I am the web site administrator for the Wisconsin ATV Association as well as other various titles. Aside from ATVing, I am also a volunteer fire fighter, a fire investigator for Sheboygan County, a HAM radio operator (KX9SKY) and a free lanced web designer / graphic artist.
Some of our viewers may have noticed the web sites for WATVA and Trail Patrol were not accessible Saturday to Monday. So I thought I would give the low down on what happened. If you have no interest in the inner workings of the internet, you can stop here. Might I suggest this page instead: http://metobs.ssec.wisc.edu/aoss/cameras/hawkcam-flash.html
So where to start? I think i will start at where the problem came from. The web servers upgrade. A lot of people love to update, but those of us that deal with IT dread upgrades. Why? It usually means something is not going to work like it supposed to, and that means sheer panic for the folks the depend on the said technology.
A few weeks ago I noticed that our web server, which is sitting a comfortable air conditioned warehouse in San Jose, California (we share a rented dedicated server from HostGator.com), had some things that just didn't work right on it. However, they were not pressing issue, just things that made life a little harder to deal with on the server. That is until I noticed the server was running a Linux operating system that was a few versions old. A few versions isn't so bad actually, as it was a solid operating system in terms of reliability. However the upgrades offered some things that I really wanted to make my job a little easier and more reliable. How often does our web server go down or get restarted? In the last year, the web server has been restarted once. 364 solid days of running! I can't go more than a week without restarting my desktop. So I decided that the benefits outweighed the potential drawbacks to upgrading, even though I knew some headaches would come up.
The server was taken offline Friday May 11th at 11pm CST. The update, from HostGator, would take about 5 hours. They sent me emails during critical moments of the upgrade, which was nice. Around 4am the update was complete. HostGator sent me an email saying they would retain the old server for 48 hours before recycling the hard drive.
On our systems down in Sheboygan, all the web sites came back without an issue. Not only did they come back without a problem, they loaded a lot faster. I thought wow, no problem, this is rare! Then Sunday came. Sunday afternoon we received an email from a great WATVA member in the north woods that said she was unable to access the site. We sent off some emails to our Regional Coordinators in the north to confirm this. Most said they could not access it, while one said if he used his wireless data he could but not cable internet. To me, that made no sense. So, where did we go wrong?
I started to look at the setup of the server. Everything seemed to be in order. Hmm. So I had the person send me a screen shot of what error they were getting or what their screen looked like. This helps me to get pointed in the right direction. I figured out it wasn't the hardware of the server, this was a software glitch, most likely a DNS issue.
DNS? What is that?!? DNS, or Domain Name Server, is like the internet's white pages. They are computers setup all over the world that keep the physical address of a web site in a directory. Physical Address? Let me explain! When you go to the web site www.watva.org, you're not really viewing a page from the web address of watva.org. Nope, sorry. The fancy letters that make up www.watva.org are actually a mask! A mask for what? This: 50.23.12.151, and IP address. That's the true address for this server (among other sites that are sitting on this server). Computers and such on the internet have no idea what www.watva.org means, but they do know what the IP address means. An IP address is much like your house address or phone number, more like your phone number. If you really want to learn more about IP addresses, see the wikipedia document here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address. I tried to find a nice graphic of DNS and the internet, but they made my head hurt, so I shall spare you.
So where does DNS fit in with IP addresses? Right here! A domain name server is a giant list that says if you want to visit www.watva.org, your computer needs to send it's request the web server at the address of 50.23.125.151. If your going to a web server that has multiple web sites on it, such as the server WATVA has (it shares its web site with National Motorsports, Rider Network, NOHVIS, etc.), the DNS server knows what page to show you based on your request. Again, a giant directory is all DNS is.
Back to the main topic here, the settings for the DNS on our server were incorrect, but only slightly. Each internet service is different, and each domain name server is different. Some understood that the error with WATVA was only partial, so it did find a way to send its requests here. Domain name servers in the north, did not understand this and gave users a web site not found page. So, with some researching and pulling of some hairs, I resolved those issues on the server. Only, users were still not getting there, and furthermore I now could not access the site.
