I've just rolled out a new addition to the Sessions and Events pages. The details tab for each session or event now displays a map of the location.
The accuracy of the location will probably vary quite a bit depending on the address information submitted. If you provide a street address then the map will probably be fairly spot on and will be shown zoomed in fairly tight. If, on the other hand, the address information just goes as far as the town level, then the map won't be as useful.
So if you've ever submitted any sessions or events, it might be a good idea to check them over and make sure that the address information is reasonably accurate: remember, if you submitted a session or an event, you can edit the venue details at any time.
Let me know if you find the maps useful or just annoying—if you're on a slow connection, you might find the time spent waiting for the map to be unacceptably long.
A great innovation Jeremy and will make it a whole lot easier finding the session location. As a spin off you can have lots of fun trying to get the pin in the right place - better than any computer game! I've just moved Cois na hAbhna out of the town of Ennis (see http://www.thesession.org/sessions/display/499/details) to as close as I can get it; it's not in the exact position but at a 100 metres or so away, at least it's within sight.
Very neat indeed! However, the mapmaking software is linguistically biased and doesn't appear to recognise place names in Irish. For instance, Húdaí Beag's pub is listed as being in Gaoth Dobhair (Gweedore, though it's actually in Bunbeg) which the software can't handle, so just shows a vague area around Donegal town which is, of course, nowhere near the place.
It would be very helpful if those who've posted sessions using Irish language addresses could amend them, please. Alternatively, Jeremy, please might it be possible for you to amend the system so that other members could do so (especially since some sessions will have been posted by members who've subsequently left The Session)?
Also, apologies for this, but it's a dank and dreary afternoon in Leitrim, I've noticed that the software cannot handle precise addresses in cities.
In particular this seems to apply to addresses which begin with a building's number or include a post code rather than an exact location. Four of the five sessions listed for Paris show maps indicating that Roscoff is a hotbed of musical activity. Plenty of the London listings only feature a map showing a vague central area of the city. However, this appears to be a variable feature - I've just checked San Francisco and the addresses all include numbers and all seem to work (though I can't comment on their accuracy).
The dangers of not including an accurate address (or one that features a building's number) are illustrated by some of the Dublin entries. Gogarty's in Temple Bar (spelt 'Temble Bar' in the listing) is marked as being somewhere near the evocatively titled Tomhaggard in the south Wexford hinterland and very close to the wonderfully-named Bastardstown. Those unfamiliar with the latter should be aware that its name carries no reflection upon its inhabitants but derives from a former landowner.
Kiely's of Donnybrook is, for some unknown reason, indicated as being in or about Bunratty. Culturlánn is located near Clonmel (which is probably where the good Senator Ó Murchú would like it to be) and The Purty Kitchen is apparently next door.
Something else that seems to be important is that one has to second-guess which English language version of a place's name is excepted by the mapping programme. Two sessions are listed under the Sligo village of Gurteen, but the programme prefers the more commonly used alternative name of Gorteen and indicates that the two pubs are somewhere near Moate in Westmeath.
I checked one of the most notable places with a significantly different spelling Cahirciveen (which can also appear as Cahersiveen, Caherciveen or Cahirsiveen) in Kerry. The session listing uses the first of the alternatives and the map directs one to the hamlet of Termon in County Donegal (for reasons completely unknown).
Lastly, the programme seems to be banjaxed by some places in Irish counties where there's a place which shares its name with that of the county (e.g. Antrim - this can only be the reason why the entries for Cushendall reveal a map suggesting that the venue is in Antrim town).
The comments section of the session listings can be used to address mapping issues, but anyone submitting a new session in Ireland needs to ensure that:
a) everything is spelt correctly;
b) only Anglicized place names are used;
c) only the most commonly used version of a place name is included;
d) just the street's name is supplied - no building numbers and no Dublin post codes.
Sorry to go on at length, but I do think this is a wonderful addition to the site and bound to have teething problems at first.
If you'd prefer, I could just show nothing when no accurate address can be pinpointed but I thought it was still useful to show at least a map of the area (though not zoomed in).
As I said, the accuracy is going to vary quite a bit. Personally, I think it's okay to have some innacurate maps as long as the majority are on target. However, if there's general disagreement with that, I can simply pull the maps. What I can't do is change the results being returned: for that I'm relying on a third-party service.
