How-to: Add a New Location to DóndeEs.com

With all of the changes in the new web design, we thought it would be a good idea to revisit some of the key functionality in the web site and share some quick "how-to" guides. This will be a series of four posts that will show how-to add a new business to the DóndeEs.com Visual Directory, how-to rate a location, how-to add an event for a location, and how-to search effectively.

How-to Add a Business

So we'll start with how-to add a new business; which, right from the start, doesn't even really have to be a business. It can be any kind of location and belong to any of the many categories we already have pre-defined in the database.

1. The first step is that you have to know where the business is located, that you want to add on the map. Simple right? Just remember that when you go to add it, you'll be looking at the map (or satellite image) from a perspective your'e probably not too familiar with, the sky. If you're not absolutely certain you can find it, then make sure you can find some guides that can help you. For instance, primary roads, large structures or landmarks that you can easily identify in satellite mode. Ready? then let's begin.
   
   
2. Click on the "AÑADA SU NEGOCIO GRATIS" link that is at the top of the browser window. You should get a new web page with "PASO 1" on it (Image 1).
   
   
3. Click on the pull-down menu "Escoge ciudad de negocio:" and select the city, or area, where the location is closest (Image 2). The web page will pull up the satellite map for that city and center it over the area.
   
   
4. Before you can start using the controls to move the map, you need to close the highlighted orange window (see Image 2) that is used to direct your attention to the controls you'll need to use to change the map.
   
   
5. You'll now need to find the general area on the map where the business is, and then zoom in to locate the exact building you are looking for. But let's review how to do that:
   
   
1. Moving the map: Click on any of the any of the arrows at the top left corner of the map (Image 3). These arrows will pan the map up, right, down, and left. The square in the center of the arrows will return the map to the last position before panning.
   
2. Dragging the map: To move around on the map, you click on the map and hold down the left mouse button. As soon as you click and hold the mouse button, the cursor will change into a four arrowed cross. As long as you can see the four arrowed cursor, you're in drag mode. If you let go of the mouse button, the cursor will change back into your standard cursor. Repeat the process to continue dragging the map.
3. Placing a marker: Click on the map and immediately release the button. This will place the marker on the map, where the tip of your cursor was pointing. If you are trying to drag the map, and you keep placing markers, you are not holding the mouse button down while you move the cursor.
4. Remove a marker: Click on the "Borrar Marcador" button on the top of the map.
5. Zooming in and out: To get more details on the map, zoom in by by clicking on the arrow at the top of slider bar (Image 4) on the left hand side of the map. To get less detail on the map, zoom out by clicking on the arrow at the bottom of the slider bar. Tip: When you zoom in, the map (the center) tends to move down and to the right, so while zooming in, adjust the center to keep it focused on your business.
   
   
6. Once you have located your business, place the marker (Image 5) by clicking on the map. A marker should appear over your business.
   
   
7. Click on the marker and a web form will appear inside the bubble (Image 5) for that business. Within the web form, you will need to complete the following fields:
   
   
1. Nombre de negocio: Add the name of the business. If the business is part of a chain with different locations, then put a "- street, location, or city" after the name. For example, Starbucks - Plaza Caparra. Do NOT use the apostrophe character in the name.
   
2. Categoria: Chose a main category from the pull down list. After selecting a main category, a pull-down list for a sub-category will appear. Select a sub-category from the list. If you do not find a sub-category that you feel best describes this business, then select "Sugerir". Then a text box will appear where you can suggest a new sub-category.
   
3. Descripción de negocio: Enter a description of the business. Remember that this description will be used within the search feature on DóndeEs.com, so be sure to include the most important keywords that you think people will use to search for the business. You have up to 200 characters for the description. A counter is provided to keep track of the length of your description.
   
4. Dirección: Enter the physical address for the business. You have up to three lines for the address,
   
5. Ciudad: The city will already be filled in by the selection you made for "Escoge ciudad de negocio:". If you think this is incorrect for your business, select another city from the web form pull-down list.
   
6. Código Postal: If known, enter the 5 digit zip code.
   
7. Número de teléfono: Enter the phone number without any formatting. For example, 7871234567.
   
8. Su nombre: Enter a name, this will only be used to address the confirmation email.
   
9. Su email: Enter your email address. This address will receive a confirmation message upon completion of the web form. It is critical that the address is for an account that you have access. This is NOT the email address for the business.
   
   
8. If you are satisfied with your entries, then click on the "Someter" button. Please remember to proof read the entry form before clicking on "Someter." You should receive the following message:
   

   Gracias por la información del negocio.
   Un email se le envio para cotejar la validez de la información. Luego de usted validar el email un representante verificará la información.
   
