Summer time is conference time, which inevitably leads to discussions about the state of the arts. The topic has been picked up around the blogosphere too. Yesterday I went to an event by the Austin Creative Alliance called “Crisis & Opportunity: An Open, Structured Dialogue” and a familiar discussion evolved.

I think it is time to reframe the discussion. The current discussion is based on some untruths. Let’s dispel them.

“The arts are in crisis.”

That was the premise, the starting point, of the meeting. Seeing some of the shifts in the Austin cultural environment, and indeed recent big (near) bankruptcies like the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York City Opera, things do seem bleak.

But Drew McManus recently wrote about a webcast on the supposed crisis among American orchestras in a post entitled “Relax, It’s Not A Crisis”

Within the first few minutes, the entire event seemed to be unfolding along the lines of predetermined outcomes. No one bothered to define “crisis” or juxtapose the Detroit fiasco and the bankruptcies alongside the equal numbers of healthy, extraordinary examples of groups doing well during the economic downturn (LA, San Francisco, Nashville, Chicago, etc.).

So are we really in crisis? Everyone and everything has been affected by the economic downturn, but what seems to be suggested is that the arts in particular are endangered. But much more than macro and micro economic factors, and certainly also cultural participation and consumption trends, doesn’t it ultimately come down to individual organizations and how they are run? Which leads to:

“You guys suck at business.”

These words were uttered by Kevin Benz, editor-in-chief of the soon to launch CultureMap Austin. While there might be some truth in that statement, the insinuation is that arts organizations need to be run like businesses.

Let me give you four compelling reasons why this is not the case: Enron, Lehman Brothers, Washington Mutual, and General Motors.

On the other hand, and importantly, the nonprofit moniker has too often been used as an excuse for a lack of accountability, efficiency and success. What it means then, to run an arts organization like a business, is to be held accountable. Patrons and donors have invested in your organization with the expectation of a return. Not in shares or profit, but in what you promised them in your mission statement. Everything is measurable, including how you fulfill your mission statement.

“We need a new model.”

Interestingly, at the Austin event the discussion immediately led to a comparison between nonprofit, for profit and limited liability low-profit corporations. Before I could object to this direction, Marshall Jones, executive director of the Wine & Food Foundation, already told the room that tax statuses are not business models.

Indeed, your organization’s tax status is just a legal construction. There is nothing broken with the nonprofit framework. What is broken is the way in which people operate in that framework. Think about it: a nonprofit status doesn’t dictate your marketing or development strategy; a nonprofit status doesn’t dictate what kind of staff you hire and in what positions; a nonprofit status doesn’t dictate what office furniture you need.

The success stories in aviation do not come from people who tried to change the laws of physics. It was the innovators and adventurers that took advantage of exactly those laws that changed the course toward our mission to fly.

You don’t need a model. You need a mission.

But if you’re hell-bent on a model, Clara Miller (via a presentation by Andrew Taylor) says it best: “There is only one business model: reliable revenue that exceeds expenses.”

One of the things I love about moving to Austin is the Alamo Drafthouse. After seeing a movie there, you really can’t go back to a regular theater. The movie I wanted to see last weekend was sold out, so I did have to go back to a regular theater. Big mistake.

The movie was a mild PG-13. Apparently, that means you should bring your 2 or 3-year-old and let him improvise sound effects and let him continuously and loudly ask questions. After about an hour and a half of it, nearing the end of the movie, a Simpsons-inspired squeaky voiced teen usher finally approached the mother. The mother in turn chewed his head off and “wasn’t going anywhere.” A security guard finally moved in to make sure the remaining ten minutes were somewhat enjoyable.

Contrast that with the attitude at the Alamo Drafthouse. They have a zero-tolerance policy since 1997. And trust me, they mean business. And they stick to it.

Tim League, the company’s founder, just posted this in response to a customer complaint voicemail:

When we adopted our strict no talking policy back in 1997 we knew we were going to alienate some of our patrons. That was the plan. If you can’t change your behavior and be quiet (or unilluminated) during a movie, then we don’t want you at our venue. Follow our rules, or get the hell out and don’t come back until you can.

