The Lincolnshire Bird Club

A few days ago I was asked to help revamp and update the LBC website so I am starting this discussion for members to have their say in what happens.

Along with many changes there are two sections of the old website that are a major security risk

1) This Forum
2) The Gallery

First the forum, since its inception in 2004 it has had many topics and posts within them, the largest section by far is Sightings with over 14 thousand topics and almost 30 thousand posts, however most of these are from the early days before Social Media. If you compare this section with the current club twitter feed you will get an idea how social media has taken over. There has been over 17 thousand tweets (posts on twitter) in just a few years, mainly because twitter works well on a mobile device whereas a forum does not.

Members who may be considered technophobes seem to find no problem with twitter and facebook but then there are others who would rather cut off their own arm than use twitter and facebook. mainly because they dont understand it.

The big issue is, as this forum is getting older its getting more and more Spammers trying to join. Colin and Sheila Jennings constantly are having to remove the spammers usernames, in fact over 100 in the last quarter alone. Its a thankless task that will only get worse.
I recently moved the website to a server where I can see the stats, and the forum and Gallery and instantly i can see from the logs that we are having many thousands of hacker attempts every week.

These hackers are not "a geek in his bedroom" any more but highly skilled office based groups who write code for their very powerful servers that keeps trying over and over again.
In 4 days last week one IP address group based in china tried to gain entry over 20 thousand times.
We must face facts that if these morons can stop the NHS or get into the CIA at some time they will get it to our forum at which point the whole site will stop.

I would like to say the gallery was almost the same but in fact its worse.

Andrew Chick after spending endless hours on his fantastic website has to spend as many hours again trying to secure the forum and gallery and if i dont do something I could do the same.

So my suggestion is we bite the bullet and lock both the forum and gallery down so they can be viewed but not used.

Sightings would move over to Twitter
Discussions would move over to Facebook
The gallery would move to Flickr

Each of these services are free, easy to use, mobile friendly and security updates are done with no work by us.

If the above is agreed I can spend my time on the website.

Currently you can see the website if you are a member or not and in the update there are a number of things I want to achieve that make it that most of the website will only be available to members when they log in.

1) A list birding sites for the county (Long term project where all members can be involved)
2) A county species list with information on each bird and where possible and image of the actual bird (Long term project where all members can be involved)
3) More active posts on the home page keeping the public and members informed on other things than sightings
4) More information for members including a twitter feed on the home page
5) To revamp the newsletter via email to all members including members sending in their news.

Basically we want to get more people to join with less work and then have members get more out of the LBC.

So come on members please post your ideas and thoughts so i can see what you want, what you like and it they are possible.

Thanks, Colin, for that comprehensive update on the situation and of the options that need to be considered.

If I'd realised there had been such a relentless barrage of spams, I might not have been so ardent in my calls for allowing non-members of the club to post messages.

I fear I might need to start fattening myself up on some large slices of humble pie.

Thanks for the comment.

If in time we were to change over to Twitter for sightings and Facebook for discussions the spam would drop dramatically as both these sites have sophisticated blocking systems. If someone does get in both sites will spend millions to secure themselves and they both have ex-hackers working for them.

I can keep spammers (Well most) out of our new website but i just cant do it for the current forum and the old gallery, well not without sitting here all day anyway.

Our idea is to get another domain name and move the locked forum and gallery onto it, that way the information will not be lost as locking it stops almost all entry and because its not with the live site its as secure as I could make it.

Thanks for a comprehensive update, Colin. I am slowly moving on and use Facebook but haven't considered Twitter. However I think the most important aspect regarding the LBC Forum is the security of the site and data and, more importantly, the minimum of work involved for the volunteers such as yourself, Andy, the Jennings et al. I will be quite happy to abide by whatever decision is made by the people who do the work!

I am all in favour of the proposed changes particularly if they reduce the security problems and reduce
the workload on volunteers without whom the club could not function.
My regret is that I don't use Facebook, Twitter and Flickr (and probably never will) so my own involvement
with the club will virtually cease. However this is a small problem compared with the massive savings outlined in the proposed changes and I wish those involved all the best in bringing about the anticipated improvements.

Trevor

Colin was invited by the LBC Committee to take on this task and he will take a huge load off Andy Chick's shoulders. He has moved the mountain very quickly to come up with a secure, sensible updated website. Many thanks to him on behalf of the club. One point here about Facebook - if the software needs updating, or if there are problems with hackers, Facebook fix it, and fast. Not us. And its free. I'd urge any doubters to try it when we eventually launch the first version of the new website. Many bird clubs and individual species discussion groups (eg Gulls, for one) around the workd use Facebook. Its very easy to use and administer. Let's get moving!

