Search
Close this search box.

Writing Your Teamfinder Profile (and other Web Content)

About This Document

This document explains how you can write information about your morris side in a form which is helpful for people reading the profile and helps people to find your side using search engines through (a) information targetted at potential recruits and (b) use of appropriate hashtags. 

Figure 1: Example of a Teamfinder profile

Figure 1 illustrates the structure for a (fictitious) Teamfinder profile:

  • Short opening paragraph with key information
  • Details description of, say history, about the dance, etc. (omitted)
  • Concluding paragraph with important information (in this case, recruiting new members)
  • Key hashtags

The document outlines the recommended structure for Morris Federation Teamfinder profile and suggests use of a well-established methodology called “user personas” to help you identify key audiences for your content and how you can write for such audiences.

Examples of Teamfinder Profiles

The following examples illustrate the approaches being taken by sides in their Teamfinder profiles:

  • Pump House Clog Morris:  Short opening paragraph followed by details of the history of the side, the origin of the side’s name, the dances performed and where the side has danced. For potential recruits information is provided on the practice venue and how to get to the venue. Information is provided on the kit, foe men, women and musicians. The profile also contains recent videos (recent) and photographs.
  • Mr Wilkins’ Shilling: Short opening paragraph followed by good use of headings on the history of the side and the side’s name, the dances performed and details of the practice venue.
  • Whitethorn Morris:  Similar structure to above together with strong encouragement to new recruits: “We welcome anyone who is interested in dancing (no experience necessary) as well as musicians, of course. We do hold taster evenings from time to time but please feel free to contact us at any time to find out about popping along to meet us and have a go.” 
  • Grimspound Border: A good example of a profile which tells a story, and which provides a nice contrast with profiles which focus on descriptions of a side’s dances and current activities. 

You can also look at the profiles for Poacher Morris, Newcastle Kingsmen and Garston Gallopers to see some further examples. 

Your Teamfinder Profile

The opening paragraph

You profile should start with a brief paragraph giving your side’s name, where you’re based and what you dance, possibly followed by a very short statement such as “We welcome new members“.

The reason for this approach is to ensure that the key information is shown in a search engine snippet as illustrated below.


Figure 2: Google search for “looking for a morris side in Dorset”

The key information towards the end

Your Morris Federation Teamfinder profile should provide a short summary at the end of the profile, followed by relevant hashtags, such as a hashtag for your side.  Again try to ensure that your side’s name is included in such a summary.  


Figure 3: Final paragraph for the Wyld Morris profile

Besides your side’s hashtag a number of other hashtags can be added, which can help people find your profile. 


Figure 4: Hashtags used in Ebor Morris’s profile

Figure 4 illustrates use of some of the recommended hashtags:

  • Your side’s hashtag – in this case #ebormorris
  • A catchphrase which may be associated with your side – in this case  #theslightlynotoriousebormorris
  • The #kit: hashtag followed by a short description of your side’s kit
  • The #location: hashtag followed by your side’s location, typically town or city followed by the county
  • The #founded: hashtag followed by the year you side was founded.
  • #newmemberswelcome: if your side welcomes new members. This can be followed by additional relevant information such as “we welcome new dancers in the autumn season when we will teach newcomers our dances

The main content

When the option for sides to provide descriptions first became available we recommended short descriptions. However over a year later we have noticed that many Google queries provide traffic to side profiles (from 1 January to 1 June 2023 almost 50% of the top 100 pages visited via a Google query were to side profiles!). Examples of the most visited profiles for this period include Amounderness Ladies Morris and the Newcastle Kingsmen Sword Dancers – both of which provide rich descriptions.  

Deciding what to include in your side’s description

You can use the description to provide a summary of the dancer you perform or the history of your side and other areas which you feel may be of interest.

But rather than simply focussing on areas your side knows about an approach used by experienced providers of online content is to make use of “user personas”.

User personas

Rather than writing for everybody, user personas can help you to focus on writing for specific groups, with specific areas of interest – and concerns or barriers which may need to be addressed before they make the decision to join your side.

