Graeme, before we figure out how best to publicise this site we ought to have a quick ponder about WHO it is we are trying to reach and WHY they aren't here already.

Judging by the content of both this site and the PSL Facebook Group it seems pretty obvious that the bulk of topics revolve around inverts. Which is kind of understandable given that there are an awful lot of them out there, but there are also an awful lot of plants and fungi - neither of which seem to get much of a look in. Why is this? Don't we appeal to the fans of plants and fungi?

In my mind I feel this may be because many botanists and mycologists rarely feel the need to stray from their chosen field, there really is enough out there to keep them happy for an entire lifetime without needing to look elsewhere for interest. I'm not suggesting they are blinkered against other forms of wildlife, but I've met some very competent fungi experts who wouldn't know a coot from a mallard or a comma from a brimstone. How do we capture these high-listing specialists' attention and turn it towards this site?

Undoubtedly the opposite is true regarding birdwatchers, many of whom naturally start looking elsewhere in the height of summer when the birding is slackest  - nicely coinciding with peak activity in butterflies and dragonflies. Hence they may instinctively diversify into 'easy' insects which in turn may lead to a greater interest in, and tackling of, less 'easy' orders. It's an obvious and recognised route that any number of birders have taken, myself included. It's also important to accept that a great many of today's birders, especially those involved in the twitching scene, are highly competitive when it comes to listing (patch, year, life etc) and having a bigger list than the person next to you is highly desirable! For that reason alone I feel we can successfully grab their attention.

Blogging about the Pan-species Listing movement is a powerful way to spread the word and will reach a good number of people who may be tempted to sort out their lists and climb aboard. There are more bird-bloggers out there than you can wave a stick at, so PSL should quickly spiderweb its way through the birding blogland. But a lot of the time it'll be preaching to the converted. So how do we hit those who currently have never even heard of PSL and don't follow blogsites?

Who do we already have in our ranks, where did they hear about us and what was the draw for them? Which areas of natural history are currently under-represented by our membership and how do we redress this imbalance? The sooner we have answers to that lot, the better our chances at attracting the greatest spread of naturalists whatever their fields may be.

Apologies for rambling and not actually suggesting anything useful, I'll put my thinking-cap rather than musing-cap on next time!