Meta (Facebook) Walled Gardens...They were fun at first but now it's time to make information open again!

I've grown a little tired of the increasing walled gardens where your information is public but it's locked behind a information paywall of sorts that only benefits the site owner. 

Blogger (Google) makes money off these blogs for sure, or they would kill off blogger, but anyone can search for and access them.* And that means information is freely available. 

I've planned many a trip off a blog trip report that wasn't meant as a source of beta. Just folks musings. And I'm sure folks have done the same with Mountain Visions.  

Meta sites on the other hand (Facebooks parent company) still allow you to overshare but they hold all the information behind a sort of paywall. This benefits absolutely no one but Meta and actually is the entire antithesis of why the internet became so important. 

I think the big appeal early on with Facebook was your post were viewed by most of the folks you cared about.  People you likely interacted with in real life. Increasingly, feeds are clogged with ads and recommended post. And with people friending (follow) folks they don't even know feeds are getting clogged. It's basically turning into a Chinese style internet where everything is controlled by one company including what the algorithm wants you to see. Sure engagement is higher but thats as short term dopamine boost, not a long term solution. 

I've mused enough, the nitty gritty of my plan -though I've planned on this before- is to try to cross post for now to the blog also while (and this is the ambitious part), retroactively pull old Meta post and place them on the blog. I'm skeptical this happens with any volume, but I'd like to give it a shot. 

*Many search engines strongly priortize commercial, sales and paid sites. I use Mojeek when trying to find things I don't have to pay for. Like if you search "bikepacking" you'll get a lot of commercial sites. Or places to buy gear. That's great, but I want to search trip reports and personal blogs. Mojeek does that best. And also, although it's Russian, Yandex tends to be better as well. Especially for image searches. 

Introducing Seneca Ray, our 3rd generation trail dog

I'd like to formally introduce Seneca Ray Serpico. She's a rescue with some trauma that we hope will become a wonderful trail dog. She's our first female dog and very dainty and gentle. Dainty and gentle as she may be, she has giant snowshoe sized trail paws and an inquisitive nature. And those eyebrows! Most importantly is her shepherds lantern (the white tip on a herding dogs tail), something I've grown accustomed to over the last 13 years motivating me to finish the hike even on days I'd rather turn around. 

Seneca's namesake was Seneca Ray Stoddard. Stoddard was a naturalist, cartographer, writer, poet, lecturer, and - most famously- a landscape photographer known for his images of the Adirondack Mountains. His works helped popularize the Adirondacks; America's first wilderness. Verplanck Colvin created the New York State Forest Preserve and Seneca Ray Stoddard help put it in the hearts and minds of America. 

Colvin, our 2nd generation trail dog, visited 37 states, spent hundreds of days in New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine, but like his namesake Verplanck, the Adirondacks were where he spent most of his life exploring the wilderness. 

Seneca will be just as lucky to travel the Northeast and the US, but the Adirondacks will always be home base for adventures big and small.  

Goodbye, Colvin...

 

9/1/2009-1/14/2023

 

I always dreaded this day. You were everything I ever wanted in a dog and so much more. Obedient, loyal, protective, endlessly patient, and the most trusting companion imaginable. 

 

I remember vividly when I didn't think you were trainable. Later on I doubted you'd ever be a good trail dog. You lived up to your namesake -Verplanck Colvin-surveying every corner of the Adirondacks and 38 states. 

 

You were so well trained -even things I didn't teach you- like waiting for your family at trail intersections. A puppy that couldn't swim, couldn't scramble and absolutely hated the wind and water, you ended up loving the mountains more than I ever thought possible. You were perfectly made to be out there, right down to your weatherproof coat. Anytime I took up a new activity you adapted to be the best X dog I could imagine. Trail dog, crag dog, canyoneering dog, paddling dog, swimming dog, mountain biking dog, traveling dog, and anything else I threw at you. 

 

There were days I didn't want to be out there that you made it fun for me. Your shepherds lantern got me up mountains when I wanted to just call it a day. I hated trips without you and I always appreciated how grateful you were for everything we did. You were so positive, you were "just" a dog but you made me laugh all the time. 

 

The thing I loved most, beyond you being my best adventure buddy, was how you just loved being close to us and how much you loved and trusted us. We loved you every bit as much. I'm grateful we found you 13 years ago and most grateful you chose to make me your person. I'll never forget the loyalty, appreciation and love you showed me and everyone else who's lives you touched.