User Persona Addressing this Persona
Jane, newly retired and moved to a small rural town. Wants to engage in local activities and get to know people The Wyld Morris profile illustrates a way of encouraging Jane to join the side:
If you’re looking for a morris side in Dorset do get in touch – perhaps you’ve moved to West Dorset recently and are looking for a fun and stimulating form of exercise. Or perhaps you’ve retired recently and would like to take up a new pastime.
Hilary has an interest in local history. She knows of the local side, with the fascinating name and, although she’d never danced, maybe she’d be willing to give it a chance (although she doesn’t want to make a commitment) Mr Wilkins’ Shilling profile provides a good example of explaining the origins of an unusual name:
Mr Wilkins Shilling takes its name from Mr Charles Wilkins, a 19th Century wollen cloth mill owner in Twerton, Bath
John, an 18 year old who enjoyed going to folk festivals. Has just passed his driving test but is not a confident driver (but won’t admit it!) The Pump House Clog Morris profile provides information on how to get to practices:
Pump House Clog Morris rehearse on Monday evenings … Located just a short walk from Watford town centre, there is free car parking at the venue and bus numbers 142 and 258 stop close by. Watford High Street and Bushey stations are both within walking distance
Alice is an assertive young student. There are a number of morris sides in and around the city her university is based in. But how does she decide who to join (or perhaps simply find out a bit more about) Rivington Morris’s profile may appeal to Alice:
Do not refer to these women as ‘ladies’, or you may encounter one of their infamous ‘Clog Butties’.
Twee they are not … see for yourself!
Henry has moved to Ambridge and is working as a farm hand. He’d love to join Ambridge Morris (he’s heard them on the radio) – but as a lowly paid labourer he’s worried about the costs. The (fictitious) Ambridge Morris profile shown in Figure 1 addresses such concerns:
“No subs to be paid during the first year!”
Nicki is a single mum, with a 12 year old daughter. They both enjoy ceilidhs and Hilary wants to revive her interests in morris dance. But finding a childminder is difficult.

The Southern Star Longsword profile describes how:
We love doing workshops for any age group from 7-70+ Just ask!
and the Teamvideos page includes a video of
our newest (8 year old) dancer was enjoying her first folk festival as a performer!

Sam‘s parent’s took Sam to festivals from a very young age. They have just moved to Glastonbury and Sam is thinking of joining a social group. Sam is also unsure of their sexuality and wants to join an inclusive group. The Glastonbury Border Morris Dancers profile describes how:
Glastonbury has always been a hub for the unusual, the diverse and the different, and our Morris side is just as welcoming and embracing of folk across all spectrums of race, colour, ethnic and national origins, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, age, ability or disability, political and religious beliefs. We are definitely a mixed bunch!

Beyond the Words

Ideally your words will be complemented by photographs and videos on your profile which reinforce the key points you’ve made. 

If you’ve said that you’re a “friendly and welcoming side” it would be appropriate to include media which illustrates this. And you may chose media which depicts what friendliness means for your side: singing songs while drinking real ale in a pub; enjoying G&T in a gin bar after a rapper crawl or enjoying cake after a day’s dancing.

The video on Rivington Morris’s Team videos page provides an example of how a video can illustrate a team’s culture.  The cry from the caller at 10 seconds in the video reflects the words in the profile:

Do not refer to these women as ‘ladies’, or you may encounter one of their infamous ‘Clog Butties’. 
Twee they are not … see for yourself!

What to do Next

You may decide to have a meeting to discuss what you want to say in your profile and what your key audiences and messages for such audiences are.  Or you may simply decide to update your profile!

A member of your side should have the account details to update your profile.  However if you have any problems feel free to contact Brian Kelly, IT and Comms volunteers for the Morris Federation – email  comms-it@morrisfed.org.uk 

Status of this Document

Document: 23 Jun 2023

We welcome feedback on this document. In addition we would like to hear from morris, sword and other traditional dance sides who use IT and would be willing to share their experiences. Would you like to contribute a case study?

Licence for this Document

This document is available with a Creative Commons Sharealike (CC-BY) licence. In brief, this means you can copy and make changes to this document provided you give acknowledgements to the author/publisher. A suggested wording for acknowledgements is:

This document is based on the "Writing Your Teamfinder Profile (and other Web Content)" document by Brian Kelly, Comms and IT volunteer with the Morris Federation.

#MFITResources  #MorrisFedITResources    #MFDDT

Don't miss out

Get The Morris Federation's News

Subscribe for news about The Morris Federation and morris related activities. Available for all.