Guest Book

Sandman and phillybob and other tape collectors... I am working on putting a "Live Show DB" link in place that really uses the same guts as the current Calendar but perhaps makes it easier for someone to find the tape trading features it contains. If you can't find the features, it doesn't matter how good they are! But having built both systems, I can categorically tell you that the new one offers more power with fewer keystrokes and mouse clicks. Everything has to tie to the database of shows -- which is a calendar. Why have several different systems to search on shows and dates scattered around the site? The old site had the ABBbase and the Live Show DB with the same information... sort of. Stored differently with different navigation. You had different logins to update the tape trading list and the Forum. And if you changed your email address... woe unto you, because it was not associated with your account and store in one place, it was stored with every individual tape listing. The Tape Trading Post had you enter your tape collecting interests ... and your email address... but you had no way to update it. It was also about all I could do to keep up with setlists and linking pictures to the ABBbase. With the new system in place, we are tracking these things for all HTW site bands, not just the ABB. And rather than sending me an email when you find an old ticket stub, you can "submit an event" which means add a show to the database (after it gets OK'd) for any HTW site. I look at it, approve it, and bingo, it's here. Marco and Marilyn have already submitted a number of shows this way. The system for you to enter your tapes is streamlined. As you enter tapes, you can say "save this and go to the next show" which tees you with the next show from the database, ready for you to enter your tape with minimal clicks. "Show me my next tape" takes you to your next tape listing. Ditto for previous. You can search on anything -- dates, venues, cities, songs -- and get just your tapes or all tapes that match. With or without setlists showing. With all the data in place, it's a lot easier for me to add new "views" of the information there. Right now I think people are just looking for an easier way to "get in the front door" and start using it, which I'm working on... but as you get into it, and start clicking around, you'll find it is really tightly tied together. There are essentially three types of view 1) calendar, which lets you browse by year/month/week/day; 2) list of shows -- when you search on city, venue, song, date, or comment, you get list with or without tapes and setlists; 3) individual shows -- click on a show from either of the first two "search and browse" views and you get a detailed listing for that show, with links to pictures, lyrics from the setlist, reviews, tapes, etc. Plus it will stay even more current because it's easier to update. Wow, am I in sales now?! I'm so excited I think I need to go enter some shows into the database! enjoy, Rowland