Bird Cams Chat Guidelines
May 2, 2023
We welcome everyone to participate in the live chat. Our chat is managed by volunteer moderators who help to answer questions and who keep the chat a safe, welcoming, and educational place to share information about birds in real time. We ask that all moderators and participants follow the guidelines below. Thank you!
How to log in to the chat
You do not need to log in to read the chat. In order to comment in the chat, you will need a user name and password. If you’ve chatted with us on Chatroll in the past, you can continue to use your old login and password. However, if it is your first time, you’ll need to create a username and password.
To create a login, first open the chat window by clicking the “Chat” button above the Cornell Hawks cam live stream. At the bottom of the chat window, click “Sign Up with Chatroll,” which will take you to a page where you can select a username, password, email, and verify that you’re a human. After completing the form, return to the chat and enter your login information at the bottom of the window. If you see text pop-up asking if you want to open an enterprise account, ignore it and go back to the cam page and sign in.
Be aware that the chat may be closed during parts of the day, and your comments won’t appear unless the chat is open. If you have difficulty signing in, please contact Chatroll via their online form. If you’ve forgotten your password, you can retrieve it automatically using Chatroll’s tool.
Cornell Hawks Chat Hours
The Cornell Hawks live chat is open Monday through Saturday. Starting May 5, join us on the chat on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 12:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. ET; and Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. ET, pending availability of moderators and staff.
How to Chat
- Click the chat icon located next to the Twitter updates icon above the live stream, which will open a window next to the live cam.
- You may also pop out the chat window using the “popout” setting on the bottom right-hand corner of the window.
- To move the chat window, click and drag the grey bar at the top. You can place it anywhere you like.
Guiding Principles of Bird Cams Chat
Please keep these standards of behavior in mind at all times.
Respect at all times
People of all ages and backgrounds watch our cams, including schoolchildren. Please use language that is appropriate for children to read, and be kind and respectful at all times, during the day and at night. Avoid personal attacks and sensitive or divisive comments on topics such as religion, politics, race, and orientation. We’re here to talk about the birds!
We’re here for the birds
Please keep the chat on-topic, especially during busy times when the chat flows quickly. Share observations and ideas about the birds and other wildlife. Please keep personal statements to a minimum. When the chat volume is manageable, we encourage you to share favorite resources and links to information about birds, but please ask the moderator on duty if it is OK to post a link before doing so. We also ask that you do not promote goods and services. Please do not chat in ALL CAPS since this can make the chat harder to follow and may come across to others as “yelling.”
Moderators have a challenging job
Our volunteer moderators do their very best to answer questions, but it’s impossible for them to answer them all, especially when the chat is very busy. Please be patient and understanding. Moderators are people, too! It’s not easy to moderate a real-time chat. Please thank the moderators for giving us all the opportunity to chat.
Please do not give out personal information
Remember that there are thousands of people watching the chat. Please do not give out personally identifiable information such as names, email and postal addresses, and phone numbers.
Teachers and classrooms in the chat
We often get visits from K-12 classrooms in our Bird Cams chat. When classrooms are involved in the chat, please also allow time for teachers to ask questions and moderators to reply. Thank you!
Your feedback is important to us
You can help us provide the best possible service by letting us know what is working well in the chat, or how we can improve. To send your comments, email us at birdcams@cornell.edu. We read all messages, although we regret that when the volume is high, we may not be able to respond personally to each one. Thank you for your understanding.
Enjoy the birds
Thank you for joining us to watch the birds, and for contributing your questions, observations, and ideas in the Bird Cams chat.
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