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From: horvath@granite.cr.bull.com (John Horvath)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: CALL FOR DISCUSSION: REC.PETS, REC.BIRDS division.
Message-ID: <1990Aug10.193512.6545@granite.cr.bull.com>
Date: 10 Aug 90 19:35:12 GMT
References: <1282@cnps.PHILIPS.nl> <1965@lectroid.sw.stratus.com> <3219@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM>
Organization: Bull HN Information Systems Inc.
Lines: 38

In article <3219@wrgate.WR.TEK.COM> bryanh@dadla.WR.TEK.COM (Bryan Hilterbrand) writes:
>If people can't get along together so a new newsgroup must be created,
>why don't we just leave rec.birds and make a new newsgroup called
>rec.birdwatching.
>...

Let's be careful about picking a new name.

I agree that we should do away with rec.birds. The name is too general
and covers 2 completely different interests, those being keeping
captive birds as pets and observing nature. Speaking for someone interested
in the latter, I find the former not just uninteresting, but offensive.
IMHO, the purpose of dividing rec.birds, is not to be compulsive but
to separate two opposing interests.

If this new group is created for birdwatching, lets not limit it to
specifically birds? How about changing the name to include all the smaller
groups that will never get a subgroup. I was thinking along the lines
of rec.nature, rec.natural_history, rec.audubon, rec.wildlife or sci.wildlife.

In such a newsgroup, the discussions would be about observing any creature(s)
in their natural environment. Based on their popularity, I would think
that this would predominately consist of birds, but this new group would
extend to include invertibrates, reptiles, amphibians, and some mammals.
There is currently no group that I know of that covers these other creatures.
And there definitely isn't enough support to start rec.nature.insects etc.
( I omit fish from this list because I believe that they are covered
in (alt|rec|sci).aquaria. )

Does anybody else in rec.birds feel like expanding in this direction?


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