Using Social
Optionally share Field Chronicle outings with friends—a private journal first, with likes, a friends feed, and chat when you want them.
Field Chronicle isn’t trying to be “another photo gallery”—it’s trying to be the operating system for your time in the field.
Social is optional. Field Chronicle remains a private journal first. Friends, a feed, likes, and chat exist for people who already compare notes—not as the reason to log a sighting, and not as a requirement to store a pin.
Tools
Maya
@maya
Jon
@jon
From friends
Maya
Coastal marsh · 12 Apr
Jon
Ridge trail · 3 Apr
Popular public
Shared waders — estuary
Social is optional — a friends feed beside Tools and Popular public. The journal stays private until you share.
Choose who can see what
Privacy settings cover private, friends, and public modes. Default to private if you are unsure—especially for exact coordinates and sensitive locations. Public discovery exists for people who want to find popular shared posts; it is not required to use the journal.
Friends feed and outing chat
Accepted friends can appear in a feed of outings and sightings they share. You can like a post or open a conversation, including threads linked to a specific entry. Outing party members can share a read-only view of a trip you logged together.
Why social stays secondary
A field journal fails if logging feels like publishing. Social is there so a local birding friend can see yesterday’s waders without emailing a spreadsheet. Keep it off until that problem is real. The birder guide explains when shared lists help; Settings → Privacy and Friends is where you configure it.