This is more about an annoying problem than anything. The current situation is that the studio I work for had the up-to-date staff bios on their website until, maybe, mid-spring. It then went back to a listing of staff from some time in the past as several of the teachers listed do not teach there any more(but since I know them, I know the info is old). As I am getting ready to start my second year, I still don't feel comfortable bringing something like this up with my employer. Just from how she chooses to communicate with the staff gives me an indication that she probably wouldn't want me sticking my nose in that business.

Actually, this isn't the first time I have encountered the issue. When I Google myself, a listing actually comes up for a studio where I haven't taught for almost 4 years! The only accurate information regarding my dance whereabouts is from the alumni page where I received my dance degree and an article I wrote that was recently published in a dance periodical.

I live in a major metropolitan area. It just seems odd to me that studios wouldn't want to keep their information current. Is this a problem across the board? Maybe it is me, but I like to do investigative research on-line before registering my kids for their activities like Kindermusik and gymnastics.

Any feedback?

Totally agree with that. I find that dance studios are really bad about keeping an updated website. And I know other businesses have the same problem, but I research and constantly google dance studios to see whats around. Looks totally unprofessional.

Drives me crazy.

It's far more common than you'd think. If they don't have an IT person doing it and are not savvy/organized enough to do it themselves, then you will find sites that are dated.

My biggest pet peeve is going to a studio website where they set up a tab like "photos" or "news" and then the page reads "under construction" or "info coming soon!" and you check back in three months and the page is still empty.

Take the stupid page down if you aren't going to fill it.

I think it makes them look extremely unprofessional.

UGH... I see this all the time in NJ. I have been doing searches for schools to network with for daytime hours and soooo many sites are not up to date. From schedules, to staff, to calendar dates. Grr...

I too was listed on a site for almost a year after I quit-As was another teacher who was a famous Rockette and never taught there once!! She had been given a schedule, but the classes never filled so they were canceled before the 1st week.

They kept us on the site because of our bio's and credentials Sneaky huh?? It is done in this area quite often unfortunately

As a matter of fact, a school that I just interviewed with and was told that they will fit me into the schedule and get back to me with classes they will have for me has a site like you mentioned with all of the non-working tabs. Why bother having a site in the 1st place?? As you said, sooooooo unprofessional!!

I have a friend (former student) with a fabulous school, but their website is so out of date! It is the most important tool, these days. I used to be on top of it like stink on a skunk.

There are VERY few dance studios in my area in which have websites...and most of them aren't up to date. I just so happen to LOVE doing websites, so our site is always kept current and is constantly changing and being updated.

When we ask the new people coming to our studio, the majority of them say "by searching online." We probably wouldn't have the amount of students we do without our website.

Google search is the 1st thing I do when searching for businesses.

temmer wrote:

Google search is the 1st thing I do when searching for businesses.

Google search is my 1st line of research for EVERYTHING. I google like 900 questions a day. haha!

I would never look in a phone book for a local business anymore. I want something more informative and alive.

This irritates me although having my own website I feel like sometimes I am behind but it's like a week behind because a lot of things have come up and I have not had the chance to update something. I can not imagine being years behind though. That to me just seems lazy. I don't know.

I ONLY use the internet to search for everything. I can't even find my yellow pages. They will soon be extinct.

i_am_me wrote:


My biggest pet peeve is going to a studio website where they set up a tab like "photos" or "news" and then the page reads "under construction" or "info coming soon!" and you check back in three months and the page is still empty.

Take the stupid page down if you aren't going to fill it.

I think it makes them look extremely unprofessional.

This would be my previous place of employment. They still have our Nutcracker rehearsal schedule from 2008 on the site in addition to never having had the staff bios on, as that page is "under construction"(taught there from 2007-2009).

^^^ Sadly, the "under construction" page is pretty common.

There are four of us in my area.

Biggest school in the area - great site, but pix are from 2008 when the website was setup and the front page still advertises "2009-2010 Schedule". Annoys me because she's a great businesswoman and yet there it sits to rot.

Next school - total Dolly Dinkle and ZERO web presence. I know she's online - wouldn't surprise me if she was here lol - but doesn't have anything more than the directories that pull from YP. I don't get it. She just bought a full page ad in the phone book. Go figure.

New school - has a website partially setup and it looks like a "I'm a Princess!" 5 year old set it up. There are pages that are blank, contact info is old, no photos, etc. Even their FB is out of date. Again, I just don't understand!

I am on my web stats constantly seeing where my visitors come from and making sure everything is as current as possible. It's free and it's your best advertising next to word of mouth, so why not spend some time each day?

Exactly!!! I was the first in both areas where I had a studio to have a website! I always try to make it look great, and keep it updated. Unfortunately I was one of those page under construction for a couple months with my picture page because my sister decided to use Photoshop to build it and I didn't know how to add the photos in, and she had just got a full time job when we change the site over from Yahoo to Photoshop. So it sat there for a while. It's now looking great and have had many people find us that way.

All the other studios still have things from last school year or they just don't look professional.

But it makes my studio look great!

I also keep my facebook page up to date.

I have a full time job and I manage to keep our website, facebook page, and youtube channel up to date. I'm not even the studio owner! And I think it's really paying off. The two "professional" companies in town have pretty boring and outdated websites. The other rec studios in our area don't have websites. Yay for us!

SO FRUSTRATING!!!!

we can't afford to pay someone to do our website so a parent does it, which is fine if all the info was correct! but it isnt. the main problem with that is the SO makes decisions about schedule and things and it gets put on the web, then she changes it but doesnt direct any of that info to the web, then when the parents can't find their rehearsal schedules they look on the web, see the old sched and show up at the wrong time. -who gets yelled at? ME! because i'm the one in the classroom when they come, they don't care that i'm not the one who changed the time and not the one who runs the website- i'm just the first punching bag they ran into. URGH!!!