Today doesn’t feel as much like “walking in a winter wonderland” as it does “slogging through an early mud season”. If you live outside the Upper Valley on the border of Vermont and New Hampshire, I hope you’ve had better luck maintaining snow cover. I realize that I often begin a post by commenting on the weather. Monitoring patterns in the natural world, including paying attention to factors such as precipitation and temperature, are important because they drive a species’ ability to persist in an area. As weather patterns get increasingly erratic, plants, animals, and fungi that we’ve long accepted as common in our area may shift farther north in an attempt to keep pace with cooler temperatures or disappear completely. By paying attention to the weather and monitoring biodiversity, we are staying connected with the rhythms of nature and alert to potential problems.
As humans, we are wired for connection, both to other humans and our surrounding environment. Today, these connections help us tackle some of the biggest threats facing our species and our planet. They allow us to identify what’s normal and what isn’t, and come together as a community to learn and problem-solve. Nowadays, there are countless ways for people to connect with each other. While this is a double-edged sword in some ways, many examples of technology improving connections exist.
This Week on Tech Tip Tuesday
iNaturalist is one such example of how modern technology can help us connect to nature and each other. While there are many ways to connect through iNaturalist, today we’re talking about profiles. I know, profiles may not seem like the most pressing issue to address when it comes it iNaturalist use, however they are surprisingly important. Besides individual observations, your profile is how you will make a first impression on other users. Ultimately, iNaturalist is a social media site – it’s a way to connect and communicate with other nature-enthusiasts. Your profile is how you can display your skills and interests to others so that they know who is sharing observations and who is providing identifications.
I realize that profiles are very personal, so feel free to take whatever tips resonate with you and leave others behind.
If you’re curious about what some example profiles that follow these guidelines might look like, check out these iNaturalist users:
Greg Lasley
Cedric Lee
Denis Doucet
Jason Michael Crockwell
At this point, you might be thinking “This is all great, but how do I even edit my profile?”. The good news is that it’s quite simple. Go to the dropdown menu under profile icon in the top right corner and click on “Profile”. Once on that page, click on “Edit Account Settings & Profile” under your picture. Once you are on the “Edit” page, you can change many different parts of your profile. For today, I recommend sticking with your name, profile icon, and the “Tell everyone a little about yourself” textbox, but feel free to explore other possible settings.
TTT Task of the Week
Start out by exploring the profiles listed above. Think about what you like and may want to incorporate in your own profile. Then go edit your own profile, including at least one of the suggestions made above. Take a look at the other areas you can edit, but for now focus on your name, picture, and description.
As always, thank you for helping us map Vermont’s biodiversity and happy observing!
Comentarios
Añade un comentario