About this site

On this page is information and links to just about everything you need to know about this web site.

How this site started

Over the years, like many people, I would occasionally attend a pub or RSL with friends or family and find a 50’s rock and roll band playing and people dancing. I often thought that I would like to dance like that but years passed before I was able to do anything about it.

In the mid '90’s I decided it was time I learned and was searching the Internet for information on 50’s Rock and Roll dance classes in Melbourne but found very little. There were a few bands and associated web sites but the information I needed was hard to find. I did start those lessons eventually and soon became involved in the regular Melbourne Rock and Roll dance scene, sometimes going out as often as 5 nights a week.

Later, when my curiosity with the Internet led me to learn about web site publishing, I decided I would produce one with information on 50’s Rock and Roll in Melbourne and Victoria.

VicRock officially went live in January of 2002 and at first was only static web pages of information. The front News Page started in the middle of 2003. Later on my continuing curiosity with the web led me to learn about dynamic database driven web sites and that allowed me to produce the interactive, community participation type of site you see now.

Interestingly enough the most common search words used to find VicRock are "rock and roll dance schools (or classes)", the same search words I used years ago.

VicRock has grown to become a community of people that have many and varied interests based around the music and dancing styles of the 1950’s including styles such as Lindy Hop, Swing and Jive and music such as Rockabilly, Country Rock and Blues.

There are no charges for VicRock membership. Once registered a member is free to participate in our forums and can promote their dances, gigs and events on our front page and in our gig guide/events calendar.

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What you will find here

• A News and Information page for the Rock and Roll, Rockabilly, Country Rock music and dance scene in Melbourne and country Victoria.
• An Events Directory/Gig Guide of Rock and Roll, Rockabilly and Country Rock dances for Melbourne and country Victoria.
• A list of associated Venues and Promoters in Victoria. Venues such as Pubs, RSL's and Halls, etc. as well as Promoters that host Rock and Roll Events and links to their sites.
• A list of Victorian Rock and Roll, Rockabilly, Country Rock Bands, DJ's and Performers with links to their sites.
• A list of Dance Schools and classes in Melbourne and Country Victoria for Rock and Roll, Jive, Lindy Hop, Swing and other similar dances including links to their Web sites.
• A list of Victorian Businesses and others associated with Rock and Roll and their site links.
• A list of Victorian Rock and Roll Clubs and Associations and their site Links.
• Photo Galleries with reviews of past Festivals and Events.
• A very active and sometimes controversial community Forum where you can ask questions, get answers, speak your mind. Find out what others think about a particular subject. Find a friend or dance partner. Got memorabilia to sell? (or wanted?). You can do it all here
• A Private Messaging (PM) system for communicating with other members.
• A Chatbox (Chatroom).
• A Links Submission system. Submit your web site to our links pages and link your site to ours.

If you have any questions at all about our Rock n Roll music and dance scene, don't ask me - post your question in the forum instead. You will get a much more informative response there.

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The first things you should do after registering

Log in and Click on the User CP (User Control Panel) link in the 2nd navigation bar above (not visible if you are not logged in). From there you should go through and edit your profile. You can enter a little or as much about yourself as you like. You can then edit your 'User Options' if you like although most people will find the default settings satisfactory.

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How to submit Front Page "Announcements"

Log in then click the large "Front Page Announcements - Submit Yours Here!" link on the left. Read the information on the next page and then continue by clicking the button that now appears on the right of it. You will find that the Announcements submission page is exactly the same as the page you see when submitting a normal forum post.

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How to add your images to the body of your post

You can have pictures of any dimension and size in the body of any forum post. This means you don't have to worry about an image being too big. It will be hosted by ImageShack and will be automatically resized to fit in your post. When entering the text of your post, below the text entry area is an 'ImageShack' file upload feature. You can use it to browse your computer and upload an image from your computer to 'ImageShack'. There is no requirement to register with them. Click 'Host it' to upload and once uploaded a new window will open showing a small version of your image (with advertising either side). Immediately below the image is the code needed to display it in your forum post. Copy and past this code into the appropriate place in the text entry area. Once your post has been submitted and you view it, large images will automatically be resized to manageable dimensions and if you click the info bar above the image you can still view it full size.

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How to add Gigs/events to the Gig Guide

You don't really need to read up on this because when you have a go at it you will see that things are self-explanatory. However for those that want instructions, here they are.

Log in - Click on the 'Gig Guide/events Calendar" link in the blue Navigation bar - Click the 'Add New Event" link in the menu bar above the calendar listing - From the drop down menu choose Single Event, Ranged event or Recurring event.

For Single event:

• Enter a title, usually the venue name.
• Enter the date of the event.
• Enter the full information about he event including address, start and end times, entry costs, etc. If you have a web site or web page add a link to it as well.
• Click save event.

For a Ranged event (Over a period of days):

• Enter a title, usually the venue name.
• Enter the start date and start time (pay attention to am or pm).
• Enter the end date and end time.
• Do not check the box under that unless you want DST (Daylight Saving Time) ignored.
• Enter the full information about he event including address, start and end times, entry costs, etc. If you have a web site or web page add a link to it as well.
• Click save event.

For a Recurring event -

• Enter a title, usually the venue name.
• Enter the start date and start time (pay attention to am or pm).
• Enter the end date (can be years ahead) and end time.
• Do not check the box under that unless you want DST (Daylight Saving Time) ignored.
• Choose when you want the event repeated. Weekly or monthly etc.
• Enter the full information about the event including address, start and end times, entry costs, etc. If you have a web site or web page add a link to it as well.
• Click save event.

Remember you can always go back and edit your gig or event after you have submitted it if you are not happy with it.

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Have photo's? Put 'em in the Gallery

Log in, click on" Gallery" in the Black menu bar near the top of the site, look for the menu just under the top of the small photos and click on "Upload". Follow the instructions to upload your photos to the VicRock gallery.

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