Not only did I find that some settings were wrong on the web server, but there were some incorrect settings with some of the domain name setup itself (which we use GoDaddy for our domains)! That's a larger problem however, in terms of trouble shooting. Why? Each time you visit www.watva.org your computer remembers that the web site watva.org goes to the specific IP address. It remembers this for around 12-24 hours unless a setting says to forget it at a different time. So if I made a change, I would have to wait 12-24 hours to see if it worked. That's a pain. I was able to get around this a little by using some handy tools that dont make me wait. However, all of my users didnt have these tools and I wouldn't expect anyone to have them either.
In the end, we got the issues resolved with both the domain server and the domain name. It took a few days but that's the nature of the beast with DNS issues.
Randy Harden, president of the Wisconsin ATV Association and other key representatives from land managers, law enforcement and recreational riders testified in favor of both bills in front of the Assembly Committee on Transportation.
Under current law, a person may not operate a snowmobile, an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), or a motorboat while under the influence of alcohol or a controlled substance to a degree that he or she cannot operate the vehicle or boat safely. Under current law, a personal watercraft is included in the definition of "motorboat." Current law also prohibits the operation of an ATV, a recreational motorboat, or a snowmobile by a person who has an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more. For motorboats being operated on a commercial basis, the maximum alcohol concentration is 0.04. These laws are respectively referred to under current law as the intoxicated operation of an ATV law, the intoxicated boating law, and the intoxicated snowmobiling law. Under current law, a person who refuses to submit to a legal request for a breath, blood, or urine sample pursuant to an arrest for operating a snowmobile, an ATV, or a recreational motorboat while under the influence is in violation of what is known as the refusal law.
Under current law, in imposing a penalty for a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV, the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law, a court may only count as a previous conviction of the same law, or the applicable refusal law. For example, if a person is before the court for violating the intoxicated snowmobiling law or the snowmobile refusal law, the court may count only previous convictions of the intoxicated snowmobiling law and the snowmobile refusal law as prior convictions. Previous convictions of the intoxicated operation of an ATV law or of the intoxicated boating law or of the applicable refusal laws may not be counted. Under this bill, a court must count previous convictions of any of these intoxicated operation or refusal laws that occurred within the previous five years when imposing a penalty for a violation of any of these laws.
The bill makes the provisions of the intoxicated operation of an ATV, the intoxicated boating, and the intoxicated snowmobiling laws more consistent. These changes include:
1. Raising the age of absolute sobriety for the operation of snowmobiles and ATVs to 21. Current law requires absolute sobriety for persons under the age of 19 who are operating snowmobiles and ATVs and for persons under the age of 21 for motorboats.
2. Adopting the higher penalties for various violations where the penalties for violations of the intoxicated operation of an ATV law, the intoxicated boating law, the intoxicated snowmobiling law, and the refusal law conflict.
3. Imposing increased penalties for violating the intoxicating boating law or the intoxicated snowmobiling law or related refusal law if the motorboat or snowmobile is operated with a passenger under 16 years of age. The increased penalty already exists for a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV law and the ATV refusal law.
4. Repealing the provisions that imposed increased penalties for operating an ATV with an alcohol concentration level that is 0.17 or more. Under current law, these increased penalties are not imposed for violations of the intoxicated boating or the intoxicated snowmobiling laws.
The bill provides that when counting the number of convictions within the previous five years, the previous convictions for intoxicated operation of that same type of recreational vehicle or the related refusal law that occurred before the effective date of this bill are counted, but previous convictions for the other two types of recreational vehicles that occurred before the effective date of this bill are not counted.
The bill also requires a court to enter an order to suspend the person's privilege to operate a snowmobile, an ATV, and a motorboat for a period of not less than 12 months and not more that 16 months if the court imposes a penalty for a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV, the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law or the related refusal law. The bill also provides a forfeiture and additional six-month period of operating privilege suspension for violating the order of suspension.
