[mou] What are the requirements for posting to the list server.

[Sharon Stiteler]

Here is what the MOU website has to say about posting rules to the  
listserv:

"It is a place where birders can share their sightings -- notable or  
otherwise -- with other interested people. We particularly invite  
posts of observations that contribute to the understanding of the  
birds in the state. This includes sightings of birds that are  
unusual, in an unusual location or out of season, or present in  
significantly higher numbers than normally expected."

I would think that a palm warbler would fall under the category of  
"otherwise" by that definition and therefore allowable.

The rules also state:

"MOU-Net is also a place where you can ask questions or make  
observations regarding the identification, behavior, and natural  
history of birds in Minnesota."

Why can't a photo of a bird that a list member took be considered an  
observation?  Members of the listserv are not allowed to send photos  
because some people still have dial up or have issues  with receiving  
attachments through the listser.  Some on this list have gone to the  
effort to create their own sites to post their photos and to just  
post a link to the listserv where people can either follow the link  
or hit the Delete Key (it's not that hard to hit a Delete Key).  I  
personally enjoy that.  I appreciate it when Jeff Fischer, Linda  
Krueger, Bernie Friel, Bill Marchel or anyone posts links to their  
site of bird photos.


Sharon Stiteler
www.birdchick.com
Minneapolis, MN




On May 3, 2008, at 9:51 PM, jeff fischer wrote:

> It was my belief that the purpose of this list server was to share  
> bird sightings that other birders may be interested in. It appear,  
> however, that I may be mistaken. Last week I posted about a trip  
> that I made to the bass ponds and about spotting a palm warbler  
> there. I do not post most of the birds that I see, since they are  
> not usually anything spectacular however this was the first palm  
> warbler that I spotted this year and since warblers have just  
> recently started migrating back I thought that maybe others may be  
> interested in it. I guess that I was wrong, or so I was told. I  
> received a reply back stating that palm warblers had been reported  
> all over the Twin Cities and that I should confine my thoughts to  
> new sightings.
>
> Now it is very possible that others have posted about seeing palm  
> warblers. I did check around a bit before I posted it and I did not  
> see it listed anywhere but since I subscribe to 4 different list  
> servers, and receive hundreds of e-mails per week, it is very  
> possible that I may have missed that fact in someone else's post.
>
> So is this the rule about posting? If someone else has posted about  
> a species then I should not post about it? Or is it the fact that  
> palm warblers are too common to post about? If this is the case how  
> do I determine which species are special and can be posted about  
> and which ones are not.
>
> The e-mail response went on to say, "Remember that this is a  
> birding listserve, not a photographers list serve.  There are many  
> good listserves that would appreciate your photos but this is not  
> one of them." This was because I posted a link to my blog since I  
> did take a picture of the bird. Is this also unacceptable?
>
> My blog site is about Minnesota birding. It links to the MOU  
> website and I frequently promote the MOU in posts. I have seen  
> quite a few people who put links to websites, blogs, or one of the  
> picture sites in their posts so that they can share their bird  
> photos with other Minnesota birders. Is this unacceptable? If so I  
> apologize since no one has ever replied with anything except  
> compliments in the past.
>
> I do not want to cause trouble or make a federal case out of the  
> incident. If I have been wrong in how I have been posting to the  
> list server I would like to know so that I can make sure that I am  
> following the correct procedure. My only desire, with any of my  
> posts, is to share birding sightings and birding photos with people  
> who share my love of birds and if I have been doing that wrong then  
> I will change and make sure that I do things right in the future.
>
> Thanks,
> Jeff Fischer
> http://ecobirder.blogspot.com/
>
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>
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