Tour map widget: Nov 28, 2007

This page is still being frequently updated to provide early information to our partners and friends. We've gathered info about this release here for your use, but no editing has been done so you dont want to just copy the entire thing verbatim. Ideally you can each pick up on different details.

What we're releasing

Band map widget and upcoming-shows bulletin tool, both integrated with grüvr band-tracker map. The widget combines a tour map with our tracking function and improves on both.

To get one:

Just go here to get a band-map widget and type in your favorite band name (or myspace name if needed ).

Background

We've been testing and evolving releases of the widget with the active input of a handful myspace bands over the past few months. The Flash file has been available on our add-band page, but will be moved to its own page. We finished the integration with gigya wildfire yesterday and we're still adding quantcast stats support.

We will be releasing this news to various blogs over the weekend of Oct 27th.

8 Technical Points:

1. No account needed to make a map widget. Bands need not enter dates twice - grüvr reads existing myspace schedules.
2. New: mobility - grüvr now also 'tracks' users as well as bands!
   If you take your laptop to Rome and visit grüvr.com, it will detect your new location and send you alerts about bands on your radar playing near Rome.
   No need to log in or even know your current postal code or town.
3. Geocoding and tracking work internationally to follow bands - and fans - anywhere. Tracking is based on band schedule, not venue or ticket-seller sites.
4. Bulletin format instantly useful to fans- includes map and date links. The usual "upcoming shows" bulletin from myspace bands is a list of copied text dates that don't even integrate with myspace calendar.
5. The grüvr map widget is a genuine google map, embedded in an advanced Flash component from our friends at afcomponents.com . It conforms to myspace security and can live on myspace profiles. We're hoping this becomes THE supported technology for google map embeds.
6. We're using Wildfire from gigya.com for distribution to other social platforms and to monitor viral transmission.
7. Advantage to bands that display the widget: grüvr records query statistics for use in analytics tools.
8. Designed for ease of use: eliminate "friction" by minimizing clicks per function.
   -one click from widget to band tracker map;
   -one click sets an email for radar alerts.
   -one click from bulletin to bookmark a show and set email reminder.

Comparisions:

One or two companies are offering band-map widgets, while a band-tracking function is offered by several other companies. We haven't done detailed analysis of these other services so please take these as helpful pointers for your own research.

Tracking function

Advantages over other services:
- No account or login needed
- grüvr offers a map-based GUI vs. text links or form input
- global geocoding: by latitude/longitude instead of US city name or zipcode
- tracks user as well as band locations

Band map widget

Advantages:
- grüvr map is simpler - users can interact with it - other embedded maps seem to offer high-functionality applications pushed into the widget.
- We're a true mashup! Others may require account creation and repeat data entry for shows
- we think our map is a beautiful way to convey key information at a glance!

Some examples and screen shots

Neursonic myspace - advanced use of widgets on band pages

Bucky Covington - from American Idol

Flowmotion - widget used on myspace and band website

The New Pornographers - example of standard myspace schedule vs. map

Dubioza Kolektiv - example of European tour map

Devon Allman's Honeytribe - example of awesome layout art -- but how easy is it to read the schedule?

compare to the map: much easier to tell at a glance if they are playing near you...

Example of how upcoming-shows announcment looks as bulletin in myspace, used by Indorphine . Each date is clickable to bring up an individual concert map.

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