Maptalk Events Help

What is Maptalk Events?

Maptalk events is a database driven system. The system is open to all who run events under the ‘orienteering’ banner. This includes foot orienteering, mountain bike orienteering, rogaining, ski orienteering, mountain marathons and running events organised by orienteering clubs or groups. This events website is an official page of the New Zealand Orienteering Federation.

What events can be posted?

Any event that has navigation involved can be posted. Also any event that is run by orienteering clubs or groups can be posted, if for fund raising.

Posting an Event:

1. Are you registered on maptalk? If not, register now. It is recommended that clubs register a club account that the whole club committee knows, so that any member of the committee can edit events. Once you have signed up your email address will be verified in the registration process.
2. Once registered you can now add an event. When adding events please make sure you fill all the details in the fields to the best of your ability. The system is all about being informative. If a posting is very poorly done it runs the risk of being deleted. Please remember that this event listing is targeted towards not only orienteers, but the general public who don’t know how to get to maps or who to contact etc.
3. If adding lots of events at once, after filling in all the details on the first event and clicking “add event”, click the back button. This will fill all the fields with the information you just added, all you need to do is change the fields that are changing for the next event (eg date, location, map). Common details such as the club website and contact person can stay the same, without having to type them every event. Please click down to the “The fields” on this help page to find out more about what you should put in each field.
4. After finishing filling in all the details in the appropriate fields, click “Add Event”, which is at the bottom of the page.
5. The events will then be available to look at on the listings immediately. Check that the details are correct and that the website link works correctly.
6. Congratulations – you have posted an event.

Editing an Event:

1. Click on the event you wish to edit, bringing up its full description. This will show all the fields.
2. At the top right of the page it will show the username of who posted the event. Only this person or an administrator may edit the event.
3. Next to the username of who posted the event is a link to “edit event”. Click on this link.
4. This will require you to login, please fill in the details of username and password.
5. After doing the login, edit the fields you require.
6. Click “Update event” down the bottom of the page.

Deleting an Event:

1. Click on the event you wish to edit, bringing up its full description. This will show all the fields.
2. At the top right of the page it will show the username of who posted the event. Only this person or an administrator may edit the event.
3. Next to the username of who posted the event is a link to “edit event”. Click on this link.
4. This will require you to login, please fill in the details of username and password.
5. After doing the login, click “DELETE” down the bottom of the page.

Running a Multi-Day or more than one event per day:

The way the system has been set up is that every single event needs an individual posting. For days with more than one event per day this means posting both. Please note: Events may not show on the listings in the order that they may run on the day (eg AM first then PM second) – but they will definitely show for that day.

Posting more than one event with different accounts:

If doing this you will need to logout before proceeding to login with the next account to post the next event.

The fields:

* Starred fields indicate that these are shown on the ‘brief listings’. For Event Name and Location please keep it very short and precise.

Event Name* - This can be anything, eg “Waitangi Day 1 Long”. Please no longer than this.

Date* - The exact date of the event. If this is a rogaine, this should be the start date.

Map – The map name. If this is a rogaine, you can put location here as well or start point.

Club* – All orienteering clubs in NZ are listed here. Overseas clubs or other organizations need to put “Other” for this field.

Location* - The nearest town / city. Please make this as accurate as possible and this isn’t by default the main centre for your club!

Region – Auckland is typically the Bombays North. Central Districts is from here to the bottom of Lake Taupo (excl Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki). Wellington covers the rest of the North Island.

Signposted from – A point on a well known road etc. You can put in driving directions in here as well. This is a very important feature for new participants so take care and do it properly.

Country – Self explanatory.

Event type – This is for the main type of the event. For events that have more than one type at the same event eg Foot and MTBO, consider placing two postings so that the appropriate filters will work.

Event level – Self explanatory for orienteering events. Typically A-level is National Championships or large events, B-level is of lower national level, OY is for a regional series and club is just an every day event.

Other details – Take the opportunity to write everything that is required in here, an example is to explain the terrain and previous uses. You can always come back to update this field closer to the event as well.

Pre-entry – If there is pre-entry requirements fill it in here. If people can also enter on the day then put this in “other details”.

Closing date – This will only show if pre-entry is ‘Yes’.

Sport Ident – This is a timing system used in orienteering. It basically means does the event use electronic timing. For rogaines there is a Yes – Other, if using the regaining NavLight electronic timing system.

Name – A contact persons name.

Phone – Remember to put in an area code.

Email address – Say your email is me@mymail.com, it is recommended you write it in this field as ‘me AT mymail.com’. This will stop spam systems picking up your email address.

Website – Remember to start with www. If you start with http:// then the website will not work properly. Once you have posted an event test the link.

Contacting the administrator:

The current administrator of the website is Simon Addison. He can be contacted via his email: [ simonjaddison AT gmail.com ]. Please contact him if for some reason you need an event listing deleted but the event owner cannot do it, or if you need to have an event edited and again the event owner cannot do it. Please minimize this requirement by making sure measures are taken to ensure the event owner or others can fulfill the editing/deleting requirements.

History

In late 2005 there were issues around clubs in NZ and their event listings on the internet. This ranged from some clubs not having websites, through to information being out of date and the fact that some didn’t give full details – resulting in new orienteers not knowing enough about the events to attend. Along with this competitors from overseas were finding it hard to find details of events held in NZ.

It was at this stage that Simon Addison and Fraser Mills got together to make a database system which was easy to use and would be beneficial to all map-sports in NZ. Hosting and coding clashes meant that this database could not be hosted on www.nzorienteering.com, so this is why it is hosted on www.maptalk.co.nz.

The NZ Orienteering Federation (NZOF) in 2006 agreed to take the website onboard and to ensure it would last. This events system is now an official NZOF website and subsequently any comments or recommendations should be forwarded to both the administrator and the NZOF General Manager.

Development of the system is an ongoing thing. Feedback is appreciated.