ALL CAMS GOING PRIVATE!!!!

[labrat]

Heather your email sure got my attention. Sorry your having to deal with this type of stuff. I haven't been here in months. My cam has been off for months and if anybody dared call me I'd sure let them have it. I have a life. I let them in my house and now in my barn, if they don't like how I do things-get out of my barn. ;D They don't have to watch my cam-I LET them. So please do not remove my phone number, it just might save a horse- I really would love for one of these know it alls to call me. I am trying to find a cable long enough to hook the TV to the computer so you all can join me in the barn-we've got a mare at 320 days! I would love for you all to join us.

[Blacklabs]

Heather great post as a watchers of mare stare when I see a negative post then it's my responsible to pm that person and remind them that we are a guest in that person barn and need to treat them accordingly.Also the cam owners could always post the person name and number and comments to the board when someone calls their homes.
On the topic of calling can the cam owners put right on the cam a scrolling message that the horse has foaled.No phone calls please unless you see ---------.Also not everyone has there location on their cam board so sometimes hard to see where they are from,I realize some might do this for security reasons but it makes it hard to what time zone they are in. Hope this suggestions help.
I'm very upset this is happening and have posted a message on the off the farm message board last week

[shammy]

Stop THINK. THEN STOP AND THINK Again! Before you post anything or call anyone! Think If it was You how would you Feel. Right or wrong they are NOT our horses! WE are Guest in some one elses HOME! MANNERS!
Thank you to all of the farms the Welcome us! I myself have learned a lot and often share what I have learned with other breeders. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

[starlitefarms]

well ok my two cents! i have been watching cams for a very long time. i have my own mares foaling out . i do NOT have cams (not that i dont want them lol) but i understand whats going on with the cam owners being aggrivated. Partly why i am in no big hurry to put cams online. This is my barn , my way of doing things. Same as that is dars barn, and netties barn, and so on. not all people have like what they see but like dar said there is a little red x in the top right corner. I will admit i have been guilty of not likeing what i see sometimes and i have complained to dar lol . she has reminded me that its not my place lol. yep my feelings get hurt and stepped on. but i am a big girl and i will live. GET OVER IT PEOPLE! My opinion if your luck enough to see a live foaling congrats other wise keep this up and you wont see any.

[fcf]

I didn't understand a lot about the cam situation until I had my own. I know last year when my mare foaled online, I had no interest in worrying about viewers. My mare and foal were 1st priority and I would have been incensed if anyone had called me and complained about the cam or my farm or whatever.
Some of these viewers should put cams in their homes and let us mare owners pick apart their way of living. Some people I think, have nothing better to do than criticize.
Being a previous non-mare owner and avid cam viewer, I know what it is like to feel left out of the whole foaling process and only being a viewer. It is kind of depressing. BUT when you are a cam owner it does not make you available to everyone's whims. There is nothing different about having a cam. We are inviting you, the viewers into a situation that prior to cam technology, was not available to you before. WE are sharing our private moments and making it available online is a way of sharing the experience. AND it is a learning tool as well. I know if it weren't for the cam owners who have allowed me to watch the foaling process in previous years, I would have been seriously in trouble last year when my own mare foaled.
LEARN from them, watch them, appreciate them. But understand that these breeders know what they are doing. They do not need critical outside help. I am sure none of them mind when you call and say a mare is foaling if they state on their MB that they are sleeping or going out, etc. But if you are not sure..keep your fingers off the phone keypad I keep my phone number off my site for this reason. There is always someone here. I do not need in-experienced people setting me off in the middle of the night if my mare is not foaling or in trouble.
I had my breeding rabbits birthing online two years ago and was absolutely astounded when someone called me crazy and threatened to call the SPCA on me for 'invading my rabbit's privacy'. That was real nice. All they had to do was close the cam. I also remember one farm being chastized for being in the stall with her mares during foaling and then another one being attacked for NOT being in there until just after the mare had foaled. Both methods in my book are fine. Everyone does things differently. Some viewers honestly think they are experts..these farms do what works for them and their mares. If you don't like it. Close the cam. Period.
Heather not sure if this will make it easier..but maybe a program should be implemented that gives certain viewers the phone numbers, and no one else? This is what I do, and I got no calls last year at all.