But he didn’t leave it at that. He turned the actual voicemail into the latest “Don’t Talk or Text” PSA and posted it on YouTube. The video just went viral with nearly 500,000 views in just four short days (nsfw).

The policy is part of their brand. That is why people love going to the Alamo. Sure, there are countless stories of consumers posting creative videos exposing the indecent side of business (United Breaks Guitars being the most famous example). But how many companies would feel comfortable enough to expose indecent customers?

It’s gutsy. But it fits the brand. It’s what makes the Alamo the Alamo. Reactions have been overwhelmingly and extremely positive.

That made me wonder… are there any classical music organizations that would feel comfortable enough to do this?

And granted feelings about the arts are subjective, and not objective like a strict don’t-text policy, but would an orchestra ever consider putting up a voicemail complaint about a, let’s just say ‘modern,’ piece and unapologetically stand by their decision to perform it?

I doubt it.

And to be honest, I’m not even sure I would have the guts to do it. We spend a lot of time apologizing in the arts. But sometimes, sticking to what you believe in pays off. Just ask the Alamo.

Do you have any examples of artists or arts organizations taking a stance? What would you do?

A lot has happened since my last blog post. Remember I was moving down to Austin, Texas? I am settling in quite nicely. Where I would have been happy with a job, I ended up with a dream job. En route with the moving truck, somewhere in Arkansas, I learned that I was going to be the next Director of Marketing for the Austin Lyric Opera. I started four days later.

This is exciting. I cannot wait to put everything I have written about in the last couple of years into action. Social media is going to play an important role. I have been meeting with a lot of people, all warmly welcoming me to Texas, including good Twitter folk like David Neff and Travis Bedard.

I’ve been through a production already (in my second week!) and was blown away by the quality on display at The Italian Girl in Algiers. And the Long Center is just an amazing facility of which Austin can be proud (they are, by the way, also looking for a marketing manager). I can’t wait for Flight in April and then kicking off season 25 after the summer!

And yes, I’ve already bought a new bike. When we move to our new place in April, I can start that bike commute I have been waiting for!

I will keep the blog posts coming. Especially now that I am right in the middle of it 24/7 again. And to prove I have not been sitting idle, this Friday, March 4, Lacey Huszcza and I are putting on the second Ask the Musicians event in our ongoing series. As chosen by 86 voters, this round will cover composers in #askacomposer.

I hope you’ll be able to join us in #askacomposer, and I hope you’ll keep following me throughout my new Austin adventure!

I am no stranger to adventurous moves. In 2002, after finishing high school, I went to work in a ski resort in Austria. Later that year, I moved to London, England because of an American girl I met my first day in Austria. We simply packed our bags, took the bus to London from Amsterdam, and managed to find a place to live and jobs within a week.

After six months in London, we packed our bags again and moved to Chicago. Now, almost eight years later, after graduating from college, several jobs, marriage, and a lovely baby girl, we are once again packing our bags.

I am moving to Austin, Texas next week.

The big difference between the move in 2002 and the move in 2011 is the risk involved. In 2002, it was just me, without any responsibilities, trying to get a taste of life. In 2011, I have a wife and baby, car payments, student loans, and all the other adult stuff.

Moving without a job lined up is scary. But we’re closing on the condo this month, so we need to get moving. And at least I am interviewing.

But beyond the anxiety and fear, I am just so excited about the move. I have been visiting Austin for the past eight years and have seen it grow tremendously. I am thrilled to be in the middle of an environment with booming high-tech companies; to have the opportunity to bike year round and enjoy the Hill Country; and to be closer to family. Not to mention the barbeque.

The coming month or two will be frantic. But I have no doubt we’ll be right at home in Austin.

I am scouring the Interwebs for marketing, social media, communications and public relations jobs and I am encouraged by all the great opportunities. If you read this post, or better yet, if you’re an avid reader of this blog, and you think you might know of an opportunity in Austin, do let me know. I’ll take you out for some brisket.

If you’re an employer in Austin looking for a marketing communications guy, you can find out all about me on my Web site and on LinkedIn. As you can see, I’m a self-starter. If you hire me, I’ll take you out for some brisket. Or I can bring some deep dish pizza from Chicago. Your choice.

