> From: Mike Patterson <celata at pacifier.com>
> Subject: [Tweeters] Re: 4 letter abbreviations not so great for new
> birders
>
> Crikey! is it that time again already? or is this all part of
> the whole spring forward early and save energy thing, instituted
> by congress?

For my own part, I'm happy enough with the compromise bruited about earlier,
namely, use the whole name the first time along with the abbreviation, and
after that, just the abbreviation if that's what floats your boat (e.g. "I
saw a big raft of American Coots (AMCO); it makes me wonder if anyone has
done any work on local movement patterns in AMCO?").

But for what it's worth, I know several local birders who shun the tweeters
list for precisely this reason: they regard it as a group of smug insiders
who can't be bothered with newbies. This derisive attitude ("well, gosh, the
abbreviations are SO easy to learn") reflects badly on the group as a whole,
and labels us all as impatient and self-involved.

I can't speak for anyone else on the list, of course, but I find it useful
to look inside myself to see if that description fits me, even a little,
even occasionally. And if it does (and it does), I feel shamed for letting
my impatience and self-importance get between me and the "teachable moment".


As one of these non-tweeter birders put it, "those tweeter people all seem
to have a stick up their butt." Let's strive to lose the stick, shall we?

-Josh Hayes, josh at blarg dot net