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I did a little hanging out on Dave's
Garden and All Things Plants.
Dave's Garden is a ghost of what it used to be. A few people hang
out in the iris room and say "us and them". They pay $19 a year to
be able to say "us and them".
A comrade who visits the various forums says Dave's Garden and
Curbits is not the place to be anymore. All Things Plants is
trending up. I went there and you see comments alluding to the
fact that they like one does not have to pay to use the forum.
One does not have to pay to use social sites.
wiki is not a forum but it is heavily trafficked, no? Free
Which model should we envision for a new place for people to want
to go to?
Shaub
On 1/8/2016 2:09 PM, Robert Pries wrote:
Hort-net serves the world. I am
thinking of a forum like HIPS's that serves members. I am also
worried that because it has diminished so much Hort-net may not
continue. Frankly all plant societies are in some jeopardy
themselves unless they turn around the slow decline that has
existed. The plant societies that are prospering are those
connected to native plants and those preserving diversity. The
AIS is the only Iris society sponsoring research but that is
little known. The internet itself provides an enormous
information resource and the AIS and other Iris Societies have
been late to the table in establishing themselves as an
information resource. The Iris Encyclopedia has been an effort
to regain Iris Society importance as the place to go for
information. But it faces stiff competition from Daves Garden,
All Things Plants, and even Wikipedia to name a few of the sites
that now provide comprehensive plant information. The old phrase
united we stand divided we fall applies to the Iris societies
perhaps more so than any other plant societies that are less
complex structurally. --BP
From: "Laetitia Munro"
9*@rewrite.hort.net
To: "iris hort" i*@hort.net
Sent: Friday, January 8, 2016 1:39:23 PM
Subject: RE: OT-CHAT: [iris] Active?
Why would you want an AIS forum if you have the
hort.net forum? I thought the Hort.net served the AIS
community.
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 2016 11:52:35 -0500
To: i*@hort.net
Subject: Re: OT-CHAT: [iris] Active?
From: 1*@rewrite.hort.net
I have been
having the debate with myself as to whether to advise
AIS to create a Forum. One of the reasons I have not in
the past was out of respect for the HIPS forum. Also
when it was successful I never found the time to visit
and participate. I would have the same problem with an
AIS forum. The HIPS forum was for members and as a life
member and founder I should have spent the time, but I
just can not do everything. Creating an AIS Forum for
members would create special problems. It would be
desirable to have it available for both e-members and
print members but this means designing yet another
portal. An AIS forum would allow for a much broader
array of topics but would it detract from HIPS or the
PCN forums? I would love to hear more opinions about
this.==BP
From: "Laetitia
Munro" 9*@rewrite.hort.net
To: "iris hort" i*@hort.net
Sent: Friday, January 8, 2016 10:00:45 AM
Subject: RE: OT-CHAT: [iris] Active?
Hello All. Don't usually participate in
these discussions but I felt I should add my two
cents as well. This is Laetitia the webmaster from
the HIPS site, where I believe we are also having
the same problems of lack of participation with our
HIPS forum.
It used to be a busier place, and a great way
to network with like minds. Because the Forum was
down for months, I believed that had something to
do with current lack of participation. Then we
went into the holiday/winter/dormant iris season
so I thought, perhaps there is less interest,
because people have other more pressing things to
attend to. I never thought it was Facebook robbing
us of our audience, but now that you mention, it,
its possible. I also go on Facebook for iris
discussions, but to me they are two entirely
different venues. However Facebook to me is like
WalMart, while an Iris Discussion board is a
boutique. Do I hate Walmart? No, I go there all
the time, as well as to my favorite boutiques. I
want them both. In other words, there should be
room for more than one Iris discussion board. I
also know some irisarians who would never use
Facebook, because it such a public 'commercial'
and spam laden place.
As for now the Historic Iris Forum will
continue, and with the Spring coming, and one's
thoughts turn more to gardening, 'boutique' Forum
discussion boards will become more active. We'll
see. We need both WalMart and the boutique;
snuffing out one would rob the world of a valuable
communication tool. I guess we'll see.
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 2016 09:17:46 -0500
To: i*@hort.net
Subject: Re: OT-CHAT: [iris] Active?