So, see you in Austin? Maybe you’ll pass me as I stumble through the Barton Creek Greenbelt on a shoddy mountain bike.

Wow. That was a whirlwind.

Last night, we finished up the more than 30-hour marathon of #askaconductor. It kicked off at 8:30 am Australian Eastern Standard Time with conductor Warwick Potter answering questions for the Queensland Symphony Orchestra in Brisbane and it more or less ended shortly after midnight Eastern Standard Time in the United States. Between those hours, there were 3,458 tweets with the hashtag #askaconductor (see the transcript – PDF).

More than 60 conductors around the world participated—including former New York Philharmonic music director Lorin Maazel, Vancouver Opera and Duisburg Philharmonic music director Jonathan Darlington, San Francisco Symphony resident conductor Donato Cabrera, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra principal conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy. See the full list of participating conductors here.

Promotion leading up to #askaconductor

Facebook

Although it was a Twitter event, Facebook just edged out Twitter in referring visitors to the askthemusicians.com site. Facebook brought in 15.73% of the traffic (373 visits). Facebook tells me in the search function that 118 people shared a link to the site and a Google search on the facebook.com domain for the term results in a fairly comprehensive list of public Pages that shared the link to their fans (in alphabetical order; fan numbers indicated in parenthesis):

Association of California Symphony Orchestras (221)
Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra (276)
Beth Kanter (7,178)
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (6,309)
Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music (599)
California Arts Council (3,314)
CIM Robinson Music Library (80)
Donato Cabrera (700)
Dutch Perspective (95)
Friends of the Jacksonville Symphony (242)
Georgia Made Georgia Grown (3,018)
League of American Orchestra (2,256)
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (830)
Maryland Classics Youth Orchestra (265)
netzwerk junge ohren (322)
Queensland Symphony Orchestra (871)
Sydney Symphony Orchestra (2,801)
Symphony Services International (109)
Technology in the Arts (1,774)
The Cleveland Orchestra (1,984)
The Hub (LAO) (180)
University Musical Society (2,557)
Vancouver Opera (2,135)
Verband Münchener Tonkünstler e.V (107)
Virginia Symphony Orchestra (1,464)
West Australian Symphony Orchestra (1,941)
WOSU Classical Music (127)
Zenph Sound Innovations, Inc. (304)

Twitter

Twitter came in just below Facebook with 14.64% of the traffic (347 visits). I set up a Twilert for the hashtag. According to those tallies, from November 16 through December 6, the hashtag was tweeted 331 times. In addition, I kept track of links from Twitter via backtweets.com. Up to December 8, there were nearly 300 tweets with links back to askthemusicians.com.

Banners

Several sites carried banners that were specifically created for participants. Sites include: Donato Cabrera, American Philharmonic, Stephen P. Brown, Alessandro Crudele. Those brought in 3.92% of the traffic to askthemusicians.com (93 visits).

Newsletters

The largest referrer to askthemusicians.com was the very nondescript “direct traffic.” This includes newsletters from organizations and people e-mailing links to the site to each other (each link opens a new browser window or tab). Newsletters that I have been able to track include:

Association of California Symphony Orchestras
Chorus America
Conductors Guild
League of American Orchestras
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
You’ve Cott Mail

Blog posts

More than twenty bloggers posted an item about #askaconductor. Here are the blogs I could track down (in no particular order):

Stephen P. Brown
Art Voice
Ceci Creative
Kultur 2.0
Dutch Perspective
Dutch Perspective
Tucson Symphony
Vancouver Opera
Performing Arts Convention
Adaptistration
Arts Management
Beth Kanter
The Cleveland Orchestra
Duisburg Philharmoniker
Jonathan Darlington
Kitchen and Residential Design
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
NPR: Deceptive Cadence
Season Tickets
Sequenza21
Smarts & Culture

Review of the event at Opern Haus

Others

Other mentions of #askaconductor appeared in forums, including Trumpet Herald and Double Reed, as well as news sites, including Buffalo News and xtranews.

