Following the IUCN World Parks Congress from the opposite side of the world poses some challenges. I look at the program, get excited about my favorite topics and the option of live streaming and even the option of Google Hangout and then realize that even though it\u2019s 10:59 am my time, it\u2019s 4:59 am at the Congress in Sydney, Australia. Hmm, how do I find a way to still feel like I am participating in the Congress? And what about all the side sessions, where the real discussions and the heated debates happen? Do I miss out on those too?<\/p>\n
So I look at my options: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube.. That\u2019s an overwhelming list of outlets – especially when you don\u2019t have an account with any. YouTube seems like the obvious choice considering that the Congress consists of a lot of talking and pictures of people talking probably won\u2019t tell me much about the content \u2013 as a fellow blogger has already implied regarding Instagram. The YouTube page is fairly straightforward, with a video for each key speaker as well as daily highlights and some promotional ads. But I still feel like I am missing out on the gritty details and discussions, where the real ideas surface and progress is made. I can comment on the YouTube page but no one else has so that seems like a dead end since connecting with other opinionated conservationists is my goal.<\/p>\n
With a few videos now digested about recognizing indigenous voices and traditional knowledge, I head over to Google+ to see if there are any sort of discussion forums and click Google Hangout under one stream topic, but basically nothing happens \u2013 probably because it\u2019s around 5:00 am over there. Am I missing out on everyone\u2019s thoughts and ideas because I have no Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook account? And if that\u2019s the case, what about low-income stakeholders of these protected area issues who don\u2019t even have access to a computer or the internet?! I decide to return to square one: worldparkscongress.org.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m in the \u201cRespecting Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge and Culture\u201d Stream Session and see a \u201cJoin the Conversation\u201d option. Click. I get a page long summary of Sydney\u2019s Promise and then a comment box. But there are no other posted comments. I backtrack to the top of the home page and go to \u201cGet Involved\u201d and then, literally, \u201cHow can I be a part of the Congress\u201d. They suggest attending the actual congress, creating an event, or following social media. I\u2019m about to give up when I happen upon the Panorama section of the website, where people have been sharing solutions and ideas and I can add my own as well. FINALLY! I found something. But, you have to navigate through 5 different pages to get to it: Home page > Promise of Sydney: Have your say > Solutions > www.panorama.solutions<\/a> > Explore Solutions.<\/p>\n But why did take me so long to find a means of participating? I spent much more time and effort than the average person to navigate the social media and website and still am not entirely sure I found a way to participate, share, or at least hear from others. It seems there may be too many media outlets. In order to streamline this, it would have been helpful to funnel each social media site back to the website, where you don\u2019t need an account to comment and all comments can merge and be seen together, rather than spread out among Twitter, Facebook, Google + and Instagram. Speaking for those of us who don\u2019t have the plane ticket to get to Sydney, can we please have a central media outlet or forum for discussion?!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Following the IUCN World Parks Congress from the opposite side of the world poses some challenges. I look at the program, get excited about my favorite topics and the option of live streaming and even the option of Google Hangout … Continue reading