Thanks for this Jeremy. I'm a sucker for maps anyway, so I'm biased. I'm just after amending my entries for The Blythe Hill Tavern, The Temple Bar, and The Eel's Foot Inn, and they changed accordingly as soon as the pages reloaded! Very impressive.
My vote is to show *something*, even if there isn't a postcode or equivalent. Some kind of map is better than none at all. Members might want to be made aware that the map won't be accurate in those cases. Could you stick on some kind of e-widget saying "map not accurate" onto those ones? Just a thought.
Anyway it's easy to get full postcodes for many pubs now. Just highlight the pub's name, right click then press the Google search option and it will come up on a Google search results list on another page, often with at least one entry with the postcode.
Thanks for the "heads up" MacC - at least I've succeeded in getting Kiely's in Donnybrook back from Clare and the Cultúrlann from Tipperary but the flags have disappeared and the system seems to ignore street names and numbers. Anyhow I'm reasonably satisfied to have the sessions in the right town.
I was attempting to highlight problems with the 'third-party service' rather than the principle behind your new addition.
However, perhaps it would be advisable to amend the 'submitting a session' information (as I've suggested above) to reduce the number of misleading map entries.
This is a great feature, and is uncanny timing - I was contemplating experimenting with something similar, but what I was interested in was trying to show ALL the sessions on the google map, so if visiting somewhere I'd immediately see what sessions were in the vicinity. The problem I foresaw was that a lot of the addresses were not all that precise - but the new feature of having the map on the session detail page may well encourage people to clean up their sessions address where that's possible, so the 'all sessions' map could become a possibility - what do you think Jeremy?
I agree with NeilC that this is a great feature and hopefully will encourage all those who have submitted a session to modify the addresses so that the map location is reasonably accurate. I'd also support MacCruiskeen's suggestion that third parties be allowed to make corrections as deemed necessary to correct any anomalies.
I second the suggestion to have a link that calls up a map to the page only if the user requests it. I have a dialup connection.
Now, every time I click on a session, it takes too long for the page to load with the embedded map.
Dialup is primitive but the point is well taken.
This site is pretty big. Sometimes it slows down even with the best connection. Either a map link or a new 'tab' would be useful. Or you could get Google to apply only mustard colors for session maps.
All 3 Stockholm sessions can be located, with Google maps, by cutting & pasting the address given by each poster. I would encourage everyone with a session to double check their address. But apparently, in Stockholm, this is not the reason for the incorrect map being generated.
Jeremy
The map shown for a session I submitted (#1324) shows it being about 15-20 miles SE of where it should be. I actually posted a map in the Comments section when I posted the session itself.
I've just noticed that the map for a Fiddlers Meet event this w/e in Buckburn also has the same map as the Session above, but is fairly accurate for the Event
All the sessions in Melbourne seem to be taking place in the lake in the Botanic Gardens, even if the street address has been provided. Seems like a good feature when you can get it working accurately.
As it is in Stockholm so it is in Melbourne.
At least as far as TheSession GoogleMaps goes.
Where the exact addresses are given a 1st party can google the sessions.
Here are a few comments:
The Corkman is on a short street so that is easy.
(160) Leicester Place, Melbourne
Salty Dog Bar ~ Comments katiebee? It's blank.
300 High St, Northcote, Melbourne
Dan O'Connell ~ Monday or weekends ev?
225 Canning St, Carlton., Melbourne
On the "Session" submittal form Street Address is an 'optional' category. I would encourage everyone with a session listing to include the address as accurately as possible. Hopefully you can edit it if need be.
Jeremy, unlike the "tunes" section, I think it would make sense if it was possible for anyone to "edit details" on the sessions section. Whereas with the tunes section a submission is about someone's personal interpretation of a tune, the sessions section is more about simple, straightforward facts, like addresses. If it was possible for others to chip in and make the street address more accurate, we wouldn't have to wait for the original submitter to edit it, when that submitter might not even have posted here for a number of years. That way, the maps would sort themselves out eventually over time, particularly for those sessions that are active and in "use" by session.org regulars.