#askaconductor on December 8

As mentioned above, the retroactive official start time was 8:30 am Australian Eastern Standard Time. Up until 12 midnight Eastern Standard Time in the United States (that is 30.5 hours later), #askaconductor garnered 3,458 tweets.

You can read the entire transcript of the #askaconductor chat here (PDF).

The site wthashtag.com is a good source of collecting those tweets. It looks back seven days. There are still some #askaconductor tweets trickling in here and there, but in the past seven days we saw 3,797 tweets from 488 contributors. Of those tweets, 31.8% come from the top 10 contributors; 22.7% are retweets; 82.8% are mentions; and 4.0% have multiple hashtags.

The top 10 contributors in the past seven days were:

1. @sashamakila – 357
2. @fergusmacleod – 196
3. @MaestroDSCH – 109
4. @Stephen_P_Brown – 91
5. @marisagreen – 89
6. @batonflipper – 80
7. @askthemusicians – 79
8. @AudienceDevSpec – 70
9. @klassikakzente – 70
10. @Gigmag – 67

Some observations

Although this event was modeled after #askacurator, it seemed to have a little bit of a life of its own. Of course, it was slightly smaller in scale, but the conversations seemed to differ from those I saw in #askacurator as well. At first look, there seemed to be a narrower (even relatively) base of questioners (488 contributors), but they asked more questions. I suppose, with the few exceptions, it seemed more like a #conversewithaconductor than an #askaconductor event. Conductors would also chat amongst themselves.

This was likely partly a result of our guidelines that instructed people to ask general questions to all conductors with the hashtag and optionally direct specific inquiries to their conductor of choice. By allowing these general questions, the event was very inclusive for lesser known conductors, as we saw the specific inquiries go toward the better known conductors, such as Lorin Maazel.

Another difference between #askacurator and #askaconductor was that the latter event focused more on individuals than institutions. Many conductors, more than I had expected, tweeted from their own accounts, rather than an affiliated orchestra or institution. I think this changed the dynamic as well.

It was a different dynamic, not better, not worse. I did very much like the conversational aspect of the event, rather than purely question-and-answer. But if I were to change anything, perhaps for a next event, I would love to find ways to broaden the base just a little bit. To go outside of the classical music scene just a little bit more and include those who might only have a marginal interest in classical music. Busting myths about classical music was one of the things we set out to achieve and we don’t want to be preaching to the choir.

All that said, I cannot forget to write that the event was just plain fun. The reactions from Twitter users, as well as participating conductors, we outstandingly positive. Here are just a few of them:

Trending Topics

It wasn’t an objective. But I admit, it would have been neat to have seen #askaconductor become a trending topic. On the other hand, seeing the spam problems that plagued #askacurator when it became a trending topic, I was glad we stayed clear from those issues.

Looking at the sheer volume, #askaconductor was close to par with some of the trending topics. But in a feat of perfect timing, Twitter offered a little glimpse into the algorithm that determines what topics are trending:

We track the volume of terms mentioned on Twitter on an ongoing basis. Topics break into the Trends list when the volume of Tweets about that topic at a given moment dramatically increases.

Sometimes a topic doesn’t break into the Trends list because its popularity isn’t as widespread as people believe. And, sometimes, popular terms don’t make the Trends list because the velocity of conversation isn’t increasing quickly enough, relative to the baseline level of conversation happening on an average day.

Our #askaconductor effort didn’t see this dramatic increase in number of tweets; it was a regular, sustained amount throughout the day. Of course, trending topics also typically see a broader base with less than 10% of the tweets stemming from the top 10 users, whereas #askaconductor saw a fairly narrow base with more than 30% of the tweets stemming from the top 10 users.

What’s next?

Lacey and I will be planning a next #askthemusicians event soon. We’re thinking of putting the subject of the next event up for a vote. Will it be #askacomposer, #askacellist, or something different altogether? Stay tuned!

These were just some initial thoughts and reflections. I will be gathering a full report on the #askaconductor event as things wind down a little bit. More analytics, more analysis! Do you have any questions, suggestions or comments? Let us know! Leave a comment, send an e-mail (info (at) askthemusicians.com), or, of course, send a tweet (@askthemusicians, or @laceyh and @mcmvanbree)!

