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Post by oxbowfarm on Dec 2, 2017 7:20:09 GMT -5
I am really interested in the potential of an OSSI based forum. For all of FB flaws, it does manage to connect you with persons of similar interests via the Groups (at least tangential interest). So it is clear to me that there is a much larger cadre of people doing interesting amateur and professional breeding work than ever have landed here at HG. Lots of them in the PNW, I'm sure trixtrax could name a bunch. I'm happy to drop some of the features of HG in order to broaden the conversation about breeding, genetics, domestication, adaptation, etc. If association with OSSI can do that then I'm all for it.
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Post by orflo on Dec 3, 2017 13:09:45 GMT -5
Given the lack of involvement by the founder, and depletion of admins, it is totally amazing that this forum runs at all. That is more a testament to Joseph and the few others who have continued to serve - but I honestly don't understand how they've kept things on course with the tools they have available (and all the issues lurking out there). It's been a concern for a long time now. I'm here to learn and share. The core group of users is great. I'm not tied to Proboards but as andyb points out, they have been stable and you can't beat the price. I am another individual who has found FB deeply disappointing. FB is manipulative, and most conversations are inane. The key points have been raised by others - we need a self-renewing admin structure, a stable and user-friendly platform, and a critical mass to keep things growing. A way to move and relocate content if needed. Direct posting of images would be nice, but adds up over time - files are a lot larger now but, yes, storage is cheaper. No need to move in haste; a planned transition could go smoothly, particularly if we could get Alan's support to preserve the amazing content in this forum's archives. I'm in too. I checked the list of moderators, and I think the forum is just lucky that it's not overwhelmed by spam or other annoying things. The only moderators visiting regularly seem to be Joseph and me. I'm 'invisible' but I check almost every day and try to delete the not so frequent spam, but I don't post any more, just because there are so many other things in life, and no, I'm not on Facebook  , and yes, the garden and projects are still alive and even more and more alive... The information found on the forum here is indeed to valuable to let it disappear, but it's a very big quantity, going back years and years. Does anybody have some contact with Alan, he's the only one with full administrative functions? After all, it's still 'his' forum and although he doesn't seem to think about it any more, it's only fair to let him know what some future plans could be. I'm in for a eventual relocation but the risk is that the start-up could be difficult and that new people could have a hard time finding the 'new' forum. I'm even more into the idea of renewing this forum a bit, it will be less work and it would be easier to find for new people, frank |
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Post by keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.) on Dec 3, 2017 14:49:04 GMT -5
Is there a way to pay for a limited time upgrade so that someone can backup the forum without having Alan come back and log in. Without talking to him i assume he is just too busy with life and/or does not care about the forum at this point in time. I am still interested to see what OSSI comes up with in terms of forum in the future. Having not heard anything new at this point i assume it will take awhile but i am optimistic that it will happen. I am kind of unofficially planning to post more over there when that happens if it is as good as i hope it will be as i think a larger and more diverse community will flock there naturally. I also am going to become more active on the MIT Open Agriculture forum as they have a large group of open source growing enthusiasts there as well. Right now Open Ag is mostly a bunch of people trying to build these impractical closed indoor growing systems but i plan to broaden the conversations to more about plant breeding and growing and varieties ect. I just mentioned the OSSI over there and i think there will be lots of interested people there in that. forum.openag.media.mit.edu/That's sort of my plan right now. Not necessarily a plan to abandon HG, but awhile back i was really dissapointed with how few people were posting here anymore. I actually was thinking of stopping posting myself and just letting HG fade. I'm glad to see more and more people coming back and posting, even if its just saying "hi i'm still here reading". edit: p.s. i found this. www.opbf.org but the linked forum looks abandoned. |
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Post by templeton on Dec 3, 2017 17:33:06 GMT -5
like everyone else said. I like the soapbox function here, it doesn't seem to get abused - but then I'm not moderating it. And while I agree with Oxbow about the heritage tomatoes, it is a 'gateway drug' for many, me included.