This editing facility would also be useful if someone else wanted to submit a different session for the same pub. I stopped running a session where I live, so I deselected the day (Tuesday) and the session was crossed out. When someone else came along to run it, they submitted the session afresh, and it was deleted by you as a duplicated submission. If they'd simply been able to access the "edit details" function like me, they'd have been able to continue where I'd left off, without having to contact me, when I might not even have been at the same e-mail address or something. As it happens I was, but I might not have been.
New feature: maps
New feature: maps
I've just rolled out a new addition to the Sessions and Events pages. The details tab for each session or event now displays a map of the location.
The accuracy of the location will probably vary quite a bit depending on the address information submitted. If you provide a street address then the map will probably be fairly spot on and will be shown zoomed in fairly tight. If, on the other hand, the address information just goes as far as the town level, then the map won't be as useful.
So if you've ever submitted any sessions or events, it might be a good idea to check them over and make sure that the address information is reasonably accurate: remember, if you submitted a session or an event, you can edit the venue details at any time.
Let me know if you find the maps useful or just annoying—if you're on a slow connection, you might find the time spent waiting for the map to be unacceptably long.
Anyway, let me know what you think.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Jeremy
Re: New feature: maps
I think it's a great idea, and will prove really useful when visiting other sessions.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Wurzel
Re: New feature: maps
Another idea, for slow connection users, might be to have a clickable link to the appropriate map, rather than embed it on the page.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Wurzel
Re: New feature: maps
great idea, thanks for adding this feature to the site.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by cathycook
Re: New feature: maps
Aw, gee. Wish I had an event or a session to add, but I won't get lost when I do eventually make the big tour. Thank you Jeremy.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Clear Drops
Re: New feature: maps
Works well for me and a nice feature.
How about one of those store locator things where you type a postcode and it shows you your nearest session?
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Mike Floorstand
Re: New feature: maps
A great innovation Jeremy and will make it a whole lot easier finding the session location. As a spin off you can have lots of fun trying to get the pin in the right place - better than any computer game! I've just moved Cois na hAbhna out of the town of Ennis (see http://www.thesession.org/sessions/display/499/details) to as close as I can get it; it's not in the exact position but at a 100 metres or so away, at least it's within sight.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Bannerman
Re: New feature: maps
Very neat indeed! However, the mapmaking software is linguistically biased and doesn't appear to recognise place names in Irish. For instance, Húdaí Beag's pub is listed as being in Gaoth Dobhair (Gweedore, though it's actually in Bunbeg) which the software can't handle, so just shows a vague area around Donegal town which is, of course, nowhere near the place.
It would be very helpful if those who've posted sessions using Irish language addresses could amend them, please. Alternatively, Jeremy, please might it be possible for you to amend the system so that other members could do so (especially since some sessions will have been posted by members who've subsequently left The Session)?
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by MacCruiskeen
Re: New feature: maps
Jeremy, three sessions I submitted have the wrong map.
House of McDonnell, Ballycastle,
Smugglers Inn, Bushmills
&
Springhill Bar, Portrush.
They all show a map of Antrim Town.
I am unable to change the address to read Co Antrim. Can you do that at your end please.
Cheers
Dick
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Ptarmigan
Re: New feature: maps
Also, apologies for this, but it's a dank and dreary afternoon in Leitrim, I've noticed that the software cannot handle precise addresses in cities.
In particular this seems to apply to addresses which begin with a building's number or include a post code rather than an exact location. Four of the five sessions listed for Paris show maps indicating that Roscoff is a hotbed of musical activity. Plenty of the London listings only feature a map showing a vague central area of the city. However, this appears to be a variable feature - I've just checked San Francisco and the addresses all include numbers and all seem to work (though I can't comment on their accuracy).
The dangers of not including an accurate address (or one that features a building's number) are illustrated by some of the Dublin entries. Gogarty's in Temple Bar (spelt 'Temble Bar' in the listing) is marked as being somewhere near the evocatively titled Tomhaggard in the south Wexford hinterland and very close to the wonderfully-named Bastardstown. Those unfamiliar with the latter should be aware that its name carries no reflection upon its inhabitants but derives from a former landowner.
Kiely's of Donnybrook is, for some unknown reason, indicated as being in or about Bunratty. Culturlánn is located near Clonmel (which is probably where the good Senator Ó Murchú would like it to be) and The Purty Kitchen is apparently next door.
