As much as I love this BLOG, it is mostly one way. I get occasional emails back or the occasional comment posted in response to a BLOG. That's true. And I enjoy hearing back from you (most of the time!) But it's not a true conversation. It's very one-sided.
I've participated in groups on the internet that had great discussion, but it seemed that there was never a summing up of what was said, no way to tell whether a majority of people agreed with the posters, and there was no follow up to any conclusions that were made. And far too often the conversations exploded in heated words, sniping, sarcasm, and one-ups-manship.
That doesn't mean that they aren't great places to exchange ideas, get publicity for sales, shows, and accomplishments, and put people in touch with each other. It is. But they are not necessarily good places to be sure that your voice is heard on important issues.
When I started The Nature Trail Rabbity Survey Group, I did have one major issue on my mind (rabbit sales at Convention), but I could immediately see that the format would be used to tackle other issues as well.
The group has evolved into a place for level-headed discussion. I struggle with the moderator job because I want people to express their opinions, but I can't allow disagreements to become disagreeable (one of our members recently reminded us that we don't have to be disagreeable to disagree - I love that). It's important that the group maintain its integrity and discuss issues rationally.
We've gone through several surveys so far (since November 2007). From those surveys, we've submitted a proposal to the Convention committee, shared results with the ARBA main office and district directors, written articles and submitted them to the DR, and have gotten an answer or two back from ARBA on smaller issues.
Our current survey concerns lobbying and legislation that could potentially negatively affect our hobby. Here are a couple of our questions:
Who should be primarily responsible for staying aware of pending legislation and rule changes that could potentially impact our hobby?
- ARBA
- Watch groups specifically set up for this purpose
Local or regional rabbit clubs - Individual ARBA members
If ARBA informed its members of pending legislation, are you willing to follow up as an individual to write, call, or otherwise attempt to influence legislators and rule makers?
- Absolutely
- Probably
- Maybe
- I’d like to think I would, but in reality, I probably wouldn’t
- No, it’s not my cup of tea
- No, I don’t think it should be my responsibility
I hope that every ARBA member who reads this BLOG will join the Rabbit Surveys Group if they haven't already. So far, we have 283 members. If you don't have time for all of the discussion, set your preferences to "special notices only," and then just pop in to vote.
All you need to join is your ARBA number. Just go to http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rabbit-surveys/. You will need to sign up with Yahoo! if you have not already. When asked to tell why you want to join the group, just put your ARBA number. I need no other explanation.
Please take the time to put your two cents' worth in. We need to know how each ARBA member feels about important issues. If you will take time to join and vote, I promise to follow-up on each poll to get the information into the appropriate hands and ask for the changes that we as a group feel are important.
Laurie
¶ 11:21 AM
