Recording - April 2010 - 49

has become standard formatting for website text versus links. Looking at this page, my intuitive reaction was to think that I should click on “Complete an application”. It’s indicated as “Step 1” isn’t it? So I did that. In fact it is a link. What it took me a while to understand, though, is that it’s a HELP link! It links to a page which is chock-full of text and other links, but it offers no obvious path toward completing a registration. Eventually I found my way back to the page above. Notice at the bottom of the page, in a much smaller font, the words “To begin, click the START REGISTRATION button above.” By contemporary standards one could even ask: what button? Indeed the words “Start Registration” are in an unusuallooking rectangle under the blue bar containing the words “Registration Process Overview”. And in fact it is that unusual-looking rectangle containing the words “Start Registration” that’s where you want to click. Once you realize that this is the look of this website, suddenly things will start to make more sense. I doubt many would disagree that this is one of the most confusing websites on the internet. Even one of the technical support person at the U.S. Copyright Office agreed with me when I told him I thought the site was utterly confusing. Click the so-called “Start Registration button”. 3. You should now be redirected to the following page (see Figure 6): This gives you your first look at the formatting that you’ll now be dealing with for the remainder of the initial step in filing a claim, as indicated by the yellow box containing the word “Form” in the upper left side of the page. It would be less confusing if the rows of headings in this left side of the page column were presented in a different color, or perhaps underlined or in some way differentiated from the rows of headings in the middle of the page, because the left side is actually links for accessing different pages of the form, whereas the headings in the middle of the page once again offer links to help pages that don’t lead elsewhere! In fact, on this page, if you’re interested in actually registering your claim, then there are really only two things you need to do. First, at the bottom of the page, where you see the red asterisk next to “Type of Work” from the menu, choose “Sound Recording”. Second, after the page refreshes, in the odd-shaped box in the middle of the page, click on “Continue”. Notice that the left hand column now indicates a check mark under “Completed”, and that the red arrow now indicates you’re currently on the “Titles” page (see Figure 7): 4. Titles: Towards the middle of this page you should see the now familiar box-button containing “New *”: click on it. This should redirect you to Figure 8: From the “*Title Type” drop down list, select “Title of work being registered”, then after the page refreshes, enter the title of RECORDING APRIL 2010 your album in the box provided next to “*Title of this work”, then click the “Save” box-button. This should re-direct to the following page: (Figure 9—see our website for this and all subsequent figures.) Once again, click the “New ” box-button, which should redirect to the previous page (Figure 8). This time, instead of selecting “Title of work being registered”, from the “*Title Type” drop down list, select “Contents Title”. Once the page refreshes, enter the title of track #1 from your album in the box provided next to “*Title of this work”, then click on the “Save” box-button. This should re-direct to the following page: (Figure 10) Continue this cycle of entries until all of the tracks on your album have been

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Recording - April 2010

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