[Coral-List] Scubaboard's Marine Science Forum

[Michael Lombardi]

Dear fellow researchers and ocean advocates,
 
This e-mail is to follow-up on our launch of Scubaboard.com's Marine
Science forum. We, Ocean Opportunity, teamed up with Scubaboard.com
several months ago to facilitate this project as a direct response to
the discussions last winter about 'what we can do' as the coral
community to better communicate the correct information to the public. 
 
Since the forum's launch, individuals from Woods Hole Oceanographic
Inst., ICRAN, Reef Relief, REEF-Reef Environmental Education Foundation,
Greenpeace USA, and other programs/institutions have joined the forum,
and have participated in forum discussions. In exchange for professional
forum contributions by these researchers, Scubaboard.com hosts free
banner ads for the home institution on Scubaboard.com. This has resulted
in more than 130 clicks/month for each participating institution. Most
importantly, is that the folks clicking through are genuinely interested
in our community, and coral reef related research.these are the people
we need to be reaching at a grassroots level. Scubaboard.com has over
87,000 registered users with about a million unique visitors every
month. This is a tremendous opportunity for our community, and I
invite/encourage all of you to participate in the public forum. This can
be done as follows:
 
 
1.	Click here:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/index.php?referrerid=71531 to visit
Scubaboard.com. You will be asked to register (for free). 
 
2.	Within your User CP, click "Group Preferences" . Here, you will
be able to join the Marine Science & Physiology group. Please specify
what makes you so qualified to be labeled as a 'Marine Scientist' in the
forum (i.e. professor at XYZ University, NOT 'I want to learn about
pretty fish'-those don't get approved). Those approved to be included in
the group (all researchers, members of stewardship programs, advocacy
groups, etc) will be given a 'badge' on their profile within the forum
such that the online community recognizes the individual as a
professional and credible source of information.
 
3.	Spend some time in the marine science & physiology forum
(http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/marine-science-physiology/) to get
started. As with all online forums, success is only possible by actively
contributing. Here you have an opportunity to post questions, and
respond to existing threads and questions.
 
4.	For those who participate, Scubaboard.com is offering banner
advertising for no charge. Please have your marketing people e-mail me
(explore at oceanopportunity.com) a 468x60 banner ad with a relevant link
to your institution, organization, project, or specific research project
website. I'll be sure it reaches the right hands. 
 
Thanks in advance for your participation. While there is no easy answer
in sight to save the world's oceans, these grassroots communications
initiatives DO work. To communicate the facts about our research to the
public, we need to communicate outside of our working peer group. This
is an ideal place to start!
 
Regards
Mike
 
 
 



 
 
 
Michael Lombardi
Oceans of Opportunity
www.oceanopportunity.com
 
The Explorers Club, MN '07
 
'Get Connected' with Earth
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