I agree with Shai, eloquently and succinctly expressed, as always. Hope you all enjoy this beautiful day! Annie
-----Original Message----- From: bounce-121044984-10774...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-121044984-10774...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Shaibal Mitra Sent: Wednesday, November 30, 2016 10:28 PM To: NYSBIRDS (NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu) Subject: [nysbirds-l] The NYSBirds List ATTENTION: This email came from an external source. Do not open attachments or click on links from unknown senders or unexpected emails. Hi everyone, In theory there are two ways to reform the content of this listserv: (1) discourage posts that are less relevant; and (2) encourage posts that are more relevant. But given the very diverse sentiments expressed here in recent weeks, it's clear that people simply disagree about what is relevant. But criticizing certain kinds of posts is doubly harmful: not only is it demonstrably ineffective in reducing the frequency of the unwanted posts, whatever they may be in a particular instance, but it also discourages contributions from newer participants and those who don't appreciate being criticized. In other words, this ineffective tactic inadvertently conflicts with and damages the prospects for the only other means of improving the forum. I agree with those who have emphasized that neither the overall volume of reports, nor the proportion of what any one individual might regard as chaff, is ever great enough to discourage me from sifting this site every day for items of personal interest. These considerations came to mind recently when I overheard some Long Island birders debating whether to chase an Ash-throated Flycatcher (to me very rare) vs. "the Red Crossbill" (to me periodically ubiquitous). At this stage in my life, I'd much rather read a post from Tim Healy or Steve Walter about the tempo and mode of a day's migration than a how-to guide to chasing "the Red Crossbill." But I understand that some newer birders might actually have seen more Ash-throated Flycatchers than Red Crossbills, even though this is utterly contrary to my own development as a birder. And all of this is what makes birding, and NYSBirds, so wonderful--not only can we find how-to information for chasing (arguably) rare birds, but we are also offered insights into other people's perspectives and values. Please post more! Shai Mitra Bay Shore -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ -- -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
