The following quotes were borrowed from an educator to set the stage for this presentation:
Today's argument centers on computers and the use of the Internet.
This presentation is not going to be a lesson on the nuts and bolts of connecting to the Internet or specifically how to use e-mail or access the world wide web. You first have to decide that you WANT to use it. Then you'll ask the right questions to get you up & running and there are many individuals in mosquito control and of course, computer professionals that can help with that. What I will do today is give you some of the reasons to USE the Internet.
COMMUNICATION:
It wasn't long ago that I was in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone,
West Africa and getting a message to anyone outside my village
was a challenge. It required reliance on someone taking my hand
written note either on foot or via unreliable public transportation.
Sometimes it got there, but often it didn't. In striking
contrast, today, I can send an e-mail message almost anywhere
in the world with a keystroke on a computer.
Electronic mail, or e-mail, has proven to be valuable to
send word to someone even if they are not presently in the office.
It has eliminated a lot of telephone tag. Bally's Hotel, where
the NJMCA meetings will be in 1998, has a program that even sends
a message back to you once the e-mail you have sent to
them is opened so you know they received it. The written message
is also there to be referred to later if there is any concern
about recalling exactly what was said also.
E-mail permits the instantaneous transfer of documents, even multiple
page files, to anyone. These can be reviewed on the computer or
printed out and filed as hard copies. Draft correspondence, reports
etc. can be reviewed by multiple individuals and their input can
be considered in a very timely manner before a final copy is produced
and utilized.
A chat room is a site that several people can access at the same
time and type messages back and forth. A group of individuals,
association committees for instance, have the availability of
using an established chat room or one can be set up through a
state, regional or national association for example, to conduct
a long distance meeting. The AMCA Cyberspace Committee is developing
this right now for the National Association. Going beyond typed
messages, the next step is to have video and voice capability
to be able to enable you to see and hear the other people you
are connected to. At the American Mosquito Control Association
(AMCA) meeting in 1996, a Microsoft representative predicted that
keyboards would be obsolete in 5 years.
List Servs /Mailing Lists can provide copies of questions
and answers that are posted to the various mailing lists. Subscribing
(adding your name) to an electronic mailing list allows you to
receive all the questions and answers being transmitted over that
particular list serve. You can pose question and receive answers
from anyone on the list. This can be utilized for the benefit
of your organization for things such as: advertising a job opening,
asking a question about rearing a certain species of mosquito
for a research project, looking for help with a specific mosquito
problem, or perhaps are looking to buy or sell a used piece of
mosquito control equipment. The possibilities are endless, you
just have to think to USE it.
The Northeast Association web site <www.nmca.org> gives
a good example of the kinds of communication provided among ourselves.
The organization page gives information on the Associations officers,
committees, bylaws, meeting minutes. There is also a membership
list with contact information and even individual profiles- blanks
for submission of information were in registration packet. You
are encouraged to submit information for the Northeast Website
by sending it to Tim Deschamps who is also on the AMCA Cyberspace
Committee.
The Northeast site links to the Northeaster Newsletter and issues
are available on the Internet as soon as they are printed. Using
the Internet to get articles to George Christie is a good use
of the Internet. Bill Reinert, Editor of the NJ Mosquito Control
Association Newsletter, appreciates getting articles this way.
He just takes the article off the hard drive, where e-mail puts
it, and incorporates it right into the newsletter. No need to
mail disks or paper, etc. Also, the program for this meeting was
available as soon as it was completed, without printing and mailing
delays.
The AMCA web site <www.mosquito.org> provides information
on the association, upcoming meetings, membership applications,
etc. Having just been established late this year, it is in its
infancy and the is a significant amount of work to be done. From
this national/international perspective though, the AMCA for the
first time will put its entire program on their association web
site to be available at the beginning of January. This should
encourage attendance and anyone needing justification for the
meeting can print out whatever they need from the program. Also,
the recent suggestion for setting up a classified section for
people to give information on job openings, equipment for sale
etc. is a good one and will be pursued.
