A Quick Survey - We'd love your thoughts

Here are my views as recently retired software engineer/applications developer.

1. RSPB has taken huge hit on donations recently, firstly with the pandemic, and secondly with this cost of living crisis. Lots of people in the RSPB have lost their jobs of late. Times are really challenging for RSPB staff.

2. Use of this forum is free. Hosting this forum costs RSPB a lot of money; unless some kindly benefactor is hosting it for them. All the images you upload, and text you write, are stored on a server somewhere - this costs money. Hosting web pages cost money, even without upgrades and enhancements.

So the first question you have to ask is how much money should be spent on coding updates for this forum's software and how much should be spent on staff wages, research and conservation work?

3. Pay, particularly for software programmers and support staff isn't particularly good in the RSPB. When I was looking to leave my old firm, I looked at job adverts for Ab Initio (data science) developers at the lodge. The pay was well below market rates. I would have taken large hit in my salary and couldn't afford to work for the RSPB; even though the retail company I worked for was notorious for its low pay rates.

4. Requirements capture (the object of this survey) was always an amusing exercise for us developers, with many requests (or should I demands) leaving us speechless or scratching our heads in stunned bafflement.

Some requirements were outright impossible to code, other requirements contradicted each other, many could only be used by a tiny minority of users, in quite specialised cases. Also, if all the requirements were coded, the resulting software would become a bloated bemouth, with a complicated user interface which nobody can understand or get to grips with.

However, the people inputting their requirements, believed them to absolutely essential and critical, and they couldn't live without them, and that we (software) were totally unreasonable and stupid that we couldn't see the need for them.

5. The amount of money and resources allocated for software updates were always in short supply, and never enough to address the critical and important upgrades, never mind non-important and 'nice to have' ones. Still, people who requested 'nice-to-have' upgrades were positive they would die without them.

6. I don't like social media. I do have a Facebook page, but use it a couple of times a year, and even then it was to allow me to post on some conservation group pages. I don't have twitter, instagram, upSeeDaisy, wotchaMaCallIt (I can't keep track of their names or what they do) or any other social media account.

However, when I look at the number of followers the RSPB Facebook page has (about 475,000), and can only think their reach with twitter users is quite huge, and that Facebook and Twitter helps RSPB get donation and put out information, and then I consider how many users this forum attracts (very low), well....

as a software engineer and ex-manager (for a brief while - still receiving therapy) I know what I would invest RSPB's money in.

My feeling is: I'm ever so grateful I have this forum, and that it is full of friendly, informative people; I have a sneaking feeling there are moderators keeping an eye on it.

Sure, it has its faults, it has its frustrations, but it works, and some aspects aren't too different to other forum packages; while others are.

One final passing thought. A few years back, the forum software was changed for a new package. This new forum software behaved in almost exactly the same manner as many other forum software out there in the big bad world.

There were howls of protest from long established user. Expressions of outrage that the forum didn't behave in the same manner as the one it replaced. Demands were made of RSPB IT that the operation of the software be changed back to how the package it replaced worked. Note: I was quite happy with the new forum software.

RSPB IT responded, most graciously, and spent a lot of time and effort changing the operation of the software to reflect that of the package it replaced.

There have been large number of staff members losing their jobs over many decades. When I first joined the RSPB in 1973 there were full time wardens at all large or miedium sized RSPB reserves and summer warden for the smaller reserves . You probably know the Gwenffrwd and Dinas reserve. Anyone looking at the details of that reserve will notice tge detail of walking on the Dinas footpath. But the Gwenffrwd part of the reserve is much much larger. And many decades ago when I first joined the RSPB in the early 1970’s the Gwenffrwd part of the reserve was fully open as well as the Dinas to members and the Public and some of the most recent new members of the RSPB might not know the reason.why. Well here is the rRSPB Gwenffrwd and Dinas reserve reply to my email about this a few years. But with the financial situation at the present moment, ,the cost of food, electricity which has a huge cost to a large part of the UK public. But members of the RSPB will have more important things to think about right now, such as the cost of food, cost of gas and electricity and also keeping a roof over their heads. I know that protecting the UK’s wildlife along with conservation is very important. But if someone looses there home. and if that person is an RSPB member, well they will have more important things to think about such as keeping a roof over there heads for themselves and there families. Sorry to sound so blunt, but that that be the reason why!less people are donating or becoming a member of the RSPB. Now that email below! The 

Well that.  means if the RSPB do something completely wrong, you will support them whatever!. Well I wont, I If they do something completely wrong in my opinion, I will say clearly what I always have done and will clearly criticise in the strongest way, as I have done with other wildlife conservation organisations. I won’t accept not saying what I think, unlike some who will praise just for praises sake! Also I'm a life member as well for decades of the RSPB. Also I’m a life member of 2 other National bird and wildlife organisations as well as a life member of 2 local organisations no doubt just as you are. The difference I will criticise any of those 5 wildlife organisation I am a member of as well as praise!

@Peewit

Clare Bailey said:

My problem is that I don't think you'd like our thoughts at all. This sort of thing pops up occasionally and I've long since come to the sad conclusion that it's a box-ticking exercise. I can never be bothered with those. I've got enough going on in the real world.

I have no doubt that your thoughts are productive, and think I would like your thoughts, Clare, but it’s not me who needs impressing.

A business cannot move forward on positive aspects alone, it needs the negatives to stay in touch with reality with the view to ironing them out, as best as possible to improve future planning and productivity.

