Gone to work for a couple weeks...

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Brian Hubbs
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Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Brian Hubbs »

Why don't you guys work out a ranking, medal, recognition system for contributors to the database like Robert suggested in the CA forum? I would love to help, but i will be gone...see ya later... :lol:
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kyle loucks
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by kyle loucks »

What kind of recognition would you like for yourself?
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spinifer
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by spinifer »

We already have...its called the Most Contributing Member...Jonathan was the 2010 recipient.
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Fundad
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Fundad »

I think Brian would like a Brownie Button, but he's on the road now and can't defend himself... :lol:

Actually...I think he wanted us to discuss different recognitions and levels to help motivate those who don't enter as much data.
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jonathan
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by jonathan »

spinifer wrote:We already have...its called the Most Contributing Member...Jonathan was the 2010 recipient.
The discussion on the California forum was focusing on all those who feel they don't have a shot at being the "top" person. It stemmed from the issue that its been clear for months that only 3 people have a realistic shot at winning the database contest, so the contest might not be motivating for many other people. Quite a number of California chapter members thought that a tiered recognition system of some sort could be a good thing.
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chrish
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by chrish »

Great idea....http://fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtop ... =12&t=7322 :roll:

Having a series of levels that everyone can achieve would increase motivation.

What if we had stars or something listed under our avatars to represent your levels achieved?
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spinifer
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by spinifer »

chrish wrote:
What if we had stars or something listed under our avatars to represent your levels achieved?

I like this idea, just not sure if it is possible. I have seen other forums do it based on number of posts.

Rather than stars, it would be cool to come up with species names. Nature centers often do this for people who donate money...you give $1000+ your a Bald Eagle, up to $100 is a bluebird, etc.

Just not sure if it is something Don can do and have it appear under the avatar. This would also automatically distinguish members from non-members. And I am not sure how others would feel about that.
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brick911
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by brick911 »

I like it all.
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kyle loucks
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by kyle loucks »

jonathan wrote:
spinifer wrote:We already have...its called the Most Contributing Member...Jonathan was the 2010 recipient.
The discussion on the California forum was focusing on all those who feel they don't have a shot at being the "top" person. It stemmed from the issue that its been clear for months that only 3 people have a realistic shot at winning the database contest, so the contest might not be motivating for many other people. Quite a number of California chapter members thought that a tiered recognition system of some sort could be a good thing.

I stopped calling it a contest, but rather a scorecard, or report card.
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jonathan
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by jonathan »

kyle loucks wrote:
jonathan wrote:
spinifer wrote:We already have...its called the Most Contributing Member...Jonathan was the 2010 recipient.
The discussion on the California forum was focusing on all those who feel they don't have a shot at being the "top" person. It stemmed from the issue that its been clear for months that only 3 people have a realistic shot at winning the database contest, so the contest might not be motivating for many other people. Quite a number of California chapter members thought that a tiered recognition system of some sort could be a good thing.

I stopped calling it a contest, but rather a scorecard, or report card.
Yah - this was in reference to the California Chapter contest. But even if we switched to calling it a "scorecard" too, it might still be nice for some people to get some sort of external recognition for hitting goals.
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Steve Bledsoe
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

spinifer wrote:We already have...its called the Most Contributing Member...Jonathan was the 2010 recipient.
Not really.

The Most Contributing Member Award is in recognition of many factors, not just a number of records. Actually, how many records one contributes to the database should be the least contributing factor to the recognition of this award.
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Steve Bledsoe »

I like Chris' suggestion. Why not keep it simple and do something like put a star or other symbol under the members avatar for every 500 records for instance. A member with 3 stars would be recognized to have at least 1500 records in the database. A member with 4 stars, 2000 records, etc.

If we did this, my only question would be, who would get Flaxington's 6 stars? :lol:
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kyle loucks
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by kyle loucks »

Steve Bledsoe wrote:I like Chris' suggestion. Why not keep it simple and do something like put a star or other symbol under the members avatar for every 500 records for instance. A member with 3 stars would be recognized to have at least 1500 records in the database. A member with 4 stars, 2000 records, etc.

