Introducing Birding Online

 

First things first: Yes, you’ve landed at The ABA Blog. For the next week, though, The ABA Blog will be hijacked by Birding magazine.

It’s not as bad as it sounds. We’re all friends. Not only that, we’re gradually morphing together. The distinction between print and online content is breaking down. The September 2012 Birding, arriving in ABA members’ mailboxes right now, is loaded with “WebExtras”—that is to say, Birding magazine content online. WebExtras are indicated in both the online and print versions by this symbol:

Where to put it all? Well, that’s a work in progress. We’re moving closer toward our goal of a centralized website for all online content—both a “landing page” for folks arriving via the print version of Birding and a “launch pad” to all the online content. We’ll have a prototype up and running in a few days, we’ll have a more advanced version in place with the November 2012 Birding, and we intend to have Birding Online fully functional in 2013.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s still September. You’ve just received the September issue of Birding. Where are all those “WebExtras”?

They’re right here! We’ll be posting them to The ABA Blog during the course of the next week. Please check back daily to see all the new content. And please don’t be a passive consumer of all the information. The ABA Blog welcomes your comments, questions, and suggestions.

Something else. Starting with the September 2012 Birding, we are offering exclusive, password-protected, members-only content. Such content is indicated online and in the print magazine by this symbol:

Stay tuned for further announcements regarding access to your members-only content.

 

Comments

[rick Wright]

Looking forward to these developments!

[Amar Ayyash]

This is pretty neat. Think of all the times you've read an article and wished you had a chance to ask a follow-up question or make an interjection. I could see this evolving into something grand -- nice way to move forward and engage readers. I'm sure you guys are on top of this already, but the online content will have to be efficiently archived as it will inevitably become birding literature.

[Ted Floyd]

Thanks, Amar. This sentiment of yours is gratifying to me:

"I could see this evolving into something grand -- nice way to move forward and engage readers."

First, what I perceive to be a bit of caution in your tone ("I could see this evolving") is entirely appropriate. We at the ABA are excited by all the changes, but we're not there yet. We're getting there, I believe, and I hope we're doing it the right way: Full speed ahead, and don't get all uptight and discouraged by the inevitable bumps along the way.

Re: "nice way to move forward and engage readers." You hit the nail on the head, as far as I'm concerned. The ABA, like any organization, is, or ought to be, constantly evolving. In the past year or so, I think we've made great strides toward what might be termed ABA 2.0: responsive, interactive, and engaging. Hence, Birding Online--whatever it is, and whatever it is to become.

[John Harris]

Are you thinking about a web archive of past issues?
Thanks very much, I'm enjoying the blog.

[Chas Swift]

Ted - I have not received my September Birding yet and some of these Birding related posts are already getting buried in the ABA blog. I see they are linked in the Birding Magazine section but still guessing it might be better to roll out the blog posts after most members have received their paper copy (whenever that is - things do take a bit longer to get to northern Idaho!). thanks, Charles.

[Ted Floyd]

Thanks, Charles. I completely see your point, but there's something you're likely not aware of. (Not in any sense your fault, by the way, as the news hasn't yet been widely disseminated.) Anyhow:

All throughout the print version of the September issue, from the front cover right through to the last page, we exhort members to go to here:

aba.org/birding/2012-september

That page is a "launchpad" to all of the online content. It's live, it's current, and it's not going away. Somebody can come check out this content tomorrow, next week, or a year from now. Indeed, I'm gratified by how some of the conversations from the July 2012 and May 2012 issues of Birding are still ongoing. Basically, this is because of folks who are just now getting around to reading those issues (fine with me; I still need to pay last month's bills...), and just now getting to the online content.

Again: It doesn't go away. It's permanent. The time for comments never expires.

Thanks again, Charles. I'm really glad you brought this to light.