A Note from the Webmaster |
MASSBIRD is a mailing list dedicated to the interchange of wild bird and birding information relevant to Massachusetts and New England. The list is owned and moderated by Barbara Volkle. This list is intended for the discussion of local issues – such as birding locations, local conditions, reports of local rarities and unusual sightings, pelagic trip reports, legislative alerts, events and speakers in the area, and calls for volunteers in research and census activities. Hopefully, novice birdwatchers, visitors to our area, and our local experts alike, will share their questions and knowledge through this mailing list. Together we have made MASSBIRD a useful forum, sharing information on a real time basis.
If you wish to bring up a topic of environmental concern that is of special interest to birders in Massachusetts or the northeast (i.e., local content), contact the moderator. Such posts should be designed to summarize the issue and inform readers of how they can pursue the topic from that point on.
Most of us lead enormously busy lives – family, home and work commitments, and of course, a demanding interest in birding. Please respect each other’s time by limiting your posts on massbird to topics within the charter.
- Please SIGN your posts with your NAME, TOWN and EMAIL ADDRESS. This is the convention used by MASSBIRD and other birding email lists.
- Be sure to give the location of your sightings by town. Many birders are listening in – including beginners, those new to the area, and those planning visits. Don’t assume that everyone listening is familiar with finding your birding location. Additionally, your clarity helps others put your reports in context.
- Make your title meaningful. Date and location make it clear what your message is about. This simple idea makes it possible for readers to find and process your message easily.
- Avoid abbreviations and codes. While many of us figure these things out, participants with less experience with MASSBIRD have to translate these. Make it easy for your message to be easily understood
- If possible, provide details on numbers of birds seen, especially unusual species. Records are created from postings to MASSBIRD for Bird Observer and Massachusetts Audubon. Noting weather information is also useful.
- Finally, post in PLAIN TEXT. If at all possible, avoid MIME and HTML including highlighting or text formatting. The majordomo software that handles massbird translates these formats into additional code that is unnecessary and confusing for digest users. NO ATTACHMENTS, please!
If you are not able to post or reach me at my primary email address, contact me directly at b_volkle@yahoo.com.
Send an e-mail message addressed to:
majordomo@theworld.com, with the text of the message saying:
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A digest version is issued once a day (late at night or early in the morning), or more often if a rarity is reported. This way, you receive only one message from Massbird, with the text of all messages since the last digest. You can receive this by sending a message to the above address with the message:
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What do I do if I go on vacation?
A lot of people prefer to switch to the digest when they go on vacation. To make this change, send a message to majordomo@theworld.com, and say:
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