Dear Birders,
Another interesting discussion. I think that both the Listserve and
FB are utilized by many. Some may use only one, some both. I use
both. And I hope that both will remain and thrive. As John pointed
out, some of us cannot access FB while at work, but the listserve is
easy to access at work.
Again, this should not be a competition but a cooperation. I think
there is room for both for birders to utilize.
Yes, as Hans says, let's adapt. But let's not lose sight of the fact
that people use technology in different ways and for different reasons.
Or they don't use it at all. And that is okay.
Happy Birding!
-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Haans Petruschke
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2012 8:38 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Rare bird reporting in Ohio
Hi,
Well I have set off another discussion both here and on facebook.
It seems people who use the facebook group prefer facebook, and people
who use the listserve prefer the list serve. The facebook group has
nearly the same number of members as the listserve has users, and while
there is overlap, it does not seem there will be a consensus on where
rarities should be reported.
As has been pointed out, not all rarities get reported in either
location anyway, and we have to wait to read about them in the
newspaper.
We are it seems, on a cusp. The listserve has done us well for over a
decade, but it has limitations because we rely upon free hosting.
However, as Buster pointed out, it works well for mobile users because
we can set out phones to notify us if there is a new post. I use a
separate email account for the list serve exclusively which makes this
feature especially useful. But facebook is also free and has far more
capability to share photos and other information, such as showing a
location.
What I see, is we as a society are making a transition from stationary
to mobile computing. Smart phones and tablet computers put astonishing
capabilities in our pockets and back packs. My Olympus camera has a
bluetooth accessory that allows me to transfer a photo from my camera to
my phone, and as this becomes a standard feature in cameras I can see a
day coming soon when people will be uploading photos in real time.
While some may not like it, we wont see a roll back of this technology
and the critical mass is shifting. So we as a birding community need to
figure out how to make it work in the best way possible for everyone.
Facebook may indeed be the place where people share their bird sightings
and rarities. This is a step forward and backward at the same time
because of the lack of notification. I think twitter also has a place.
While limited to 140 characters it can be used to share images and links
plus it is immediate and can be set up to be like a text message on a
mobile phone.
"Prairie Falcon at Findlay reservoir" is well under that 140 character
limit.
In conclusion all I can say is as birders we need to adapt or be left
behind. If you don't have a smart phone or tablet, it is probably time
to start budgeting for one. If you don't like facebook... well go ahead
and be stubborn, but it will not make any difference. In a few years we
will see how this all plays out, but the fact that the report of an
extreme rarity showed up first on facebook means a strong wind is
blowing in that direction.
Haans
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______________________________________________________________________
Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
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