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El Salsero Gringo
16th-September-2006, 05:22 PM
I don't know for how long it's been up, but the www.ceroc.com website has changed rather (and for the better.) At least it seems fewer clicks are needed to get to the useful information, like which Ceroc events are on tonight. I wait with baited breath to hear what the Forum experts think.

bigdjiver
16th-September-2006, 07:59 PM
I don't know for how long it's been up, but the www.ceroc.com website has changed rather (and for the better.) At least it seems fewer clicks are needed to get to the useful information, like which Ceroc events are on tonight. I wait with baited breath to hear what the Forum experts think.The forum experts are at Southport. In their absence I clicked on galleries in the UK and got watch this space. There was quite a lot of space watching on the USA site too, and the Dubai site would not even come up. Ceroc Spain was delightfully English, and though lacking directions to the nearest Fish and Chip shop.

For pitys sake, Ceroc is an International organisation, with all of the Kudos that should bring, and has the opportunity to strut its stuff on the World stage. IMO Ceroc UK should be supplying the full marketing oomph commensurate with its leadership position.

Unfortunately the sound on my PC has gone AWOL and I was not able to savour the full glories of the Ceroc France site, but there, in all of its glory, seems to be the video that I have longed to see for years. They produced that with a couple of venues. There is hope.

Back on topic, Ceroc UK's site has improved, so well done for that effort.

David Bailey
16th-September-2006, 10:01 PM
I don't know for how long it's been up, but the www.ceroc.com website has changed rather (and for the better.) At least it seems fewer clicks are needed to get to the useful information, like which Ceroc events are on tonight. I wait with baited breath to hear what the Forum experts think.
:confused: Looks the same to me - you've still got to make 2 clicks even to get into the site, which always struck me as usability insanity. :rolleyes:

Oh, and looking at the front page, I notice that Ceroc is now an abbreviation of "C'est rock". When I joined, I was told it was an abbreviation of "C'est le roc". Maybe a bit of revisionism going on here? :whistle:


The forum experts are at Southport.
Oi! You speak for yourself, Mister... :mad:


In their absence I clicked on galleries in the UK and got watch this space.

There was quite a lot of space watching on the USA site too
That seems to be working now? Well, for a certain value of "working"... :whistle:


, and the Dubai site would not even come up.
Ahhh - that's probably because you foolishly assumed the link would actually work. :na:

I however, being an old cynic, assumed they'd got it wrong, and that "http://www.cerocdubai.com/" should of course be "http://www.cerocuae.com/". I typed in the correct URL and that worked fine.

See? Easy :)


,For pitys sake, Ceroc is an International organisation, with all of the Kudos that should bring, and has the opportunity to strut its stuff on the World stage. IMO Ceroc UK should be supplying the full marketing oomph commensurate with its leadership position.
:yeah:

Totally agree - here we see, in all it's glory, the disadvantages of a franchise system in terms of standardisation... :sad:

Yogi_Bear
16th-September-2006, 10:06 PM
Oh, and looking at the front page, I notice that Ceroc is now an abbreviation of "C'est rock". When I joined, I was told it was an abbreviation of "C'est le roc". Maybe a bit of revisionism going on here? :whistle:

I detect a sense of revisionism too. Wasn't there something once called Leroc? Or is it just the lack of the definite article........

David Bailey
16th-September-2006, 10:08 PM
I detect a sense of revisionism too. Wasn't there something once called Leroc? Or is it just the lack of the definite article........
Surely you're not implying that Ceroc would ever try to re-write history?

Once again this evening, I'm shocked.

El Salsero Gringo
16th-September-2006, 10:09 PM
Sheesh. I'm beginning to regret ever starting this thread...

David Bailey
16th-September-2006, 10:21 PM
Sheesh. I'm beginning to regret ever starting this thread...
Then my work here is done. :grin:

(Just be glad I'm not doing a full review... :na: )

OK, seriously, I don't see what's changed at the top-level? You still have to select a country and then (for UK) select "members / non-members", which is making the user do a lot of work just to find out about a leisure activity.

That in itself is going to put a lot of people off - if you lose 50% of users for every extra click-through they have to do, then you're cutting off 75% of your potential customer base from the get-go. Any improvements at the third-level will therefore only affect usability for that fraction of the users who get that far.

straycat
16th-September-2006, 10:55 PM
I didn't really look at the old one, so it's hard to compare. The new one is fairly pretty, but if it was one of mine, it wouldn't be on my portfolio :(

Not terrible, but it's missed the mark in a few essential ways, which is a shame. I imagine it'll improve.

spindr
16th-September-2006, 11:45 PM
:Oh, and looking at the front page, I notice that Ceroc is now an abbreviation of "C'est rock". When I joined, I was told it was an abbreviation of "C'est le roc". Maybe a bit of revisionism going on here? :whistle:
Revisionism -- well, yes -- people always used to be told that it was "C'est le roc".