If we did this, my only question would be, who would get Flaxington's 6 stars? :lol:


Jonathan would for entering them all. :thumb:
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by hellihooks »

Before the crash I had suggested a badge system... newby, member, mentor, guide, guru...based on years of experience/contributions in/to the hobby. If for nothing else, a memento of appreciation... say for guys like Fundad or Billboard... not so much as a ranking... just an acknowledgment for all they do for others. :thumb: jim
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Don Becker
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Don Becker »

Do we need an "Achievement Unlocked" type thing like on the xbox?
Taylor Henry
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Taylor Henry »

psyon wrote:Do we need an "Achievement Unlocked" type thing like on the xbox?
:lol: Something along those lines might be kinda fun.
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Fundad
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Fundad »

Do we need an "Achievement Unlocked" type thing like on the xbox?
Thats a Great Idea :thumb:


What were looking for is a system that recognizes different things for newer data gatherers.

We want to encourage the new people and those with several hundred or so to continue
to enter data, when contests become out of reach (I think that has happened in the California Scorecard)

No one is going to beat Hubbs, but having a system that motivates others to keep entering data with different
goal sets might work..

Like 1st county record, 50th county record.

Random examples would be..
1st new species, 10 th new species
1st new county, 10 th new county
1st entry, 100th entry 1,000 entry 3,000 th entry


Maybe a star system with 20 stars total or something.

That would keep people working and entering..


Thats all
Fundad
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spinifer
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by spinifer »

psyon wrote:Do we need an "Achievement Unlocked" type thing like on the xbox?
So you are saying you could/its possible to do something like this?
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Chris Smith
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Chris Smith »

I think these achievement-levels should include more than just data entry (e.g., number of years as an officer, etc...). Plus, stars are lame, might as well have little herp shapes or some sort of narcissism gauge, Lol.

Image



:lol:
-Chris
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Don Becker
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Don Becker »

spinifer wrote:
psyon wrote:Do we need an "Achievement Unlocked" type thing like on the xbox?
So you are saying you could/its possible to do something like this?
At some point. I am a bit back logged on things right now. Does anyone feel like designing some badges or something?
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by jonathan »

Chris Smith wrote:I think these achievement-levels should include more than just data entry (e.g., number of years as an officer, etc...). Plus, stars are lame, might as well have little herp shapes or some sort of narcissism gauge, Lol.
I'm not sure what "number of years as an officer" means, considering that some guys have been officers for several years but appear to do nothing at all, whereas others are officers and contribute brilliantly, whereas others aren't officers at all but contribute a lot.

The main issue at hand was a motivation for database entry that gives some sort of goals/recognition to those who aren't at the absolute top. I think that in order to achieve that goal, we should stick with data entry for now for the "achievement levels".

I agree that it doesn't just have to be total entries. I like having different colors/shapes based on different categories - perhaps we could have 1 gold star for every 500 entries, 1 silver star for every 50 species, and 1 bronze star for every 50 county records? Those numbers were pulled out of nowhere and could be adjusted. And it could be lizards/snakes/salamanders instead of colored stars, or anything else you wanted.
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by spinifer »

I dont follow either of these, but i'm listening.... 8-)
I like having different colors/shapes based on different categories - perhaps we could have 1 gold star for every 500 entries, 1 silver star for every 50 species, and 1 bronze star for every 50 county records?
Random examples would be..
1st new species, 10 th new species
1st new county, 10 th new county
1st entry, 100th entry 1,000 entry 3,000 th entry
There needs to be some kind of limit on number of stars, else...










.















.














....Hubbs posts will take up this much space, just to fit them in.
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Fundad »

Nate and Chris, I was just throwing the thoughts together. You can call them whatever you guys want however you want. Hellihooks and Robert H said they had some ideas thought out..

It doesn't matter much to me, whatever it takes to help motivate everyone to keep entering data.


