Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
about the Cultural Calendar System
and
Troubleshooting
Searching for Events
Adding Events
Registering your Organization/Site
Updating/Changing/Correcting
Troubleshooting
General Issues
About Arts Over America
If you have any other questions
-- or wish to offer comments or suggestions --
please send us your feedback.
How do I search for an event?
You can search for events based on art form, date, type of event, location
or none of these at all. There are no rules. It's worth noting, however,
that providing some limitations will result in more focused results. Searching
based on NO variables will pull up the entire database. That might not
be a good idea.
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What's the easiest way to search?
We suggest starting with a region and a date or range of dates.
You may select a region either by clicking on the map's specific region
or by entering a city or zip code into the appropriate text box.
As for dates, you can select choose among "today," "this week," "this
month" or enter your own range of dates.
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Why did my search yield no events?
It could be the web browser you are using. Check the answer for What
browsers work best on this system?
Most likely, you were too restrictive in establishing search variables.
You might try broadening the search. We suggest expanding the range of
dates searched, the region, or the discipline(s).
If you're still having trouble, please contact the system
administrator.
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How do I add an event?
Before you add your own events, it's a good idea to try searching for
a few events yourself to see how the event information is displayed, and
what type of information you'll want to enter. (Click on the link to your
state at the top of the left-hand column of this page.) You also may want
to try adding events in our Demo State.
Keep in mind, though, that you'll have to register Demo locations in the
Demo State unless you want your test events to show up as actual locations
in your home state!
To add your own events to the calendar, click on the "Add Event" button.
Once you've logged in, the system will give you a blank event info form
to complete. Enter as little or as much information as you like. (Remember,
though, your patrons are looking for details! Keep them in mind!) The
only information you must specify are the event's title, the type
of event, ticket price (or specify Free), the event's location,
and a brief description.
For a more detailed answer, click here to download
a PDF file on how to add events. If you have not already done so,
you will need to download
Adobe's free Acrobat Reader to view this document.
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Why won't the system accept an event I tried to add?
There are two answers to this question. First, you may not be entering
information in all of the required fields: see the answer
to the previous question. Second, your Web browser may not be Javascript-enabled.
You must use Internet Explorer 4.0 (or better) or Netscape Navigator
3.0 (or better). If either of these solutions do not resolve the problem,
please contact the system
adminstrator.
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How do I register?
Registration is a simple process. The first time you attempt to add an
event, register an event location or producer/presenter, or change existing
events, the system will ask you to register. You will need to create an
account id and a password, and we need your name, email address and a
daytime telephone number. You will receive an email confirmation of account
id and password information. The system administrator also will receive
a notice of your registration.
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Should I create more than one account?
It's not really necessary. If you wish to have more than one person at
your organization enter or modify event information, simply pass the account
id and password along to those you authorize.
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If I register, can others in my organization use the
system?
Of course, simply pass along your account id and password.
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If I register, can other organizations list their
events at my location?
Yes. Any producer/presenter can include your performance or exhibition
space in their event information. The system was set up this way so that
you would not be burdened with entering all events at your site.
NOTE: You do have permission to change or delete any event from the calendar
that features your site.
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I lost/forgot my account id and/or password!
Click here to have them emailed back to you automatically.
If that doesn't work for you, contact the system
adminstrator. Once your id is confirmed, the administrator will provide
you with your account id and password.
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What are you doing with my registration information?
Your registration information will be used solely for the purpose of providing
more personalized service; it will not be shared with any outside entities.
We use your email address to send a verification of your registration.
As the system expands and evolves, we will notify you of updates and revisions
through your email address.
Your phone number is a contact backup in the event we cannot reach you
via email.
When you log-in, your account information is used to customize your access
privileges. For example, when you go to add an event, the locations and
producers/presenters you created will show up in the pull-down menu so
that you need not scroll through a long list of organizations.
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Is my organization a "Producer/Presenter",
"Event Location", or both?
Register as a Producer/Presenter if your
organization creates, develops, sponsors, presents or produces events,
whether at your own space or in someone else's. Register as an Event
Location if your space is used by your own organization and/or
other organizations as a venue for performances, exhibitions, meetings,
festivals, workshops, etc.
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What do I do if the location/space of my event
is not listed as an Event Location?
You can do one of two things:
- You can register the event location yourself and let the appropriate
person at that site know what you've done. Please, however, do this
only if you are confident that you are providing complete and accurate
information about the site.
