Local Permaculture

I found this "world map" of permies.com users which was published in 2016. https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1KEfAFv3oyrrTRCf8037UE-qb6q4&ll=4.680422600000003%2C-74.5331919&z=17 ...It seems to me the downside of this map is that it requires users to input their info to show up. And it's outdated since  it's 10 years old. And I couldn't figure out how to add myself to it.

Is there any way we can have an automatically updating world of map of current users? Like all users currently have a location listed in their profile right? So can that info automatically generate a pin on a map that's accessible on the permies.com homepage? I'm just not close enough to to Montana to visit Paul Wheaton labs, but maybe there's enough local permaculture energy here in North Georgia that we can find each other. Or at least figure out how to get in touch with one another.

Thoughts?

That would be an interesting map to look at, but I suggest it be voluntary to add your location to the map, not automatic.
People have different comfort levels regarding privacy, and some might not want to be even vaguely pinpointed.
But I would find it fascinating to see a map like you describe, and it surely could help people connect.

Yes, anyone can add themselves today to make the map current.  Have you added your location?

Very interesting to see where everyone was back then at least for the folks that added themselves to the map.

Here is the thread that goes with the map:

https://permies.com/t/57396/Add-Permies-Worldwide-map

I think the map was made 'read only' because there were a few issues with the access. It is fun to see where people are though. I wonder whether it would be possible for programmers to generate an anonymous map of permies members.

Nancy Reading wrote:I think the map was made 'read only' because there were a few issues with the access. It is fun to see where people are though. I wonder whether it would be possible for programmers to generate an anonymous map of permies members.

It would absolutely be possible to write a script that pulls the location element under each user's bio and maps it. It would be easy. I don't think we should do it. I think some people would find that distasteful.

There is an under-recognised element to sharing information that people will share more or less in accordance with how difficult it is to access the information publicly.  People will post their life story on social media to strangers if it's not searchable later. People are fine being put in a phonebook but would be uncomfortable wearing their address on a tshirt. Putting your house purchase paperwork on file in a dark basement at city hall is ok, but every mail marketing company under the sun mining that information is not ok.

I'm ok posting here, but if someone were to make a searchable archive of everything I've posted across all social media over time I would be deeply uncomfortable. There's a lot you can see in the aggregate of a person's online life that you can't see in individual postings. It's public, but it should not be easy to search.

One of the best modern examples is surveillance cameras like Flock cameras, which log all the cars and people who pass in their vision. One image of you in one place is something many people are ok with, like video surveillance in a mall. But a composite of cameras watching everywhere you've been for years is entirely different and confers a much greater level of control over you.

"Public" is kind of a legal fiction in that way. There is no "yes" or "no" answer if something is public, pragmatically. The same way that what you say and do around a campfire in the woods is different from what you say and do being interviewed on CNN, even though both are "public". Information is shared under the expectation that it doesn't become radically easier to search, and thus there is an entire rainbow of classifications that people use to determine if they are ok sharing.

...and they often feel angry and vulnerable if someone goes and makes stuff that was previously difficult to find, easy to find.

Yes I wasn't proposing anything more than a spot on a map, and I think our programmers have much to do that is more valuable. I'm pretty sure I've seen websites that have counts of where the visitors have come from.... wordpress does that for my blog if I look.

There are lots of ways to meet people, not just online. I think that if you go to community gatherings, meet different people, eventually you’ll find some other people interested in permaculture. I wouldn’t put my information online, for one because I would rather figure out someone is nice before even learning they are into permaculture, but also for other reasons.

I’m sure you could also make a thread in the “Southeast US” forum and see if anyone is around.

In case it's helpful for privacy-preserving permie mapping, I can offer a service to translate street addresses or lat-long coordinates to standard polygons as a way for folks to discover "nearby" permies at appropriate neighborhood or regional scales without revealing private locations. 🤓😎🤗🙏🌳🌳🌳🌍🌏🌎

Be sure to join Georgia Organics, and try to participate in the Southeast Permaculture Gathering held every summer near Asheville.  When I lived in GA these were the two main venues to connect with local comrades.

I would think it is alright to have indication of what state one is in of those of the United States, as I think most here would be.