Forum Suggestions

perhaps you read something I missed or didnt read something I did?

First things first.

Dont be new and try and re-invent this wheel. ....lol….So far as I can see, I am in total control of who replies to who, and what I want to recieve or not recieve via e-mail, on what thread I participate in, or dont want to participate in…...<vbg>. Who ever is in charge of these web sites, my hat is off to them. This is by far, the most user friendly web site I have used, to date.

I can pick my friends or iignore those who I find distasteful.

Barnone

-- Central northish Ontario

Wait just a minute, that was not a negative post at all and I don’t deserve that response.

I stated I thought quite clearly that I thought this is a great forum and offers something unique. This is supposed to be a forum suggestion area, so that was what I did. I looked at this nice little forum and thought about if there were any points that really stuck out in my mind that might improve it further.

For me forums are a big part of how I interact with other people. The easier to use, the more people will use them. Also with a good base you can find the information faster, you know where exactly your posts belong, and you know where to find what your looking for. It helps cut down on double posts and cross posts.

I’m not seeing something that your not, its just a few things I’m not seeing. I visit a few forums everynight ( i planned to add this one to the list), Although I do on occasion read posts that are not in my specific interests, or ones that have no new activity, there are times when my time is short and I would like to read only threads that i have participated in that have new activity or new threads that interest me. Aside from this topic that i have started, i have not gotten any e-mail notifications about replies. Maybe you can only get notification of replies if you start a topic. Thats fine, but it would be helpful (particularly as the forum grows) for there to be some clear indication as to which topics are new or have new activity since you’ve visited.

I feel i should also point out that all my comments and suggestions were about the FORUM as it is the only aspect of the site that i’m familliar with. There are many great feautres to this community in addition to the forum. I was under the impression that they want to grow the site, which i think can only be a benifit. They were looking for suggestions, I just made some. My only intention was to suggest ways to improve the forum and make it more user friendly, sorry if your mistakenly thinking I’m trying to take over and redo it.
Sib ;)

Hey Sib, thanks for kind words as well as for the suggestion. Try using our unique Pulse feature – it tracks all of your readerships and aggregates content from the whole site (projects, blogs, forums, gardens, members) on one page.

Anyways adding “new activity” hints on the forums page too is a good idea.

-- Martin, http://gardentenders.com

Thanks Martin for the new buttons on each site header to go to the other site……......very nice

—I’m not slowing down,everythings just going by faster!

-- John in SD

Martin, if you don’t mind, I also have two suggestions:

1) For very long threads, it might be easier to break them up into pages, say 15 posts per page.
2) In responding to several other posters in one post, it is nice to be able to quote the posters and then reply to each in kind…keeps the flow going and allows a reader to follow without having to scroll up to find the original post to which the responder was replying. (if that makes sense).

You’re doing great work, and I thank you for the huge effort you have clearly made!!

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

Okay … you mean ICONS … duh!!! I had no idea what you were talking about Johneagle … had call “computer guy” hubby in. Hahahahahaha!!! Got it now … Great idea Martin!!!! cuz I do love to follow those projects (even though I can’t build), I can certainly be in “awe”!!!! :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

yes on another forum I belong to, there is “quote ” button

so if you want to reply to one particular person you can by clicking on quote and then your message is attached to the original poster but for all the see and read

I think it would eliminate any problems if a poster thought posts were meant for them but wasn’t

Sorry I need to use this as an example

When a certain poster posts a reply but it is not to any one in particular but another thnks it is for them and she/he gets very upset.

wouldn’t a quote button cure this problem??

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

or private messages.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Quote button or PM button would be great if this is possible.

-- blooz 5b - You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~author unkown

I think if you are just responding to someone’s question and it is a “general question” that would benefit others to have that info too, then there is no need to just respond to “them”. I am sure if someone has asked a specific question then they will be checking that thread for an answer. However, if there is something you want directed at just one person then I agree with MsDeb … a private message would be appropriate.

