http://www.carillons/caught.in.the.net/
Sydney J. Shep is Associate Carillonneur of the National War Memorial Carillon in Wellington, New Zealand. She wrote this reflection on carillon web sites for the newsletter of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. Dr. Shep is also a Printing Fellow at the Wai-te-ata Press at Victoria University of Wellington.
New tech, high tech, more tech, no tech? As everyone gets on the proverbial bandwagon to create web sites, the world of the carillon is no exception. In this review of carillon sites, I want to survey some of the existing sites, assess them according to some principles of effective web design, look at the fundamental nature of the electronic medium, and point out the pitfalls for those contemplating their own entry into this new performance field.
What are the advantages of a web site? As most of us are aware, the contemporary hunger for information has engendered a network of facts and figures which requires a different kind of tool for efficient access and navigation. The internet is one such tool which complements but does not substitute for existing tools. This is particularly true both in its role as a dynamic, continually updateable, on-line database and in its populist form, the newest vehicle for super-marketing and advertising. Print-based resources still have a place in our lives and consciousness, and books are definitely not dead. So, what information about the carillon can be best delivered through the internet rather than through any other communication medium? Pictures, sound, video, statistics, recital programs, publications? Most of these, yes; some, definitely not; and others, well, design is everything.
Virtually all web sites these days include a picture of the tower, possibly the bells themselves, maybe even the clavier and performer. Great--a picture can paint a thousand words. But remember, not all computers have image-capabilities and those that do may not be operated by a user who wants to spend time (and money) downloading a full-screen, full-color bitmap. A useful text tag describing the image both permits the non-image user to feel part of the imaginative net-scape, and acts as a signal for the image-capable to click here if s/he so desires. Another shortcut is to provide only a thumbnail of the image with a hypertext link to its "full" size version, but again, use the full-size image opportunity to add a caption line.
Many web designers think images add a little spice to the page to save it from boredom and inertia. However, a few images here and there, surrounded by text so dense you might as well read it in a book is not the answer. Screen resolution is an eyewearying 72 dpi, not the 1220-2400 dpi we are accustomed to in print. For example, if you are presenting a guided tour of your carillon, don't let the text do the driving. Add graphic navigational aids like maps and pointers. Otherwise, you are encouraging the reader to download to a print version, and haven't you then lost the whole point of using this electronic medium? On this point, compare <http://www.chapel.duke.edu/chapel/tour.htm> Duke University Chapel with <http://smith2.sewanee.edu/gsmith/MapServe/AllSaints.html> All Saint's Chapel.
Furthermore, like creating an advertising slogan or a poster, the web site requires a different kind of writing--clear, concise, to the point--definitely more a report than an essay. Hypertext links assist in ordering these chains of information nuggets. Think of the home page as both cover and table of contents, not the whole book itself. Since first impressions are everything, the home page can either tempt your reader to continue the journey, or can turn her/him away completely. A simple, catchy layout with the primary facts plus a road map for further exploration all in the space of one screen, are sufficient for the home page. The advent of frames and tables-supporting browsers has led to greater awareness of the need for simple design, a tune called KISS ("Keep It Simple, Stupid") which paper-based graphic designers have been singing for decades. Good examples are found at: <http://www.cis.yale.edu/carillon/> Yale University Carillon and at <http://www.bells.usyd.ed.au/> University of Sydney War Memorial Carillon.
Through several levels of linking hierarchy (the pros suggest three levels maximum--with four you're in danger of getting lost yourself), a large amount and variety of information can be presented, but order it in advance to help your readers along the path.
Let them savor the information byte by dark chocolate byte rather than confusing them with the whole cake. And to prevent information overweight, recall what Dorothy says in "The Wizard of Oz"--there's no place like home. At the bottom of each page, a "Home" or "Back to Home Page" link provides a way of getting out of the sensory maze. For the overindulgent, take a look at <http://www.cict.fr/toulouse/carillon/carillons.html> if you want to be overwhelmed by blinking video clips, dark image backgrounds and text which is barely decipherable. We are in the business to communicate, even in the postmodern world, n'est-ce pas?
