Concern for the DAPNet forum’s future?

[Andy Carson]

I suppose one of the attractive things about Facebook is that you are not limited in how many photos you can post. I know I just had to clean up (downsize/delete) some old photos to be able to post a few new ones on this site. I know I can put a link to the photos in another website where there is no size limitation, but it is sure nice if they are right there in the post so you can see them right away as you are reading. Perhaps facebook is attracting people who want to see and post lots of photos (as Kevin points out)? Again, I haven’t noticed this pattern…

[Tim Harrigan]

I rarely look at Facebook but I have some coarse divisions in my mind based on what I have seen. Facebook is for folks who like to say ‘hi’. I see much more serious and detailed discussion on this site.

[Andy Carson]

I agree, Tim. This is a very different sort of interaction. I haven’t done much on Facebook in a while, but one of the things that is kinda fun about it is that you can post what you are doing and people say things like “Wow!” or “Great!” or give you a “thumbs up.” Not intellectually stimulating or informative and it doesn’t make you are better teamster, but it can be nice and it is definately encouraging to get instant almost completely positive feedback. I wonder if in a culture/environment where constructive criticism is allowed, asked for, and often needed, some might be hesitant to post. Certainly posting is easiler in a culture/environment where a “post” of “thumbs up” is considered the norm and there is no expectation that posts say anything thought provoking. If I really think about it, I have noticed less posts in the vein of “Hey, look at this” or “Look what I did”… Is this what attracts people to use facebook? I think the member diary section (Every now and again post a page of your day..date, time, weather,successes and failures.. no answers expected… no debates.. Just a gradual build up of a diary of members daily lives) is kinda like facebook in theory, but I think our culture of substantive thoughts and constructive criticism pervades this area too. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I think it is very helpful, but I could see someone who just wanted to tell a story without debate being turned off… On one hand, there are so many places where someone can get a “thumbs up,” and what makes this place so special is you can get intelligent thoughts from knowledgable people. On the other hand, most people are less interested in knowledge without some sort of story attached to it and the story line itself is valuable in putting knowledge into context. Plus, I am sure many people do want to be the subject of a story that demonstrates concepts, especially when it demonstrates failures. I think that if we are losing people to Facebook (which I am not sure of) it might be due to either 1) more photos or 2) the “thumbs up” effect. Other than that I am out of theories for why someone would want to be on facebook. 🙂

[Lanny Collins]

Andy, you have given a pretty good assessment of facebook. I am on facebook because it is easier to keep in touch with friends (both domestic and international) but you will not learn much, unless you want to know who is at walmart, or who got their hair fixed. Most of the young generation are, for some reason, competing to be “noticed” so they take pictures of themselves and post the pictures there. It is true that you have to be careful of what is posted because what you post is sometimes shared with total strangers so anything controversial is problematic, however if you want to have a conversation with one person it is possible to chat online or send a message so they are the only one that see it. Facebook is good for putting together photo albums and sharing information and for those who have no special interests like dapnet can stay in touch with people. Facebook is a powerful tool but don’t expect it to replace this forum any time soon.

[Tim Harrigan]

@Countymouse 33687 wrote:

….I wonder if in a culture/environment where constructive criticism is allowed, asked for, and often needed, some might be hesitant to post. Certainly posting is easiler in a culture/environment where a “post” of “thumbs up” is considered the norm and there is no expectation that posts say anything thought provoking….

I am sure you are correct. We do have a tendency to get right to the point and that can be interpreted as criticism, although I can’t remember many comments that I think were made with that intention. I think most of us who engage in the more intense discussions understand the purpose and intent, but in some recent cases I am sure it seemed like a ton of bricks.

[Carl Russell]

@Countymouse 33684 wrote:

I suppose one of the attractive things about Facebook is that you are not limited in how many photos you can post. I know I just had to clean up (downsize/delete) some old photos to be able to post a few new ones on this site. I know I can put a link to the photos in another website where there is no size limitation, but it is sure nice if they are right there in the post so you can see them right away as you are reading. Perhaps facebook is attracting people who want to see and post lots of photos (as Kevin points out)? Again, I haven’t noticed this pattern…

As many of you know, I have spent many hours visiting this site. Almost too many, but at the beginning I felt a personal drive to see substantive discussion. I had visited other sites and found, even in the discussion forum format, them to be littered with frivolous conversations. We have had our share here, but I see much more of that stuff on facebook.

They both have their value.

I started off this year purposefully reducing my contributions here (and facebook) because it is so easy to take these interactions seriously and get caught up in the activity.

I do find facebook to be a great place to post photos….. especially to drag over here. Once a pic is posted to facebook (or any other web based album) it can be dragged to this forum and placed into a thread with NO impact on your upload limit…. it is not a DAP.com file….

