Editorial-Opinion October 2015

Move is a four-letter word. Moving is always a challenge and a chore, and everyone is relieved when it is finally over. Sometimes a move is necessary, so “Move” can be a good thing once the work is accomplished.

The same is true of Beta… a four-letter word that typically means, “It looked good on the drawing board, but now we are taking it to real life.” Beta is also typically reserved for things digital, as in online stuff.

I mention here because GON is improving, long term. We are moving into a more effective and user-friendly online presence that will eventually help us all. Trust me; you are going to love it. 

That said, this improvement process has all the charm of road construction. Going from two lanes to four lanes is a process that often leads to flag men, dust, Follow-Me signs, delays and back-ups. 

The GON website is moving from two lanes to eight lanes. Please pass the aspirin. 

Fortunately, so far, this online transformation hasn’t negatively affected most of you. It has, however, soaked up a lot of time and brain-power for those of us here at ground zero.

If the knob-fiddlers in the cyber dungeon are as successful as we all hope they will be, it won’t ever affect you negatively.

But there is an “If” right there, isn’t there? As it turns out, some of you who use parts of our GON online environment might be involuntarily conscripted combatants in this improvement effort. You might be the first one to hit a problem we don’t necessarily know about yet. 

I truly hope this does not happen. But if it should happen to you, I ask that you PLEASE call us at (800) 438-4663, or contact us via e-mail at [email protected].

Thus far, we have been able to resolve every issue we have found in less than three days, most in less than 30 minutes. My chief concern is that someone who hits an issue might choose to simply stop their process.  If someone stops, two bad things happen. The first and most important thing is that their online experience is not a good experience with GON. That defeats our whole purpose of improving everything online….So dang! 

The second issue is that there is a problem out there that they hit, that we don’t know about, that isn’t being fixed. This sets up the process where some other soul may hit the same problem, before it can be fixed. 

So I say again, if you do hit a problem, holler! We will hate that you found a problem, but we will LOVE hearing from you. 

Now, enough about the problems. Most of you won’t ever encounter these issues. What you will encounter is an easier, smoother, richer GON online. 

Thirty years ago, monthly magazines published once a month, period. Today, we still publish once a month but now we augment content online. Many of you are already seeing some of that, but more will be here soon. It is very exciting. 

Online gives our print side a way to integrate things like video into our reporting in a way that adds to everything we already are publishing. It also gives our members a platform to add their own content and their take on what is happening outdoors in Georgia. 

More over, we can create an outdoor community centered around our online site. Thirty years ago, there was a significant group of about 140 county-wide “sportsmen’s clubs” around the state. There were social clubs that worked to do good things for wildlife and for their broader community. Today, only a handful of those clubs remain. What has replaced them in large measure are online communities that serve a parallel function. There is a very active group of sportsmen on the GON forum, also known as Woody’s Campfire, where upwards of 70,000 users gather to swap experiences and information. Persimmons in your area? How to brain-tan deer hide? Need to clean a turtle? Just wanna cut-up a bit with your buds? All this and much more is at the forum. Be nice. It is G-rated. Kids and women are welcomed. 

Want to buy or sell something? The Marketplace is a very popular part of the GON online experience. Deals are common. Traffic is high. 

Mostly, this move is going quite well. But few improvements come without some issues. So we are excited about the online things we are improving for you. We ask for your help and understanding. This move is worth the trouble. See you online at gon.com.