If the person is found guilty of a violation of the intoxicated operation of an ATV, the intoxicated boating, or the intoxicated snowmobiling law or the related refusal law and has, within the previous five years, violated one of these laws, the bill requires the court to revoke the person's privilege to operate a motor vehicle for not less than six months and not more than 12 months. Under the bill, the person may be eligible for an occupational driver's license at any time during the revocation period. The bill requires the person whose operating privilege was revoked to pay a $140 reinstatement fee.
Under the bill, if a person has had his or her privilege to operate a motor vehicle suspended or revoked for a violation of a prohibition against operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, the person may not operate a snowmobile, an ATV, or a motorboat during the period of that motor vehicle operating privilege suspension or revocation. The bill also provides a forfeiture and an additional six-month period of operating privilege suspension for violating the order of suspension.
Under current law the sentences of persons who are convicted of certain second, third, or fourth offenses involving the operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant may be reduced if the violator successfully completes a period of probation that includes alcohol and other drug treatment. A person may complete a treatment program and receive a reduced period of imprisonment only once. This bill allows this option to be used for persons convicted of a violation of the
intoxicated operation of an ATV, the intoxicated boating, the intoxicated snowmobiling law, or the applicable refusal law.
Under current law, with limited exceptions, no person may operate a snowmobile without having completed a snowmobile safety course. For persons under the age of 16, the course must include six hours of classroom instruction. This bill repeals this classroom instruction requirement.
Because this bill creates a new crime or revises a penalty for an existing crime, the Joint Review Committee on Criminal Penalties may be requested to prepare a report concerning the proposed penalty and the costs or savings that are likely to result if the bill is enacted.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill
Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) regulates the operation of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). DNR also regulates utility terrain vehicles (UTVs), in consultation with the Department of Transportation, under a pilot program that expires on June 30, 2012.
UTV pilot program
Under current law, a UTV is defined as a motor driven device, other than a golf cart or low-speed vehicle, that is designed to be used primarily off of a highway and that has, and was originally manufactured with, certain features, including a gross weight of more than 900 pounds but not more than 1,999 pounds, a cargo or dump box, four or more low-pressure tires, non-straddling seats for at least two occupants, and certain safety systems.
The UTV pilot program allows DNR, a federal agency, a county, or a municipality to designate an ATV route or trail within its respective jurisdiction for use by persons operating UTVs. The UTV pilot program provides that if a county adopts a resolution electing to participate in the pilot program, then the resolution applies to all of the municipalities within the county unless a municipality adopts a resolution to opt out of the program.
Under the UTV pilot program, no person may operate a UTV on a designated ATV route or trail unless DNR registers the UTV. The UTV pilot program authorizes DNR to register and charge registration fees for UTVs in the same manner as it registers and charges registration fees for ATVs that are registered for public use under current law. Under the UTV pilot program, certain laws that apply to ATVs also apply to UTVs, including traffic citation laws, rules of operation, prohibitions on operation while intoxicated, and certain equipment requirements. The UTV pilot program prohibits a person who is younger than 16 from operating a UTV and requires a person who is born on or after January 1, 1988, and who operates a UTV to hold a valid all-terrain vehicle safety certificate.
UTV operation and funding under the bill
This bill eliminates the UTV pilot program and establishes a permanent method for regulating the use of UTVs on ATV routes and trails. As with the pilot program, the bill authorizes DNR and federal agencies, counties, and municipalities
to designate ATV routes and trails that may be used by persons operating UTVs. Under the bill, as under the pilot program, most of the laws that apply to the operation of ATVs also apply to the operation of UTVs. As under the UTV pilot program, the bill allows the operation of UTVs only on those ATV routes and trails that are specifically designated as open to UTV operation. The bill requires DNR to establish uniform signs and standards for the operation of UTVs on ATV routes and trails. The definition of a UTV under the bill is similar to the definition under the pilot program except that it also specifies that a vehicle does not qualify as a UTV if the vehicle would meet federal motor vehicle safety standards, or if it is a dune buggy, mini-truck, or tracked vehicle. The bill also provides that a vehicle that satisfies all requirements to meet the definition of an ATV qualifies instead as a UTV if the vehicle exceeds the weight limit under the ATV definition.
