Our new website IS HERE, ready for you! Your member information is stored in this new website in beautiful, easy-to-search profiles -- think of it as your own mini-website, right alongside Boston's dance community. Renew your membership with us, update your information, upload photos and video, post your ongoing classes, and write a status message. This tutorial will show you how. Click the + to read more about each topic...
BDA will make this website work for you: Our new website is really about all of you and we have plans to make sure that greater Boston and beyond knows about the vibrant robust active dance community. How will we get the word out?
Out with the old, in with the new Our old site reached over 4,000 unique users every month [ these were users who actively explored the site -- not just one time hits]. What was most viewed? The Performance/Events and Classes pages. But the class section was not informative enough. Our new Performance/Events and Classes pages are now more comprehensive.
In addition, with each Basic and Premium membership you can build your own BDA online profile. When someone looks at our new website, they can find out about you and all your projects in one “stop”. We will work to make the numbers of viewers multiply exponentially.
How will we market the new website?
Ads will be placed on the web, in news outlets, programs, vendor promotions
For each “niche” group such as parents seeking classes for children, retired dancers who continue to enjoy watching dance, to teenagers who will seek out dance events, jams, and more -- BDA will use blogs, facebook, ads, and other viral networking to reach each group
By using our network of arts service, arts councils, schools, presenters, we will be able to spread the news about the member profiles and other resource material to a much broader audience than those already involved with dance
This is just the beginning of our outreach marketing plans. We have an expert in web marketing working with us to help make this a real success which in turn means dance will continue to be a thriving art form and now more visible.
What You Can Do:
Don't have a website? Or your website isn't reaching as many as you would like? Use your BDA Member Profile as a mini-website. You can share your own profile with your audiences. Copy the link, post to Facebook, twitter -- all of this is possible with the "ShareThis" feature on your profile page.
What you need to know before you look at your profile: This section will explain our new membership levels. Goodbye to Individual and Organizational, hello Basic and Premium!
What are Premium and Basic Profiles? Read below or Click Here to see our handy chart
Premium profiles are perfect for Teachers, Companies, Studios, and Venues -- you can post ongoing classes, add information about your rehearsal facilities and performance venue, as well as upload YouTube video of your performances.
Presentors, Vendors, Designers and Others can use the Premium features to promote their work and business.
*Note: all organizations, companies, and businesses must choose Premium Membership
Basic profiles are a great choice for all of our individual members who love, support, and participate in dance but do not need to promote their own dance work. You can still share pictures, dance connections, and information about dance.
Check out Ruth Birnberg and Zoé Dance Company's profiles to get a feel for these differences. Ruth's profile is a Basic Membership, and Zoé Dance Company is Premium. To find their profiles, click the link below:
If you forgot your username or password, there is a link below the login
3. At the top of your profile page, you'll see small images with text. Click on Edit Profile.
3. Answer all of the questions in the gray dialogue boxes. Below are some explanations of new features:
*Status Message - this is a Facebook-like status that will appear in your profile. You can change it as often as you like. You could write "Off to see Martha Graham (you may be a little cuckoo)" or "Performing this weekend at..." for instance.
*Profile Photo - this is the main image that will appear on your profile page. A thumbnail of this image will also appear in the search pages by your name.
You will also see turquoise writing at the top of the page.
Click on any of these to add information about yourself or your organization. (Some of it may not apply to you - Basic Members will only have the option to upload photos).
4. Once finished, scroll to the bottom of your profile and click Update. If you've uploaded a new profile photo, you will be taken to a screen where you can size and crop the photo to fit in our website.
5. How to Post: Look at any of the turquoise boxes on your "My Profile" page. You'll see a small link that reads "+Add One". This link will lead you to a specific posting form. Add in your information, and BDA will approve and post within 5 days. (*Premium Members: Classes are automatically approved and will instantly appear in your profile.)
How To Renew Your Membership and Pay
1. Click on the turquoise "Renew" link under your profile photo and name on the My Profile page.
2. Use the drop-down menu on the next page to select your membership level. Some of you will need to change your membership from the "free" plan. Continue using the drop-down menus for all options that apply to you. Highlight "PayPal" or "Check". Click Submit. Follow the necessary instructions for sending in a check or paying via PayPal. That's it! You're finished!
