[CQ-Contest] Merging Social Media and Contesting

[Paul O'Kane]

It's simple - either you use ham-band RF, and nothing but ham-band RF,  
to find, facilitate, and confirm your contacts - or you don't.

If you use, or in any way depend upon, other communications modes or 
communications technologies (including, of course, the internet in all 
its forms), to find, or to facilitate, or to confirm your contacts, they 
become hybrid-communications contacts (or if preferred, internet 
assisted/dependent contacts).  They are not ham-radio contacts 
regardless of the fact there is ham-band RF involved.

When you use, and rely on, nothing but ham-band RF for your contacts, 
they are usually ham-radio contacts.  It really is that simple. That's 
where you draw the line.  Internet assisted/dependent contesters have 
already crossed it.

As for "visionaries" and their "cool stuff", let's see them implement 
their visions without public communications utilities. Let the 
hybrid-communications contesters compete among themselves.

73,
Paul EI5DI

ps:   For the avoidance of doubt, automated machine-to-machine contacts 
are not ham-radio contacts - they are Data-Processing-Over-RF contacts :-)