[leonanc]

fcf, I have mentioned before that maybe just Heather, and the Moderators, should have the phone numbers only. This way there are only just a few people with the numbers, and it would be easier for them to communicate with each other, rather than a few thousand people. Those who post negative things on this board are not only showing disrespect for the farm owners, but also to Hetaher. And as far as I am concerned Heather works to dang hard to put up with the crap. These cams are here to put farm owners at ease a little, so they may get some well deserved rest, and they put a lot of trust on us that we may act upon things in the right way. Those who can not post nice possative feed back you know who you are and I have seen it but did not feel it was my place to say anything. But you can bet your but, I will not be so silent now. I know I have never met a more awsome group of people, than I have on mare stare, and I am not ready to sit back and let anyone spoil the special freindships, I have made on here. Heather you do an awsome job on here and work to dang hard for us to deserve such disrespect from people, and from now on I make a promise that If I see any more bad post, I will let you know so that you make talk to these people or take action. I think you going through what you have been through with other boards, is pressure enough without things going on here. Just remember, Heather has the right and the way to band your but for good!!!!

[ladawna]

I really hope cams do not go private. I love watching and would hope there is something that can be done to halt the bad apples...

[gigismom]

labsblackdogs said:

Also the cam owners could always post the person name and number and comments to the board when someone calls their homes.

I agree with the above, post THEIR phone number and THEIR name. This would put a halt to a lot of this nonsense.

Heather, it would be great if there were some way you could ban these people from the site (barn cams and message boards), using their IP address.

[witsendfarm]

Sorry to hear this is happening. We have only received a couple of these type calls but we just considered that to be part of a public service. Not a bother to us. I'd rather tolerate a few calls of this nature than to have this valuable service go private. (sort of defeats the purpose of having it) Hopefully all this posting will alleviate some of the problem.
Sandy

[morabilityranch]

I am a new cam owner and have only had it on for 2 days and would like to say at this time I will appreciate a call when my mare is down and is actually foaling but chances are I will already be in my barn by the time a call comes in and just because you do not see me does not mean I am not there. I give my mares their spaces during foaling and only come in when there seems to be a problem I try to let mom and baby have their bonding time and as long as all seems fine I do not interfere with that. I decided to join Mare Stare for my personal use of a great service and plan on using it for more than just folaing time, I have people that buy my foals when they are newborns and would love to be able to come online to Mare Stare and see their babies while they are with their moms and watch them grow till they are weaning age and able to go to their new homes. I also have people who would like to see my stallion before they make a decision on whether he would be a good match for their mare. I would hope anyone thinking about picking up the phone to give unwanted advice that was not asked for or going to critique mine or any other cam owners way of doing things , I would hope they stop and realize that it is a privilege not a right to be able to view what is going on in my barn as well as the others and to not step over the line of being just a observer of whats going on and like others said we all have our own way of doing things with caring for our horses that works for us and the horses we know and have daily contact with we do not need unwanted advice on what we should be doing and if we do I am sure we will post a message asking for advice. I will be leaving my number public and hope all viewers watching my mares and other daily things going on will have respect as they would wnat to have if it was their barn opened up for all to see day to day. If you do see something you do not like happening in my barn just click the X and leave my cam do not pick up phone to give a piece of your mind to me because I will give back a piece of mine. Heather what you are offering is a great service and you have been wonderful to work with over the last few weeks I am sorry to hear some cam owners are having a problem, where you have alot of onlookers there are gonna be some problems like this that arise and I did think about this before deciding I wanted to put my private daily barn routines online for all eyes to see but all in all for me and my clients it will be a good thing I appreciate your service you offer.

[texascookie]

I never post, but could not read this topic without a reply. I appreciate each and every cam that I can watch. I learn something every day from the Mare Stare boards, and appreciate the differing ways of dealing with foalings and everyday horse care. I would never think to tell someone they were doing something wrong. They are doing it their way, and I am a guest in their home. It seems that good manners are lacking in a few, and causing problems for those we should be thanking.

