In today’s day and age we are very familiar with community. In fact, there has been no time in history when there has been more community! We are able to tie together chameleon hobbyists, scientists, and veterinarians from around the world and share ideas and enthusiasm. This week I talk about the chameleon community and how we fit into the larger reptile community.
For all the community building the internet allows us it has a huge drawback. People end up being a screen name. If I was walking down the street and bumped into 80% of the people I interact with on social media I would not recognize them. And that is not necessarily a bad thing. We have a digital relationship which has its place and through which much can be done. But it is a shadow of what a face to face relationship can be. This is why reptiles shows and regional society get-togethers are so meaningful.
Today I want to introduce you to a special type of event, and that is the herpetological conference. These used to be common place before the internet age. They never went away, but they are once again now starting to gain some momentum and pop up back up in different corners of the globe. I’d like to suggest you consider one of these events. There are a number happening in different countries. At the release of this episode, we in the US are preparing for the Herpeton Herpetocultural Conference coming up at the end of April 2020 in San Diego, CA. It will be four days of talks about a wide range of reptile topics with some of the most active names in the reptile community. I will be one of the speakers and will be talking on the importance of multigenerational breeders and of them leaving a digital footprint.