The Internet and the Cactus Hobby

[Roy]

Nobody seems to have mentioned pleasure. It sure is a good reason for going to any particular website.

Do you think we are ill disciplined on this site? I suggest you look around the web and compare it to some others.

Why all of a sudden has the "off topic" issue become so much of an issue? In the past mild off topic issues have come and gone with no problems at all
Who is pushing for this? I don't see many of the regular users complaining. Are some thinking we are not "serious enough". That's a common opinion amongst those who overate their own importance.

So we have not got enough experts. Could it be that some might not like the idea of being exposed to challenges or being put right on particular points on an open site?. I know of one that is not particularly keen to write books because of the flack that it can generate.

As for the suggestion that no one should oppose the opinion of a small number of BCSS members who have a common opinion on this site you simply have not got the authority to do that.

I suggest it is remembered there are over 3000 Society members and this site is not the sole property of Forum users.

[Phil_SK]

With regard to experts, I thought we were doing quite well. Between us, we manage to solve most questions and puzzles. In doing so, we all learn and become more expert ourselves. Of course, more contributors bring more knowledge but I don't recognise this picture of our forum as us sat scratching our heads and waiting for light from on high.

[Hob]

well said roy......in my view there are several things that a forum needs to attract more members.

1/ a broad outlook on the hobby, to attract beginners as well as experts, there are far more beginners than there are experts.

2/ a friendly place with a sense of community, not a stuffy place where only "on topic" posts can be made.
(as a newbe here i'm almost afraid to post the odd comic remark in case it's not allowed)

3/ which brings me to a fun place to visit and come back to on a regular basis.

4/ i already mentioned in another posting, a more user friendly style of forum.


the original post asked about attracting international membership

[quote]It would be good for the Forum and the BCSS if we can encourage the international aspects to grow and develop as much as possible.[/quote]

maybe it's not clear enough that anyone can join the forum, even if they are not a member of the BCSS or based in the UK. i joined the BSCC so as a cacti grower i could become a member of the UK community, also i thought i had to be a member to join the forum (mistakenly as it turns out) the board is owned by the BSCC i'm wondering what the "official" stance on membership of the board is (i can't find anything much about forum membership requirements} if it's open to anyone maybe there should be an online register button on the forum instead of the email system used now ?

i have also read postings where it is suggested that new BSCC members automatically get a user name and password, this automatically implies membership of the forum is linked to membership of the BSCC.

[Bill]

There are some interesting points being raised here, to pick on one in particular;

[quote] Hob wrote:

a friendly place with a sense of community, not a stuffy place where only "on topic" posts can be made.[/quote]

This to me this was the forum I joined, some post were highly specific with technical stuff in, others more light hearted and the odd off topic post and occasionally an off topic thread. I would hate to see us go down the line of being strictly C&S only, I don't believe it would encourage more regular users, most of the single subject forums etc I have belonged either fail or are moribund, take the Haworthia Yahoo group 542 members a whole 13 new posts in the last week!!!!!!!, often it is much less.

The busiest forums I belong are those that really have a sense of community with off topic sections/sales and wants etc etc. One, the Land Rover forum I often quote stats for even has a cookery section, agony aunt, jokes and birthdays, I not saying that we go all the way down that route, but I am sure a sensible balance could be found.

We need a forum that can act as much for a technical discussion on the refractive light index of triple wall polycarbonate versus double glazed units or about validity of lumping of mamm x into mamm b as for a discussion on whether the government policy on greenhouse emissions going to achieve anything or is it just back door taxation. At the end of the day do those of you who go to meets only ever talk about plants, or do you occasionally go off topic when having a chat over tea and biscuits.

http://www.yffor.org.uk/index.php

[Bill]

Hob

we used to have an automatic sign up but had too much trouble with idiots posting porn etc.

[Hob]

Bill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hob
>
> we used to have an automatic sign up but had too
> much trouble with idiots posting porn etc.

bill, it's not idiots it's whats known as a spambot, a script that seeks out forums signs up and posts it's message automatically then moves on.

cactiguide got round it like this
http://www.cactiguide.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2770

it got so bad for a while i offered to be a mod just to delete them however there is not a problem with the signup mod in place.

[Tina]

Hob
We also had idiots who were very rude & a seroius nuisance but luckily we managed to track them down & complain to their school.

Last yr we again tried open membership & then had homosexual porn sites posting so we went back to mods again.

we could try again but it's not too much work to enrol new members & probably a little friendlier as you have someone to go back to if you have problems /questions

[Bill]

[quote] Hob wrote:

bill, it's not idiots it's whats known as a spambot, a script that seeks out forums signs up and posts it's message automatically then moves on. [/quote]

I prefer not to dehumanise these things, at the end of the day there is a person behind them and as Tina says there have been so real idiots too.

[Apicra]

Hi Roy,

You wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> As for the suggestion that no one should oppose
> the opinion of a small number of BCSS members who
> have a common opinion on this site you simply have
> not got the authority to do that.
>
> I suggest it is remembered there are over 3000
> Society members and this site is not the sole
> property of Forum users.
>

Can you clarify where this suggestion comes from? I can't find it in this thread. Who are you talking to about authority?

Best wishes,
Derek

[Apicra]

CactusChris proposed that we "Have 'experts' replying to specific topics whenever they are raised (like membership but maybe specific plant groups as well)." Yes, I do agree we need a broader range of expertise within this Forum.

But let me make it clear that I think we also need more beginners, novices, ordinary BCSS member, non-BCSS members, experienced growers and anyone else! Let's be inclusive. And I do hope all levels will continue to find the Forum both friendly and fun. Some of our younger members are foremost in giving this Forum a nice friendly feel.

My vision would be that we can have threads about basic cultivation running alongside so-called "expert" discussions. People will just read whatever they find interesting. But is this wrong?

Are experts and beginners mutually exclusive? Roy appears to suggest that begginers will be scared away by "expert" content. If this is the case, then how is the Forum to grow? Should the BCSS separate beginners and experts in diffferent Phorum Forums, for example?

Yours perplexed,
Derek Tribble