If there is interest in a Facebook group for Colorado Rare Birds i would be happy to create one. I think many people are kind of doing it already in a variety of existing Facebook groups like CFO, DFO, etc. But if people in general see a need/value in having a specific page for that purpose it would be pretty easy for me to get it started, fyi.
Diana Beatty El Paso County On Thu, Dec 6, 2018 at 10:07 AM Carl Bendorf <[email protected]> wrote: > The current debate about rare bird communications in Colorado is very > interesting. First, there is the current discussion related to the Larimer > County Gyrfalcon. I'm fairly certain these exact same debates have taken > place in nearly every state and province. Many of us have all seen the > rise and fall of various technologies and communication systems (email > chains, websites, listservs, text alerts, etc.) but the thorny issues of > what to report and when to report remain. I doubt that technology will > ever eliminate this aspect of the debate and it's important we continue > discussing the ethics of reporting rare birds. > > > > At the same time, there is a discussion underway about our methods of > sharing information in a timely and efficient manner. When I started > birding in Iowa the late 70's, we tried to create an organized phone tree > with a paper chart showing who would call whom and so on. Of course, the > communication chain often broke down when someone was out of town or just > not at home to answer the phone. A lot of people didn't even have home > answering machines back then and, of course, reporting a rare bird meant > driving to the nearest pay phone and dropping in quarters to make a call. > In the early 80s, we started a rare bird alert using an answering machine > located in my parents' garage. Part of the trick was finding a machine > that offered an extended outgoing message as many answering machines were > limited to perhaps 30 seconds. We put the machine in my parents' garage > because they lived in a small town where the local phone company offered a > very low monthly phone bill for a second phone line. As technology > changed, these recorded rare bird alerts using phone lines have essentially > disappeared. > > > > In my view, for many birders, Facebook has become the rare bird > communication platform of choice since it offers features like the ability > to quickly post photos/recordings, a role for a moderator(s), presence on > both millions of smartphones, laptops, and desktops, and the fact that > millions of people are already on their Facebook accounts every day. > > > > A great example is the ABA Rare Bird Alert Facebook page ( > https://www.facebook.com/groups/ABArare/) which has grown tremendously > (18,000 members.) It's amazing to watch as bird sightings are being > updated in real time and you can even see groups of birders in the field > using this page to communicate with each other in real time. The page has > at least 7 administrators meaning the work of monitoring the flow of info > is being shared and doesn't become a major burden. Heck, you can even > livestream a video of your rare bird to the entire audience. > > > > One of the features of the (very helpful) COBIRDS Google Group is that the > content is generated from the individual submissions of contributors. I > also really like the compiled RBA report but the downside there is it > requires a compiler or compilers willing to put in the major effort of > gathering, collating, typing up, and posting of a report. As we've seen, > it's going to be increasingly hard to find someone who is willing to put in > all that work. Also, the effort of collating and posting a compiled RBA > inevitably adds a time-delay to reports. > > > > This long missive is my suggestion that perhaps Colorado needs a dedicated > Rare Bird Facebook Page with multiple moderators. Again, the ABA is using > this model very successfully by having three separate Facebook pages. Each > page has a different defined purpose (this is critical, I think): > > > > 1. A general Facebook page for the organization for non-urgent > information and sharing of a general nature: > https://www.facebook.com/birders/ > > > > 2. An extremely successful page for helping people identify birds--this > page has a very clearly defined purpose and has nearly 34,000 members! > https://www.facebook.com/groups/whatsthisbird/ And, I understand a > number of extreme rarities have been “discovered” from the postings of > photos from contributors who couldn’t identify what they had > seen/photographed. > > > > 3. The above-mentioned ABA Rare Bird Alert with about 18,000 members: > https://www.facebook.com/groups/whatsthisbird/ > > > > I imagine one of the points of view on this issue will be that not > everyone uses (or wants to use) Facebook. But this has been true of every > form of communication through the years. I’m sure at one time there were > those who preferred to communicate by letter and not by telephone followed > by those who preferred to communicate about rare birds by land line > telephone and felt left behind by the cell phone followed by those who were > happy with a call on their cell phone but objected to needing a smart > phone, and so on. Consider also how many local bird club newsletters used > to include a compilation of recent rare bird sightings in a printed/mailed > newsletter. You don’t see that so much anymore. > > > > My suggestion to those who don’t wish to use Facebook is to recruit a > Facebook-using birding friend who will give them a call when a rare bird is > reported via Facebook. What do you want to bet that someday Facebook fades > away as it’s replaced by yet another kind of technology. > > > > In conclusion, I think a Colorado Rare Bird Alert Facebook page could work > really well. A Facebook page offers all the latest options in terms of > social communication, immediacy, widespread use. The content would be > user-generated (and not require a volunteer compiler), and the moderating > responsibilities can be shared among a group of volunteers. > > > Please don't think I am advocating for an end to either COBIRDS or the > COBIRDS RBA report. Typically, where there are overlapping technologies > and communication outlets, there is a lot of cross-posting across the > platforms as a way to broaden the reach. And all of this is an evolution > and not a revolution! > > > > I hope this helps to advance the discussion about how we can improve our > collaboration and sharing about Colorado's fantastic birding > opportunities. > > > > What do YOU think? > > > > Carl Bendorf > > Longmont > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Colorado Birds" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/1e86e767-e650-4f27-9f9e-a7f4d0a04eb9%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/1e86e767-e650-4f27-9f9e-a7f4d0a04eb9%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- ****** All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. 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