I want to say a big public THANK YOU to Heather and each of the Mare Stare cam owners. I hope we have many more years to watch together and enjoy one of God's greatest creations, horses of all colors and sizes.

[lisanc]

I think this is also a very good time for everyone to remember how a farm owner feels when something goes wrong. DESPERATION! I know when I watched Misty Moons little Ladybug have such a bad delivery last year, I felt horrible. We've all (well most of us) have read the books, but how many text book babies are born in the hospital every year. Think about it. The best thing a viewer can do is encourage a cam owner. Give them a chance to do things on their own whether we think it is right or wrong. It is NOT our job to judge. That said, my hats off to all of the farm/cam owners this year. You are doing wonderful jobs, and keep up the good work.

[rockinbpaints]

As a cam owner, I have had my share of phone calls and emails too - some for the right reasons and some, well...

For me PERSONALLY I just ask one thing... PLEASE check my message board for updates BEFORE you call UNLESS it is an UNMISTAKABLE foaling or EMERGENCY (a horse or foal cast or hung up, etc.).

I just got a call last night from someone with a 360 area code but they failed to identify themself. They called to tell me the gray mare was foaling. I said, no she isn't. They said Are you sure? Ummm... yeah, I'm pretty sure - I'm sitting here staring at her and she is laying down resting.

I had posted an update on the gray mare last night that she was worth watching as she is getting close. Now, if this person who called would have read that (stickied) post they would have known that I was keeping a close eye on her.

Last year we had our stallion under cam as some folks wanted to see him, and Jason got a call that he was foaling!! Now THAT would have been quite the miracle, huh?

People #1 need to REALLY stop and think before they call... and #2 BEFORE they decide to call they NEED to READ the cam owners boards for updates, as I have enough trouble keeping my board updated, let alone marestares board too.

Last year I dealt with a LOT of painful criticism and mean posts (both on my board and on other boards) when we foaled a lethal white baby. I talked with Dar about taking the cams offline and only using them for our personal use. I elected not to... but it is ALWAYS sitting in the back of my mind. Now with the option from Heather to make my cams private - that will be a consideration, but it is not what I would like to do.

Also, by coming to my message board you can read whether or not I know my cams are down. When we have bad storms (lightening) I shut down my entire computer system as I have lost computers in the past. And also, in the recent past, I was having enormous difficulty with my internet connectivity and my cable company. I finally have it resolved. But by checking my board first, you can have a lot of your questions answered.

Remember, I DO appreciate your dedication in watching over my horses and I thank you....

[bndranch]

wmhackneyponies said:

Heather,

Just a thought. When an alert goes out there are a lot of people who just get the alert by email. They just click on the link and away they go to the cam. They don't even need to come to the Marestare site. They may not be seeing any of the warnings being posted.

This is sooo true. There are many people who do not come to our cams via marestare. Maybe you could put something up on the actual cam page about calling. Or take your post above and put it on peoples actual cam pages. That way NOBODY can use the excuse that they didn't know. I would be up for it. I got two calls that shouldn't have been called I guess you should say. I think if its on the cam page of course that could be left up to the farm owners as well.
Just my two sense.
Brittany

[Heather T]

Thank you for your replies and opinions. There are several changes we are considering. One is a phone tree where WE will have the phone numbers of the cam owners and viewers can contact us - we will take turns as to who receives the calls so that no one gets bombarded.

I do have the ability to ban viewers/posters but I am hoping to not have to do that.

And I will leave my phone number on my cams. I don't mind people calling to say that my mare is in labor, when she's just sleeping. I'd much rather get that than to get no calls.

However, I have a serious problem with calls that criticize the quality of the cam or the cam owner. The viewers have no right to do that - period.

I love the comment that the viewers should put up a cam and let us in their life for a day or two - we might make that a pre-requisite to being a viewer (hahaha)

HAD to modify this post - a wonderful cam owner just sent me this icon - it's going on all my pages......



Ya'll feel free to use the link. ;D