As under the UTV pilot program, the bill generally prohibits a person under the age of 16 from operating a UTV. The bill authorizes a person who is under 16 years of age to operate a UTV if the person operates the UTV for an agricultural purpose and the person is under the supervision of a person who is over 18 years of age. As under current law, as it applies to ATV operation, these age restrictions do not apply to a person who operates a UTV exclusively on land under the management and control of the person's immediate family.
Under current law, the ATV program administered by DNR is primarily funded by fees generated from ATV registrations and the sale of trail passes. Under this bill, the UTV program is also primarily funded by UTV registrations and the sale of trail passes, but the bill authorizes DNR to expend these funds primarily for projects to improve or maintain those ATV trails that may be used by operators of UTVs.
The ATV program under current law is also funded by an annual transfer from the transportation fund to the conservation fund of an amount equal to the estimated ATV gas tax payment. The amount of the estimated ATV gas tax payment is calculated for each fiscal year by multiplying the number of registered ATVs (except those registered only for private use) by 25 gallons and then multiplying this product by the excise tax imposed on gasoline and diesel fuel on the last day of February of the previous fiscal year. This bill requires a similar annual transfer from the transportation fund to the conservation fund. The amount of the transfer under the bill is equal to the estimated UTV gas tax payment. This amount is calculated in the same manner as the ATV gas tax payment is calculated except that it does not include, in that calculation, commercial UTV registrations.
Miscellaneous provisions
This bill makes various other changes to the laws relating to ATVs. The changes include the following:
1. Current law does not require ATVs that are registered for public use to display a registration plate. This bill requires a person who owns an ATV or UTV that is registered for public use to furnish a plate on which the registration number is displayed. The bill also requires the person to affix a registration decal, furnished by DNR, to each side of the ATV or UTV.
2. The bill requires a person who registers an ATV or UTV for private use to affix a registration decal, furnished by DNR, to each side of the ATV or UTV. Current law does not require ATVs registered for private use to display registration decals.
3. Under current law, a manufacturer, dealer, distributor, or renter (commercial dealer) of ATVs must register with DNR and obtain a commercial ATV certificate. Upon registration, DNR issues three reflectorized plates to the commercial dealer and the dealer may allow the ATV to be operated only if a reflectorized plate is attached to the ATV. Under this bill, a commercial dealer of ATVs, UTVs, or both, must register with DNR and obtain a commercial ATV and UTV certificate. The bill requires a commercial dealer of ATVs or UTVs to display a plate or sign on the ATV or UTV but does not require DNR to supply reflectorized plates. Under the bill, DNR must issue registration decals upon registering a commercial dealer of ATVs or UTVs, and the commercial dealer may not allow the ATV or UTV to be operated without a decal affixed to the plate or sign furnished by the commercial dealer.
4. Under current law, with certain exceptions, a person who operates an ATV on a public ATV trail must obtain a nonresident trail pass from DNR and display the pass on the ATV. A person who registers an ATV is exempt from this requirement. This bill requires that a nonresident trail pass issued to an operator of an ATV or UTV must be permanently affixed in a highly visible location on the forward half of the ATV or UTV.
5. A nonresident trail pass issued under current law expires on June 30 of each year. This bill changes the expiration date for these annual passes to March 31 and authorizes DNR to issue five-day nonresident trail passes.
6. A public-use registration certificate for an ATV under current law is valid for a two-year period. This bill specifies that a public-use registration certificate is valid for both an ATV and a UTV beginning on April 1 or the date of issuance or renewal and ending March 31 of the second year following the date of issuance or renewal.
7. This bill provides that registration and nonresident trail pass requirements do not apply to a person operating an ATV or UTV during the first full weekend in June of each year.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
That's in a nut shell. Above each of the linked text is the web site URL to read the full language on the bills. But we have already discussed what the bills are for. The main point of the blog is to help understand the process of a bill becoming a law.
Thankfully, for you and I, there is a nice document by the state government that explains this process. However, before I link that nifty document, let's have a rewind to a video that I saw in grade school, more than ten years ago! This video is based on a federal process. It's basically the same process.