I will continue to enter data no matter what. .... I do like to look at the total counties and species on the "entry php's"
I hope to have 20,000 records before I die..

I enter data for a number of reasons, but management and conservation is my main inspiration. Rick Staub pounded that into my pee brain for a number of years, we need more data, and I should be recording everything I see.

Heck, I won the 2010 contest and all I got were like 6 atta boys.. :lol: No Parade or tribute are anything.. :lol: :lol: jk

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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by RobertH »

The main issue at hand was a motivation for database entry that gives some sort of goals/recognition to those who aren't at the absolute top. I think that in order to achieve that goal, we should stick with data entry for now for the "achievement levels".

I agree that it doesn't just have to be total entries. I like having different colors/shapes based on different categories - perhaps we could have 1 gold star for every 500 entries, 1 silver star for every 50 species, and 1 bronze star for every 50 county records? Those numbers were pulled out of nowhere and could be adjusted. And it could be lizards/snakes/salamanders instead of colored stars, or anything else you wanted.
I agree with Jonathan. Let's stick with data entry, at least for this particular new "incentive plan." The goal is to recognize data entry.

My original idea was this: Someone from each chapter (and we'd need to figure out who that is for each chapter) actually puts up a short post on the chapter forum when a member has reached a defined milestone, briefly thanking that member for his/her effort and, where applicable, commenting on one or two particularly noteworthy entries, most notably, new species, new county, or county record, and then asking the recognized member to comment on any other interesting features recorded, for example, any herp found at an unusual altitude or temperature or close to the limit of its known distribution, voucher shots that were difficult to get, habitat that was difficult to access, etc. Let's call them thank-you posts.

The idea here is to bring to life for the rest of the forum not only the effort that goes into finding and recording herps, but also the rewards associated with finding and recording special stuff. And for, say, every 50 or 100 entries, there is always something special to report.

Now, I realize that this will take more - ongoing - work than an automated star or badge system (which we could, btw, implement in addition). psyon would basically need to write a program that alerts him that a member has reached a defined milestone. He would then notify whoever will make the thank-you post on the forum. Or perhaps that person could be alerted directly, I don't know. And that person would then make the thank-you post.

How much this entails will obviously depend on how we define the milestones and how many people reach these milestones. To make sure the whole thing doesn't become hopelessly unmanageable, we should probably start out slowly and keep milestones relatively few in number and spaced far enough apart.

How about a thank-you post for:

- the first 50 entries
- the first 100 entries
- the first 200 entries
- the first 300 entries
- the first 400 entries
- the first 500 entries
- the first 1000 entries
- the 2000 entries?


To avoid having to thank Hubbs and Fundad twice a day :lol: , we probably should set a minimum threshold based on prior entries. For example: If I enter 750 records in 2011, I should not expect to be thanked for entering the first 50 or even 500 records I enter in 2012. I have already demonstrated my motivation to enter that amount of data without any special recognition, i.e., I don't need recognition to enter another 750 records. But it might motivate me to enter 1000 records.

For those who would by virtue of their prior database entries not be eligible for thank-you posts until they surpass their previous entry numbers, I'd suggest to implement a star/badge system that reflects those prior achievements, e.g.,

- a bronze star/lower level badge for every 100 all-time entries up to 400 (= four bronze stars)

- a silver star/upper level badge for every 500 all-time entries up to 2000 (= four silver stars)

- a gold star/highest level badge for every 2500 all-time records (up to how ever many stars will fit under the person's name. I guess)

The different level stars/badges would appear in separate rows, with bronze at the bottom, silver in the middle, and gold on top.

The star/badge system wouldn't entail any ongoing work, but psyon who would of course have to write it. And that maybe difficult and time-consuming, I have no clue.