Regards
Phil

A revamp of the forum seems inevitable and indeed vital today. As the person who extracts the data that members input on to the Forum each month for Colin and Sheila it has become more and more obvious that less and less people are bothering to use the Forum. I am not even sure that many are even bothering to view what is on there. In this peak migration time I have only extracted 74 records up until this past week-end. Most of these do not include the coastal rarities as they are record on BirdTrack, Twitter and Facebook. Simply put, the Forum is virtually dead or on life support anyway. I am not sure what is the best way forward but believe that we must put our trust in those that have the ideas to take us forward.
What I would say to those such as Trevor Gunby who are apprehensive of using the social media. You use a computer to get on the forum and you do to use Facebook and Twitter. Both are so easy to use and you control who much of them you let into life. Me I let in Birds from all over, Sport, Politics, News and Family & Friends - nothing more and so easy

I agree with Trevor. I'm signed up with Facebook but only because it's necessary to run another web site. I won't use Twitter (so already feel I'm missing out on what's being sent out) and Flickr, so my involvement with the LBC will be reduced to a minimum. However, there are many members that use the site far more regularly than I, and value the exchange of information it provides, so if the changes help the majority at the expense of us Luddites, then so be it – go ahead.

Geoff

I agree with the previous posts, and the advice given by Colin and Andy ,
(sad that its come to this though )

John

The importance both of security and of reducing the burden on those who manage the site is obviously paramount.

But I agree with John Walker when he comments: "Sad that it's come to this."

In addition, Trevor G and Geoff M have indicated that their contributions are likely to decline which is to be regretted. Others are probably thinking the same.

Isn't there a risk that what amounts to dismantling the site by splintering it in three ways might spell the beginning of the end? Members will stop bothering to post messages. The advantage of the site in its present form is that it's all in one place, with each aspect related.

In other words, one happy, united family.

Does anyone know if there are examples where other bird clubs operate similar sites but in a simpler way that still keeps everything together with the minimum of behind-the-scenes hassle?

Just read all the posts which are interesting and also sad.

My main question is can you tell me more about Colin Casey, I notice he has only recently been asked to join the forum, why didn't he join it without being asked? I just looked in the member list and he has only been a member a few days and oddly it doesn't say he is a member of the LBC, unless the admin team haven't got round to adding it. Is he a bird/wildlife watcher or a specialist on IT? He says "we" and "I" about what we want to achieve. I hope he doesn't find my questions pertinent but as I don't come on here as often as I did due to illness, maybe I've missed where he told the forum.

Back to the matters in hand: my virus package has for quite some time told me that LBC is not a secure site but as I can side-step it's warning (but would prefer not to) I can still post my sightings. I for one would be very upset if all my sightings for "My Garden" were lost, which I've been doing for best part of seven years, and find it unbelievable the amount of people that have viewed them!

Although I have a Twitter and Facebook account, I rarely use the former for sightings because am limited as to how many words I can use, but i do use it to check out those I follow but LBC isn't one of them, much prefer to look on here because its easier. I do go on FB regular and post but its just photos of wildlife in my garden and general stuff. I don't use Flickr but have been on a few times in the past looking at others photos.

It was only recently I found out that LBC is on FB.

I don't own a smartphone as yet, and enter all my sightings on the laptop or desktop.

In the past when we have had a poll very few of the members bother to take part, but out of curiosity can we have one anyway? From the members who have answered Colin's question it seems virtually all are in favour.

I hate change at the best of times no matter what it involves but sometimes we have to in order to stay one step ahead of the game. I'll miss putting "My Garden" sightings on the forum, but no matter, I can still put them on other sites.

I hope one day sooooooooooooooooooooooooooon I'll be able to get back to watching in the "field" with a set of wheels if am well enough.

Kind regards

Max

_________________
GETTING OLD HAS IT'S ADVANTAGES BUT I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THEY ARE lol

I think its what ever is best for the site to run without it taking admin and other's free time becoming a life's chore .
Rob.

Appreciate the update Colin.
It's time LBC looked to the future and social media and especially Twitter. as a tool to provide members with a modern and more secure way of reporting bird news, informing the membership and making life easier for yourself, Andrew and the moderators of our Forum.
Make it happen Colin.

_________________
Regards.
Del.

To err is human. To really louse things up takes a computer

On contrary Jim More than17000+ messages have been sent by LBC members on Twitter in the last few years. It's the 21st century and hopefully the beginning of the future for LBC. Not "the end".

_________________
Regards.
Del.

To err is human. To really louse things up takes a computer

Hi Trevor

I find that a lot of people dont want to be involved with social media sites, mainly because they think they will have to be part of the rather strange world that is social media.

You can join Facebook, Twitter and Flickr and set everything so you read only, that way no one will contact you. I was also one of those who never used Facebook but found after a while there was things I was interested in so slowly became involved. The only suggestion I would make is that you try it and see because you can always delete your account afterwards.

If i can be of any help, just contact me

Colin