WOOOAAHHHh! Wait a minute. If you have been following our progress, you might notice something wrong here. On the above chart, it shows that a bill must pass the assembly before going to senate. That's true, if you're not working with elite cool law makers such as WATVA is. We actually have two bills with pretty much the same language that went to both the Senate and Assembly to expedite the process. Tricky eh? Not really. This is done a lot. If we didn't do it this way, with all the craziness in Madison, the bill might not make it to the governors desk before the session lets out for summer. I would call it being efficient, not tricky actually.
Anyways, so if we follow the chart, the Senate Committee has already been presented with the senate bill, and passed it. The Assembly today got to hear the bill and it passed. Now it's on to some more committees. See the chart.
Before you do that, here are some photos from today's hearings.
That's Randy Harden presenting the OWI Bill and holding a DNR piece of literature.
That's Gary Eddy from the DNR Law Enforcement side testifying in favor of the OWI Bill.
And there is Randy presenting the UTV bill.
So, after the other hearings and committees, the bills are sent on (if they pass) for the Governor to sign.
It's not all that complicated, just takes a little reading. I suggest the booklet. I shall link it again here:
As we are gearing up to present the final UTV program in Madison, we have created a handout that explains the differences between an ATV and UTV. The photos on the handout were taken during the 2011 WATVA VIP Ride at the Embarrass River ATV Park in Tigerton WI, where a handful of the law makers that helped draft the UTV bill participated in riding activities.
Cloud based something or other... and you don't even have wireless? No worries!
If you have ever watched an amazon commercial advertising their "cloud" you might be scratching your head as to what that has anything to do with books. Ha. Well, I am going to go over cloud based publishing. More specifically, cloud based publishing as there are various levels of the "cloud."
But, before I do that, let's take a look at Google's cloud based publishing tools to better understand what the "cloud" really is. I will go over in detail what it is after this short non-product placement endorsement video!
Woah! That's pretty slick! But, I still don't get what the "cloud" is!?!?
Ok, let's see if I can tackle this term. Cloud, or cloud based computing, is using a companies server computers (in the videos case, Googles) to do publishing vs. your computer running software to publish documents. In a nut shell, when you hear the "cloud," it really means anything that is done on the internet. It's that simple.
When I was taking my web design classes we spent a good 20 minutes debating the term cloud and came to a group conclusion that it is, in fact, a good term. Our conclusion was the internet is so massive, reaching every corner of the planet (you could argue the solar system), that a broad term such as cloud covers everything easily. That was about eight years ago, before the invention of Google Documents, Microsoft Office Online or content management.
So, what am I getting at in this blog?
Let's think of an example together. Say we have a club that is writing a press release about their upcoming trail opening ceremony. It's an important document that is going in a few newspapers. The club secretary, Joe, was tasked with writing the article. He takes a stab at it using Microsoft Word 2000 and sends it to the club officers. One club officer uses a Mac and doesn't have word for mac. She can still open the document, but in the transition something got messed up and she doesn't bother reading it. Meanwhile, the club President opens the document on Word 2011 and makes some changes. He sends it back to Joe, however Joe can't open the document because it was saved in a newer format. Drat! Two other officers make their own changes and send it back to Joe, as to which he can open it but now has two sets of documents to merge into his own. Shortly after spending 20 minutes of cussing out the process, the President finally sends his revisions over saved in an older format. #@!$$@!! is all that comes out of Joe's mouth.
Enter cloud based publishing. Because Google was nice enough to supply us with that video, I am going to endorse use their product as an example (I am not a Google fan boy... *cough*).
Joe decides to take his press release with the current revisions and open it in Google Docs. He opens his web browser Microsoft Internet Explorer (see, I could have said he opens it in Google Chrome), goes to the web site http://www.google.com/docs and clicks on the upload tool. He selects his word document and a few seconds later his word document is now on his screen in his web browser, fully editable. Not only can he edit, save and print it, he can also invite the other club officers to log into Google Documents and make changes live! That's right, you can be watching the others make changes in front of you. It does have a small amount of creepiness to it, but amazing none the less. At the end of the day, all the revisions are made, everyone signs off on the document and away to the presses.
