Does this have anything to do w/it being April 1??? <grin>

Mary E. Klein
Bremerton WA
Cellobird -AT- Comcast.net


_____

From: tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu
[mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman2.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of
mattxyz at earthlink.net
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 5:16 AM
To: Tweeters
Subject: [Tweeters] Introducing a new listers tool: FeeBird


Tweeters -

After more than a year of development, I'm happy today, to publicly announce
a new venture that combines the computer programming skills of Michael
Hobbs, my recent experience at the University of Washington's Foster School
of Business, and our joint love of birds:


FeeBird

FeeBird brings together the best elements of social networking, web 2.0
technology, and birding! The simple structure and potential for growth
promise to add new layers to the listing experience.

What is FeeBird?
FeeBird functions in much the same way as many interconnected record-keeping
databases for birders such as E-Bird, but with one simple difference: Now
your listing efforts come with a price tag! Best of all, how much money you
collect (or pay) depends on how much effort you put in. Never before have
the benefits of listing been so tangible and fungible.

How to participate:
Step 1: Sign up at FeeBird.com, and pay a one-time enrollment fee, good for
the first year of membership. Deposit the minimum balance in your account,
and you are ready to list.

Step 2: Once you are a member, you agree to list all birds you observe on
FeeBird's online, searchable database. The more birds you record, the better
the chance that you will earn.

Step 3: Upload or manually enter your county, state , national & ABA life
lists . At present, FeeBird is only functional in the ABA area, and only
operates at the 'life list' level, but plans to expand include both World
FeeBirding, and Year FeeBirding.

Step 4: Want to find a new lifer? Just look it up on FeeBird! If someone has
reported it, you'll have up-to-date information, with directions
automatically tied to mapping software to tell you where to go. It's that
simple. Depending on which of your life-lists the new species helps you
build, FeeBird will automatically calculate and charge you the appropriate
deduction from your account:

Did a Fellow FeeBirder lead you to a county lifer? You are assessed from $2
- $10, depending on how high your county list is [A FeeBirder who helped you
find county lifer #201 is valued more than a FeeBirder who is only helped
you find county lifer #21].

Did that FeeBirder get you a new State Lifer? The same principal applies,
with 'fees' ranging from $10 - $100. At the national and ABA level, a
similar sliding scale is involved.

It's that simple!

Best of all: You can make money off your sightings by getting out there and
birding!

Find a good bird? Bravo! If you are the first to list it on FeeBird, you've
staked your claim and are ready to collect. Now, every time another FeeBird
member chases and ticks that same bird, you collect a 'fee'. You collect
$1-5 for every county lifer you 'show' another FeeBirder, $5-$75 for every
State Bird, and up to $500 for an ABA lifer shown to a high-level lister.
Just think how much you stand to earn if you happen to be the one to lay
claim to a Mega-Rarity! Never before have your birds counted for so much.

Just added! With the blossoming of Twitter , we've rushed to add a new
feature to FeeBird, even before our formal launch! For the first 100
subscribers, a special Twitter feed will allow you to re-report an already
'staked' out bird and claim a portion of the 'fee.' Nevermore will you need
to lament being the second person to find a rarity.

Take the Elitism out of E-Birding and put the Fun back in with Fee-Birding!



FeeBird is available for download beginning today, April 1 , 2009.

Good, and profitable birding,

Matt Bartels
Seattle WA