Of course, the specific milestone I suggested are just that - suggestions. I wanted to be specific, so as to illustrate exactly what such a two-prong system would look like. The thank-you posts - per chapter - shouldn't be all that much work. Based on this year's CA contest data, for example, only about 10 or so members would have received thank-you posts for the first 50 entries (I did not count people who I assumed entered 50 or more last year, and there are quite a few, of course). The numbers are even lower for the higher levels. The hope is, of course, that those numbers will go up because of the new system, but realistically we probably need not worry about a major onslaught.

Well, what do you think?

Robert
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Taylor Henry »

I really like it Robert :thumb:
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by spinifer »

Robert, I like it too.

I think posting thank yous for total entries milestones is great. I think Don could easily write up a score card to track it, someone would then be responsible for checking it (one of the chapter officers should do it). Although I was unclear if this was a total entries for the year, or total entries all time?

I also like your second idea. Very structured and simple.
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Fundad »

Way to go Robert.. :thumb:


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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by RobertH »

I am glad you like it, Taylor. You'd look like a 4-star admiral under my proposed system :lol:

EDIT: Same for you, Brian and Nate :thumb:
Although I was unclear if this was a total entries for the year, or total entries all time?
The thank-you posts would be awarded based on entries for any given year, i.e., we'd start over again each year, except that people who have entered data in one year would be subject to different (higher) minimum thresholds the next year, as set out above.

On second thought, here's one amendment to the above milestones: To motivate in particular people who have never entered any records or only 1 or 3 records, and there are quite a few of those, maybe 50 records sets the bar for the first thank-you post too high.

Would 10 or 25 be better as the first milestone (making 50 records the second milestone)?

Robert
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by hellihooks »

Killer Concept Robert. I will chip in to buy Fundad a shirt, with stars and ribbons and badges all over it and in big bold letters "1ST PLACE NAFHA Ca Chpt. Data Enty WINNER!
Seriously... big oversight on our part... :shock: jim
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by RobertH »

OK, great, so it looks like this may actually work.

I'd still like to get a little bit more input from others, especially Jonathan and also officers from other chapters. Let's make sure we're all on the same page.

In the meantime, maybe psyon could let us know what exactly he can do and what he recommends.

Thanks,

Robert
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by jonathan »

My only suggestion is that I would stick with 50 for the first milestone. 10 or 20 records is often what people enter the first time they enter records. 50 is more of an actual milestone, and I'd rather have the first milestone be something meaningful.

As far as everything else goes, I'm totally in favor of the plan you laid out. If anyone has suggestions to tweak it, though, I'm not married to the plan - I'm more in favor of whatever we can all come to consensus on than worried about the specifics.
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Owen »

RobertH wrote:
The main issue at hand was a motivation for database entry that gives some sort of goals/recognition to those who aren't at the absolute top. I think that in order to achieve that goal, we should stick with data entry for now for the "achievement levels".

I agree that it doesn't just have to be total entries. I like having different colors/shapes based on different categories - perhaps we could have 1 gold star for every 500 entries, 1 silver star for every 50 species, and 1 bronze star for every 50 county records? Those numbers were pulled out of nowhere and could be adjusted. And it could be lizards/snakes/salamanders instead of colored stars, or anything else you wanted.
I agree with Jonathan. Let's stick with data entry, at least for this particular new "incentive plan." The goal is to recognize data entry.

My original idea was this: Someone from each chapter (and we'd need to figure out who that is for each chapter) actually puts up a short post on the chapter forum when a member has reached a defined milestone, briefly thanking that member for his/her effort and, where applicable, commenting on one or two particularly noteworthy entries, most notably, new species, new county, or county record, and then asking the recognized member to comment on any other interesting features recorded, for example, any herp found at an unusual altitude or temperature or close to the limit of its known distribution, voucher shots that were difficult to get, habitat that was difficult to access, etc. Let's call them thank-you posts.

The idea here is to bring to life for the rest of the forum not only the effort that goes into finding and recording herps, but also the rewards associated with finding and recording special stuff. And for, say, every 50 or 100 entries, there is always something special to report.