Sounds like a neat story right? Let's try a real world example, in fact, let's use my personal Google account. I want to share the WATVA Image Team Guidelines for Parades. It's in a word 2010 document. Hold on to your hats, im going to post screen shots!!!
Step 1 - Log into Google Docs. I don't think i need to screen capture me logging into Google documents. You need a Google account, it's free and easy. The screen shot is blurry, as I blurred the actual documents in my list as some of them are personal, so no offense internet. On the left side there is a button called Create, next to it, is the upload button.
Step 2 - Uploading the document is easy. So like I said in step 1, I click the upload tool, a little box folds out where I can click files (I didn't screen capture that, but it also says how much storage space I have left in my account). So I clicked files and this is what I get:
Step 3 - I clicked ok and another box popped up. It's asking me if I want to convert the word document to Google Docs. I do, so I can use the online sharing and such. I can also convert text from a PDF file that I can later edit (pretty nifty). Then I click start upload. To save on my large screen shots, this screen just shows the window after the files been uploaded.
So, from the screen shot above, I can see it was been uploaded, converted and ready to be shared. It also reminds me I am using 84 megs of my 1,024 meg limit of free space. Thanks Google for the friendly reminder!
Step 4 - Let's go ahead and share that beast. After it's uploaded, I clicked the document in the little box that is shown above and it takes me to the document editor. From here, it looks like a word processor. I can change font sizes, alignment, styles, justify yadda, yadda, yadda. What I want to do is share this with the world. Over on the right side, near the top is a share button. I move my mouse over it and it says "Private to only me" meaning that only my Google account can see this document.
Step 5 - Let's share it, really this time! I clicked the dark box under the share button and this is what comes up. A box that lets me control who can see it. Initially, it's setup as a private document that only I can see. I can invite others to view and / or edit the document, but keep it locked down. A nice feature as well. People can be added via my Gmail contact list or via email. To make this the entire process easier, be sure to have people make a google account first, it's much easier than using email login that confuses people.
Anyways, I went ahead and clicked the "Change..." link next to private access, as I want the world to be able to view, not edit it.
Step 6 - Opening the document to the internet (or... cloud.... dun dun dun!). From this screen, I can say the document can be public where anyone can search for it, semi-public where only people with the link can get it to, or private. For this example, it's going to be semi public as you will be able to check it out near the bottom of the blog.
Step 7 - I clicked "Anyone with the link" option, and this is where I can change how it's accessed. For this example, I am going to let people view it and make comments, that's all. I don't want the internet to edit it, that'd be a mistake.
Ok, so that's about it. My document is out on the web for you to view. If I wanted the world to edit it, I could have. Or I could have invited a select few to edit it. How easy is that right?
Google doesn't stop at documents. You can also do spreadsheets (excel), slide shows (powerpoint) or PDF documents. They also don't stop at using computers to access them. I can pull up my documents on my Android phone or tablet.
For me, this tool is really handy for doing work from home and work. I don't need to email myself the document back and forth. I just log into Google Docs.
As for WATVA, we use Google Docs for tracking the TREADY awards (so I can add them into our database at home on the weekends), workshop registrations, document editing and other things I can't think of.
What if you're not a Google fan boy open to using google? You do have some other choices.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ - Microsoft's approach to cloud documents. For a small businesses, this might be a good option if you don't trust Google. We use their email cloud service called Exchange as it was pretty much the same price as Google's but easier to use. Once you start using Outlook it's hard to switch.
http://www.apple.com/iwork/iwork-dot-com/ - Ah yes, Apple Fan Boys will be pleased to see they have embraced the document cloud services as well. However, their product is in beta yet. I use the term fan boy loose of course, no offense mac users :P
http://www.box.com/ - Looks like a nice service. I can't comment on it because I have not used it. Curses Google and your grasp on me!
https://www.dropbox.com/ - Same as Amazon, you can't edit them but you can store them online and access them from almost any device.
Well, there you have it. Cloud document services in a nut shell. A great tool for businesses, clubs or personal use all around. I highly suggest clubs look into this. You could store your membership data on here so club officers always know who is part of the club, just as an example.