T
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Post by templeton on Dec 3, 2017 17:37:14 GMT -5
...and steev and walt, re 'on the beach' there is the apocryphal quote from Ava Gardener about Melbourne being ' the perfect place to make a film about the end of the world'  |
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Post by philagardener on Dec 3, 2017 19:02:25 GMT -5
I checked the list of moderators, and I think the forum is just lucky that it's not overwhelmed by spam or other annoying things. The only moderators visiting regularly seem to be Joseph and me. I'm 'invisible' but I check almost every day and try to delete the not so frequent spam, but I don't post any more, just because there are so many other things in life, and no, I'm not on Facebook , and yes, the garden and projects are still alive and even more and more alive... The information found on the forum here is indeed to valuable to let it disappear, but it's a very big quantity, going back years and years. Does anybody have some contact with Alan, he's the only one with full administrative functions? After all, it's still 'his' forum and although he doesn't seem to think about it any more, it's only fair to let him know what some future plans could be. I'm in for a eventual relocation but the risk is that the start-up could be difficult and that new people could have a hard time finding the 'new' forum. I'm even more into the idea of renewing this forum a bit, it will be less work and it would be easier to find for new people, frank passes through now and then (posted last month but apparently logged in as invisible too  ). johno surfaced briefly in July but then disappeared again. Thanks for helping keep an eye on things here, orflo - as you know, it is appreciated! Apparently Joseph Lofthouse is in contact with Alan but I don't know how often or close. Alan did pop in for a post or two in 2015 - but it has been two years now. Everyone says he is busy with other things. At least we know he found his password again.  There was a discussion a year or two ago about the powers the remaining admins have and it seemed very limited. Yes, we have been lucky. Alan appears to be the only one with the ability to renew the admin structure and that would be one way to help keep this forum going; without it, HG seems just running on borrowed time.  |
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Post by philagardener on Dec 3, 2017 19:07:22 GMT -5
...and steev and walt , re 'on the beach' there is the apocryphal quote from Ava Gardener about Melbourne being ' the perfect place to make a film about the end of the world' and we'll hope fervently we never get back to 'these final hours'! |
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Post by diane on Dec 3, 2017 19:09:12 GMT -5
Some early gardening groups have faded to almost-nothing. The early years had incredible posts, but eventually, I guess, the experts got tired - they'd said all that, several times over, it was in the archives, why keep posting? I'm thinking particularly of Alpine-L.
This shouldn't be a problem with a breeding forum - the archives are important, but breeders always have something new happening, so will keep on posting.
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Post by billw on Dec 3, 2017 19:52:44 GMT -5
That's why forums need new blood. New members are enthusiastic, bring new ideas, ask interesting questions, and spur conversation. Opportunities to teach are also opportunities to think in different ways and learn things that you otherwise might not. I really like to answer questions because they so often reveal some deficit in my knowledge.
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Post by steev on Dec 3, 2017 23:18:39 GMT -5
...and steev and walt, re 'on the beach' there is the apocryphal quote from Ava Gardener about Melbourne being ' the perfect place to make a film about the end of the world' I suppose that's where they made the documentary, "Road Warrior". Is there really a brand of pet food named "Dinky Di"? If so, that's as funny as a rubber crutch. |
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Post by rowan on Dec 4, 2017 0:33:12 GMT -5
Ok, so I have been reading the posts here to decide on whether to go ahead with the new growing and breeding forum. I really don't think OSSI is going to get a new forum up in the near, or even the forseeable future with the work they already have on their plate so I have gone ahead and fixed the problem with the forum I have made (I hope) by changing the platform. I am still tweaking it but if you want to check it out and make an account to see if it fits, and make recommendations, go ahead: www.foodgardenproject.comWith some new members who have offered to become moderators/administrators I hope we won't have the worries that we have here. Still not sure if I am able to move over any info but I am sure it will quickly build up anyway with interest. |
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Post by steev on Dec 4, 2017 1:26:40 GMT -5
The log-in doesn't want to let me use my user-name; how the hell will anyone know me if I use "Stephen", for chrissakes?
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Post by rowan on Dec 4, 2017 1:50:03 GMT -5
That's odd, I would have thought that if the user is not already a member then the name would be free.
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Post by walt on Dec 4, 2017 14:08:36 GMT -5
I tried to register. It said my user name and email address were already in use. So I tried just logging in with my user name and Password from here. It said my user name was vacant, but wrong password.
So it thinks my user name is both in use and vacant? Sounds like my head.
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Post by jocelyn on Dec 4, 2017 14:41:41 GMT -5
Ok, I tried to register and got the following " The username you entered is too short.
The password you entered is too short.
The password confirmation you entered is too short.
The email address you entered is too short.
The timezone you selected is invalid.
Please note that you will need to enter a valid email address before your account is activated. You will receive an email at the address you provide that contains an account activation link.
Username:
Length must be between 3 characters and 20 characters."
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, and yes, the garden and projects are still alive and even more and more alive... 
). 