- Contact the site and ask them to register themselves. Give them the
URL http://www.artscal.org
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How do I update or change event information?
Click on the "Change Event" button. All events entered by you -- and any
events listed as appearing at your event location -- will appear on the
screen. Click on the event name to change information specific to that
event. Click on the producer/presenter or event location name to edit
this data.
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How do I update or change information on my organization/location?
Click on the "Change Event" button. All events entered by you -- and any
events listed as appearing at your event location -- will appear on the
screen. Click on the event name to change information specific to that
event. Click on the producer/presenter or event location name to edit
this data.
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The system does not recognize my userid and/or
password!
The system is "case sensitive" (as in UPPER and lower case letters) in
reading userids and passwords. You must type your userid and password
exactly as you entered it when you first registered, including any uppercase
letters. Have you forgotten whether or not you used uppercase letters?
See I lost/forgot my account id and/or password!
If you keep getting sent back to the log-in page it may be a corrupt cookie
file; see the next question...
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When I try to log-in to add or edit an event I am placed back at the
log-in page.
Your cookie file -- the file in your computer that manages your access
to the calendar may be corrupt. This can happen if you have logged into
the calendar system under more than one userid/password. And sometimes
it's simply an "act o' the browser gods," a corrupting glitch
by the browser when creating or accessing cookie files. To fix this, you
need to erase your cookie file. The process varies based on browser. (Instructions
below) If that doesn't work, please contact the AOA
administrator.
NETSCAPE:
* Close down Netscape
* Open the "Program Files" folder on your hard drive
* Open the "Netscape" folder
* Open the "Users" folder
* Open the folder that has your userid as its title
* Find the text file titled "cookies"
* Delete it
* Close the windows and restart Netscape
EXPLORER:
* Close down Explorer
* Open the "Windows" folder on your hard drive
* Open the "Profiles" folder
* Open the folder that has your userid as its title
* Open the "Cookies" folder
* Find the text document titled <userid>@artscal
* Delete it
* Close the windows and restart Explorer
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I get an error message when I attempt to add my event
but everything appears to be correct.
This problem occurs most commonly when people try to enter ongoing dates
(for an exhibition, for example) and a specific date (for the opening
reception of that exhibition) on the same form. You need to one or the
other, save it and then go back to "Add Event" and enter the
remaining data. If that's not what you were doing when the error occured,
or if that process doesn't work, please contact the AOA
administrator.
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My producer/presenter or venue information appears in my pull-down
menu on the "Add Event" page but it does not appear in the Lookup
window.
This situation occurs when the producer/presenter or venue address is
outside the current state calendar system. (For example, your official
producer/presenter address is in Camden, New Jersey, but you are performing
in Philadelphia and you are entering information in the Arts Over Pennsylvania
calendar system.) It is not an error. If your address is within the state
calendar system, you may have mistyped the state abbreviation. Enter an
event, save it and utilize the "Edit" feature to review and
change your producer/presenter information. If that doesn't work for you,
contact the system adminstrator.
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I added an event to the calendar but it does not show up when I do
a search.
The cause for this problem is most often a venue location outside the
current state calendar system. You may have mistyped the state abbreviation
or left the space blank. Enter an event, save it and utilize the "Edit"
feature to review and change your venue information. If that doesn't work
for you, contact the system
adminstrator.
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What browsers works best on this system?
We recommend that you use Netscape Communicator or Netscape Navigator
3.0 or better. Everything should also work okay with Microsoft Internet
Explorer (4.0 or better). (You can search the calendar system with
an earlier version of Explorer but to add events you will need
version 4.0 or better.) You will need to enable Javascript and accept
a cookie in order to register and add your own events to the calendar.
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Is there a charge for this?
No, this system is provided as a service of Arts Over America and your
state arts agency.
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Do I have to log in each time?
The system will recognize you for two hours after you log in. If you are
entering event information for more than two hours, you may be asked to
log in for another two hours. (If this happens, we suggest you take a
break, get a breath of fresh air or, better yet, send us the phone number
of your supervisor. More than two hours of data entry? That's inhuman!)
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What is Arts Over America?
Arts Over America is the entity established by the National
Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) and the Carnegie
Mellon Center for Arts Management and Technology (CAMT) to oversee
the development, creation, implementation, maintenance and expansion of
an on-line calendar of arts and cultural events in the United States.
Assisting NASAA and CAMT in the project is Arts
Wire.
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Who are the partners?
Check out the Arts Over America
page on the Calendar System Web Site.
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