Then people discovered that the translation didn't make sense, e.g. using Babelfish (http://babelfish.altavista.com/) "C'est le roc" => "It is the rock".

The new phrase "C'est rock" => It is rock'n'roll.
Of course "C'est le rock" => It is the rock'n'roll.

You'd have to ask a distinctly more Gallic person than I which is the correct phrase.

SpinDr.

Lou
17th-September-2006, 04:12 PM
At least it seems fewer clicks are needed to get to the useful information, like which Ceroc events are on tonight.
Meh. So how do I find out what classes are on Tuesday? Or where to dance in Leicester, for instance. The only way I can see you're meant to do it is by putting in a postcode. And I'm not likely to know that, am I?

At least the old one had a map.

I guess it's OK for people who already know what they're looking for.

El Salsero Gringo
17th-September-2006, 04:36 PM
Meh. So how do I find out what classes are on Tuesday?Click on Events, then immediately under it click on Local Events. Up comes a list of events, this week, with the same calendar that worked well on the old site.
Or where to dance in Leicester, for instance. The only way I can see you're meant to do it is by putting in a postcode.You can just click on the search button, and up comes a list of all venues. (I agree that's not intuitive, but it works.) The page that comes up also has the same map.
At least the old one had a map.So does the new one.
I guess it's OK for people who already know what they're looking for.It's better than the old one, but I guess it's not perfect.

MartinHarper
17th-September-2006, 04:38 PM
"C'est le roc" => "It is the rock".

Surely "It is the exotic bird".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roc

Lou
17th-September-2006, 06:50 PM
Click on Events, then immediately under it click on Local Events. Up comes a list of events, this week, with the same calendar that worked well on the old site.
Ah! Events! And there I was thinking that referred to Weekenders & Dance Holidays (like Escape). Or local Freestyles.


You can just click on the search button, and up comes a list of all venues.
Ah... because it says "postcode" in the search box, I thought I had to put in a postcode. So I typed in "London", just to see what would happen. It came up with Aberdeen. :rolleyes:


The page that comes up also has the same map.So does the new one.
It's on the front page of the nonmembers section. Which is really useful. But I wonder why Ceroc™ HQ assume that once you're a member, you won't ever want to look for another venue?


It's better than the old one, but I guess it's not perfect.
Better? It depends on your definition of such a woolly term. It might look better (have a more pleasing layout, nice colours, look more professional), but if someone can't use it to find the information that they want as easily as before, does that make it "better"?

Do you really believe it's better - or are you just toeing the party™ line more these days due to your increased involvement?

El Salsero Gringo
17th-September-2006, 07:25 PM
Ah... because it says "postcode" in the search box, I thought I had to put in a postcode. So I typed in "London", just to see what would happen. It came up with Aberdeen. :rolleyes: Aberdeen is top of the (not quite) alphabetical list of all venues. I wonder if the search box can search for matches on more fields than just the postcode? That would be useful.
Do you really believe it's better - or are you just toeing the party™ line more these days due to your increased involvement?I do think the website is better than it was, but there is substance to your criticisms.

As for toeing™ the™ party™ line™ (TM™): doing some work for Ceroc means that sometimes I can see that decisions that look odd or perverse from outside make much more sense when viewed from the inside. And coming to regard some other Ceroc employees as friends rather than The Enemy™ means that my initial reaction to some of the trenchant criticism here is to rise to their defence. However that's not the same as being forced to put my name to things with which I disagree.

More generally, I'm comfortable about doing work for Ceroc because I view the organisation in a positive light - not vice versa.

MartinHarper
17th-September-2006, 10:56 PM
Given criticisms of the number of clicks it takes to get to the ceroc uk website, wouldn't it be good if URLs like the following worked and took you straight to the relevant country-specific site?

http://ceroc.co.uk/
http://ceroc.fr/
(etc)

Also, ceroc.com gives me a choice between "United Kingdom" and "Northern Ireland". Now, my political geography is a bit sketchy, but isn't Northern Ireland meant to be part of the United Kingdom, as in the popular phrase "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"?

Is Ceroc Enterprises is giving in to terrorism?


Doing some work for Ceroc means that sometimes I can see that decisions that look odd or perverse from outside make much more sense when viewed from the inside.

