This Is What Happens When You Don’t Update To Strong Passwords
Fri, Aug 8, 2014
by Drew McManus
A friend and colleague wrote to me earlier this week saying “Ok, ok. I give in. I’ll be changing all of my passwords to the ridiculous ones that LastPass gives me – even the ones that I have 2-step verification.” At first I felt a rush of pride thinking that the articles about the importance
Take A Friend To The Orchestra Gets A Facelift
Thu, Aug 8, 2014
by Drew McManus
The official resource site for the Take A Friend To The Orchestra initiative received an update that ushers in a brand new landing page, enhanced media players for audio contributions, updated typography, and more. Going through all of the content instilled a renewed appreciation for just how much all of the volunteer contributors put into
Thinking Responsively Part 2
Wed, Aug 8, 2014
by Drew McManus
Picking up where we left off in Part 1, we’re going to walk through the steps you can use to begin “thinking responsively” about your organization’s website. To that end, let’s start off on the right foot and acknowledge that the vast majority of performing arts based websites are designed using the old school static
Thinking Responsively Part 1
Tue, Aug 8, 2014
by Drew McManus
Responsive design has been a boon for arts organizations and what was once a nearly unknown term three years ago is increasingly common; so common in fact, that the development field is beginning to distort what responsive design is all about. Case in point, one of Venture’s users, Rachel Carneglia at Morikami Museum and Japanese
The Met Is Getting A Second Opinion
Mon, Aug 8, 2014
by Drew McManus
A coloratura goes to a psychiatrist complaining about mental stress from a string of bad reviews. The doctor says, “You’re crazy.” The coloratura says, “I want a second opinion” so the doctor tells her “Okay, you really should have been a lyric soprano!” Speaking of second opinions, the Metropolitan Opera’s (Met) mediation has produced an
The Adjective That Must Not Be Named
Fri, Aug 8, 2014
by Drew McManus
here must be something in the water but regardless the reason it is tough not to miss the sharp uptick in the number of orchestra press releases coming in using the adjective that shall not be named…the b-word…beloved. If there’s a better example of old school “greatest-art” era promotional jargon that needs to go, I
Today Is the Last Day Of The Met As You Know It
Thu, Jul 7, 2014
by Drew McManus
It is deadline day for the Metropolitan Opera (Met) and if the organization and its union employees fail to reach an accord by midnight, it is expected that the employer will initiate a lock out. Over the past few days, union employees have been removing personal equipment and any other personal belongings they don’t want
Dear God, Another Calamity!
Wed, Jul 7, 2014
by Drew McManus
Not really, that’s just a headline to suck you in (although my apologies to any group coincidentally experiencing a calamity today) and that’s exactly what happened last week when I published the exact same article on 7/23 and 7/24 albeit different headlines. The article on 7/23 featured a very descriptive headline with a constructive slant,
Tell Me What You Know! Live Chat Patron Support
Tue, Jul 7, 2014
by Drew McManus
I had an interesting conversation with a colleague yesterday asking what I knew about live chat services to field patron inquires as an addition to email, phone, or social media offerings. From a technical perspective, it has never been easier to implement a solution, like LiveChatInc.com, via your website but it is still rare to
Glib Gelb’s Garish Gaffe
Mon, Jul 7, 2014
by Drew McManus
Over the weekend, the Metropolitan Opera (Met) Orchestra musicians and their employer engaged in a round of he-said, she-said PR exchanges in the wake of the musicians 84 page document examining what they define as administrative failings. Granted, there’s plenty of material there worth exploring but today’s post is going to examine a crucial bit
