DoubleDogFarm
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Full Circle

I left GardenWeb forum on March 27th and became a member here the next day. March 28th. The two main reasons for leave GardenWeb, was 1. All the rediculous, advertising. 2. Most of the topics, I was interested in, had the so called expert.

Permaculture, sustainablity, green living, organic is not for everyone. I can accept that.

Sense March 28th, there are maybe 50 new members, yet it seems to be only a dozen people who reply. I will be stepping back to give others more breathing room.

An exit ramp, two beers and an inflatable slide.
Last edited by DoubleDogFarm on Tue Aug 17, 2010 1:58 am, edited 1 time in total.

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applestar
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Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Come post more in the Permaculture Forum. I'm still learning and experimenting, and would love to get the benefit of your constructive criticism on my (NEW! :D) projects. Your farm is much more the thing and even though I can't emulate all of it, there's a lot I could borrow from 8). ...and the crickets are chirping over there. :wink:

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gixxerific
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Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

That is exactly why I don't post very much, I don't want to seem like I'm a know it all though sometimes I will state my point or reiterate some else's point if I feel strongly enough about it. I do read just about every post on here.

Now all those concepts you mentioned are great in my opinion. But to some people they may not be or are just foreign. There is a thin line between sharing your opinion and ramming self righteousness straight down someones throat. I really haven't noticed too much with you like that. Maybe here and there.

But don't stop posting maybe just relax it has been said over and over on this site "what works for you many not work for me". Maybe try to suggest "Hey you could try this and see if it works better for you."

Don't just give up though we mash minds all the time around here. The off season is when it slows down and things really heat up a bit, not angrily of course just a meeting of the minds.

I have been told myself on here to take it easy when explaining organic ideas to people that are uninformed to take it easy and just tease them at first. Otherwise you are ramming your ideals down their throat and thus making them want to go the opposite direction.

My view of gardening has change a hundredfold since becoming a member. I have learned many new ideals and was of looking at gardening. If it wasn't for those willing to share their experiences I would not be where I am today.

By the way I just love this site.

Oh yeah I'm hard headed too. I don't know how many angry post I have made only to delete before posting. I was actually booted off here in the beginning because of misbehavior. But I calmed down and everything is good. this is a family site so let's all be friends and have a nice time talking about gardening our favorite pastime.

:D
Last edited by gixxerific on Mon Aug 16, 2010 9:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.

hit or miss
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Location: central Kansas

If the people with knowledge and experience don't post to answer questions what else is a forum for?

Keep on posting! My thinking has radically changed on sustainable gardening since coming here.

I'll say it twice, keep on posting!

cynthia_h
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Location: El Cerrito, CA

DoubleDogFarm wrote:
...and an inflatable slide. Maybe. :?
I think there are days when we can *all* relate to that flight attendant's frustration! "Just take this job and shove it," in the words of the famous song....

But until the wonderful day comes when we have solar-powered fusion in the back yard or something like that, we all need jobs / gardens for food / other trade-able commodities and/or skills.

I thought the inflatable slide was a good touch, though. :)

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

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Halfway
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Location: Northern Rockies

I don't know folks, I never feel the experts are getting in the way. And I also think the members do a good job keeping the posts civil.

I know I am not posting as much as I did early on because the summer activities eat a lot of time.

Late winter and spring / first planting had me behind the keyboard all time in anticipation of gardening!!!!!

This is a very helpul forum and don't worry about "appearing" to be a know it all. Post what you know!

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kimbledawn
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Posts: 225
Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:18 am
Location: Memphis

I would like to say that this is the only gardening forum that I check faithfully everyday :D and it is because everyone is friendly, knowledgeable and funny. I don't post much but I'm sometimes a voyer at heart. Gixx, apple, and double dog are the posts I look forward too. You guys are my personal professionals. How else would I have learned about the soil, or my personal insect army, or that epsom salt is not organic? :shock: I think that some of the concepts are foreign to new organic gardeners but we are here to learn from one another and share our gardens. I hope you will continue to post.

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engineeredgarden
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Location: NW Alabama

DDF - I came here from the same place, for the exact same reasons you did. Don't even get me started on the container or tomato forums at that other place. It's like a cult following, and people just blindly follow the "experts".