Also, publically criticising your employer is always a sackable offence. That's not a criticism of Ceroc Enterprises, by the way - just stating (my perception of) general reality.

El Salsero Gringo
18th-September-2006, 12:34 AM
Also, publically criticising your employer is always a sackable offence. Also speaking generally, I think it's usually phrased as "bringing into disrepute." I think that differs subtly from "public criticism."

David Bailey
18th-September-2006, 09:42 AM
Given criticisms of the number of clicks it takes to get to the ceroc uk website, wouldn't it be good if URLs like the following worked and took you straight to the relevant country-specific site?

http://ceroc.co.uk/
http://ceroc.fr/
(etc)
:yeah: - and some consistency in URL naming wouldn't kill them too, at least as aliases. e.g.

ceroc.com/uk
ceroc.com/it
ceroc.com/us

etc.


Also, ceroc.com gives me a choice between "United Kingdom" and "Northern Ireland". Now, my political geography is a bit sketchy, but isn't Northern Ireland meant to be part of the United Kingdom, as in the popular phrase "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"?

Is Ceroc Enterprises is giving in to terrorism?
:rofl: You are such a stirrer... :respect:

Dreadful Scathe
18th-September-2006, 10:19 AM
Also, ceroc.com gives me a choice between "United Kingdom" and "Northern Ireland". Now, my political geography is a bit sketchy, but isn't Northern Ireland meant to be part of the United Kingdom

Indeed it is - if I was from Northern Ireland I would be quite offended by that. Ignorance on the part of the Website designer one assumes - but you'd have thought that using the same flag, as they did, might hint at the fact it is the same place ;)

Also, aside from the mistakes already mentioned the "private booking" page has links to local operators at the bottom, except it doesnt work :)

Lou
18th-September-2006, 10:42 AM
....the www.ceroc.com website has changed rather (and for the better.) At least it seems fewer clicks are needed to get to the useful information.....


....I do think the website is better than it was, but there is substance to your criticisms.....

Errrmmm... is that your way of saying that I'm right, and that it isn't actually easier to navigate (as you have to do far more clicks before you find the hiding place), unless you know where you're going? (in which case, you would have probably bookmarked it, and so need even fewer clicks!) :na:


As for toeing™ the™ party™ line™ (TM™): doing some work for Ceroc means that sometimes I can see that decisions that look odd or perverse from outside make much more sense when viewed from the inside.

Ahhh.. so that's how you knew where to look! It's OK for you. You have the required "interesting" handshake. For the rest of us, it's more like a virtual trip to the stairless cellar with a torch to find the required information on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.’


And coming to regard some other Ceroc employees as friends rather than The Enemy™
Oi! I'm not Cerocist! Some of my best friends are Cerocers.... :na:


More generally, I'm comfortable about doing work for Ceroc because I view the organisation in a positive light - not vice versa.
It's just that there's often an Evangelical tone from posters who have recently joined Ceroc™. (Actually, it's often particularly evident in newly CTA trained teachers). And you were uncharacteristically enthusiastic in your praise.

Btw... Do you remember that time when they led you into the white windowless room, with the pretty coloured lights, and the relaxing soft music, and the comforting voice..... :devil:

El Salsero Gringo
18th-September-2006, 10:58 AM
Errrmmm... is that your way of saying that I'm right, and that it isn't actually easier to navigate (as you have to do far more clicks before you find the hiding place), unless you know where you're going? (in which case, you would have probably bookmarked it, and so need even fewer clicks!) :na: Yes, Lou, in some of what you say, you are right. Correct. Spot on. Hit the nail on the head. That kind of stuff.

Ahhh.. so that's how you knew where to look! It's OK for you. You have the required "interesting" handshake. For the rest of us, it's more like a virtual trip to the stairless cellar with a torch to find the required information on display in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ‘Beware of the Leopard.’ No, no funny handshakes. I just wanted to find out if there was a freestyle on Saturday, and I found that information very quickly - quicker than I would have on the old website. Which is why I thought the new website is better. And I thought it would make an interesting thread.
Oi! I'm not Cerocist! Some of my best friends are Cerocers.... :na: They're not your friends. They're just pretending to like you. Lord knows how they manage it.
It's just that there's often an Evangelical tone from posters who have recently joined Ceroc™. (Actually, it's often particularly evident in newly CTA trained teachers). And you were uncharacteristically enthusiastic in your praise.You mean the mask slipped, and I said something nice? Sorry - normal service will be resumed shortly (I must have been in an uncharacteristically good mood on Saturday.)
Btw... Do you remember that time when they led you into the white windowless room, with the pretty coloured lights, and the relaxing soft music, and the comforting voice..... :devil:Yes.

