Pheasants, Facebook and the Future of Conservation
How the advent of online social networking can help the wellbeing of wildlife
Credit: (Pheasants Forever)
Source: www.pheasantsforever.org
Published: Oct. 21, 2009
by Andrew Vavra, PF's Merchandise & Marketing Specialist
Twenty years ago, we couldn't have dreamt how powerful the Internet would become, or how much of an asset it would be to telling our conservation story and engaging new members. Last year, nearly half a million people visited www.PheasantsForever.org. Thousands of those visitors became our newest PF members or bought merchandise. Add those sales to the advertising revenue generated by our sponsors’ website advertisements and it's easy to see the financial and educational impact our on-line presence has had to our on-the-ground conservation mission.
I began working at Pheasants Forever a little over a year ago as a fresh-faced 22 year old coming straight out of college. Being an avid bird hunter, I understood the importance of working hard to preserve and improve the outdoor world I had learned to love from a very early age. However, I also saw a large disconnect from my generation. My friends enjoyed the outdoors, but weren't active in conservation organizations. I believed this wasn’t because my peers weren’t listening, but rather, they weren’t being reached. The current average age of a PF member is 49, and this number is rapidly climbing. In order to ensure PF’s mission continues to flourish decades from now, a younger audience must be enlisted to help carry the torch. It is for this reason we have begun to use social networking as a way to reach a population we have struggled to successfully engage since our 1982 beginnings - the 18 to 34 year olds.
For those who are unfamiliar with online social networking, the concept can be likened to connecting with your neighbors at a block party, except now you have millions of neighbors located all throughout the world. This is made possible through various unique websites that provide a common platform for everyone to connect, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. All of these websites have one thing in common, they provide a wealth of opportunity to unite with other people having similar interests – ours being habitat conservation – for free.
With more than 200 million active users worldwide, Facebook (www.facebook.com) is the world's largest social network. Facebook allows users to join networks based on various criteria such as region, workplace and schools attended. Once a part of a network, it is easy to create your own personal profile and then find friends, family members, coworkers and other people you wish to stay in touch with. Facebook also allows users to create “Groups” and “Fan Pages” for people to join so that they may discover new contacts who share commonalities. For instance, PF’s fan page can be found by typing “Pheasants Forever” in Facebook’s search area. Currently, there are nearly 2,500 fans of PF on Facebook, and of these fans, 70 percent fall between the ages of 13 and 35 – our missing demographic. The PF fan page is a place where our fans can participate in quizzes on prairie flowers and dog identification, receive reminders about keeping you and your dog safe in the field, learn about pheasant biology and hunting hot spots, find updates on pheasant related events occurring all throughout the country and more. Become a fan and ask us questions, share your own pictures and watch our latest videos covering everything from dog training to proper shooting techniques.
Another social networking website utilized by PF is called LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com). This site is similar to Facebook in its ability to connect and share ideas with others; however, it is especially oriented for business-related activities and events. LinkedIn provides an arena for professional and personal networking to take place on a grand level. Giving and receiving feedback and recommendations with governmental agencies, discovering new business opportunities and strengthening bonds with existing members and partners is PF’s focus on this site, and we want you to take part in it. Join the Pheasants Forever LinkedIn group and participate in opinion polls and surveys, receive the latest upland gaming news, learn about job postings and find information on upcoming events – all while being able to provide us with feedback on how we can continue to be the most effective conservation organization in the nation.
The internet is also abuzz with “tweeting,” or “micro-blogging” on Twitter (www.twitter.com). A “tweet” is a short posting of text that can be up to 140 characters long, this post is then displayed on your profile and sent to everyone else who is following you. This is a great way for our supporters to follow our minute-to-minute activities aimed at putting habitat on the ground and birds in the sky. For instance, you’ll be able to comment on a current press release being written, learn about newly formed PF chapters and even follow the progress we are making towards Pheasant Fest 2010 in Des Moines, Iowa. Simply send a tweet to our username “pheasants4ever” and become an even greater part of our conservation community.
In today’s fast paced world, if you’re not moving forward you’re falling behind. We can’t afford to be stagnant with all of the looming threats to wildlife and declining hunter recruitment numbers. Any opportunity that allows us to connect with members as well as gain more supporters is one we must take. It is no surprise that my generation seems to be dragging its feet when it comes to being conscious about conservation issues, but time has not run out and we here at "The Habitat Organization" are going the extra mile to open up avenues for gaining the younger age groups’ interest and support. PF has never been more accessible, with opportunities to provide instantaneous feedback to our article postings and the ability to post questions that we at PF and other avid outdoorsmen and women can answer -immediately - are just a few of the benefits of joining our online communities. Later on down the road, social networking could become an instrumental tool in selling tickets to chapter banquets, rallying volunteers, and gaining the attention of legislators, but nonetheless, one thing is clear: The future for pheasants is being decided today. Meet us on the web and help put more wildlife in the fields.
Insert: Links to all of our social networking website homepages and group pages can be found under the “Quick Links” section of the Pheasants Forever website www.pheasantsforever.org.
Andrew Vavra, PF's Merchandise & Marketing Specialist - avavra@pheasantsforever.org
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