[texbirds] TOS Meeting Text Message System Bird Alert (repost)

From: "Steven Gross" <sgross77@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "TEXBIRDS" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 1 May 2012 21:41:57 -0500
I would like to introduce a text message-based bird alert system to be
used during the TOS meeting this weekend. It will have served its
purpose by the end of the meeting Sunday afternoon or Monday and it
won't be used again.
By using this alert system, groups in the field can inform all
subscribed participants of good birds they are seeing. This spread of
information, which will also be in written form as the Master Checklist
at the Civic Center, will allow people to chase rarities or other
desired birds while on their own time. I envision a lot of birders out
in the field on Sunday morning chasing birds that were posted over this
system during the weekend.
We could have used Twitter or Facebook to accomplish this, but I
personally do not have a smart phone (and I'm sure I'm not the only
one). We already have a TOSRBA text alert system, which you may know
about, and it works exactly the same as this system (in fact, it's the
same provider).
It works like this:
-Subscribe to the alert by sending a text to this number: 41-411. The
body of your text should always start with our list name, which is
porta. You need not put anything else in the body of your text when you
subscribe.
-Any time a trip leader, participant, or birder-at-large finds something
notable, he/she can post it to the group. This allows for real-time
marking of birds and their status. Here are two examples: porta black
billed cuckoo @ goose island sp 1030 a.m. : porta Cape May Warbler
Paradise Pond
This system, like any other RBA-like arrangement, is only as good as its
data, so I'd like to encourage all of the trip leaders (or someone in
each group who'd be designated by the leader), those of you who will be
scouting Wednesday and Thursday, our Big Day team, and any other
interested party to put birds on this system. 
Please begin to use the system as soon as you get into the Port Aransas
area, even Wednesday or Thursday. If you're scouting a trip, please post
the good birds.
If field trips post to the system as soon as they are out in the field
on Friday, we could really have something.
One potential downside to spreading information this way would be that
people might want to leave their assigned field trip to chase something.
I hope that doesn't happen, and it probably won't unless the Big Day
kids find a Keel-billed Motmot in Bron's Rorex's yard, in which case
we'll all probably be there.
Please get the word out about this to other participants who may not see
this message. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions,
please let me know.
As I said, the system will not be used after Sunday, so you should never
get a text from that source afterwards.
If this works well, we will use it again at the Winter Meeting of 2013.
Something to look forward to!
See you in Port A.
Steve
Steve Gross
President, Texas Ornithological Society
sgross77@xxxxxxxxxxx
Cell: 281-787-3888
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/Peregrinations/
http://vinesleuth.com/uncorked/
            
 
 
Steve Gross
President, Texas Ornithological Society
sgross77@xxxxxxxxxxx
Cell: 281-787-3888
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/Peregrinations/
http://vinesleuth.com/uncorked/
[texbirds] TOS Meeting Text Message System Bird Alert (repost)

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