navigate, and gets the job done.

Edit: Mumble grumble..........

[Gordon]

This is our usual concert venue http://www.anvilarts.org.uk/whats-on. See for yourselves!! BSO on Feb 6th = might go to that although the programme isn't my favourite music the experience of live music would be good for me, calibrate the ears!!

[teamsaint]

Ok, a small virtual prize to anybody who can find out in less than a minute what the new season (winter 2014) Shakespeare comedies at the RSC actually are.

http://www.rsc.org.uk/

[Petrushka]

Ok, a small virtual prize to anybody who can find out in leass than a minute what the new season (winter 2014) Shakespeare comedies at the RSC actually are.
http://www.rsc.org.uk/

Common sense tells you to download the 2014/2015 season info. I found that, though it's not exactly highlighted, but then got completely lost in the most unbelievable clutter I've ever seen on a website anywhere. Breathtakingly awful.

[teamsaint]

Common sense tells you to download the 2014/2015 season info. I found that, though it's not exactly highlighted, but then got completely lost in the most unbelievable clutter I've ever seen on a website anywhere. Breathtakingly awful.

I'm glad its not just me.

Additional point re Stratford, I honestly have difficulty finding actual Shakespeare being performed on a day when I can get there. Seems to be anything but the Bard. And I'm not really fussy about what I see.
Sad really, the Twelfth Night I saw a year or two back was magic.

[Petrushka]

I'm glad its not just me.

Additional point re Stratford, I honestly have difficulty finding actual Shakespeare being performed on a day when I can get there. Seems to be anything but the Bard. And I'm not really fussy about what I see.
Sad really, the Twelfth Night I saw a year or two back was magic.

Theatre isn't really my thing so I took the same approach as I would to, say, the LSO or LPO sites. There is far too much clutter, the eye and brain simply can't take it in and you rapidly lose the inclination to want to go. I find the VPO and BPO websites models of clarity and the general lack of clutter makes them easy to navigate. All a punter wants to do is see what's on on a given day and book a ticket. The RSC site presents a huge disincentive. I'd give it 2/10 and that's in a sudden spurt of generosity.