If someone asks a question that I have the answer to, I give it to them - with pictures included most of the time. To get to the point of gardening ability that I'm at now required lots of research, formal classes, and asking questions of those that had the knowledge I sought out. Along the way, nice people gladly shared information with me, and as far as I see it - I'm returning the favor to the next group of first-time gardeners by sharing the same information with them. Some forum members won't contribute to posts because they either don't have the answer the OP needs, or maybe don't feel like being very active in discussions. Some people only want to read what others have to say. I understand that.

Replies to people's posts by persons such as yourself is what keeps this forum active, and certainly appreciated by myself.

EG

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webmaster
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Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2004 12:59 pm
Location: Amherst, MA USDA Zone 5a

I appreciate the many thoughtful comments. :)

I'd like to note that although there may be more or less fifty active new members since March (I really don't know the number, I think there are significantly more than that) there are significantly more than fifty new members in total since March. That number is closer to fifty+ new members per day in the spring. Lurkers outnumber members who post. That is common to any forum, but it's a trend I hope some of our lurking members who don't post much will try to break. ;)

I know some members are modest and may feel they don't have much to offer but I would like to encourage them by noting that your experience is valuable, no matter how much or little. Similarly, your questions will not only help you but others as well.

As someone already mentioned, it's not about professionals but about gardeners sharing what they understand. If there is a better way to garden, by sharing what you understand someone may come along and offer a different and possibly better way to accomplish something.

So if you count yourself as a lurker or shy, you may want to give posting a try, you'll be surprised at how much more you will learn. ;)

specgrade
Senior Member
Posts: 124
Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:35 am
Location: Ohio

I hate to say it but I didn't get much of a welcome in the introduction part of this website. Still, I had/have questions and a lot of folks here are nice enough to address my needs and even helped me post my garden pics.

If a regular member says they want to take a break for whatever reason I can respect that. At least they say so and that doesn't leave the rest of us wondering what happen. A forum is only as good as those who post, I know I have learned more now then when I first showed up.

I lurked here first to see what was going on, how everyone was treated, and get a feel for the personalities.

I enjoy your posts DDF.

tedln
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Sorry specgrade, but I never even look in the Introductions forum. I hope you know by now that you are welcome and appreciated.

Eric & Dono,

You have probably noticed by now that I am neither shy nor withdrawn. I will back off some and make sure you have ample opportunity to post your ideas. I've enjoyed and learned from both of you.

Ted

specgrade
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Location: Ohio

tedln wrote:Sorry specgrade, but I never even look in the Introductions forum. I hope you know by now that you are welcome and appreciated

Ted
Well, I expected more from you of all people :wink: J/K

But hey this ain't my pitty party! :lol: :wink:

Seriously though the Introductions Forum is where most folks post the first time and if no one replies then no one cares, why post anymore? One person replied to my post and I went over to their intro post and posted a reply to them. They have made 4 posts since, all in the intro section.

cynthia_h
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Location: El Cerrito, CA

Good point, specgrade. Thx for bringing it up!

Cynthia

philm00x
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Posts: 48
Joined: Sun Aug 01, 2010 12:05 pm
Location: Winter Park, FL

I will definitely say I'm no pro or guru when it comes to gardening of any kind. Having only ever lived in apartment/condominium homes where I don't have the luxury of a yard of my own, I've always been used to planting things into pots or other containers, and thus is more of a hobby than a skilled labor for me. I always appreciate any helpful insight from anyone, especially as I start to plant new things I've never grown before.

tedln
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Location: North Texas

Specgrade,

You are right! I went to the introductions forum expecting a couple of new posts to appear in August. I was surprised to see the first page is all new people who signed up in August. I will try to be more observant and welcoming of new folks. I would hate for them to leave thinking we just aren't friendly.

Ted

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stella1751
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Eric, for me this forum is about much more than offering advice or sharing experiences. Many of you will be surprised to learn that I teach the art of, well, argumentation (I.e., rhetoric) :roll: There is nothing I love more than a well-constructed, well-presented argument.

That's what it was all about in Ancient Greece: Arguing for the sake of arguing, not to win, not to show another person up, but to clarify your own position while perhaps learning something from the opposition. Argumentation/Rhetoric was the Athenian's version of the video game. It's like mental gymnastics. Naturally, it is important to remain open to another's stance, but this doesn't mean you can't remain true to your own.

I have learned much on these forums, but to be perfectly honest, I am also aware that no one can clear a thread quicker than I can, just because I LOVE to frame an effective argument or, failing that, stir people to think outside the box. Nothing bores me more quickly than a thread composed of a dozen responses that all say the same thing. I have even -- Ahem -- argued things I didn't believe, just because I fear uniformity of thought in our society, especially in our youth.