Edit: You can now vote until 12/17 on what #askthemusicians topic we should be doing next. Click here to vote on askthemusicians.com.

In less than two days, #askaconductor will officially kick off. Australians will be the first to the scene, as their December 8 starts 16 hours ahead of New York. The current participant count stands at 43 conductors, including former New York Philharmonic music director Lorin Maazel!

I’m pretty stoked.

This morning, Beth Kanter graciously published a guest post I wrote on #askaconductor and its source of inspiration #askacurator. I did a short interview with Jim Richardson, brainchild of #followamuseum and #askacurator for the article.

Beth’s book The Networked Nonprofit and her concept of “free agents” inspired the earlier #floodofsupport project. That was just one example of a free agent at work. Marcia Adair’s #operaplot is another. Of course, #askaconductor and #askacurator are yet other examples.

Beth places my guest post in the context of abundance. Rather than thinking in terms of scarcity (a trait common to most nonprofits), you should choose abundance; the abundance of goodwill, energy, and eager hands that are out there. “If you want to be an organization that chooses abundance,” writes Marnie Webb, “you have to really be able to support good work that’s happening somewhere else.”

And #askaconductor is an example of abundance in the arts. These free agents represent the abundance of goodwill, energy, and eager hands (yes, quite a few hours went into #askaconductor!) and smart, social-media-ready organizations are tapping into this.

I will be very curious to see how #askaconductor is going to play out. So far, it has been exhilarating to see it come together. I am keeping track of the conversation: the hash tag has been used more than 250 times over the past two weeks; more than 100 tweets have included links to askthemusicians.com; and the event has appeared in several blogs and newsletters and on dozens of Facebook pages. I hope to thoroughly evaluate the event after December 8 and see if we achieved what we set out to do and reached the people we set out to reach.

What lessons are we learning and what do they mean for arts organizations?

But for now, you better have started thinking up some questions to ask. December 8 is only two days away. Follow @askthemusicians.

A little while ago, I got a message from Clare Wiley, a reporter at Gig/International Arts Manager magazine. She was writing a story on social media and classical music organizations and wanted to ask some questions. The article was published this week, but you will have to get a subscription to have a read.

Where the Symphony Magazine article in April looked at many creative examples, the article in Gig/International Arts Manager took a somewhat more critical look at social media in the strategic sense. I know people like to read both.

I was quoted quite extensively in the article, but this has to be my favorite:

And Van Bree argues that rather than a particularly innovative application or flashmob, a meticulous and comprehensive social media strategy is how companies should optimise their use of the technology. ‘What I found in a lot of orchestras is that they’re dipping their toes into the social media pool, but they’re not really doing it strategically,’ he observes. ‘One opera actually pasted entire press releases as Facebook status updates – that was it! It has to come with a change in mindset. Social media alone might not be the most successful tool but social media should be a tactic within your integrated marketing and communications strategy.’

And this is reflected in the conclusion of the article, where Wiley writes: “while clever innovative projects are likely to grab attention in the short term, it’s an all encompassing strategic approach that will pay out in the long term.”

Amen.

p.s. the article also gave a nice shout out to the #askaconductor event. Save the date!

Many technologically savvy nonprofits and nonprofit social media marketers have been anticipating the launch of Jumo, a social networking site for nonprofits and causes. Yesterday, the Beta version officially launched.

The project was started by Chris Hughes, one of the Facebook founders and the chief digital organizer for Obama’s presidential campaign. This fact, and the $3.5 million in money raised for the start up, helped garner some significant buzz. But it also set expectations tremendously high.

I tried to log on yesterday morning, but got many “page-not-found” errors. It was a bit better by night time. The site doesn’t seem solid quite yet. Although it is in Beta, it sure is not a very good first impression (remember, Gmail only came out of Beta in 2009!).

Via the Huffington Post, Chris Hughes spoke about Jumo:

Most every site that’s out there focuses on donations. And, don’t get me wrong, donating to organizations, especially right now, is really important. But Jumo is taking a very different approach. It’s not just about how much money are donating to this or that group. It’s about what kind of relationship you are building with that organization…

When I finally got to snoop around a bit, I didn’t find it immediately exciting. Although the site claims to be a place where nonprofits can engage, it seems to follow a fairly strict template. I didn’t immediately see much room for creativity and out-of-the-box campaigning.