In this day and age, when people post things to the internet, some tend to forget how easy it is to share the said published whatever. Think about that.
What I mean by the above statement is the internet is often overlooked as a small part of the lives. However, because the internet is always there, always connected and available for ANYONE, anything that you publish online can be accessed in one way or the other.
There are plenty of places to share content. Heck, as I write this I have installed a blogging script to let me and the other bloggers to share our writings. It wasn't that hard to do. To start your own blog is easy and can be done for free using various sites. The most popular way to share content though, is widely overseen. Social Networking (see my other blog about social networking: Tweet What? Status Where? Plus Who?)... Ah yes, what couldn't be easier to share photos from your cell phone or computer than Facebook! I admit, I often post photos to facebook from my cell phone for my close friends and family to see because I want them to experience something that I have just experienced.
This can (and very much does) be used by clubs, associations and businesses too. We post photos right to our WATVA facebook page all the time, because it's really easy right?
This is often where people stop the sharing process. They take their photos, upload them to Facebook, and wham they are done! Right?
STOP THE PRESSES... Er... Typing!
Once you upload something to the internet, the odds of ever getting it off are pretty slim. So say someone uploads a photo of Bubba riding in what appears to be a creek but in reality it's an off-road challenge course that doesn't have course markers in the photo. All of Bubba's friends think that is pretty cool, as it appears he is going to get his machine covered in mud and to Bubba, win the race. To make it easier for others to view, Bubba "tags" his local ATV club in the photo as the club did organize the event. Everyone is happy right? You may think that...
How about we take the same local club that organized the event, which is the same club that is trying to open some trails and routes in the township that has a few locals who do not support ATV / UTV development. Later that month, at a local meeting, the ATV club stands up to share their progress of getting a trail established. At this time, the few people that oppose the trail make a motion to speak and present the photo Bubba took saying these are the same club members riding off-trail somewhere destroying the environment. Of course, to the town board that doesn't ride, these photos are examples of what they do not want to see! Bubba, in the mean time, is clueless as to how they got the photos and has to try to explain they are at an event (usually in this case, none of the town board members were there to verify this and the development could be stopped right there).
Sharing photos on Facebook is simple. Finding them is also simple. The anti atv folks in the example could easily search Facebook for the clubs page. With that, they can click photos and see all the photos uploaded and tagged for that club and save them on their computer. Why would anti ATV people view the page of the ATV club? To look for examples of irresponsibility that they could use to halt opportunities to the club for trail development.
Sound far fetched? It's not. It happens every year in Wisconsin (and around the world). The example could be used for posting photos to any web site, not just Facebook. Google has a great habit of finding your web site even if you don't insert any keywords in your coding. Thus, anyone looking to cause trouble could easily find and exploit anything on that site even if you're technically not showing anything wrong.
There is a good PSA on YouTube that you can watch below. Granted, there is no PSA on posting ATV photos (yet... dun dun dun), however apply what the video says to our sport. Also, ignore the Chinese :)
WATVA has developed a set of online guidelines to help clubs understand what they might want to post, and might not want to post. It's sad that we have to take these measures to prevent negative image, but trust me when I say in our sport image is EVERYTHING. The section of the guidelines about print and digital media are as follows:
With the increased popularity of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV), there has been a significant rise in the negative depiction of ATVs in electronic and print media. This media allows vast numbers of the general public to view images of ATV usage, many of these show very inappropriate behavior. We must be sure that the images that are being portrayed by ATV users will enhance the public’s opinion of ATV use rather than detract from that view. These suggested guidelines are intended for the use by individuals and organizations involved in the planning and construction of Print and Electronic Media.
Images of ATV operation should not contain any views that depict OFF-TRAIL RIDING or images that the general public would interpret as being inappropriate, unethical, or illegal. If an image would appear to not be environmentally friendly please provide a caption to explain what is happening in the image. An example would be this is a closed course event such as a Mud Run taking place on private property.