   Gracias de nuevo.
   Equipo de DondeEs.com

9. Check the email account you entered on the web form. You should have a message from "DondeEs.com ", with the title "Activación de negocio." If you don't see the message, be sure to check your spam folder. Open the message.
10. Within the message, look for the link provided, click on the link and a new window or tab should open. As an example of the link (the ##### will contain the reference number for the location):
    

    Para concluir con el proceso de añadir su negocio a nuestra página
    favor de hacer clic en el enlace:
    http://www.dondees.com/activate/biz.asp?cid=#####

11. The new window will display the following message very briefly, and then go to the DóndeEs.com home page.
    

    Gracias por confirmar su email. Un representante de DondeEs.com estará verificando la información. En unos segundos esta página cambiara automaticamente a la página inicial. De no suceder favor de hacer clic aqui.

12. That completes the process. However, the location will not yet appear within DóndeEs.com. At this point the DóndeEs.com team will jump into action and validate the information provided. Once confirmed, they will activate the location and it will then be visible and searchable within DóndeEs.com.
    

Tips and Pointers

In this section I'll provide a few tips and pointers that will simplify or reduce the time or errors to enter a location. Be sure to check these out before trying to add your first location.

• Depending on how quickly you find and mark your business, once you start entering the form, the entire process should only take about between 30 seconds to a minute. Depending on how quickly you type.
• When trying to find your business, don't zoom in immediately. Attempt to find a major road that you can use to navigate to your location. If it's a road you know well you should be able to follow along fairly well. Think of it like you were driving to the location and recall the roads you would use to drive there, then follow that same route on the map until you arrive.
• Remember that you'll be looking at the location from a bird's eye view. Just imagine looking down on the top of the building or location. Things sometimes look really different from this perspective. Try to find clues to which building is the one you're looking for. For example, parking lots, or street corners, or large buildings that you can use as a base and then figure out the relationship of your business to that base. For example, The fourth building from the corner. It can get real tricky when the roofs of the buildings are all attached and the building holds multiple businesses. Just remember that the map location is an approximation, it should be close, but doesn't have to be exact.
• If the location is just one building place the marker in the middle of the building.
  
• If the building contains multiple businesses, place the marker near the entrance of the business, but still on top of the building.
• The web form fields that I indicated in red are special. Each of these fields is searched when a user conducts a search on DóndeEs.com. While you select the city and categories from a list, the name and description should be as accurate as possible. Please proof read your entry prior to clicking the "Someter" button. Remember this is how searchers will find the business so think of which keywords people will use to search for the business.
• At this time a maintenance form is not available, but one is coming soon. So if there are corrections necessary for the business, please email us at info at dondees dot com.
• Have fun, I've added thousands of locations to the database and I always get a sense of satisfaction when I find a location. I think of it like a game. It's like looking for a hidden prize, so when I find the location I'm looking for, for me, it's like solving a puzzle.
  

Doughnuts: Where and When

Well after much soul searching and a few emails, I've decided to share the secret opening time. Promise me though, if you happen to be one of the lucky first 50 customers, be sure to share a few free donuts with your old pal Don Dees.

So I've been able to confirm that the Krispy Kreme Donut-fest will begin at 6:00 a.m. on May 6th. According to a recent news article the hours of operation for the new store will be from 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. However, management of the new donut-rama has said that they will consider changing the hours of operation to be open 24 hours a day, if the market requires it.

As far as where the new store is located. I've added them to our Visual Directory, so follow this link to see where the new store is located. They are located right next to the WalMart in Caguas, which is across the street from Plaza Centro Shopping Center.

A quick note about the locations I just shared. The maps that we use are provided by Google and TeleAtlas. While they are excellent for Puerto Rico, they are a little out of date. Some more than others. But for instance, in this case the new WalMart in Caguas, which isn't that new, is not in the satellite images and the access roads that lead to the WalMart, which you'll need to access to get to Krispy Kreme, are not in the maps. So while our maps are excellent, you might need to improvise once you get close. Bottom line, if you know how to get to Plaza Centro, you should be fine.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: pochacco20

DóndeEs.com Events - Part 1

Has this ever happened to you? You hear about a cool activity that you would like to attend, but you're not sure where it is located. You find a phone number to call for more information, but you don't want to feel like a dork asking for directions. You find a map to the location but it's really tiny and you can't make it bigger, and you can't get your bearing to figure out what is around the place, and they don't include a picture of what the place looks like. So in the end, you never figure out where the place is at, so you just end up staying home.

