Hal:
As one who lives outside the "toll-free" area, I would be extremely
interested in this. Often by the time the BirdBox is trancribed onto
Tweeters, the information is "old", even if only by a day or two. Don't get
me wrong, the transcription to Tweeters is a great service and definitely
saves on the toll call. In addition, I would like to thank all the people
involved in the transcription. I know this can be quite a time-consuming as
well as difficult task because of the voice distortion over the phone lines.
By getting direct descriptions from the observers, you will avoid these
"middlemen".

I also agree with Scott Downes in that you will probably get many more
responses from birders outside of the Seattle metro area, and the BirdBox is
intended to be statewide. What a GREAT idea. I think this step will
definitely improve communications in a LARGE increment. Thanks again Hal!

David M. Ward
Centralia, WA
ward at localaccess.com

At 05:46 PM 2/17/97 -0800, you wrote:
>One of the drawbacks of a telephone-based information-sharing system
>like the Washington BirdBox is that you have to use the telephone to get
>to it. And that means a toll charge for all those who live outside the
>call-free area (Seattle and the greater Eastside).
>
>For those wishing to check the latest information -- and provided they are
>online -- we have been posting transcripts to tweeters relatively
>frequently. A weekly summary of BirdBox calls is also posted to birdwest.
>
>But this doesn't help the active field observers who live outside the
>call-free area and wish to report interesting sightings. We can be
>grateful to the many fine birders who go to the expense of calling their
>birds in anyway, for the benefit of all the rest of us across the state.
>
>Several operators of rare bird alerts in other states, including voice
>mailboxes such as the BirdBox, offer networked birders the possibility of
>sending in their reports by email, thus avoiding a long-distance call.
>I'm interested in determining how many folks in Washington would take
>advantage of such an opportunity.
>
>I'd like to propose a trial period. If you have something to report and
>want to give it a try, send me an email message at the address below,
>giving the verbatim text you'd like recorded on the BirdBox. I'll then
>read it in at the earliest opportunity, prefaced with words such as "This
>is an email message from Mary Q. Birder in Goldendale, telephone
>509-555-5555."
>
>Another great advantage would be that we'd have your written message in
>hand, and nobody would have to transcribe it from the recorded BirdBox
>message. Time saved, and no more misunderstood expressions (toilet house
>for pilot house is one I vividly remember) or unfamilar names misspelled.
>
>Not all BirdBox users are on the internet. And not all internet-connected
>birders are on tweeters. But this seems like a good way to get the offer
>out to a core sample of potentially interested folks. The goal is to
>improve communications, however incrementally. So, you be the guinea
>fowl. Let's hear what you think.
>
>Hal Opperman
>Washington BirdBox System Administrator
>halop at u.washington.edu
>phone 206-635-0503
>
>
>