Yoo Hoo where are you Now?

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by Tezza, Aug 19, 2006.

  1. Tezza

    Tezza Junior Member

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    Hey where are Sue in WA and Cathy from Canownindra...

    I miss these 2 happy posters.and cathy where are you..Hows the garlic plants comming along..

    Anyone know where these or others are hanging around.....


    Tezza
     
  2. FREE Permaculture

    FREE Permaculture Junior Member

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    It is a bit sad that people drift away but that's how forums go i s'pose,
    I see some newbies come through but they don't seem to stay either.
    I still think it's the format of this forum, a bit like owning a 4wd and never taking it bush, such a great program this phpbb thing and here it looks like a forum from the 80's.

    countless pages of everything in one forum and 4 others that are ok when you got many people but aren't really used that much.
    we had the discussion about whether to add more forums and most said leave it.
    well since then there have been two forums added so how is that different?
    most don't seem to understand that there are many more people that may be interested in permaculture but don't want to get into the science of it today, maybe they will slowly get more involved in the bigger issue but for now they just wanna talk basics, so they find a more newbie friendly forum and then there gone for good.

    without a healthy injection of newbies, it is not going anywhere.
    the site is not really inviting is it? it looks like a half project forgotten about, look at other forums and see how pretty they are, how well indexed they are.

    no offence to murray and that, but if someone more creative was to have this site it would of been a big hit, maybe even aknowledged worldwide.
    the format just doesn't do the topic justice.
    sure everything fits into permaculture in one way or another, but just because it does it doesn't need to all be shoved in the one forum.
    geez, it's such a waste. :)
     
  3. murray

    murray Junior Member

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    dude - if you're unhappy, then feel free to make some specific suggestions for how it could be better. i'm always happy to listen to folk more "creative" than me. but please, don't just sit and bitch. :)
     
  4. Richard on Maui

    Richard on Maui Junior Member

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    There is another site that lots of posters from here went to, called Aussies Living Simply. Lots of activity and lots of indexing there. Personally, I can't cope with the millions of categories they have for everything. It is just too much like a dogs breakfast for me. If I want to look up past active discussions on this forum, I just do a search... I like the fact that it is relatively simple to see all the active recent discussions on one page. Of course, this all undoubtedly says more about my lack of computer skills than anything.
    Maybe I am missing your point Chicka. But as Murray says, maybe you could be more specific?
     
  5. murray

    murray Junior Member

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  6. Cornonthecob

    Cornonthecob Junior Member

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    This site is simple....which suits me!

    :)
     
  7. murray

    murray Junior Member

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    so you see, this is the core issue.

    for every person who says 'the board is not complex enough for me', there's someone else who says 'the board is simple and i like it that way'.

    :?
     
  8. frosty

    frosty Junior Member

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    I much prefer the fomat of this board to ALS 8)

    frosty
     
  9. Cornonthecob

    Cornonthecob Junior Member

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    lol once again Murray...damn if you do, damn if you don't...

    You're a better man than I'll ever be taking on a job like this.
     
  10. RobWindt

    RobWindt Junior Member

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    Heartily agree, you can view 50 posts on ALS and find 50 variations of "g'day" or "me too!". Much easier here.
     
  11. FREE Permaculture

    FREE Permaculture Junior Member

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    well i'm not talking about the als site, that is way too crazy, they probably even have a forum for jam making on it's own by now for sure.
    not even talking about half of that or even 10%, just something a little bit organised.

    like look at all the chook posts, most newbies wouldn't even know how to search or just can't be bothered which is why every month there's the same old, what should i grow for my chooks question.

    there could even be a forum for all the "where did everyone go" questions :lol:

    I can only suggest there needs to be a change if you have ambitions for this site to flourish, doesn't need to be drastic, just a couple of specific forums to shift over some posts and so when a newbie rocks up they see it's more of a forum then a bulletin board look about it.
    I have eyes, so i don't need to be creative to see there's no-one new sticking around or that the site isn't what it could be.

    I like most am happy to just plod along and not take anything too seriously like i do, it's not my site and if it was i'd be looking at growing it into what it should be, if it stays like it is then fine, i don't mind asking the same 8 people questions and getting reply's from them 8 people.

    take away richard, tezza, floot, frosty and a few others and poof!

    G.O.R.N.

    change is tuff, i know this, it's hard.
    but liking the way something is, doesn't mean it's the way it should be,
    maybe there's 10 people a day blowing in, have a look and click away, wouldn't it be great if they stayed and contributed? like for good?

    you's are just used to it 'cos your here all the time.
    but a newbie takes it for what it appears to be and compared to whats out there, they may see it as just another basic site and move on.

    dude, i've already made suggestions to you and you started a thread about it and most knocked it back, some of them ain't here anymore so i just don't accept there argument, "I vote no" then vanish is not good enough.

    I could make some suggestions but i feel like a dick 'cos i seem to be the only one here that see's it.
    so yeah i can't see any change for the good happening 'cos it takes more that one to tango and no-one else is gonna even try make a suggestion as to what could be done and if just one person makes some suggestions it will never happen 'cos the rest couldn't stand the fact that something new was a members idea.

    no-one complained about the new perma wiki forum did they? they just accepted it was there, not that anyone uses it, but they have accepted it's the owners choice to put it up.
    so if you wanna make a change for the better then i suggest you either ask for positive ideas and not "i like the way it is" or just think about it yourself and do it just like you have with the other forums.

    why is there a "Jobs, projects, gigs, courses & training" forum?
    what is so different about that to a chook and livestock forum?
    or a produce forum?