There seem to be two key elements on an organization’s profile, with most emphasis on “Top News.” The only way to engage with this news is to “like” it (similar to Facebook). You cannot comment underneath these news items. The place to comment sits next to these news items in a place called “Talk,” but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to support any kind of threaded conversation.

In other words, these elements seem much more focused on the traditional broadcasting rather than relationship building. Of course, over the years Facebook implemented changes to their design and functionality to make it more social and keep people on the site longer, and I hope this might happen to Jumo as well. As of yet, I don’t quite see beyond the fact that Jumo seems to be adding to the noise, rather than setting it apart.

Screenshot of a nonprofit profile page on Jumo

And despite Hughes’ comments, donations will be very important to nonprofits. As the former chief digital organizer for Obama, Hughes should know that. Not all organizations display a donate button. When I found some that did, the donation process seemed very simple. And simple is good.

A one-page form is clearly laid out with some predetermined monetary suggestions or a blank box to fill out your own amount and with a credit card payment option (Visa, Mastercard, and American Express). Unfortunately, there are no Paypal or other payment options. I know Europeans don’t have credit cards in masses as is the case in the United States, so this might limit international donations.

But the biggest worry in the donation form is the standard “optional 15% donation” that is included in your amount. In other words, you have to opt-out if you do not want it. Best practices dictate you should never have to opt-out. I realize Jumo needs to be viable and sustainable, but “tipping” the company should really be an opt-in scenario. This is also in addition to the 4.75% the Network for Good takes for processing the donation. There’s nothing wrong with a processing fee, but this is a combined 20% cut of the donation, albeit optional. That’s hefty.

Donation options for Jumo

Seeing the high expectations, it sure doesn’t seem off to a very good start, but I’d be willing to cut it some slack over the next few months to see how it pans out. You would think that the forces behind it seem capable of pulling it off after all.

What do others think? Beth Kanter hosts an interesting guest post by Steve MacLaughlin, Director of Internet Solutions at Blackbaud, on the launch. Amy Sample Ward has some first reflections, and I find the comments underneath her post very informative too.

What about arts organizations?

Of course I’m mostly interested to see how arts organizations are using the site. As soon as I started searching for classical music organizations last night, I started receiving 500 Errors and it doesn’t seem any better this morning. But before it completely shut down on me, I did manage to see some organizations in the search function, although I did not get to see their actual profiles. Classical music organizations on Jumo include:

Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, Ravinia Festival Association, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Chicago Opera Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, Pocket Opera, Miami Lyric Opera.

I will monitor Jumo over the next few months and see how these organizations are using the site. Will classical music fans follow these organizations to Jumo? The few arts organizations I did manage to see had very few followers compared to some of the social justice and environmental issues organizations. There were also many more of the latter organizations already present on Jumo. Does this mean Jumo is more suited for social activism, rather than the performing arts? Or does this simply mean those organizations adopt these new technologies earlier?

There are many more questions than answers at this stage and unfortunately, Jumo currently makes it hard, if not impossible, to try to answer the questions due to its spotty performance. Underwhelming seems to be the word going around right now and that’s unfortunate for Jumo. Let’s hope they can soon get their act together and really put that $3.5 million to work.

I had the privilege of speaking at some conferences this year. No matter where I go, people are always asking for case studies, best practices and examples. I can talk about strategy and objectives all I want, but I notice people get most excited about that little tidbit of information that points to something concrete.

I admit, it’s somewhat frustrating. It feels like spelling things out. And why the emphasis on small details when the big picture is often lacking? Besides, we’re in a creative industry, can’t we think of our own innovations and come up with ideas that work for us, rather than copying ideas from case studies?

On the other hand, good ideas are out there. Why should we not use them and make them our own? After all, it was #askacurator that inspired Lacey and me to start askthemusicians.com.

In that spirit, here are five small ideas that can make a big impact if you put them to good use.