For example here is a picture I just posted last week on facebook…..

I just thought that an update of my physical condition was more appropriate for facebook that for DAP.com………

So that this thread doesn’t get distracted follow this link to find the details http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=267047103377257&set=a.140942595987709.37159.100002159098323&type=1&theater

Suffice to say that I was pretty “F”ing surprised to find my leg where it was…… between evener and loaded sled…

But back to the topic. I think the categorization capacity on here is a huge future value for archival info that facebook just can’t begin to deliver.

So I use both tools together to get the most out of both…..

Thanks to all of you for taking this so seriously, and for all of the thought that goes into nearly every post on here.

Carl

[Kevin Cunningham]

DAP is where I go, because I lack good mentors and teachers of Draft Animal Power in my local area. Every book or resource I have ever read on horses or oxen recommends finding a good mentor to help you learn how to work animals. In some ways DAP is inadequate compared to a live mentor and in some ways it is superior because of the scope of knowledge and being able to have multiple conversations with multiple people. I am extremely grateful for the ability to access a group of knowledgeable teamsters from the comfort of my rocking chair at all hours of the day. We live in a good time for the distribution of knowledge. Why do I say all this because, mentors are not supposed to “like” everything you do. Friends are good for “liking” but often a mentor will tell you the truth and it is sometimes hard to take the truth. It probably is hard for some people to speak up on this forum and I know I just read posts for a long while till I spoke up. For those who do it is very rewarding in my opinion. Facebook has its place, but it will never supplant the sharing on this forum.

[LStone]

Not sure I have a preference and both sites have completely different uses for me. I know there are different people and subject matter common to each format and work within the limitations and audience of each.

[Scott G]

I’ll admit that I am a person who said they would never have a use for Facebook. Now I log on to it pretty much daily. The differences between DAP and FB are real and, for me, each has a valuable role.

FB is great for bantering with folks. I guess I would equate it to going down to the local coffee shop in the morning and chatting with my friends, fellow woodsmen, and horse loggers. The reality is that I don’t have a local coffee shop at the bottom of the mountain and it sure wouldn’t be full of horse loggin’ buddies if it did exist, as there are no other horse loggers in my area. Point is that FB is a great avenue to carry on the normal daily conversations with those in our peer/interest group just as we do with friends and family that are nearby. It is easy to carry on a conversation, share photos, sites, etc. In short, it is dynamic in real time. When used as it is by many young people and socialites, which I am not, it could rapidly get out of hand as they have several hundred to thousands of “friends” and the posts are more akin to frivolous dribble than conversations. Conversely, I have ~130 “friends” who are fellow woodsmen, horseloggers, and folks with the same interests as myself. I count them all as true friends from across the globe. Other than the DAP group there is also a horseloggers roundtable which is a closed group and provides a great venue to discuss what’s up and share items of mutual interest. If you keep a firm grip on your FB acount, which I do, it can be an excellent additional resource which compliments, rather than replaces, other forums such as DAPnet.

DAPnet is a wonderful resource where much of the same networking takes place with many of the same folks. The main difference is that topics are focused, discussed at length, usually in great detail, and are archived. Often when new folks visit the site and search the archives, topic threads become alive once more with fresh valid questions and input. DAPnet is definitely a mentoring and networking format within the context of education and betterment of our culture. DAPnet is the embodiment of our culture and way of life.

In summary, the way I see it… FB is a coffee shop, DAPnet is a community.

[jac]

Scott that was a great way to sum it up. DAPnet really is a community.. John

[Kevin Cunningham]

okay, okay so I did it I joined the DAP facebook page. I guess I just don’t want to miss anything!

[PhilG]

I’m trying to be the last person in earth not to Facebook, to much of a time suck for people like me that are easily distracted, just like I’ve been reading here for an hour and a half, now I’m late for work!

[drafthorsey]

I think the bigger question is “Will there be a Facebook” in the future?

Horse, mule, ox questions, planting questions, how to, or varmint questions aren’t going away. This is one of the best Dr. offices anywhere no matter what you’re facing on the land. It seems somebody’s written something on DAP about what you’re wondering about.

Things change so fast in that computer world, maybe the question oughta be will Facebook and Google be here in 5 years?

[mitchmaine]

carl,
wondering how your leg healed up? nasty wound there.

[gwpoky]

I also didn’t know about the FB page, will check it out, but I check for updates here everyday I can it has been a great resource and motivation. I think everyone is pretty busy right now, I know I am more active on here during the slower season, right now it is raining here. Keep up the good work here and if there is anything I can do to help let me know. Hope to meet up with some of you at the Horse Progress Days…..about a month away yippy.

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