DOWN IN THE DUMPS
posted by James Reel
Drew McManus has released the results of his annual review of orchestral web sites, one area in which orchestras of almost any budget can compete on a level field. The Tucson Symphony’s site has dropped 22 places since last year’s evaluation; it’s ranked 62 out of 80 sites reviewed, and Drew awards it an F overall. The TSO comes out better than the Milwaukee Symphony, but worse than the orchestras of such metropolises as Dayton and Elgin. The top-ranked site, by the way, touts the Nashville Symphony.
Drew’s criteria:
Between 8/26/06 and 8/31/06, I examined 80 professional orchestra websites and ranked them by how well they presented their concert schedule, sold tickets, provided organizational information, facilitated making donations, and on overall content and functionality. …You can find a fuller explanation of his methodology here.
[Whether] or not an orchestra has a budget that accommodates professional graphic design and photography to create an aesthetic web signature isn't as important as simply allowing a graphical interface that allows users to easily absorb crucial information.
