Decline in Forum Postings

Stuart Britton · **Posted:** Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:22 am

I have started a new thread which was raised by GPC in his Golden Plover identification discussion. I have noticed a lot of regular contributors have disappeared from the Forum and, like Terrence, I believe this is primarily due to "Twitter" and individual blogs. Again, like Terrence, I have no intention of using Twitter, Facebook or any other social media. I can't expect others to do the same but, unlike Terrence I will continue to use the Forum and hope that others will.

Robert Walker · **Posted:** Sat Jan 31, 2015 11:04 am

I totally agree with you Stuart, I also refuse to use Twitter,etc. for the same reasons Terence gave.
However, I will also continue to post on the Forum if I have anything interesting to say or may be helpful to other members.

Cheers
Rob

Terence Whalin · **Posted:** Sat Jan 31, 2015 11:20 am

I have not said I will not do any more postings, only that I cannot share all the info put on by others whilst they have open access to my info and am becoming disillusioned by the situation. I don' want to contribute to a system that profiles you as an individual then sells all your info to third parties and companies without my permission, I feel that it is an infringement of my civil liberties and freedom, that is what twitter does, makes a fat profit using your info and efforts. plus if anyone accidentally posts sensitive breeding info it has gone to the world with no recall and everyone makes mistakes it is human nature.
terry whalin

Dave Bradbeer · **Posted:** Sat Jan 31, 2015 12:19 pm

Totally agree with above postings, i was beginning to think i was the only one who felt this way, i don't know why this Twitter nonsense was put on here in the first place, i firmly believe it encourages twitching instead of birdfinding, i.e. the art of actual birding!, too many people seem to want birds on a platter nowadays instead of getting off their backsides and doing some legwork.

John Clarkson · **Posted:** Sat Jan 31, 2015 2:39 pm

Bit radical Dave!

John Walker · **Posted:** Sat Jan 31, 2015 4:12 pm

I tend to agree with all the posts so far and DB may be a bit radical but wasn,t going birding once what
most of us did and some of us still do. The thrill of being out on your patch finding birds for oneself always does it for me.
and I often do not carry a mobile communication device with me never mind subscribing to blah blah sites.
I note how popular the patchwork challenge has become and how much data it gathers, a great idea.

regards John ( more radical? or just an oldie set in their ways?)

James Smith · **Posted:** Sun Feb 01, 2015 9:55 pm

Must say that as an avid Twitter user I do agree with most of the previous posts and I am guilty as charged over not contributing to the forum as much as I should in recent weeks.

I don't twitch myself and i don't know if i could trust myself to keep calm at the behaviour documented (on Twitter) at recent twitches, but that doesn't mean i don't want to see about sightings from round the county, country and world. After all it was through Twitter that I learnt about the Iceland Gull near work, as would you Dave B if you'd been on it [-X

I use Twitter to let people know what's on, or not, my patch in case they feel like visiting or staying away. I tweeted on Saturday that N. Killingholme was not worth visiting if you were looking to see waders due to the high water level. I don't suppose it helped anybody but it might just have saved somebody a wasted journey. The problem is that when i get in from the patch i usually don't get a chance to write up full sightings on to the site.

Twitter is a brilliant means of quickly gleaning information, some of it extremely useful, some not so. Your details are sold on and desemenated by many means so i am not worried about this happening through Twitter.

Yours non-technophobically
James

Terence Whalin · **Posted:** Sun Feb 01, 2015 10:25 pm

yours non-technophobically I like that james lol well fancy me criticising twitter, the next time I switched my computer on, wipe out lost its marbles, £380 for a new one today lol just a coincidence ??? wasn't it ??? hmmm!!! lol. just about up and running, still seriously I didn't mean that twitter sent out e mails bombarding you it was just a standard comment about what all companies tend to do whether it is Tesco sainsburys etc everytime you use the internet you are socially profiled from your shopping habits sites you visit etc they call it marketing and that info is shared to anyone for a price, I call it an invasion off your privacy. my only grouse with the lbc is that if I do a posting someone somewhere seems to put it on twitter without my permission to do so and if someone posts on twitter there is no effort to put the posting on the forum so that those not wishing to participate in twitter can read the posting. it is like being a second class member when you do not want to divulge your e mail address. I am not losing interest in the club or conservation but the forum is for all not just the few.

I went to enquire train fares to Aberdeen (harlequin duck) I would twitch a lifer, £97 limited offer any train over a 4 day period great I thought I will think about that, next time I put my computer there were adverts for car hire hotels etc in the Aberdeen area we are being watched all the time, I do not like it. :evil:

terry whalin

Derick Evans · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2015 12:45 am

As social media is mobile & web-based technology that creates highly interactive platforms, through which individuals and communities can share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content.
Then the LBC forum we are all using to discuss the issue of the "Decline in Forum Postings" must also be one of these very communities like the "twitter nonsence", that some are strangely unhappy about.

Andrew Chick · **Posted:** Mon Feb 02, 2015 11:37 pm

The post we are discussing has now been read 2195 times*.... I'm not sure that is a decline?

*As of 02.02.2015

Derick Evans · **Posted:** Tue Feb 03, 2015 12:01 am

Andrew Chick wrote:

The post we are discussing has now been read 2195 times*.... I'm not sure that is a decline?

*As of 02.02.2015

Few (11) members responded Andrew. The point Graham was making!

Stuart Britton · **Posted:** Tue Feb 03, 2015 10:10 am

You miss the point, Andrew. Now over 2,200 people have read it because the heading relates to a rarity - if it had been headed Dunnock it probably wouldn't have reached 200! My point is that a lot of the "regulars" who joined in 2004 have now virtually disappeared off the Forum. Ten years on this is not a criticism of the excellent LBC Forum but the popularity of new information technology that not all of us wish to embrace.
Regards,
Stuart

John T Goy · **Joined:** Tue Dec 28, 2004 11:30 pm **Posts:** 2385

Only just seen this thread.

I'm alive and as well as can be expected. I rarely go out anywhere be it watching wildlife or shopping. I do watch when I'm making my monthly trips to Leeds and very much enjoy seeing my favourite Red Kite.

I only come on the computer every couple of weeks to see whats what. I have a friend who keeps me up to date with the local scene ie MSQ. I really miss going round the place but it's been a few year since I had to stop.

I have no intention on joining Twitter or Facebook but have no problem with those that do.

I said on here a few years ago that only a select handful (including myself) were posting sightings and I thought the reason was down to blogs/websites by our regulars. If they are writing their sightings etc on their blog or website the last thing they want to do is write it all out on the forum, I may be wrong they may paste them, I don't know how to.

I've just noticed it's ages since I wrote "my garden" on here and next door.

For me going out in the cold weather isn't fun, even though I don't leave the car when I arrive.

Another reason I don't go out much is I have plenty to watch in my garden or my mates close by, we get a good variety of stuff and the kettle is close by not forgetting the C/H :lol:

When I first joined I was told by a well known member not to put Starlings on unless there was a large amount of them, if there is one thing I hate and always have is being told what to do, so of course if I see one Starling then it's going on my list for the forum as well as any other bird not forgetting most members pet hate the Grey Squirrel

I do hope to get out sometime soon and add my five pennorth!

Kind regards

Max =D>

The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Decline in Forum Postings

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