Now, I realize that this will take more - ongoing - work than an automated star or badge system (which we could, btw, implement in addition). psyon would basically need to write a program that alerts him that a member has reached a defined milestone. He would then notify whoever will make the thank-you post on the forum. Or perhaps that person could be alerted directly, I don't know. And that person would then make the thank-you post.

How much this entails will obviously depend on how we define the milestones and how many people reach these milestones. To make sure the whole thing doesn't become hopelessly unmanageable, we should probably start out slowly and keep milestones relatively few in number and spaced far enough apart.

How about a thank-you post for:

- the first 50 entries
- the first 100 entries
- the first 200 entries
- the first 300 entries
- the first 400 entries
- the first 500 entries
- the first 1000 entries
- the 2000 entries?


To avoid having to thank Hubbs and Fundad twice a day :lol: , we probably should set a minimum threshold based on prior entries. For example: If I enter 750 records in 2011, I should not expect to be thanked for entering the first 50 or even 500 records I enter in 2012. I have already demonstrated my motivation to enter that amount of data without any special recognition, i.e., I don't need recognition to enter another 750 records. But it might motivate me to enter 1000 records.

For those who would by virtue of their prior database entries not be eligible for thank-you posts until they surpass their previous entry numbers, I'd suggest to implement a star/badge system that reflects those prior achievements, e.g.,

- a bronze star/lower level badge for every 100 all-time entries up to 400 (= four bronze stars)

- a silver star/upper level badge for every 500 all-time entries up to 2000 (= four silver stars)

- a gold star/highest level badge for every 2500 all-time records (up to how ever many stars will fit under the person's name. I guess)

The different level stars/badges would appear in separate rows, with bronze at the bottom, silver in the middle, and gold on top.

The star/badge system wouldn't entail any ongoing work, but psyon who would of course have to write it. And that maybe difficult and time-consuming, I have no clue.

Of course, the specific milestone I suggested are just that - suggestions. I wanted to be specific, so as to illustrate exactly what such a two-prong system would look like. The thank-you posts - per chapter - shouldn't be all that much work. Based on this year's CA contest data, for example, only about 10 or so members would have received thank-you posts for the first 50 entries (I did not count people who I assumed entered 50 or more last year, and there are quite a few, of course). The numbers are even lower for the higher levels. The hope is, of course, that those numbers will go up because of the new system, but realistically we probably need not worry about a major onslaught.

Well, what do you think?

Robert
Robert, I think it looks really good. While I'm not a contest guy, this could persuade me to go for some braggin' rights numbers. After all, we all have a little vanity.

BTW, this goes out to all re: database entries... When I was photographing Red-legged frogs, I just did one record and mentioned about 40 seen. I actually photographed about 20 or so at the location. Should I have made that 4 or 5 records of 4 to 5 vouchers each (I think it allows 5 pictures) given these were seen over a 15 yard stretch of shoreline? I do the same for toadlets, etc... I guess what I'm getting at, is if the one record is enough, or if photos are available, does it benefit the data better to be all inclusive?

Oh, and the 'H' homeroom rules the CA data :beer: Any other letters wanna challenge ;)
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jonathan
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by jonathan »

That's something that I think can really be left to the individual. If you include them all in one entry, or if you make a separate entry for every frog, I don't have a problem either way.

You can put as many vouchers as you want into one entry. You can only upload 5 at a time, but you can get additional vouchers in by just hitting "edit" and then adding more pictures (your original vouchers you entered will stay in every time you edit). I think I have as many as 18 vouchers in one entry, if I'm lumping a bunch of herps together or if I need a lot of specific scale pictures for the ID.

Personally, for me, if I can see all of the herps at one time (or fit them into the same picture), I include them in one entry. So if I'm flipping, I make one entry for each productive board/log/rock I flip, but if they're sitting out on a shoreline then I'll count each "grouping" in an area as one entry.

