Boston Symphony Orchestra, Web-Bashing

Drew McManus has done his annual review of symphony web sites on Adaptistration, and once again, the news is not good for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

The BSO's site got a D+ grade, finishing 29th and behind such orchestras as Nashville (#1), Detroit (8), and West Virginia (15).

But how could the score be so low, particularly with the many pages of content on the BSO site? McManus tells us he's impressed by the online conservatory. But the BSO's site is simply too difficult to negotiate.

"The most important thing is how well they present their concert schedule, sell tickets, provide organizational information and facilitate making donations," McManus tells us. "They end up throwing out a lot of hurdles."

We asked Mark Volpe, the BSO's managing director, about the D+. Volpe said that the BSO wasn't particularly concerned. "We did $6 million in e-commerce last year," he said.

But Volpe also said that the BSO is going to re-launch its website sometime early in 2007, and that will include steamlining navigation.

McManus