Lou
18th-September-2006, 11:10 AM
Yes, Lou, you..... ....are right. :kiss:


No, no funny handshakes.
Of course not.

Juju
18th-September-2006, 03:59 PM
The new phrase "C'est rock" => It is rock'n'roll.
Of course "C'est le rock" => It is the rock'n'roll.

You'd have to ask a distinctly more Gallic person than I which is the correct phrase.

Well, I'm Gallic, and to me they both sound like a typical example of the french trying to sound cool and once again failing miserably.

killingtime
21st-September-2006, 11:09 AM
:confused: Looks the same to me - you've still got to make 2 clicks even to get into the site, which always struck me as usability insanity. :rolleyes:

I totally agree. A List Apart had a good article (http://alistapart.com/articles/homepagegoals) in the importance of homepages. Ceroc's site fails that entirely. It might be wise to assume that the person hasn't done Ceroc before. Indeed the members site makes it pretty obvious that you are in some sort of dance page stuff. The non-members site hasn't been updated to new look, and doesn't really give that much different information. They can probably have a country clicker (to change to the UK or whatever) and sense the user location from IP or, even, language preference, sure it isn't 100% but it would catch most people.

They still have fixed width page which I'm not a huge fan of either. The information does seem more accessible than the old site though.

David Bailey
21st-September-2006, 12:00 PM
I've briefly looked at various franchise sites in England:


Ceroc Midlands - http://www.cerocmidlands.co.uk/
Ceroc Surrey - http://www.ceroc.org.uk/
Ceroc Metro - http://www.cerocmetro.com/
Ceroc London - http://www.ceroclondon.com/
Ceroc Anglia - http://www.cerocanglia.co.uk/
Ceroc Central - http://www.ceroccentral.com/
Ceroc South Birmingham - http://www.cerocsb.co.uk/
Ceroc Thames Valley - http://www.ceroctv.co.uk/
Ceroc Manchester - http://www.ceroc-manchester.co.uk/
Ceroc Essex - http://www.cerocessex.com/
Ceroc Chilterns - http://www.cerocchilterns.co.uk/


Frankly, none of them are inspiring. But at least most of them get you straight to a home page with actual information on it.

Lynn
21st-September-2006, 12:06 PM
Also, ceroc.com gives me a choice between "United Kingdom" and "Northern Ireland". Now, my political geography is a bit sketchy, but isn't Northern Ireland meant to be part of the United Kingdom, as in the popular phrase "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"? And it says 'Ireland' when you hover your mouse over the 'Northern Ireland' option.:rolleyes:

You would almost think NI had a bit of an identity crisis.

David Bailey
21st-September-2006, 12:12 PM
And it says 'Ireland' when you hover your mouse over the 'Northern Ireland' option.:rolleyes:
Yes, wonder what Ceroc Ireland (http://www.ceroc.ie/main.htm) think... :)

I'm nearly bored enough at the moment to come up with a "What's an ideal dance site?" checklist. Not quite bored enough yet, but who knows...

Dreadful Scathe
21st-September-2006, 12:43 PM
Personally I like the BoogieNights.net website - simple, quite pretty , yet functional... much like the owner :) er...cough..there are pictures of me on there, yet that doesnt spoil it too much.

cerocscotland is also pretty good, 1 click for everything you need from that too, a tad too orange for my tastes but useable which is the main thing on any website. (mind you I also find easyjet.com far too orange and its the webs favourite airline - why is everyone not like me ? :) )

ceroc.com is ok once you get past the mistakes and the usability nightmare of the opening screens and the weird links - "what happens" er..what happens with what? "profiles" er...of who ? :) click to find out, why dont you :)

Northants Girly
21st-September-2006, 01:21 PM
I just put my postcode in and it told me my nearest venue was Daventry - which it wrong - it's Saints in Northampton but it dosn't even mention this venue!

Wonder who made the website :whistle:

Dreadful Scathe
21st-September-2006, 01:42 PM
Wonder who made the website :whistle:

the Leroc federation ? :)

Dorothy
21st-September-2006, 06:44 PM
I like the ceroc scotland site, lots of info in the one place.
Could do with more 'media' - like the photos but how about a video clip section?

Lindsay
21st-September-2006, 08:38 PM
Personally I like the BoogieNights.net website - simple, quite pretty , yet functional... much like the owner :) er...cough..there are pictures of me on there, yet that doesnt spoil it too much.

:eek: Quite complex I'd say, but I like the other 2. :wink:
You actually look quite hansome, wonky camera.


:hug: