Original Article About Dexters

Over the period between May and August 2002, I sent e-mail questionnaires to about 50 Dexter breeders in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. Responses were received from 28, most of them from New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The following profiles of Internet use are based on the information generously offered by these Dexter breeders as well as discussions with Internet users in New Zealand over the past two to three years. This means that this research is not able to provide any indication of how many Dexter Internet users fall into each of the categories identified below.

Sometimes I identify a Dexter breeder or website by name. In such cases, I will be using either publicly available information from websites or information gathered in the course of this research for which explicit permission has been gained.

Below I profile 13 different types of Dexter breeders in terms of their use of the Internet, as consumers or providers of Internet information and services. These profiles do not describe any particular individual. However any individual Dexter breeder who uses the Internet is likely to be able to place themselves as belonging more to one type of consumer and provider than another.

1) INTERNET NON-USERS

At least some Dexter breeders do not use the Internet, either because they do not have access to it or because they choose not to. A number of Dexter breeders are older citizens who have retired to a rural smallholding and decided to raise these small cattle. By choice or by inclination, they have not become Internet-experienced. Some may not even own a computer. This is consistent with a segment of the smallfarming population generally. For example, a recent survey of members of Smallfarming New Zealand, an association of smallfarmers, found that 28 per cent of them did not use the Internet. A further 29 per cent reported that they used it “a little” and 25 per cent “a lot”, with only 16 per cent using it “quite a lot” (Paterson, 2001, p.2). To a degree, these figures reflect the age distribution of Smallfarming NZ members. Over half of the respondents were 51 years of age or older.

However, when older people do get online, they usually spend a lot of time using the Internet. For example, one panel survey by Nielson NetRatings NZ in May 2000 gathered information on the hours per month spent online for different age groups in New Zealand. The average across all age groups was nearly seven and a half hours. The greatest time (nearly 12 hours) was spent by 21-24 year olds, with 18-20 year olds second (nearly nine hours) and 65-99 year olds third (right on the nearly seven and a half hours average) (NZNetGuide, August 2000, 27). More recent indications are that Internet use is increasingly being used by those over 50 years of age.

Some younger Dexter breeders may also belong to the Internet Non-Users category, especially if they live in remote rural areas where Internet connection is unavailable, unreliable or extremely slow. In general, the number of non-users is shrinking and is likely to be insignificant in only a few years’ time. This makes it even more important to ensure that the Dexter presence on the Internet is a rich, varied and profitable one.

2) INTERNET CONSUMERS

There are nine different types of Dexter breeders who use Internet resources. They are distinguished first of all by whether they use e-mail only or not. Then those who make use of the wider resources of the Internet are placed into different categories depending on the frequency of their use, the confidence with which they use the Internet, and whether they use it passively (as a source of information only) or actively (by having their own website, posting on discussion boards, and so on).

The E-mailer - Some Dexter breeders use only the e-mailing facility of the Internet. E-mail represents a very effective way of communicating with others, near and far. Much of the business of national Dexter organisations, at Council and regional levels, and in compiling newsletters and bulletins, can be done in this way. It also provides a means of buying and selling Dexter cattle. In New Zealand, Karen Managh operates “Dial-a-Dexter” which is mainly e-mail-based. The idea of such a central selling service was sparked initially by an awareness of an Australian service of the same name. In New Zealand, anyone can contact Karen (e-mail digbyhollow@ihug.co.nz) and at no charge place an ad for an animal for sale. She then sends the list periodically to whoever wishes a copy.

Karen estimates that 90 per cent of placements submitted to Dial-a-Dexter come by e-mail which is also the main source of inquiries from potential buyers. Every six weeks, she e-mails out a spreadsheet of Dexters for sale to about 60 people. Currently, just over 100 Dexters are advertised annually on this service. Contact details for Dial-a-Dexter are also listed on "Lifestyleblock" (www.lifestyleblock.co.nz), the most active smallfarming website in New Zealand. This means that an Internet search for “Dexters” and “New Zealand” would discover the service. Karen provides this service free of charge to both buyers and seller, with the Dexter Cattle Society NZ meeting the cost of her telephone and fax expenses.

The E-mailers have not yet moved on to using the Internet as an information resource. This is likely to happen in the future for most of them. Of course, other Internet users also use e-mail. It is only The E-mailer who currently limits his or her use in this way. It is likely that only a very few Dexter breeders fall into this category.

The Minimal Internet Information Consumer (MIIC) - Some people use the Internet in relation to Dexter cattle in only a very few instances. For example, when they are considering what stock to run on their farm, they may browse general farming or smallholding websites where they come across references to Dexters. They will then follow up links to information on the breed or to a Dexter organisation. Alternatively, they may have heard about Dexters from elsewhere and decide to do an Internet search to see what further information they can locate on the breed. They then look at a few of the websites that come up on a search engine. Some MIICs may regularly check on one or two Dexter websites once or twice a year, especially their national organisation site. Such Dexter breeders function primarily within a local, regional or national Dexter community based on face-to-face encounters and the services provided by their Dexter organisation.

MIICs may then not return to Dexters on the Internet for a year or more. Perhaps a particular issue arises that they fail to satisfactorily resolve through personal contacts, national organisations, or published literature. So they may search the Internet for information on a certain bull, or a particular breeder, or the bulldog calf, or the gene for colour, for example.

Another type of MIIC is one who has yet to develop their Internet skills. They may lack assistance in coming to terms with searching the Internet. They may find their initial attempts disappointing and feel discouraged. It might be that the Internet connection in their rural district is frustratingly slow. They are able to function very well as Dexter breeders without it, though they have a feeling that once they become more confident, or the service improves, they will be able to tap into an important resource.

Six of those who completed my e-mail questionnaire fell into this category. One of the aims of this Paper is to encourage them not to give up.

The Irregular Internet Information (and Service) Consumer (IIIC and IIISC) - These Dexter breeders use the Internet in irregular bursts, IIICs in a passive manner and IIISCs in an active manner. In other words, every now and again, these users will spend considerable time on the Internet but they may also go for long periods when they don’t use it. Some busy breeders may find time only in winter to sit down for long periods at the computer. Or their occupations may involve regular use of the Internet and one of the main aims of having Dexter cattle is to get away from the computer keyboard. An IIIC can be distinguished from an IIISC in terms of whether or not the user remains passive in the use of the Internet. An IIISC actively uses one or more of the services available on the Internet for Dexter breeders, such as listing cattle for sale. They may sometimes have a small website of their own, for their family or farm.

IIICs and IISCs are often competent and efficient Internet users. It is just that they use it for Dexter-related purposes on an irregular basis. One of my e-mail questionnaire respondents fell into the IIIC category and two into the IIISC category.

The Periodic Internet Information (and Service) Consumer (PIIC and PIISC) - There are some Dexter breeders who use the Internet for information and communication on a more regular basis but with a relatively long period between uses, such as a month or two. They catch up with news from national organisation websites or a discussion board, and perhaps check in on one or two other favourite websites. Once or twice a year, a PIIC or PIISC may do a search for new Dexter websites. Two of the respondents to my e-mail questionnaire could be categorised as PIICs and four as PIISCs.

The Regular Internet Information (and Service) Consumer (RIIC and RIISC) - There are some Dexter breeders who use the Internet for information and communication every week or so. They are frequent and regular visitors to a discussion board and sometimes make contributions to the exchange of news and views there. They also visit national organisation websites and other Dexter websites on a weekly or two-weekly basis. Four or five times a year, they will do a search to identify Dexter websites they have not yet come across. RIISCs may list cattle for sale on the Internet and will often have a small website of their own, for their family, their home business, or cattle stud.

Prior to the development of my website, www.dex-info.net, I would have categorised myself as a RIISC. I linked to the Internet each day at work and occasionally during the weekends. I checked out one or two Dexter websites daily, another two or three once a week. I also checked a smallfarming website and discussion board daily. I kept an eye on one of the Dexter discussion boards and occasionally made contributions to it. I undertook a major search of the Internet for Dexter-related sites every six months or so. Five of my e-mail questionnaire respondents could also be labeled as RIICs and another four as RIISCs.

The Dexter Virtual Internet Community Member (VIC) - These Dexter breeders live in a global virtual community of Dexter breeders. It would be rare for a day to go by without them being online. They communicate weekly with breeders from Australia and New Zealand, England and Wales, Canada and the United States, and even further afield. They exchange news and views with them more often than with the Dexter breeder located nearest to them. They use e-mail regularly for this, and are also regular readers of and contributors to at least one Dexter discussion board. They use the Internet to satisfy their thirst for pedigree details and to keep up to date on the latest information on anything and everything about Dexters. This includes making use of websites about farming, cattle, and animal health. VICs check out the main Dexter websites weekly or monthly. They may also have, or are about to set up, their own website. They usually buy and sell Dexter cattle using e-mail or the websites that provide this service.

Three respondents reported this pattern of Internet use in relation to Dexters. There were also hints that their use of the Internet for Dexter-related matters is but part of a more general pattern of daily life. They communicate with friends and family by e-mail. Whenever anyone in the household needs to know something, the Internet is often the first resource that is tapped. Children’s homework and parents’ businesses often centre on Internet use.

Movement from One Type of Internet Consumer to Another - It should be noted that a Dexter breeder who currently falls into one of these categories may not always have been there in the past, and is likely to change in the future. It is possible to spend a year or two as a MIIC and then, with a burst of enthusiasm or a technical breakthrough, progress on to being a RIISC, or even a VIC, for another year or two. This may not be able to be sustained and a further move may be made to an IIISC, with long periods of inactivity punctuated with intense bursts of activity. Then he or she may settle into the more stable, yet active, PIIC or PIISC.

Continued in Part II

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