Today there is a new species in the Iris world I.pad which iPredict will have a major effect the way we view the iRis world digitally. The Apple iPad has been launched today and you may ask what does that have to do with Heritage Irises, Well we are already on it, Blogger as a platform works particularly well on Apple Safari so we are off to a good start.Marketed as a device for watching video, listening to music, surfing the web and playing games, as well as an e-reader for books, magazines and newspapers.
Some Iris Societies web sites are unable to work properly on any browser platform other than older versions of IE, so it is inevitable these slow adopters of new technology will be left behind.
The more innovated Iris Societies like, Species Iris Group of North America whose Bulletin is already in a A4 loose leaf format should now be seriously considering the concept of an Electronic membership. These members could download their newsletters and Bulletins in many formats and colour print their own hard copy saving considerable costs to both the society and its membership. I am reliably informed that The British Iris Society Group for Beardless Irises has already seriously discussed the concept of E-Membership. The Tall Bearded Iris Society Membership is without doubt the most expensive Iris society for international members to join and all this additional expense is attributed to the cost of International mail. Should any editor consider the iBooks application, which displays documents using the ePub-format required for iPad, then a whole new concept of reading and searching Iris information will be born in living colour.
Well there are hundreds of thousands of people who have already bought iPads -- and there are millions more who are seriously interested in it so its off to a brilliant start, and I see no good reason why the Iris world cannot go for the exciting ride as well.
In retrospect, I have read a lot in this past 12 months in various iris publications, regarding a general theme doing the rounds that,"If an Iris society embraces the digital revolution then the General Gardening public will better understand the working's of an Iris Society" . Hello!! surely the advocates don't believe this do they?? The Gardening public don't need to 'better understand Iris Societies', but the reality check is that there is a pressing need for Iris societies 'to better understand the gardening public'.!!
Image courtesy Apple iPad
"Big will not beat small anymore. It will be the fast beating the slow" Rupert Murdoch
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