I am not seeing where we really need a “quote” button. But that is just my 2 cents worth and some days it is only worth about 1/2 a cent … LOL!!!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

Personally I think Martin has done a great job on this site.If I want to respond to something I do.If I don’t I don’t. If I want to private message someone I can do that too.So what’s the problem?If you need any help just ask and someone will help out.A really great bunch of people here with a lot of knowledge on many topics.

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

Maybe best if responding to one special person could post their name as we have been doing

-- NS Zone 5B 200 KM East of Halifax cheers Bunting------Having a place to go – is a home. Having someone to love – is a family.

...and this would be similar to the “quote” .... agree.

-- blooz 5b - You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt. ~author unkown

Quote can be misused at times, I don’t think this forum needs to go down the roads other do. It needs to remain unique

-- Hooked on Gardening.....Ontario zone 5b

I think the quote button would benefit all, number one you do not have to scroll back up to remember the persons name then type it in, as Hi Odie:...........it also makes answering more quicker and personal.

also, am finding that whoever posts last on a thread is not there, (meaning their name,) I find this odd, as now you have to scroll down the complete thread in order to see if someone has posted something, Sometimes saying 12 hours is just not sufficient, also why I would consider below:

It would be nice as all other forums have the persons name who last posted.

and just because I am new doesn’t mean I am upsetting the wheel, just suggestions…...and that is what this is all about.

-- Toronto, Ontario

To see who last posted on the threads, use the Pulse button on the top right. I pretty much only use Pulse.

-- Xploreorganics, 5b Canada, LFD 06-20

yah.. “the Pulse”.. only thing I use. YOu can set it to “new only” and and view all the new postings or to “never checked” and only look at postings you haven’t been to yet.
You can also check just your own postings or your buddies.. or everyone.
So many options… so little time

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

Quite right! The “Pulse” button is very handy! The only one I use!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

thank you! pulse button it is!

now if I just wanted to post quickly, do I still have to scroll all the way down or is there a ‘post reply’ button I am misisng at the top of each thread?

-- Toronto, Ontario

I think you scroll all the way down. Keeps it clean and easy.

-- jroot

At the top where it says:”20 replies(2 new)” just click on the (2 new) and you will see the new replies without having to go through the whole thing!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Well “E” didn’t know that … learned something new today … geesh, and how long have I been on this forum!! LOL!!!!!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

About as long as I have, but I just figured it out a little while ago! lol!!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Oh good … LOL!!! Thought I had truly missed the boat on that one!!! :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

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Now as a person who frequents a great many forums, and had my own I think I have had experience of all softwares:

IPB/SMF/PHPBB

That first name last confused me enough to refresh then realised Karla was the topic starter.

All in all though a great site so well done Martin – liking it was…instantanious!

-- "I am the way the truth and the life - no one comes to the father except through me"

While this is a fantastic site and we can view the topics in many ways I do agree that it is missing something. As I assume this site was modeled after it’s famous ;) sister site LumberJocks the forum topics followed over. I generally post everything in Tea time, so lets start a few suggestions for future gardening forum topics and see what Martin and Michal can do to help make this an even greater gardening site.

Here are my suggestions:

Plant Idenification – Photos and Descriptions
Garden Pests and Remedies
Food Crops
Hardscapes

-- Xploreorganics, 5b Canada, LFD 06-20

when Martin was designing this site we figured that it would be best to just watch it unfold rather than trying to “out-think” the needs of the participants.
We knew that “it would become what it was to become”. Kinda like watching an unknown seed grow and flourish, not knowing what the end result would be like.

I was thinking that there needs to be a way to divide discussions into topics such as: seedlings; soil preparation; planting; pest/weed control; harvesting; preserving….

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I totally agree with the different sections: would be easier to find certain things!
The search tool is okay but you really have to know what it is that you are looking for!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Sounds like a great idea!

-- the day you quit learning is the day you quit living.