The Internet also allows for communication with and access to
information from other agencies such as your State Dept. of Health
(for example <www.state.nj.us/health>, the National Institute
of Health <www.nih.gov> and the Center for Disease Control
<www.cdc.gov>.
ADMINISTRATIVE/OPERATIONAL USES:
Under a page on Mosquito Biology, a list of New Jersey mosquito
species <www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/ njspp.htm> is available
with links to accounts of individual species which provides ready
access to technical information for mosquito control professionals.
Some samples of state pages, using New Jersey as an example because
these are the ones I have actually used, include:
NJ Department of Personnel <www.state.nj.us/personnel> for hiring announcements, job titles NJ Purchasing <www.state.nj.us/treasury/ purchase> for vehicle and pesticide contracts NJ Statutes (via<www.njleg.state.nj.us> for use in reference to cited statutes on topics such as state fish stocking, personnel issues etc. This reference eliminates the need for costly printed updates to the state statues. NJ Legislature <www.njleg.state.nj.us> for legislature profiles and current state legislation Thomas <http://thomas.loc.gov> for federal legislative Information Weather <www.intellicast.com/weather> for updated radar, satellite and forecast information.
Road Mapping Services <www.mapsonus. com> for route maps
and directions from one point to another. Research/Information
Gathering using a variety of search engines helps find existing
documents on a particular topic. BEWARE of resources however because
there is currently no editing oversight of publishers on Internet!
PUBLIC EDUCATION: FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND THE PRESS
Various web sites provide information appropriate for the general
public and are readily accessible.
The Norfolk County site <http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/tdescham/eeeinfo2.htm>
gives general mosquito biology information and this past season
gave information about the status of EEE when there was a human
case. This information included recommendation for residents in
the area and referred to related press coverage.
New Jersey- Mosquitoes and Biology <www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/njmos.htm>
provides a means of distributing information to the general
public on mosquito control such as Controlling Mosquitoes Around
the Home and Products and Promotions of Limited value along with
Mosquito-Borne Disease Information.
The New Jersey mosquito site lists all the mosquito control agencies
in the state and can be used to promote awareness of your own
program. Every agency has contact information readily available
in addition to a standardized profile detailing program and mosquito
species information for each jurisdiction such as the Warren County
page <www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/warren.htm>. The better
the general public understands what we do and why, the easier
our job becomes.
The New Jersey Mosquito Control Association's Public Relations
Committee, headed by Jim McNelly, is promoting a poster contest
on Mosquitoes and Mosquito Control focusing on National Public
Health Week. The NJ Mosquitoes web site address is published in
the poster contest handout to allow teachers to access accurate
information regarding mosquitoes to prepare the students for the
poster contest.
John VanDyk at Iowa State, has assembled a listing of educator recommended website resources for teachers <http://www.ent.iastate.edu/list>.
During National Public Health Week last year, radio and newspaper
interviews resulted in questions regarding the access of additional
information. Giving a known web site address allows the press
that access and quote accurate information and also allows them
to pass the address on to the general public. This led to the
establishment of the new AMCA site <www.mosquito.org>.
This site will serve the same functions as other state and
regional association pages by serving as a means to dissemination
information to the members and public about the organization,
however, it can also serve as an easy link to your own site, using
this easy to remember address. There is a page under AMCA's related
links that gives state by state listing of state and regional
mosquito control agencies/organizations.
The Internet is a powerful tool. It is relatively new but its use is growing rapidly. New Jersey has added two new area codes in 1997 alone due to additional lines needed for Internet access. That represents tremendous use.
The first thing necessary is to recognize the benefits and make
the commitment to get "on-line". The second thing is
to remember to USE it. There is a wealth of information and opportunity
available on the Internet but it takes some time to get accustomed
to turning to the Internet as a resource. A New Day is here. If
you haven't already done so, step forward and take advantage of
this tool.