The hawktrek.net experiment was established to determine the feasibility of setting up a personally run site that could be used to inform family and friends of Hawk wanderings. We were concerned about the consequences of social media exploitation of mixing the addictive nature of 24/7 information updates with the publics innocent desire for online connectivity. This concern is more valid now as the repercussions of the pick your own “echo chamber” are becoming clear in political and social structures throughout the western world.

The technical challenges of providing fun content to hawktrek.net started almost immediately with the diverse nature and locations of the digital media that we were personally creating on a day to day basis. The various models of cell phones, cameras, picture formats and video sizes, created unanticipated obstacles during the original days of the trek. The concept that the Hawks could simply post to the homemade site, as simply as posting to other social networks was obviously naïve. We are still however enjoying the process, which helped us figure out how to ensure important digital content is being backed-up in a manner that is fairly convenient and redundant. The consequences of purposefully exposing information online in this fashion also weighs heavily on our minds, and certainly unsafe for a variety of reasons. We believe however that adventure is key to living a productive and joyous life and currently think the benefits of this online adventure will outweigh the negative impacts.

As we continue to engage and learn how to manage the site, we will try to provide uplifting and informative content. We appreciate your continued interest.