Too often we seek out new and fancy accronyms, so heres an old term, very under used today is the old SWOT analysis

• S    Strengths
• W   Weakness
• O   Opportunities
• T    Threats

1. Identify your weaknesses and turn them into strengths
2. identiufy your strengths and aim to build on them
3. Identify your threats and turn them into opportunities
4. identify your opportunities and utilise them to their very best

Time to chuck my work hat, away I think.  

Unknown said:

Here are my views as recently retired software engineer/applications developer.

1. RSPB has taken huge hit on donations recently, firstly with the pandemic, and secondly with this cost of living crisis. Lots of people in the RSPB have lost their jobs of late. Times are really challenging for RSPB staff.

Angus M wrote the following post at 16 May 2023 1:15 PM: Here are my views as recently retired software engineer/applications developer.

1. RSPB has taken huge hit on donations recently, firstly with the pandemic, and secondly with this cost of living crisis. Lots of people in the RSPB have lost their jobs of late. Times are really challenging for RSPB staff.

2. Use of this forum is free. Hosting this forum costs RSPB a lot of money; unless some kindly benefactor is hosting it for them. All the images you upload, and text you write, are stored on a server somewhere - this costs money. Hosting web pages cost money, even without upgrades and enhancements.

So the first question you have to ask is how much money should be spent on coding updates for this forum's software and how much should be spent on staff wages, research and conservation work?

3. Pay, particularly for software programmers and support staff isn't particularly good in the RSPB. When I was looking to leave my old firm, I looked at job adverts for Ab Initio (data science) developers at the lodge. The pay was well below market rates. I would have taken large hit in my salary and couldn't afford to work for the RSPB; even though the retail company I worked for was notorious for its low pay rates.

4. Requirements capture (the object of this survey) was always an amusing exercise for us developers, with many requests (or should I demands) leaving us speechless or scratching our heads in stunned bafflement.

Some requirements were outright impossible to code, other requirements contradicted each other, many could only be used by a tiny minority of users, in quite specialised cases. Also, if all the requirements were coded, the resulting software would become a bloated bemouth, with a complicated user interface which nobody can understand or get to grips with.

However, the people inputting their requirements, believed them to absolutely essential and critical, and they couldn't live without them, and that we (software) were totally unreasonable and stupid that we couldn't see the need for them.

5. The amount of money and resources allocated for software updates were always in short supply, and never enough to address the critical and important upgrades, never mind non-important and 'nice to have' ones. Still, people who requested 'nice-to-have' upgrades were positive they would die without them.

6. I don't like social media. I do have a Facebook page, but use it a couple of times a year, and even then it was to allow me to post on some conservation group pages. I don't have twitter, instagram, upSeeDaisy, wotchaMaCallIt (I can't keep track of their names or what they do) or any other social media account.

However, when I look at the number of followers the RSPB Facebook page has (about 475,000), and can only think their reach with twitter users is quite huge, and that Facebook and Twitter helps RSPB get donation and put out information, and then I consider how many users this forum attracts (very low), well....

as a software engineer and ex-manager (for a brief while - still receiving therapy) I know what I would invest RSPB's money in.

My feeling is: I'm ever so grateful I have this forum, and that it is full of friendly, informative people; I have a sneaking feeling there are moderators keeping an eye on it.

Sure, it has its faults, it has its frustrations, but it works, and some aspects aren't too different to other forum packages; while others are.

One final passing thought. A few years back, the forum software was changed for a new package. This new forum software behaved in almost exactly the same manner as many other forum software out there in the big bad world.

There were howls of protest from long established user. Expressions of outrage that the forum didn't behave in the same manner as the one it replaced. Demands were made of RSPB IT that the operation of the software be changed back to how the package it replaced worked. Note: I was quite happy with the new forum software.

RSPB IT responded, most graciously, and spent a lot of time and effort changing the operation of the software to reflect that of the package it replaced.

While I have very limited experience of the forum and how it operates, all the above points are valid, though you have hit on one big point that impacts all organisations, cashflow.

Incidentally, I have since joined the RSPB, along with another conservation organisation.

Cheshire Lad said:

Clare Bailey said:

My problem is that I don't think you'd like our thoughts at all. This sort of thing pops up occasionally and I've long since come to the sad conclusion that it's a box-ticking exercise. I can never be bothered with those. I've got enough going on in the real world.

I have no doubt that your thoughts are productive, and think I would like your thoughts, Clare, but it’s not me who needs impressing.

A business cannot move forward on positive aspects alone, it needs the negatives to stay in touch with reality with the view to ironing them out, as best as possible to improve future planning and productivity.

Too often we seek out new and fancy accronyms, so heres an old term, very under used today is the old SWOT analysis

• S    Strengths
• W   Weakness
• O   Opportunities
• T    Threats

1. Identify your weaknesses and turn them into strengths
2. identiufy your strengths and aim to build on them
3. Identify your threats and turn them into opportunities
4. identify your opportunities and utilise them to their very best

Time to chuck my work hat, away I think.  

Ill say one word to that! Gobbledegook or possibly the way Psychiatrist talk.No one understands. I always say what I think either praise or criticise or agree. But what you post above ok if that is what you think!

For those that filled in the survey! Any news about the results of the survey. And do you still think anything will change? Yes or Now?

Unknown said:

For those that filled in the survey! Any news about the results of the survey. And do you still think anything will change? Yes or Now?

I did the survey but I havnt been told anything however they did ask some people by email who did sign the survey if they would like to join a webinar

I tHought that would be the case! Well we’ll see. I doubt any changes for the better will ever happen. Facebook and Twitter are for note important to the RSPB. On Facebook and Twitter the RSPB have staff who r still te ply to posts..