    What difference is the "Buy, sell, trade, give away & exchange" forum to what is in the permaculture forum? why does that need a seperate forum and everything else needs to be put in the one?

    buggered if know.
     
  12. murray

    murray Junior Member

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    hey

    just want to remind you that i'm usually the one who begins the "let's make a change - what do you all think" posts. to suggest i'm married to the current forum layout and don't wanna make a change simply because i'm used to it is just plain wrong.

    having said that - i'm always happy when someone speaks up and engages with me about how to make the board a better place for all.

    so - if i read you right, you're suggesting an FAQ sub-forum where we can throw the authoritative posts on certain issues? anyone want to help out with that?

    careful with assuming too much -- this is a topic in which i have significantly more data than you do. ;) my webstats shows that traffic is up by 20% this month over the previous all-time-high month for the board. we're getting over 630 unique visitors a day currently, double this time last before "everyone left", apparantly.

    well yes, of course it would. lol. but it's a function of a lot of factors, not the least of which being the actual discussions that are active on the board when the person lands.

    point taken. i think we could definitely do more to help people find stuff. and i'm willing to help come up with ideas to do it.

    m.
     
  13. FREE Permaculture

    FREE Permaculture Junior Member

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    oh well that's even more reason to try and keep 'em.
    630 unique visitors? wow, so potentially they could be actual members that have something to say.

    and yeah, i do assume most of what i say :)

    I have no doubt that the ones that supposedly left are within them figures,
    must be terrible for them that they are visiting yet can't bring themselves to say hello 'cos "what would the other's think at the other forum" or rubbish like that, quite sad for them.

    If i still had my shop and 620 people walked in and only a dozen bought something, i'd be pretty eager to find out what i don't have that they want.
    i mean like a forum is only such when people talk, i don't know what they expect to see here if they don't talk, and i'm sure all there questions aren't already answered.

    sure there's heaps that are happy to just keep quiet and read all the info but they really should be made to feel they need to contribute in some way, even if it's just to aknowledge that a poster has provided them with half of what they wanted to know.
    like if this was a newsagent, and everyone comes in to read the mag's but no-one buys, would send this place broke :)

    oh well, i'm gonna think about it and maybe i can come up with one or two idea's, maybe the more experienced members have some ideas.
    I don't think it's about seperating people into categories, just seperating some genuine categories and like when a newbie comes in, they say, wow, i wanna be part of this.

    Oh, i don't know myself anymore, I don't want to criticise, just want to see more heads in the forum that's all.

    btw, where's christopher :)
     
  14. FREE Permaculture

    FREE Permaculture Junior Member

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    oh yeah, i forgt to add that spring has almost sprung.
    like, everyone's gonna be scouring the net wanting to know how to grow tomatoes and cucumbers again, or should they mulch.

    this is a great time, and i anticipate many of them will be dropping in.

    and no, i'm not asking for a tomato forum :lol:
    but i'm gonna read up on 'em so if they ask, i'll have the answer without having to direct them to the search engine :)
     
  15. Jez

    Jez Junior Member

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    I'd be happy to help out with that Murray, but I don't have much spare time to tackle something that big in the immediate future, closer to the end of year that may well change.

    On another note, FWIW I think most forums have a lot of people who just read and don't post, especially when it's a forum which is based somewhat around technical knowledge. From that perspective, I don't think making essential or basic info easier to find will increase the number of members or contributors, but it would improve the delivery of information...and let's face it, that is a fair part of the reason for the site as a whole (I would imagine anyway).

    Who knows Murray, maybe 200 of your 'unique visitors' a day find exactly the info they were after and just don't feel the need to contribute anything?

    Also FWIW, I like this format.
     
  16. christopher

    christopher Junior Member

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    Ben, I am right here! Never left, just busy! BTW, this place is great, Murray! Thank you for keeping it up and running for our benefit.

    I like the other forum, I like this one, too. This one is a bit easier to follow sometimes, and that one is a bit more inviting sometimes. They are both great places, and I use and enjoy both of them.

    Back to the original question: where are Sue and Cathy? Any one know? I miss them, too!

    SUE, CATHY, WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!
     
  17. blackash

    blackash Junior Member

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    I have idea about how to make the forum more intereacive ...at other forum that I just joined, they have a reputation system..I love the idea and they seem to have most of the bases coverd so that it is not that easy abuse..I don't have any idea how one set it up thou...Here is a link to the forum page about reputation thing...
    https://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au ... #faq_rep_1

    The main idea is that one can give a good point of reputation for a usefull post or a bad point to a spam post. The rep then shows up in a doted bar under the owner avatar.


    I be willing to ask at that forum how it set it up if you like to know..

    And yes this a spam post... :lol: as it has nothing to do with where is who?
     
  18. murray

    murray Junior Member

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    what sort of abuse would a reputation system protect from?
     
  19. christopher

    christopher Junior Member

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    My reputation would be shot!
     
  20. FREE Permaculture

    FREE Permaculture Junior Member

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    that may work in that forum as they have 3000 active posters,
    wishful thinking here.
    maybe send someone a toffee apple when they reach 1000 posts
     

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