When talking with promoters of events, they almost all agree that this is a common scenario and one they wish they could solve. Well we say, hey we have a map, let's put events on it so people know how to find them! Yes, I know, how ingenious, but you can't imagine how long it took for us to come up with idea. Ok, it wasn't that long. In fact, it was almost the first thing we realized we could do with DóndeEs.com.

In December of 2006, DóndeEs.com became the first site in Puerto Rico to merge events with an interactive map. This merging of event data with a map, or a mash-up like many are calling it, provides new flexibility to discover events and get directions at the same time. With an interactive map like DóndeEs.com you can see the street names, enlarge the map, reduce the map, and even see a satellite image of the location of the event. Now the only excuse you have for not going is if you are pelao. So far, in just over a month, we've entered over 100 events ranging from last weekend's record breaking string of Ricky Martin concerts to this weekend's Expo Calidad de Vida.

To access the current calendar of events, from the home page click on the "Eventos" menu option, as highlighted by the star burst. Now stay with me, no I don't mean the candy. In the events section you will see two new pull down lists. To browse the list of events by type of event click on the arrow of list number 1. The type of event will be one of the following: Actividades. Comedia, Conciertos, Convenciones, Deportes, Expo, Ferias, Negocios, Seminarios, Show, or Vida Nocturna. You can also filter the list of events by the city where it is located. To browse by city, click on the arrow of list number 2. The list will show only cities that have active events. You can also combine the two filters to browse the list of events with more precision.

Once you select a filter, then the list of events displayed beside the number 3 will change to match your selection. Oh yeah, just in case you were following along at home, the numbers aren't actually on the web page, I just added them to the graphic to help explain the feature. You should also understand that the events are listed in chronological order with the nearest events listed first. If you're looking to see what events are happening soonest, when you first go to the events section, just check out the list without touching the filters. The default list is always the next four or five events in the system.

There's a couple of other cool things you can do with events in DóndeEs.com. First, while searching for a location, when the web site displays a list of locations below the "Lista de locales/negocios" heading, if a location has events defined, it will automatically include an "Eventos" link within the links for the location. You can see an example of this in the figure with the Centro de Bellas Artes listing.

In addition, if you have already selected a location by clicking on the location from the list, then if the location has events, the bubble will automatically add a new tab for Eventos. If you click on that link it will switch to the event tab for that location and list the events in chronological order. This is also illustrated with the figure displaying the bubble for the Centro de Bellas Artes.

In part 2 of my discussion of the events section of DóndeEs.com, I'll show how you can add events to the calendar and give you a preview of some event technology we will launch soon.

Whoa, what was that?

Yes, yes, yes, I know we're awesome. What can we say? We just can't stop ourselves. In the past few days we've added a slick as snot new feature to the blog. It's called the Snap Preview Anywhere. The new feature is made available by the folks over at Snap.com.

How it works!

It's really simple. While reading the blog at either http://dondeesnoticias.blogspot.com/ or over at http://www.dondees.com/dsprss.asp, all you have to do is hover your mouse over a link in the blog. Once it hovers there for a second, it then rushes over to the Snap.com servers and brings back a preview (a little image) of the web page. As some of the other features we use, it will probably work better if you are using a high speed Internet connection. If you're still using dial-up, get with the program Mister (or Missus, whichever the case may be). It's really worth the few extra dollars every month. Even if you upgrade just to access DondeEs.com, you'll be making the right move. ;)

Sometimes you might come accross a link with a preview, but so far I've found Snap.com to be very prompt in scanning the linked page and adding a preview. Some links will never have previews, but I think they are the minority. The sample included with this entry is from a previous day's post about the SexoExpo. The little window illustrated what a link to their web page at MySpace looks like. Pretty cool, huh!

Interactive map of the Tren Urbano

Hey, ho! Hey, ho! Hey, ho! Hey, ho, what do you know. It looks like we've launched another feature set of locations. As we have seen in many other sites, we wanted our urban train to be more accessible and understandable, so we mapped that sucker. We've mapped out all of the train stations as well as the route of the train.

DóndeEs.com is proud to be the first to offer an interactive map of the Tren Urbano of the Alternative de Transporte Integrado (ATI). The project to bring an urban train (Metro) to Puerto Rico has been estimated to have cost around USD $2.25 billion. At present the Tren Urbano is composed of 16 stations, ten of which are elevated, four at grade or in open cuttings, and two underground. The train is a 10.7 mile (17.2 km) metro system in Puerto Rico which links the municipalities of San Juan, Bayamón, and Guaynabo. It is electrified at 750v DC. It is the only Metro in the Caribbean and the most expensive Metro in Latin America.