Something else that seems to be important is that one has to second-guess which English language version of a place's name is excepted by the mapping programme. Two sessions are listed under the Sligo village of Gurteen, but the programme prefers the more commonly used alternative name of Gorteen and indicates that the two pubs are somewhere near Moate in Westmeath.
I checked one of the most notable places with a significantly different spelling Cahirciveen (which can also appear as Cahersiveen, Caherciveen or Cahirsiveen) in Kerry. The session listing uses the first of the alternatives and the map directs one to the hamlet of Termon in County Donegal (for reasons completely unknown).
Lastly, the programme seems to be banjaxed by some places in Irish counties where there's a place which shares its name with that of the county (e.g. Antrim - this can only be the reason why the entries for Cushendall reveal a map suggesting that the venue is in Antrim town).
The comments section of the session listings can be used to address mapping issues, but anyone submitting a new session in Ireland needs to ensure that:
a) everything is spelt correctly;
b) only Anglicized place names are used;
c) only the most commonly used version of a place name is included;
d) just the street's name is supplied - no building numbers and no Dublin post codes.
Sorry to go on at length, but I do think this is a wonderful addition to the site and bound to have teething problems at first.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by MacCruiskeen
Re: New feature: maps
Ptarmy, apologies, you got there before me!
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by MacCruiskeen
Re: New feature: maps
Sorry, but all three Stockholm sessions listed here shows the same map leading to a suburb quite far from the actual pubs!
cheers
Lars
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by lars
Re: New feature: maps
If you'd prefer, I could just show nothing when no accurate address can be pinpointed but I thought it was still useful to show at least a map of the area (though not zoomed in).
As I said, the accuracy is going to vary quite a bit. Personally, I think it's okay to have some innacurate maps as long as the majority are on target. However, if there's general disagreement with that, I can simply pull the maps. What I can't do is change the results being returned: for that I'm relying on a third-party service.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Jeremy
Re: New feature: maps
Thanks for this Jeremy. I'm a sucker for maps anyway, so I'm biased. I'm just after amending my entries for The Blythe Hill Tavern, The Temple Bar, and The Eel's Foot Inn, and they changed accordingly as soon as the pages reloaded! Very impressive.
My vote is to show *something*, even if there isn't a postcode or equivalent. Some kind of map is better than none at all. Members might want to be made aware that the map won't be accurate in those cases. Could you stick on some kind of e-widget saying "map not accurate" onto those ones? Just a thought.
Anyway it's easy to get full postcodes for many pubs now. Just highlight the pub's name, right click then press the Google search option and it will come up on a Google search results list on another page, often with at least one entry with the postcode.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Key Maniac Lad
Re: New feature: maps
Thanks for the "heads up" MacC - at least I've succeeded in getting Kiely's in Donnybrook back from Clare and the Cultúrlann from Tipperary but the flags have disappeared and the system seems to ignore street names and numbers. Anyhow I'm reasonably satisfied to have the sessions in the right town.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Bannerman
Re: New feature: maps
Please, Jeremy, do keep the maps!
I was attempting to highlight problems with the 'third-party service' rather than the principle behind your new addition.
However, perhaps it would be advisable to amend the 'submitting a session' information (as I've suggested above) to reduce the number of misleading map entries.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by MacCruiskeen
Re: New feature: maps
This is a great feature, and is uncanny timing - I was contemplating experimenting with something similar, but what I was interested in was trying to show ALL the sessions on the google map, so if visiting somewhere I'd immediately see what sessions were in the vicinity. The problem I foresaw was that a lot of the addresses were not all that precise - but the new feature of having the map on the session detail page may well encourage people to clean up their sessions address where that's possible, so the 'all sessions' map could become a possibility - what do you think Jeremy?
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by NeilC
Re: New feature: maps
I agree with NeilC that this is a great feature and hopefully will encourage all those who have submitted a session to modify the addresses so that the map location is reasonably accurate. I'd also support MacCruiskeen's suggestion that third parties be allowed to make corrections as deemed necessary to correct any anomalies.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Bannerman
Re: New feature: maps
I second the suggestion to have a link that calls up a map to the page only if the user requests it. I have a dialup connection.
Now, every time I click on a session, it takes too long for the page to load with the embedded map.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by halfwaythere
Re: New feature: maps
Dialup is primitive but the point is well taken.
This site is pretty big. Sometimes it slows down even with the best connection. Either a map link or a new 'tab' would be useful. Or you could get Google to apply only mustard colors for session maps.