Then again, if I'm lazy I might only make one entry for each side of the lake, or if it's a really really common species that I enter all the time I might just make one entry for one side of the lake and then mention how many others I saw that day.
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by spinifer »

Should I have made that 4 or 5 records of 4 to 5 vouchers each (I think it allows 5 pictures) given these were seen over a 15 yard stretch of shoreline? I do the same for toadlets, etc... I guess what I'm getting at, is if the one record is enough, or if photos are available, does it benefit the data better to be all inclusive?
Opinions will vary among members, so really it is personal preference, I only divide up records for different GPS and for DOR vs not DOR.

If your primary goal for dividing it up is to pad your entries, then you should not do it, but if there is a biological reason then do it how you think is best.

Btw, its possible to get all 40 pictures into one record. Enter and submit the 5, then edit your record and you will be able to upload an additional 5 photos, repeat.

edit: :x Jonathan beat me to it.
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by jonathan »

Here are a couple of voucher-heavy entries. People certainly aren't expected to do this - I'm just pointing out that it's an option. I only do this if it's a really common species or they're all seen in the same spot.

12 fence lizards vouchered from one short hike:

http://www.naherp.com/viewrecord.php?r_id=16648



4 santa cruz garter snakes vouchered from one small marsh (the notes, which are publicly hidden for other reasons, clearly identify which voucher shots correspond to which garter snake)

http://www.naherp.com/viewrecord.php?r_id=47963
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by brick911 »

Robert,
Great idea and plan. At this point I don't have any tweaking suggestions, but the wheels are turning. The thank you posts should definitely go to an officer. And as VP of the NE, I think it should be the VP's job. Because really, unless you "make" your position, a VP has nothing to do. :|
Bob
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by RobertH »

My only suggestion is that I would stick with 50 for the first milestone. 10 or 20 records is often what people enter the first time they enter records. 50 is more of an actual milestone, and I'd rather have the first milestone be something meaningful.
Hmm, that was sort of what I felt, originally. But, frankly, 10 or 20 records is far from what people who don't regularly contribute to the database enter at any given time. That's the whole problem. They tend to enter 1-3 records at any given time, and many do even that only once or twice. So, to them, 50 records may seem like a big deal, a goal out of reach or not to be reached until some indeterminate day in the far distant future. We should make sure that at least the first milestone is one that will actually be reached by substantially more than 10 or so members (the number of people that have hit 50 records this year, so far).

Ten records does seem a bit lame, I admit, but how about 25?
The thank you posts should definitely go to an officer. And as VP of the NE, I think it should be the VP's job.
Thanks for your thumbs-up, Bob.

As far as thank-you posts are concerned, I agree that they would be most meaningful, if they came from a chapter officer. However, I also realize that not all officers may be keen on writing thank-you posts. So, I am hereby volunteering to write thank-you posts for the CA chapter if need be, though I am not an officer and don't plan on becoming one, either.

Robert
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jonathan
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by jonathan »

I've seen a number of people enter 10 or 20 in their first session. 25 as a goal still seems low to me. I don't think 50 is intimidating - even if you only enter 5 entries a week, you'd be up to 50 in a couple months. I think the first "congrats" should be on something that actually feels like an accomplishment.

But, like I said, I'm not wedded to any idea - if the consensus is to go with a lower number, I'm okay with a lower number.
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spinifer
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by spinifer »

Of our 1500+ members, it looks like only about 25% have 50 or more records. And not all of those people are members on the forum. That means the majority a people likely enter a few records to "try it" but then never enter anymore.

The first step should be a "take notice" PM (or post directly to the records). "Hey, I saw you entered some records into the DB, thanks so much for contributing. Keep 'em coming!"

50 records would then be a good first milestone for a public announcement on the forums. But the milestones could be determined by the person in charge of posting them. I would suggest a minimum of 50, 100, 500, 1000 (and every successive 1000) with each chapter adding more if they choose.
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jonathan
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by jonathan »

Yeah, I like the idea of a "take notice" PM. Every once in a while I try to acknowledge a new data enterer (in the comments) when they enter something I especially like, but it really would be great for every new poster to get some sort of private thank you/keep posting notice when they start.
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Chris Smith
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Chris Smith »

Something to think about...

