hey guys perhaps now's the time to bring this up again? i call by at least once or twice a day and it's getting hard to keep up because of the sheer level of activity these days. is it time to split the main forum into two? if so, how? also - i'm willing to entertain the possibility of adding some mods. please let me know which ones you would appreciate. thanks all,
I think the forum is good like this. Perhaps ypu can split in questions which are theorical (??word) like Mr Mollison wrote... political things etc. and one more practical questions like my tomatoes are eaten by bugs.
Hi murray, nice to meet you. I'd like to see it split into different topics. Subject headings like "Vegie Patch", "Alternative Energy", "Livestock and Backyard Critters", "Current Affairs" etc. It would make it easier to find topics of interest. Thanks for the work you put into the site.
improving the forum Hi Murray, thanks for giving time to this board. A few suggestions: Reviewing the number of "views" each post has received in the last month, say, it seems some trends might be evident. For example, the post on certifying spuds has received 1068 hits in just a few days. This fits in with the hits other posts of the same genre have received. Eg: "Living off the land" (754 views), urban self-sufficiency, Oct 30 (171) Fowler's vacola, Oct 30, (2031). Others with big view numbers were "banana suckers" and the like. Chooks always rate big. I think these fall into "lifestyle issues" or perhaps "how to" general trouble shooting and tips ideas or, as Geoff would say, people's stories of "happy little accident's and sad little failures". The next collection of posts would be around "fluff and stuff". Personal posts about where people are going for the weekend and stuff that really can't be of vital interest to all 870+ registered users scattered around the globe. This section would be popular with the extroverts who want to share the minutia of their lives with the world. The next type of category could perhaps be "current affairs" or "world watch news". A place to post updates on infor that has been gleaned from other sources that could have relevance to a permaculture epistomology.
Is there a way to show if the chat room is being used? this might save a little on the lighter subject chat on the forum. I can't see if anyone is there so I don't bother using it. General gardening chat would be a good one, general Permaculture chat could be the other.
epistemology- The branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge, its presuppositions and foundations, and its extent and validity. Minutia- A small or trivial detail I feel that part of the reason this forum has become SO popular lately is because of the 'minutia'.. Permaculture is about biodiversity and here on this group we have an increadibly mixed group of people from around the world discussing many diverse subjects.. Without the diversity, the fluff, the minutia, the group would become more of a boring serious monoculture ... Even the most serious subjects sometimes need to be lightened by humour, it keeps things healthy. What about keeping it simple, three sections, 1) GROWING, 2) BUILDING, and 3) ALL OTHER THINGS... With a mix of fluff spread all around to keep us all from getting depressed.
not sure we need to split up too much As Tully said if not interested dont read....but perhaps a few like World News...Sustainable living...Permaculture News might be helpful... :lol: Fluff and Stuff should also be a forum. Again thank you Murray and ?others for the hard work done to keep this up and running. Cathy
Why so snide all the time heuristics?? People on this forum consider themselves to be friends. Some of them obviously consider themselves to be good friends! Friends do communicate details of their lives with one another. Really, if you don't like it - don't read it! Thank you Murray for your considerations. Do as you will..
hey hey can anyone explain to me what topics would go into building and which go into growing? and what mandates a topic go into the 'everything else'.. and how can we expect people to know which is the right category.. ? this permie stuff is so all encompassing and so all connected that i can't see how it can work to split things up nicely... so i'm backing away from the idea again, predictably. :cry: m.
ohhh, Muzza, you're funny :lol: Step up man, we'll hep ya! What about ... Livestock and animals Power and water Building Plants general Vegetables and fruit Politics and world news and views Handy/helpful links : :twisted: FLUFF'N'STUFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any others guys??? Come on, let's help Muzza make us a board we can all use with ease *and* share info, mateship and support. Oh, and the more-than-occasional bit of fluff!
Me thinks it should stay as it is.........I like how mixed up everything is, it keeps it alive and diverse, and easy to access for those with slow internet. All the other forums that I've looked at were slow, boring, a bit stilted and sometimes even mean....... Just my 2cents And thankyou Murry, blessings and salutations for all of your work 8) 8) 8)
But I promise not to cry if it does change, consensus and all that. It can always be changed back if it doesn't work, not much is fixed in stone :lol:
I'm guessing people are worried about having to go into and out of every topic to see whats happening? Another forum I go to has an "Active Topics" option, which lists all new threads and all threads that have a new post since I last visited. Would that help?
If you do split it Muzza - I think it is important not to make too many categories - therwise it makes it difficult for people who like to browse all the posts. I do agree though that the number of topics being osted these days does warrant serious thought of creating a couple of categories. I will give it more thought :?
I think it's impossible to split permaculture into pieces as it's all interrelated. We all have our preferences. I like the practical threads. The ones that talk about politics lose me once they start on about technical stuff or start using big words. Some threads are a book in themselves. (Have you ever thought of publishing, guys?) But I still scan through them cos sometimes these threads 'EVOLVE' and become 'FLUFF' which does interest me. Tam