Context is everything. This picture is of a sign that is fairly common here in Florida. Quite exotic for a norwegian that lives in a country where a tiny snake is one of the most dangerous animals you can bump into. A tiny snake that will hurt you slightly more than a common bumble bee if it bites.
If this sign was placed in a zoo it would not be very interesting. Context and expectations are important for all stories. For marketing. For blogs. For podcasts. Don’t underestimate the value of a good backgound story. A story about yourself, about the situation around what you are communicating. The story about Herkko Heitanen and Lehtovaara is not that interesting without the background information that tells you that Mr. Heitanen is a lawyer specialized within IT-law and a founding member of one of the biggest cyber rights organization in Europe. The movie Super Size Me is of course not very interesting if you don’t know that it is a true story and that the maker of the movie actually did eat all that junk.
I have a brief About Eirikso page here at my blog. It is brief, but I think it is important. I think it adds value to what you read here if you have at least a little bit of background on the author.
Back to the alligators. To the right you can see the picture of the sign with a bit more context. The last time we where here we had a big alligator called Ollie living in the small lake at the golf course outside our window. He is not there anymore. Rumor says that he started a diet that included one of the gardeners at the course. Bad idea.
Anyway, I managed to snap this picture back in 2004:
Of course I didn’t feed him. And I don’t need the threat of a $500 fine to not consider feeding a gator like Ollie…
eirikso 
In a few areas on US-27 there are bear crossing signs. I’d lived in Florida for 20 years without ever knowing we had bears…
Bears in Florida!? Cool. Most bears are vegetarian – does Florida bears eat oranges?
When thinking of it, I have to adjust my story about Norway and the small snake. There is something more dangerous. Maybe not on mainland Norway, but:
Svalbard is a partly norwegian piece of land north of mainland Norway. Svalbard has actually polar bears roaming around the streets. And polar bears are among the most deadly bears in the world.
On Svalbard this is a problem so serious that it is illegal to leave the town of Spitsbergen on foot wothout a shotgun.
[…] But this picture – is taken in a Zoo To be more precise: Naples Zoo – Florida. And I just had to post this one as a follow up to the guys that refuse to report theft and the picture not taken in a zoo. […]
I enjoyed the alligator sign…Florida is full of these.
Reminded me of a trip to the Everglades, where I got out of my car to admire a beautiful bird, and was completely startled to see two eyes staring back at me through the marshy grass, only six or eight feet away. Naturally, they belonged to an alligator. Thank goodness he wasn’t hungry!
Best,
Karen
Ouch!
Seeing an alligator on a golf course doesn’t seem so strange. There are a few at a course in Hardeeville SC. It’s kind of intimidating but they leave them alone until they get too big (I guess too big is like 8 feet or so). If you don’t muck with the gators, they don’t muck with you. I wouldn’t take a poodle too close though!
As far as signs go… On highway 80 between Savannah and Tybee Island, GA, there are turtle crossing signs. Turtles cross the road once or twice a year on the way to nesting sites. I guess they are an endangered species, but they aren’t real big and I don’t know what you’re supposed to do when you spot one going down the road 65MPH. Maybe swerve into oncoming traffic or something.
When somebody wants to feed an alligator, may be he will be the food for the crocodile so I think the officers may not find him to ask for $ 500 🙂 .
they get too big (I guess too big is like 8 feet or so). If you don’t muck with the gators, they don’t muck with you. I wouldn’t take a poodle too close though!
thanks!