I do see your point however in how it can get a bit overwhelming and time consuming. I agree if the site is not active or easy to operate I tend to stray. For example, I have a personal site with Facebook. I rarely visit unless I get a friend request. I tend to ignore the other requests because they seem silly, and when I get there I usually waste time downloading an app of some sort.

Well you inspired me once again Nichelle. My most recent post is about the Power of the Net. I explain how I enjoy Networking and meeting new Dance Friends =)

By the way, I love being a member of DA Interactive and recommend it as one of the Networks “worth your time.” Oh yes, and Thanks for mentioning NJ Dancers in this post =)

Thanks for checking out DA Interactive! Hope to see you there

Dance.net (aka DDN) is a giantic dance message board system for every type of dance you can imagine. It is primarily frequented by students (teens and collegiate dancers), but it also has forums for dance professionals such as teachers, studio owners, and performers. I encourage teachers and dance professionals to visit this site and share their wisdom and expertise with all the young dancers!
DDN users can also post images (one of the things that initially drew me to site some seven years ago), and there is a -big- section of the site specifically for dance auditions and dance-related jobs. It’s an extremely useful feature – when I moved to Texas I posted on the “Teachers for Hire” board and ended up working at my dream studio!

Another big one is danceart.com, which recently changed ownership and is now owned by Joe Cote (who runs Dancer Universe and Dancer Magazine). It has a bevy of useful articles on the main site (the majority are dated 1997 – 2000), but the most popular function is the ShoutOut! Message Boards. It has seperate boards for various forms of Dance, as well as dane-related issues (Dance Humor, Dance for Men, Body Image, Parents of Dancers, etc), as well as private boards for Teachers, Studio Owners, and arts administrators. Members of private boards must submit an application and be voted in by current members. There is also an off-topic board for political issues called Mind Benders, which was the busiest of the sixty-some boards in the months leading up to the election.

Another favorite of mine, for the hard-core bunheads, is Ballet Talk for Dancers: A message board system centering around classical ballet education and careers. Board topics include (since I happen to have BTfD open in another tab) Younger Dancers (between ages 13 and 22), Teachers, Adult students, Male dancers, Teachers, Professional dancers, Administrators, Ballet parents, Parents of boys, Companies, Trainee/Second Companies, and pre-professional ballet schools/university programs. There is also an EXTENSIVE extensive section for Ballet Summer Intensives that includes possibly every Ballet SI known to man in this universe (There are 277 topics on the SI board, one which is 20 pages long!).

Sorry if this is nowhere near coherent– it’s three-something in the morning. Just wanted to share– and I love DA Interactive! It’s awesome!