# Posted on November 3rd 2007 by Tonya
Stockholm maps
All 3 Stockholm sessions can be located, with Google maps, by cutting & pasting the address given by each poster. I would encourage everyone with a session to double check their address. But apparently, in Stockholm, this is not the reason for the incorrect map being generated.
# Posted on November 4th 2007 by Tonya
Re: New feature: maps
The map for my local session is spot on.
# Posted on November 4th 2007 by Dave Weinstein
Re: New feature: maps
Jeremy
The map shown for a session I submitted (#1324) shows it being about 15-20 miles SE of where it should be. I actually posted a map in the Comments section when I posted the session itself.
# Posted on November 5th 2007 by domnull
Re: New feature: maps
I've just noticed that the map for a Fiddlers Meet event this w/e in Buckburn also has the same map as the Session above, but is fairly accurate for the Event
# Posted on November 5th 2007 by domnull
Re: New feature: maps
Aside from the above 'bugs' the feature appears to be working flawlessly for all the local sessions I attend. Great stuff, Jeremy.
# Posted on November 5th 2007 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: New feature: maps
Domnull I was able to Google a map of the Thompson Arms using the following address information;
Rice Ln , Flaxton, York, North Yorkshire YO60 7PZ
# Posted on November 5th 2007 by Tonya
Re: New feature: maps
I do hope this is correct Domnull.
The address I found for the Thursday night concert is;
Church St, Ilkley, LS29 9DS, UK
Just in case it is wrong I will quit while I am ahead. Enjoy the Fiddlers Meet.
I hope this helps.
# Posted on November 5th 2007 by Tonya
Re: New feature: maps
Keep the maps Jeremy, we've all got tongues in our heads for when we're near enough ;) Besides, I can smell the black nectar miles away!!!
# Posted on November 6th 2007 by -=cluiche=-
Re: New feature: maps
All the sessions in Melbourne seem to be taking place in the lake in the Botanic Gardens, even if the street address has been provided. Seems like a good feature when you can get it working accurately.
# Posted on November 7th 2007 by harry
Re: New feature: maps
As it is in Stockholm so it is in Melbourne.
At least as far as TheSession GoogleMaps goes.
Where the exact addresses are given a 1st party can google the sessions.
Here are a few comments:
The Corkman is on a short street so that is easy.
(160) Leicester Place, Melbourne
Salty Dog Bar ~ Comments katiebee? It's blank.
300 High St, Northcote, Melbourne
Dan O'Connell ~ Monday or weekends ev?
225 Canning St, Carlton., Melbourne
# Posted on November 7th 2007 by Tonya
Re: New feature: maps
I had so hoped the "Session" section was receiving some well deserved attention. Thanks for all your efforts Jeremy.
Better luck in the future.
# Posted on November 11th 2007 by Tonya
Session Street address
On the "Session" submittal form Street Address is an 'optional' category. I would encourage everyone with a session listing to include the address as accurately as possible. Hopefully you can edit it if need be.
# Posted on November 11th 2007 by Tonya
Re: New feature: maps
Jeremy, unlike the "tunes" section, I think it would make sense if it was possible for anyone to "edit details" on the sessions section. Whereas with the tunes section a submission is about someone's personal interpretation of a tune, the sessions section is more about simple, straightforward facts, like addresses. If it was possible for others to chip in and make the street address more accurate, we wouldn't have to wait for the original submitter to edit it, when that submitter might not even have posted here for a number of years. That way, the maps would sort themselves out eventually over time, particularly for those sessions that are active and in "use" by session.org regulars.
This editing facility would also be useful if someone else wanted to submit a different session for the same pub. I stopped running a session where I live, so I deselected the day (Tuesday) and the session was crossed out. When someone else came along to run it, they submitted the session afresh, and it was deleted by you as a duplicated submission. If they'd simply been able to access the "edit details" function like me, they'd have been able to continue where I'd left off, without having to contact me, when I might not even have been at the same e-mail address or something. As it happens I was, but I might not have been.
# Posted on November 11th 2007 by Dow
Re: New feature: maps
It would also be useful for a pub like Sandy Bells in Edinburgh, where there are multiple sessions in the week run by different people.
# Posted on November 11th 2007 by Dow