1. Don’t publish your news release and marketing copy headlines on Twitter. Use your Twitter account for meaningful interaction. Want to sell tickets? Why not start another account for the hottest deals on your concerts. Take a page from Dell’s book: “Dell Outlet has booked more than $3 million in revenue attributable to its Twitter posts.” Find them at @delloutlet.

2. Optimize your site for Facebook sharing. Sure, you’re using the “like it” button, or the “share this on Facebook” icon. But how does it show up on their pages? St. Louis Symphony’s Dale Fisher has some tips on how to control what shows up.

3. Track your campaigns with Google URL Builder. I’ve been using this amazing tool for a couple of months now. Before, traffic from an e-mail marketing message would be categorized in Google Analytics under “Direct Traffic” because the e-mails would be opened from Outlook and other e-mail clients and open a new browser window or tab. This category is too broad to get usable data. Adding a simple line of code to track individual elements is tremendously helpful. The Technology in the Arts blog has more.

4. Facebook keeps rolling out new features. You’ve maybe heard about Facebook Places? Well, I’ll let John Haydon explain it to you. Got it? Okay, now that you’ve set up your nonprofit on Places, let’s move to the next step: Facebook Deals. Once again, I’ll let John Haydon explain it to you.

5. Mobile is increasingly important. A little while ago, theater social media maven Devon Smith and I wrote an article for the wonderfully collaborative 2AMt blog about the uses for QR codes. Well, it turns out that Vancouver Opera had already put their plans in motion. Read about their use of those little square barcodes here.

I have been struggling to find a workable way of capturing these kinds of tidbits. I have a much-neglected Delicious account, but I can’t seem to turn that into something useful for me. Perhaps I can start posting little blurbs on this blog, but that might get too much. Then it dawned on me that I should maybe be using Tumblr. I know I’m late to that game, but here is Dutch Perspective on Tumblr.

Does anyone have a good method of storing and publishing interesting tidbits? Other than Twitter, of course.

p.s. Don’t forget to check in on askthemusicians.com!

A month or two ago, museums and galleries around the world participated in a Twitter event called Ask a Curator. The hash tag #askacurator became a top trending topic on Twitter on the day of the event. I asked some questions myself and was amazed at the speed of response from the Van Gogh Museum.

The event sparked a conversation on Twitter among some classical music people. “Wouldn’t it be cool to do something like that for classical music?” Well, here we are…

Together with Lacey Huszcza, Director of Operations & Promotions at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, I put together an event called #askaconductor. The accompanying Web site suggests that we can expand the event to other musicians throughout the year. Maybe we can have a #askacomposer or #askacellist in the Spring?

So, #askaconductor is the first #askthemusicians Twitter event. On December 8, 2010, conductors from around the world will come together to engage with fans, first-timers and complete strangers. The concept is simple: conductors make some time available to answer questions; Twitter followers ask their burning questions, and the conductors answer the questions. All in one day.

It is an opportunity for orchestras and the conductors that lead them to connect to their community and share their stories, love and passion, one tweet at a time. And it’s an opportunity to have some fun on Twitter and debunk some of those stubborn classical music myths.

Of course, there are challenges. How many conductors can we sign up? The event requires a little bit more commitment from classical music organizations than say Marcia Adair’s tremendously successful #operaplot event. That’s why we didn’t set any rules for committing time; half an hour would be great, half a day would be even better.

We also reached out to many orchestras to see if their music directors or other resident conductors, or perhaps guest conductors that happened to be in town, would be interested in participating. It’s a great way to promote an orchestra’s Twitter presence and go beyond the cut-and-paste news release headlines streaming from many accounts.

The success of the #askaconductor event will depend on the participation from both orchestras and conductors, as well as the audience asking questions. We’ve already gotten some great responses and we’ll be updating the line up as we confirm conductors. The League of American Orchestras and the Association of California Symphony Orchestras have pledged their support in promoting the event. Bloggers can use these handy banners. It promises to be an exciting event!

If you’re a conductor, or an arts manager that might know a conductor, and you want to play; sign up on the Web site. Or e-mail Lacey or me at info (at) askthemusicians.com.

If you’re on Twitter and have always wondered how a conductor picks the music, or what exactly it means swinging a baton in front of a hundred musicians, save your questions for December 8.