Peter wrote"

<"Amateur" is the correct term, but despite its original meaning, it now means something else. That is probably the real reason we are using "citizen" <instead. "Hobbyist" is seldom used by thoughtful people, deferring to "sideliner."

I LIKE the idea of amateur or hobbyist.  For example, I have had a lifelong interest/fascination with weather and had a simple station when I was a pre-teen.  These days I have a pretty decent prosumer weather station (Davis Vantage Pro2 Plus) and upload data to the National Weather Service through  CWOP (Citizen Weather Observer Program) and have been for years.  No, the irony of their use of the word 'Citizen' is not lost on me.  The data from my station, along with data from thousands of other 'citizen' stations, is added into the mix to help improve forecasting.  But, I would never consider myself a scientist in this space; for me it is still just a hobby.  Likewise, for years I have participated in BOINC, Berkeley's volunteer distributed computer processing program, where my desktop computer, along with those from thousands of other participants, crunches data for various projects, like SETI and climate analysis, when I am not using it.  Again, it's just another hobby for me.  This is just the opposite of what someone (sorry, forget who) wrote about how hobbyists can't contribute in some scientific fields, because the required equipment is too expensive.  While my equipment is not super high end (by US standards, by global standards it is probably in the top percentage), it is not cheap.  Yet, I do almost nothing to generate the data, other than provide the sensors, the processing power and the upload link.  For a while, I even uploaded weight data to HoneyBeeNet (not home enough these days to measure with the required frequency, but hope to again, eventually), where weight change of bee colonies is used to help monitor climate change (i.e. consistent colony weight gain earlier in the season means flowers are blooming earlier, which indicates the weather is warming earlier, which over enough time and area indicates climate change).  I really like this last program, as it combines my love of bees with my love of science.  In ALL of these cases, the value of the data is based on adherence to protocol - quality of equipment, proper siting, calibration, consistent reporting, etc.  For me, someone, who started out in a lab many, many years ago, it is pretty straightforward and no big deal.  For some, like my family and friends, it appears to be something complicated or hard or 'geeky' (OK, it is geeky).   But, as with so much in life, it is about defining a process and following that process.  Like accounting, or welding, or baking or fishing or any other endeavor, be it professional or personal.  I applaud, those who are willing to follow the procedures and contribute data to the project of their choice, whatever they (or society) choose to call themselves, and I hope to do more of it in the next chapter of my life.

Volunteer, Citizen, Amateur, Hobbyist Geek Bill
Claremont, NH US

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