What I don't like is a poorly constructed argument, a dogmatic argument that is nothing more than a fleshed-out statement of opinion offered to bolster another's ego; an argument that fails to persuade because it is a canned regurgitation of stale, unrelenting attitudes; or an argument rife with fallacious reasoning or, worse, no reasoning at all. I don't see much of that here, and I haven't seen any of that from you.

I like having you on this forum. I think we all benefit from the manner in which you express yourself. If you've written soapbox dogma, I must have missed those threads :oops:

The key to remember is that if something is truly important to you, you want to persuade, not bully. Bullying will turn your reader off in seconds flat. Whoops. I think I just stepped onto my own personal soapbox.

Stick with us, Eric. I have learned from you.

specgrade
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Posts: 124
Joined: Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:35 am
Location: Ohio

stella1751 wrote:Eric, for me this forum is about much more than offering advice or sharing experiences. Many of you will be surprised to learn that I teach the art of, well, argumentation (I.e., rhetoric) :roll: There is nothing I love more than a well-constructed, well-presented argument.

That's what it was all about in Ancient Greece: Arguing for the sake of arguing, not to win, not to show another person up, but to clarify your own position while perhaps learning something from the opposition. Argumentation/Rhetoric was the Athenian's version of the video game. It's like mental gymnastics. Naturally, it is important to remain open to another's stance, but this doesn't mean you can't remain true to your own.

I have learned much on these forums, but to be perfectly honest, I am also aware that no one can clear a thread quicker than I can, just because I LOVE to frame an effective argument or, failing that, stir people to think outside the box. Nothing bores me more quickly than a thread composed of a dozen responses that all say the same thing. I have even -- Ahem -- argued things I didn't believe, just because I fear uniformity of thought in our society, especially in our youth.

What I don't like is a poorly constructed argument, a dogmatic argument that is nothing more than a fleshed-out statement of opinion offered to bolster another's ego; an argument that fails to persuade because it is a canned regurgitation of stale, unrelenting attitudes; or an argument rife with fallacious reasoning or, worse, no reasoning at all. I don't see much of that here, and I haven't seen any of that from you.

I like having you on this forum. I think we all benefit from the manner in which you express yourself. If you've written soapbox dogma, I must have missed those threads :oops:

The key to remember is that if something is truly important to you, you want to persuade, not bully. Bullying will turn your reader off in seconds flat. Whoops. I think I just stepped onto my own personal soapbox.

Stick with us, Eric. I have learned from you.
Wow. I wish I worked with you! That would be fun. :D

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gixxerific
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stella1751 wrote: I am also aware that no one can clear a thread quicker than I can
That is a bunch of bull&%*$#^!!!! I can clear a thread quicker than you.


And it starts, "No cars!!!! argument on" :P :lol: :wink:

specgrade
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Posts: 124
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Location: Ohio

tedln wrote:Specgrade,

You are right! I went to the introductions forum expecting a couple of new posts to appear in August. I was surprised to see the first page is all new people who signed up in August. I will try to be more observant and welcoming of new folks. I would hate for them to leave thinking we just aren't friendly.

Ted
Thank you! 8)

I see you jumped in with both feet...that's the spirit! :o

tedln
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Stella,

I guess I will need to be more careful about how I frame my arguments. Let me know when I get a failing grade please. :D

Ted

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sheeshshe
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I love this place so much I can't seem to make my way back to garden web. LOL! BUT, it is only because of people like you who make this board what it is :) :D

garden5
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Location: ohio

DDF, I can see your reasoning for wanting to give it a break for a bit, but as others have said, your one of the many things/people that/who make this place great.

Now, I know I post a lot, sometimes they are helpful, sometimes they are just inquisitive. The way I see it is who knows how long that post in that thread will remain in the HG archives. OK, so maybe my post didn't benefit the OP that much but maybe, just maybe, someone next year will be doing a forum search and come across what I've posted and it will really help them. Maybe even a lurker will see it and decide to join in.

Regardless, the posts by some of the "experts" on here are what we look forward to. It's these posts that also note when someone like me is posting something that's totally wrong, thus preventing less-experienced from taking such advice :lol:.

An alternative to taking off altogether would be to maybe watch the threads and post on ones that seem to stump most of the other members. :idea:

Well, DDF, if you must take a vacation.......don't make it too long! We'll be here when you get back :wink:.



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