Thursday, January 29, 2009

How to use the Philly Beer Week 2009 Schedule

>> UPDATED: 3/5/2009 <<
** (If you don't care for my blathering, hop to the last paragraph to find a downloadable version of this year's Philly Beer Week Schedule) ** Do I ask for too much? Well, sometimes the answer could possibly be, yes. But, for the second year in a row, I'm struggling to make sense of the Philly Beer Week schedule on the official website. Last year's was downright impossible, so I put a little something together that made it easier for myself and I shared it with all of you. It was fine, but admittedly, not great. This year's version, it's a tad better, but still I've gone a step farther and made what I think is a very useful spreadsheet out of the calendar by copying all of the events off the website. Now, at a glance, we can ask some questions and get some very quick answers: ~ I can only go to PBW on Tuesday night after 7pm, how many events do I have to choose from? One click...done. ~ How many events is Tavern 17 having? One click...done. ~ I don't like the City, how many events are in Paoli or Wayne? One click for Paoli, one click for Wayne...final answer. ~ I'm on a strict budget and can only go 3/13-3/15, how many Free/PAYG events are scheduled on the last weekend of PBW? Two clicks, done. And on and on and on....I think those examples illustrate the point and get you thinking about how you can use a more practical calendar. With the website's current calendar, you pick a day, wait for the images to load, scroll up, scroll down, scroll all around until you find some event(s) that you are looking for, click the details to find more information, click the map...and on and on with the hunting and pecking process from day to day, back and forth, jotting down notes or however you find it convenient to make a list of things you'd like to do. Then, you forget what you do, or the schedule changes from one day to the next and you almost have to star over. Great, right? Only if you've got the time for that sort of thing. But, if a clean and concise list of all the events that you can sort and filter your way through is more your thing, you can either download it from here (then be sure to do File/Export/.XLS to complete the download....or just drop a note to me over here and I'll email a copy out to you. The list is sure to change over the coming weeks, and I'll update every few days or so. Until then, prepare thyself...it's coming, again.

7 comments:

Unknown said...

Who says we won't have a list like that :) Actually, the plan is to have the whole list available once all the events are uploaded and final. But I like what you've done - I'll send it our web master. Cheers!

kmudrick said...

Sweet, "Run and Drink with Adam Avery, Sam Caligone and Brian O'Reilly" looks like fun.

Are we going to do another Saturday [un]official philly beer week run?

Bryan Kolesar said...

Kevin,
I've got one run scheduled for 3/7 at 11am (meet at 10:30am) again in conjunction with Dock Street. This year, think part race, part scavenger hunt. Details are still being worked out.

I'd like to do another one, but perhaps the Bishop's Collar one and perhaps an FBR one, that would be enough.

Thanks, as always, for the interest :)

Bryan Kolesar said...

Jennie,
I've added a column to my Excel workbook that shows the date that I've either added or edited an entry. That way, readers can quickly focus in on only new or revised entries.

Judging from the number of requests for (and private comments about) my file so far, the webmaster might want to get something out there soon. People are hungry...and thirsty :)

Thanks for the note of your plans.

Anonymous said...

Bryan -
We'll get to work on a downloadable spreadsheet asap. Thanks for the suggestion.
Also, for those of us who still read dead trees, the entire schedule will be published in TWO formats this year, as a full pullout section in Philly Weekly on March 4th, and two weeks before that, a handy, keepsake, glossy-covered guide to PBW.

Bryan Kolesar said...

Thanks, that sounds great Don; I could see a lot of usage for a pocket guide that attendees carry around with them all week long....almost like a passport

Unknown said...

This spreadsheet is great. I'd love to see it in a Google Calendar so we can see it on the iPhone!