Additional multimedia features available on the net can be a trap. As with images, both sound and even more so, video, require enormous amounts of time to download, memory, and specialist software. Are the results worth it? Let's look at sound for a moment, something most folks probably think is an ideal marketing tool for an instrument which, after all, is an audio experience. We all know that the carillon and its acoustical environment is one of the most difficult instruments to record, new digital technologies notwithstanding. Translate that to computer reproduction on the net and are you really doing the carillon a favor by including a sound byte? A barely recognizable, 410K, 20-second morsel of Jef Denyn complete with high-volume hiss and overmodulation certainly doesn't do justice to the composer, performer or instrument. Ditto, a 312K, 30-second, unnamed and unnameable folksong. As the net is becoming more and more a powerful marketing tool, you could be responsible for turning people right off the carillon because your sonic shorthand is such an inadequate representation of the real thing. No wonder an electronic carillon sounds like a better option for the un- or mis-informed!
Until sound reproduction is more advanced on the computer, an excellent solution is to list where good-quality carillon recordings can be bought. The easiest mechanism for this is to include a linked e-mail address for further information, or even an order form if you are in the distribution business yourself and have no qualms about electronic commerce. If you want to list recordings, music editions, catalogs, or other statistical information, you need to provide clearly, visually-oriented material. Take the example of music composition. Some organizations go to a lot of work to provide octave range capabilities of the music they are selling, recognizing that most carillonneurs are shopping for music they can play on their own instruments, or music of a particular variety such as original compositions, arrangements, solo, duets, etc. So, rather than long composer/title lists which make the screen-reader go cross-eyed in short order, why not provide a set of links starting with instrument size, or with genre of music. Shaping the information in a manner appropriate to the instrument and its musicians is important. Long alphabetized lists just don't sell your product to carillonneurs or anyone else out there.
And, don't forget to update your information. The whole advantage of the net is that it provides the opportunity to furnish the most recent information. Such dynamic, online database capabilities are useless if the material is inaccurate or obviously outdated. The record of last year's concerts, workshops, and congresses may provide an interesting archive of facts and figures, but does nothing for the image of an institution if such information is tired and worn, or worded in the present tense. In the hiatus between annual events, why not include a general announcement about forthcoming events and retain last year's to give an indication as to the breadth of programming. The need to be vigilant about this is an essential part of the public profile of the instrument Similarly, don't rely on someone else to tell you when your links to other sites no longer work. It is your responsibility to check them regularly or use one of the software packages that can autocheck for you. There is nothing so frustrating to the first-time surfie or seasoned user to come up with a screen which shouts "URL Not Found." This also goes for many web sites which have changed servers or directory architecture and are likewise inaccessible unless you too change your html files.
Finally, where to start to get an overview of the wealth of carillon sites out there today and to assess their strengths and weaknesses? Most people begin with the proprietary search engines which come with your browser software: yahoo, lycos, etc. Yahoo's search pulls up nine entries for carillon; judge for yourself their relevance to our concerns: the Lubbock, Texas "Carillon Retirement Center" (not a bell in sight except for the corporate identity); two entries for electronic carillon manufacture (why spend money and time on old bells when you can have the chime master system); and most obscurely of all, the University of Regina's long-standing student newspaper entitled (what else) "Carillon." Lycos is more fruitful, with 1,225 "relevant documents," the first 19 out of 20 at least having something to do with the bell instrument we all know and love. In the interests of time and sanity, I suggest you bypass this route completely and jump to an excellent point of departure, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut Guild of Carillonneurs' home page, URL <http://www.trincoll.edu/~carrill/carillon.html>. In one hit, the major carillon installations worldwide are available for your surfing pleasure. Enjoy!