Not everyone that enters data uses, or wants to use, the forums. How do we encourage those folks to enter more data? Do we have the ability to send out mass e-mails to acknowledge achievements (maybe 1 per week or something) ? We could also incorporate some sort of "Hall of Fame" page on the website (again provides recognition for non-forum users).

Just a thought,
-Chris
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Owen
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Owen »

Thanks guys for the tip on the 'edit' function. In my CRLF example, all were within 40 to 50 feet of each other, so one post will do.

BTW, I do tend to separate stuff by age even if same GPS. If I see a neos and adults is one spot, I'll make two posts instead of using 'varying' (though I used that yesterday).

Robert, 25 is probably too few for a milestone and I like 50 better, but I see no issue with recognizing 1 as it is a milestone. Baby's first step :D I can go out today for an hour and get 50 vouchers (CA-RSG, CRFL, Bullfrog), so not a difficult milestone IMHO.


Too bad you couldn't do evolving icons... Amoeba to start and end up with a Herper icon (dude/chick with a snakestick) as a grand master. Even us Kro-lu aspire to someday become Galu.
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by RobertH »

OK, good, so let's stick with 50 entries for the first milestone then.

In terms of contacting/recognizing people who don't frequent the forums, I hadn't thought of that. Excellent point. Not sure what to do here. I like Chris's idea of sending out mass mailings to everyone who enters - or has entered (?) - data.

Would it be technically possible to have an automated mail go out to anyone who reaches a bench mark, informing them that they have reached that benchmark and that they will be publicly recognized on the chapter's forum?

Robert
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by jonathan »

In the past there's been strong hesitation to do unsolicited emails to data enterers because of the possibility of being flagged as spammers. Don, whose server the database is on and who would most likely be sending out the emails, is especially resistant to doing that.
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Chris Smith »

An email list could be managed on a different server. Emails could me sent out similar to CNAH news/messages.

-Chris
Taylor Henry
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Taylor Henry »

Would it be possible to send it out using the PM system of the forum?
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Shane_TX »

OK, great, so it looks like this may actually work.
Eight people responded to your idea. How many NAFHA members and Database entrants exist?
I'd still like to get a little bit more input from others, especially Jonathan and also officers from other chapters.
I wonder how many Database participants are even worried about recognition? Nothing personal, but this is getting quite corny.

Shane
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by Taylor Henry »

Shane you have a lot of criticisms and issues with NAFHA. Why don't you contribute ideas or solutions to some of them. That's what we are trying to do here. I've thought that you have brought up several good points in the past, but it seems like if you really care, then you would try to improve the things you have issues with. What would you like to see from NAFHA?

Im still wanting to see this:
Shane_TX wrote:Anyway, I'll air my wishlist of NAFHA/HERP Database separation next week in a separate post.

The idea brought up in this thread is just supposed to be for fun. People don't get paid for entering data. It's not the most exciting thing to do in the world. Adding an aspect of fun might make it more appealing for some.

I hope this doesn't come off as an attack, I am genuinely interested in what you think would benefit NAFHA.

Taylor
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by jonathan »

Shane - are you even a NAFHA member? What interest do you actually hold in how NAFHA members applaud the accomplishments of other NAFHA members? What is your quorum for how many NAFHA members have to support a suggestion to recognize people for their contributions before someone is allowed to say, "this may actually work"? Is that really such a bad phrase for someone to use when they've gotten 8 positive responses to an idea in a row?

Your entire criticism is that "eight people responded" and its "corny". I'd love to take something constructive from that, but I can't. I've tried to do an honest job of responding to your frequent questions and criticisms as well as I can, and I've even supported your suggestions before just for your sake even when I didn't see a need for them (like not requiring that people become NAFHA members to enter data in the database). But there isn't even a place to meet you here. It's just empty criticism.
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Re: Gone to work for a couple weeks...

Post by RobertH »

Shane, before I respond in substance, I too want to know whether you are a NAFHA member.

Robert
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