Frequently Asked Questions
What is BoxcarData.com?
Why would I want a BoxcarData.com account for my theater organization?
How does it work?
How does the information get into my account?
Do I have to enter every cast and crew credit twice? Once for the show profile and once for the person profile?
How does the integration into my existing web site work?
What if my organization doesn't have a web site?
How do I get a BoxcarData.com account for my theater organization?
How much does an account cost?
What if I have more questions?
BoxcarData.com is an online database service created for live theater organizations.
We make it possible for all theater organizations, regardless of size, budget or for-profit status to
post profiles of their plays and people on the web affordably. For most theater companies
(especially non-profits), if they want to adequately display their productions on-line they need
to be either lucky enough to have a talented volunteer webmaster or wealthy enough to hire an IT
expert to do it. With BoxcarData.com, any theater organization can display their plays and people on
the web without the need for a lot of money or technical expertise.
With a BoxcarData.com account, your theater organization can...
- make your entire production history available online
- list cast and crew and post photos for every show on its own web page
- list the credits and post photos for every performer and crew member on their own web page
- search shows, performers and crew members
- securely store and retrieve staff and volunteer contact information
- create and assign users to assist with data entry
- integrate all this seamlessly into your existing website
Some of the benefits you will receive with a BoxcarData.com account include:
- A permanent, publicly-accessible archive of your production history
- A professional addition to your website (or, if you don't have a web site, we can provide you with a professional web presence)
- Promotion of your organization's accomplishments and upcoming productions
- Show appreciation to your volunteers and staff with a public display of
their contributions
- Store and retrieve contact information for volunteers and staff
BoxcarData.com is an online, cross-referenced database accessible from any web browser. Any
theater organization can sign up for its own account which can be easily
integrated into your existing web site. (If your organization doesn't have its own web site, the
BoxcarData.com account can serve as your web site. Please
contact
us for more information.)
Cast and crew information and photos for each show are entered and uploaded through an ordinary
web browser. Data entry can be done by volunteers assigned by you or by BoxcarData.com data entry experts for a fee. The show data is cross-referenced to link people
to shows and shows to people. This allows the BoxcarData.com engine to compile credit lists
for each show when show profiles are accessed and credit lists for each person when person
profiles are accessed. Each organization has its own 'home page' where all show and people
profiles can be accessed. Links to individual show and person profiles can be added easily to
any web page.
Hopefully your organization has been saving its production history in the form of show programs or playbills or some digital form. Once it is collected, there are two ways it can get into your online account:
- You do it - Our developers have gone to extra lengths to create a web interface that is easy for anyone to use and allows for fast and easy data entry. You can also create additional user accounts so several people can help with data entry.
- We do it - Scan or photocopy the contents of those playbills and mail, fax or e-mail them to us (or send the playbills themselves. We'll send them back.).
Our data entry experts will load them into your account for you. (An additional fee applies. Please see our
pricing page for more information).
No. All credits for cast and crew are entered through the show's profile. When a credit is
entered for a show, it will appear on both the show profile and person profile. Any change
to a show credit or a person's name will appear throughout the account. No double entries!
Once you have your account filled with your production history, you'll want to show it off. The best way to do that is to integrate your account into your existing web site. We will provide your webmaster with a simple line of HTML code that will allow your BoxcarData.com index page to appear in your web site! We will style the page to look exactly like the rest of your web site. Visitors will be able to view your data without ever leaving your site!
Or, your webmaster can simply add a HTML hyperlink to your web site pointing to your index page at BoxcarData.com. It's your choice.
No problem. Your BoxcarData.com account can serve as your organization's web site. Get a professional web presence for your organization PLUS all the benefits of a BoxcarData.com account for less than what you would pay for a regular web site.
Contact us for more information.
Go to the
sign up page
to fill out an application for an account. After the application is processed and the account is opened, you will be sent
an e-mail with login information that will allow you to get started right away with data entry.
BoxcarData.com operates as an annual subscription service. All theater organizations
are invited to try out BoxcarData.com for FREE for three months.
After the first three months, maintaining the account costs between $60 and $99 per year depending
on how many years you purchase in advance. If after the trial period you decide you do not want to maintain the account, pay nothing. If you pay for us to do your
data entry for you, you could receive FREE SUBSCRIPTION YEARS! See our
pricing page for more details.
Price Guarantee: We understand that having a BoxcarData.com account involves a certain
amount of commitment on the part of your organization, considering the
investment of time and/or
money necessary for data entry. We feel it would be unfair to raise our rates after making that
investment. Therefore, we guarantee that we will not raise our rates for any theater for
at least 15 years from start of service.
Feel free to
contact
us. We’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
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