How do you access this interactive map. Well if you're at the http://www.DondeEs.com home page, you are only a click away from the map. Remember the "menu bar" I talked about before? Well underneath the map of Puerto Rico, you can see a row of buttons. The newest button is shown on the left. If you click on the button with the ATI logo, we'll display the train map.

One difference you'll notice is that while we usually limit the number of locations per page to ten, we've made an exception for this map so that we can plot all 16 of the train stations. We also enhanced our system so that we could list the train stations in order from Bayamón to Hato Rey.

Sending a DóndeEs.com location via e-mail

Ever need to choose a place to meet some one, and then wonder if they know how to get there? Like for instance, even though I've been looking around I haven't really heard of any cooler place to watch Superbowl XLI next Sunday, so it looks like Shannon's Pub it will be.

Since I don't get out much to party, I'm thinking of inviting some old friends to watch the game with me. You know, it's always a better party when there are friends drinking with you. ;-) So to make sure everyone knows how to get there, I'm going to take advantage of one of the many DóndeEs.com features. This feature allows you to send, via e-mail, the exact pushpin of the location you want to share.

So to send out my invitation to Shannons for this Sunday I did the following:

• From the home page I selected "Guaynabo" from the "Ciudad:" pull down list
• The system will respond by adding the "Comunidad/Urb.:" and the "Filtre por:" pull down lists. All I need to display Shannon's Pub is select the "Vida Nocturna" option.
• The system will display all of the locations matching that category. (Of course, the location you want to share may require more options, and will change as we continue to add more data to the system). Now we get to the cool part. There are now a list of the three locations currently in the system for "Guaynabo" and "Vida Nocturna". Shannons is the last in the list. In the graphic with this post, you should see an arrow pointing to a link below Shannons titled "Email".
• Now if you want to use your default email application, then simply click on the "Email" link. The URL will open your email application at the compose message screen. The subject should already be filled in with "DondeEs.com, Shannans Pub" or generally "DondeEs.com, {name of location}". The body of the message will already include the URL to your location. Simply finish your invitation and send the message. Now when your panas receive the message it will include a link to click on to show the location you have shared.
• You can also simply right click on the "Email" link and then select "Copy link location".
• Then with the email application of your choice, cut and paste the link into the subject, the link into the body of the message, and then write the rest of your invitation. Send as usual.
  

Dondequiera feeds now available....Part 2

So you're saying to yourself, man what was all of that RSS and reader nonsense. I feel ya. Well we anticipated that some of our users might not be familiar or experienced with RSS and all its chewy goodness, so we've also implemented a FeedBlitz feed service. With this service you can receive updates from our blog through the convenience of e-mail. If you subscribe using FeedBlitz, as we post each new update to the blog you will receive an e-mail message. That message will contain the full text of the entry and any photographs included in the original post.

To subscribe to Dondequiera using Feedblitz:

1. Type your e-mail address into the text box highlighted (circled) in the attached graphic.
2. Click on the "Subscribe Me!" button.
3. You should be taken to the FeedBlitz subscribe page. The page should indicate that you are subscribing to the Dondequiera feed. Verify that your e-mail address is correct in step one of the page.
4. Copy the eight character string into the text box in step two. The string should be a mixture of letters and numbers. All of the letters should be in UPPERCASE.
5. After typing in the anti-spam protection text string, click on "Subscribe me!" button.

Dondequiera feeds now available....Part 1

We've implemented a RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed for our blog. This new feature will allow you to receive new blog entries as they become available. This is a convenient way to stay up to date on all things Puerto Rico. How do you use these new feeds? First you need to navigate to our own syndication of our blog, if you're not already reading it there.

In this first of two posts, I'll explain how to use FeedBurner to receive our feed. In the picture included with this post I've highlighted (circled) the links that will automate the capture of our feed. We currently provide three options: Adding the feed to Google, adding it to Yahoo, and adding it to any feed reader.

To add to Google:

1. Click on the "Add to Google" button.
2. The link will take you to a page where you can select whether to send the feed to the Google homepage or to the Google Reader. Click on the button matching your choice.
3. I chose the "Add to Google hompage" button and the site feed was added to my Google homepage account. Note: You might have to logon to Google in order to complete the process.

To add to Yahoo:

1. Click on the "Add to Yahoo" button.
2. The link will take you to a Yahoo page that explains what adding the feed does, and has a button to add the link to your My Yahoo page.
3. Clicking on the "Add to My Yahoo!" will update the page. You should receive a message that the source has been added to My Yahoo! If you'd like to verify the feed there is a link to "Go to My Yahoo!" Note: You might have to logon to Yahoo in order to complete the process.