From: 1*@rewrite.hort.net
I do agree with Shaub that diversity
allows for people to have what they want. It
would be crazy to fight Facebook. But each of
us finds what best suits our needs. As I said
,I have considered the Forum model and would
be willing to advocate to adding that to our
AIS selections so long as I would not be
embarrassed by its lack of use. I would not
consider eliminating Iris Talk but sadly it
seems to have little support anymore and I
have no control ober that decision. Iris Talk
is provided by Chris Lindsey who runs Hort
Net. At some point Chris may decide to give up
on it if it does not get the audience.
Currently I do not know how he finances it.
Unfortunately the world changes and what some
of us perceive as good things disappear if the
rest of the world does not care. I am not
trying to sound an alarm who knows how long
something will last, including the iris
society. But if too few value something it is
hard to sustain it.
From:
"Shaub Dunkley"
4*@rewrite.hort.net
To: i*@hort.net
Sent: Thursday, January 7, 2016
11:02:15 PM
Subject: Re: OT-CHAT: [iris] Active?
I was being
rather polemical to see if I could stir up
a little conversation. Beating up that AIS
dare use it and that AIS does not have a
forum. But it's true I have close to no
experience engaging with Facebook and
don't care for the model. But it has a
place and a function. Not just THE place
and THE function. Neither would a forum be
THE place as well. World of Irises brought
in the same.
So Facebook and World of Irises are what
they are, I'll not criticize one's right
to enjoy them. But I keep hearing people
say "everybody that used to be here (and
with whom we talked) have gone to
Facebook". So I go to Facebook and I
haven't figured out where that
conversational equivalent is. Is it there
and I don't know how to find it? Does one
have to Sign Up to get to it? This is all
part of the bigger shift in culture as to
how we talk and engage. Iris folks will on
large follow the same behaviors as similar
demographics. More flash, less words. Or
if there are words we make it in snippets
and platitudes.
You can lead a horse to water but ....
I'm just concerned people who used to care
for discussion are either too busy or too
jaded about the whole thing to talk even
if we gave them the perfect vehicle. It
will not be long before some of our best
dialogues will be had with artificial
intelligence that are more excited about
the human narrative than the humans are.
Reap as you sow.
Shaub
On 1/7/2016 8:46 PM, Robert Pries wrote:
I totally agree with
everyone so far. I much prefer Iris Talk
to Facebook. But look at where the AIS
members are, mostly on Facebook. A few
years ago I asked John how many people
are on Iris Talk. If I remember
correctly that was about 80. Presently
we have 4 in this discussion. I can tell
you as a Facebook Administrator a post
on Facebook gets at minimum 80 people
viewing it and often it is passed on to
1500 more people. I would not give up on
Iris Talk since I find it easier to
communicate ideas. But it seems that is
not what the majority of people wish
today. It also seems most do not wish to
be confronted with ideas, pictures yes,
but thoughtful discussion No! It is sort
of a new brand of illiteracy! It is good
to hear from Colleen again!----Bob
From: 0*@rewrite.hort.net
To: i*@hort.net
Sent: Thursday, January 7,
2016 6:10:08 PM
Subject: Re: OT-CHAT: [iris]
Active?
Well, I guess I'm in good
company, then. My thoughts re:
Facebook mirror yours, Shaub. Plus
I think the whole "like" business
is ridiculous. In no way do I
become a better person if 100
rather than 10 people "like" me.
Just my 2 cents worth,
Dorothy Stiefel
Spencer, NY
P.S. Hi, Linda. You are right.
Very long time, no talk!
=====================================================================
In a message dated 1/6/2016
9:35:08 P.M. Eastern Standard
Time, 4*@rewrite.hort.net
writes:
sigh. I
am one of those people who
refuses to use Facebook. I
read the
'terms and conditions' of that
dubiously intentioned place
and cannot
understand why people would
want their organization's core
discourse to
get sucked into that
for-profit black hole. The
central idea is to have
people create content at no
cost to Facebook. Content to
promote profit
making. Drifting to the lowest
common denominator - fast-food
'McDonald's' discourse.
--
Bob Pries
Zone 7a
Roxboro, NC
(336)597-8805
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Bob Pries
Zone 7a
Roxboro, NC
(336)597-8805
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Bob Pries
Zone 7a
Roxboro, NC
(336)597-8805
--
Bob Pries
Zone 7a
Roxboro, NC
(336)597-8805
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