Don’t Let Your Great Ideas Fizzle!
Written by Nizana
It is
usually with great fanfare that someone starts a new dance blog, page, events
or teacher’s listing, newsletter or some other great new thing with all the
intent of it being a helpful resource. Often, someone fills a need or a void,
or feels they can do a better job of providing information to other people with
similar interests than is already out there. Everyone oohs and ahhs and tells
the person what a great job they did and how wonderful it looks and what a
fabulous idea it was. The person put what seems to be a lot of effort into it,
it comes together nicely, it looks great, and people are interested and may
look forward to reading, accessing or using it in the future.
Oftentimes,
these turn out to be solid resources that remain current and relevant and “live
long and prosperous lives.” They are helpful, people use them and refer others
to them and they spur conversation and interest. They are informational, easy
to reference and appreciated as something people know they can go to and get
what they need from it every time.
Then there
are those who fall behind, or totally by the wayside. They are outdated, people
forget they are there and lose interest, they overlap and duplicate other
resources and they are inconsistent. They may have been unnecessary to begin
with other than to one-up someone. When “owners” or “moderators” of such sites
offer a service, then they fail to keep it up or act bothered when update
requests are made, then perhaps that wasn’t their gig to begin with. Sometimes,
people just take on more than they can handle in their busy lives.
When you
choose to run a resource or information site of whatever type, there is a
responsibility to keep it updated, especially when people send in requests.
Some things are very timely such as events listings. Not responding to people or taking months to
edit or post something is unreasonable for these type of sites. When people request
link exchanges or the like - same thing. Respond in a timely manner; it’s the
professional and courteous thing to do.
In this
electronic age, it’s all about quick access to information, and if you’re going
to step up and take on such a task, do it justice, and do the people who use
these sites justice. Since they have similar interests as you, then that
usually means they are part of your “community,” and current and accurate
communication is paramount. People may be relying on you and your fabulous
resource. Don’t let your good idea or project
fizzle!
