Wouldn’t it be great if a search from a potential new dancer found details about your side on the first page of Google results! Or if an event organiser could easily find a local morris side.
Read on to find out how to do this. Note we encourage you to forward this to other members of your side, especially those responsible for updating your entry on the Morris Federation Teamfinder or those with IT expertise.
In brief:
- The “Updating Your Morris Federation Teamfinder Profile” document describes how to update your Teamfinder profile!
- Only your side’s Morris Federation contact can update your profile – so ensure they read this email.
- If you have any questions or comments feel free to contact Brian Kelly, Comms and IT volunteer: comms-it@morrisfed.org.uk
Morris Federation Team Profiles Are Found at the Top Of Google Results!
The potential new dancer who searches for “Looking for a mixed morris side in Dorset which welcomes new members” will find the Morris Federation Teamfinder profile for Wyld Morris. And the event organiser who uses Google to say they are “looking for an exciting border morris side in Lincolnshire” will find the Morris Federation Teamfinder profile for Poacher Morris. 
Figure 1 The top Google result for a query from a potential new dancer (out of over 2 million pages!)
We have the evidence of the value of having a rich Teamfinder profile. What, you may be asking, should I do to raise the online visibility for my side?
Your Side’s Teamfinder Profile
Two years ago, profiles held on the Morris Federation Teamfinder service contained little more than brief contact details for sides. But now it is possible to add a rich description for your side as well as photographs and videos.
Based on the experiences we have gained from the initial users of the enhanced service we recommend:
Provide a short factual summary in the first paragraph containing your side’s name, location and style of dance – perhaps with encouragement to others join if you are looking for new dancers or musicians. See Figure 1 for how this paragraph displays the important information.
Ensure you include a rich description of your side, which could include history of your side (as illustrated above); details of your dances (which may help those who are new to morris); information on events and festivals attended – and any other information which may encourage people to join your side (e.g. if you practice in a village hall you could provide details on how to get to the venue).
- Include photos and, if possible, links to videos on YouTube showing your side – and also other videos (perhaps of new dancers at a practice or enjoying themselves are their first public performance!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Some questions you may have:
I’d like to see examples of other sides’ profiles. How do I find example?
Some recent examples of rich profiles include Newcastle Kingsmen; Poacher Morris; Whitethorn Morris and Rivington Morris. These are some of the sides with the comprehensive profiles.Can I search for examples for profiles for specific dance style?
If you go to https://bit.ly/mf-teamfinder-2022 you will see profiles which contain ‘morris’. You can change ‘morris’ to other search terms such as dance style (rapper, clog; etc) – or other search terms. For example you could search for your location (we know some profiles of sides in London don’t include London in their profile and so would be missed!)How do I make my profile stand out?
If you go to https://bit.ly/mf-teamfinder-2022 you will notice that some profiles stand out by the photograph of the side, but others just have the Morris federation logo. If you upload photographs to your profile this will be shown in a search.We perform some unusual dances. Should we mention them?
Yes please! People may well search for unusual dances (such as stave dance, Cornish tradition dance, Welsh dances, etc.) but if they aren’t mentioned in your profile they won’t be found!- How are videos being used in profiles?
If you go to https://bit.ly/mf-teamfinder-videos-2022 you can see the videos which have been added to team profiles.
I want to update my side’s profile – but there is only a very small window to add the information!
We know this can cause some confusion! You can increase the size of the data entry box by clicking and dragging on the bottom right hand corner. However this may be difficult on a small mobile device so if you are not able to use a computer you can create your profile in another application (such as a word processor or note pad) and copy and paste the details.
Figure 2: Advice on increasing the size of the ‘About your team’ box
Further Information
The document “Updating Your Morris Federation Teamfinder Profile” provides further information.