To add the feed to any reader:

1. Click on the "Subscribe in a reader" link.
2. The link will take you to a Feedburner page with many options available. There are options to add to the most popular web-based readers as well as an option to add the feed to a reader application. Popular reader applications supported include: FeedDemon, RSSOwl, and News Gator.
3. Follow the instructions to add to the reader of your choice.

Now, go out and setup your site feed to Dondequiera , and make sure you help setup a friend or two as well.

Hey what's that new row of buttons for?

Today, DóndeEs.com launched our newest feature, visual directory groupings! VizDirGros? VizGroups? Yeah that sounds better. What are VizGroups you ask? VizGroups give us the opportunity to group together a selection of locations. Obviously, these locations will have some relationship with each other. In addition, the VizGroups are available through our new menu bar. This menu bar will give users quick access to VizGroups. In a way, these groups are DóndeEs's featured content, available all in one place.

Our first VizGroup is the collection of restaurants selected in the El Nuevo Dia 25th Certamen de Comer (login required). The winners were announced on December 10th, 2006 in the Sunday La Revista. Why did we do this? Well speaking for myself, one of the few extravagances I enjoy is dining out. Every year I saw the list of winning restaurants in El Nuevo Dia and wanted to visit some of the winners. But, I always got blocked because I didn't know were they were located. Well never again! Now in one convenient interface, we have mapped out exactly were the winners are and you can even see the satellite photos of the restaurant to orient yourself to the area surrounding the restaurant.

Thanks to the judges at El Nuevo Dia for their hard work and sacrifice. I'm sure it's a real drag to eat in all of the best restaurants for a living. Seriously though, I'm really excited about finally knowing where some of these suckers are. I've been to Pikayo (at both locations) LOVED IT! I've also been to Compostela and Ramiro's, but they really weren't my style or to my liking. But with so many to choose from, I'm bound to try some others and find some new favorites. I'm sure you will too! And by all means, if you think our mapping of the Certamen del Buen Comer is cool, tell one, tell all your friends.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: gailf548

Why you should use our Puerto Rico local search engine

Have you ever tried searching Google for web sites in Puerto Rico? (Or any other major search engine for that matter!) It can be a real pain. You almost always have to include Puerto Rico beside whatever you are searching for. Sometimes, that isn't even enough and you have to try many different keyword combinations, or keep adding keywords until you've almost typed a complete sentence.

Let's try an example. It's the first one that came to mind because I just happened to be searching for some more events to add to our site. I wanted to see what events were scheduled at "El Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré" (CBA). I don't know if you're like me, but I'm not a big fan of typing, so after firing up Google, I used "bellas arte" as my keywords. As you can see in the screen shot, I wasn't very lucky. In fact, I had to go to the tenth page to find the result (the CBA link) I was looking for.

Hoping to improve my luck, I added "Puerto Rico" to the end, but still no luck. Actually it made it worse. After reviewing the first 14 or so pages, I couldn't find the CBA link. I added "Puerto Rico" before "bellas arte", and I got the same result. Ultimately after trying three or four more different combinations, I finally tried nearly the complete name "centro bellas arte luis ferre" before I got the CBA link on the first page of results.

As you can imagine; This really sucks. There are many reasons that contribute to why our web sites don't appear higher in search results, the three biggies are Flash, search engine optimization, and ignorance; but that's "otro veinte pesos". I'll cover these topics in detail in another post.

Well we here at DóndeEs.com thought it sucked so bad, we did something about it. We created the first search engine that is dedicated exclusively to web sites in Puerto Rico (or related to Puerto Rico).

Let's see how our search engine does looking for "El Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré". I'll walk you through it, if you'd like to play along at home. First, from the DóndeEs.com home page:

1. Let's look in the upper left hand corner of the page and click on the "Motor de Busqueda" link.
2. When the new page is loaded, enter "bellas arte" in the "¿Que buscas en Puerto Rico?" search box.
3. Click on the "Buscar" button, and wham, bam, thank you Mam, what do you know, the Bienvenidos al Centro de Bellas Artes Luis A. Ferré link is first in our results.

You see, easy as 1, 2, 3 you can start searching Puerto Rico more efficiently using the DóndeEs.com local search engine. While your results might vary, I bet anyone a T-shirt from CafePress.com to prove to me that you can get better Puerto Rico search results in Google than in our search engine. And that, my friends is why you should start using the DóndeEs.com local search engine!