Absolutely no images of nudity or sexual content
Written material should not contain any profanity
Images should not be digitally altered or of copyrighted material
Offensive content that may cause others to be offended should be avoided
Images should show the ATV operator wearing the recommended safety gear: helmet, eye protection, gloves, over-the ankle boots, long-sleeved shirt and long pants.
No more than one person should be on an ATV, unless the ATV was designed to carry two persons (in which case there should be no more than two riders)
The ATV should fit the operator in both physical size and engine displacement.
Please avoid images of alcohol and drug use
We hope that these guidelines will be helpful in your planning of how you present ATV use to the general public. Thank you for your cooperation and consideration.
Wisconsin ATV Association Ethics and Image TEAM
Those guidelines are a great way to avoid any unwanted media attention. We fight this battle everyday in fact. We know photos of trail riding can get stale after a while, but posting photos of ATVs / UTVs crawling through the mud is again, not responsible. As a statewide organization, we are put to the test often. Thus, we have a pretty diligent effort with multiple people reviewing media we publish. As should your local club.
So, hopefully you can take this blog to heart and think before you click publish!
December 22nd 2011 Wisconsin ATV Association, Inc. 3321 Behrens Parkway Sheboygan, WI 53081 www.watva.org
To: General Public
Re: Forest County ATV Association Receives Yamaha OHV Access Initiative Grant for $8,000
Sheboygan, WI - On December 20th, 2011 WATVA President Randy Harden, WATVA Special Projects Manager Hank Wozniel and NOHVIS Northeast Regional Coordinator Terry Coplien attended an award ceremony for the Forest County ATV Association as they received their $8,000 grant from Yamaha Motor Corporations OHV Access Initiative Grant.
This grant will be used for a project that would improve existing Forest Service classified and unclassified roads for ATV travel from the Nicolet State Trail to Blackwell. The segments of the road to be utilized are in various stages of development ranging from roads with good clearing width and pit run surfacing to closed roads that are in need of clearing and grubbing and sport surfacing. An estimated 2.75 acres of clearing and grubbing will be required to remove debris and vegetation to provide a clearing wide of approximately 14 feet. Approximately 0.9 miles will require spot surfacing and leveling. New construction will be required for a distance of 0.05 miles. One drainage structure will be required on a tributary to Spencer Creek. A crossing at Forest County Highway “T” will be required. Survey, design and permits will be required for the entire project. This project would increase ATV riding opportunities in Forest County that would benefit tourism in the area. This segment is part of a larger objective of linking Forest County ATV routes and trails with Marinette County ATV trails.
Attending & speaking at the ceremony were:
Forest County ATV Association's President Jack Matuszewski
Representing Yamaha Motor Corp, from Antigo Yamaha Joe Yakey
RAC Committee Chairperson Tom Tallier
Wisconsin 12th District State Senator Jim Holperin (D)
Wisconsin 26th District State Representative Jeffrey Mursau (R)
U.S. Forest Service District Ranger Jeff Seefeldt
Forest County Board Chairman Erhard huettl Sr.
Town of Blackwell Chairman Ron Henkel
WATVA President Randy Harden
Forest County Administrator - Snowmobile Coordinator Dave Ziolkowski
Below is a video shot by WATVA President Randy Harden:
I moved the menu item on top that said "Contact Us" under the "About Us" menu item to make room for the new menu item "Blog" as it wouldn't have all fit on one line. Two lined menus are ugly in my opinion.
As to which, if you are reading this, you must have found the new blog software unless you are getting this from Facebook.
Some changes coming to the WATVA membership tree are as follows...
We are changing the prices around a little, increasing the business prices unless the business agrees to be a premiere business which basically resells WATVA family memberships and makes a little profit from them.
It's pretty much a win-win situation for WATVA and the business members. Why you may ask?
Well, we need to boost our membership numbers, like any non-profit organization does. This allows businesses, specifically dealerships to sell WATVA memberships while they are buying ATV's or UTV's (or even both). It's a great way to get folks into WATVA.
You can notice that on the WATVA site, premiere businesses will show up above the normal memberships. We want to honor those businesses that are going the extra mile to support our sport.
So, that's the update for the Premiere Businesses, watch the site closely for more premiere sites where you can purchase WATVA memberships!
