Blog Topics - Rules/Guidelines

[Dave Brown]

Due the the large number of blog topics now popping up. I need to set out guidelines on how these are to operate.

Firstly, unless they are in the Off Topic Forum, they must remain on a subject of plants, and plant related activity. A certain amount of plant related banter will be allowed, but any topics going off topic will GO to 'Off Topic'

These should be about the day to day activities in people's gardens, and should not be used for plant discussions as it is 100% not searchable in future, so that 'gem of information' will be lost forever if written in these topics.

If all posting activity moves from general named searchable topics to XXX's Garden Blogs, I may need to review this, as it does not fit in with the aim of the forum in general.



Dave with Admin Hat on

[Yorkshire Kris]

I thought this would need looking at. Can I suggest another forum heading for blogs which could be separate from the main community forum?

[jezza]

A blog area of it's own would seem a good idea.

[GoggleboxUK]

I agree, a subforum that is encompassed by the search facility would solve the problem.

Blogs are subject to running off topic at times but, inevitably, the next garden related blog post from the blogger will steer it back onside.

Blogs relating to a single garden should prove invaluable as information sources and losing the ability to search for info contained within them would be a real loss.

[Mr List]

it would be easier to remember which place you saw some info because you could think:
'oh yeah , so and so had that in his garden'

[huporhaha]

Due the the large number of blog topics now popping up. I need to set out guidelines on how these are to operate.

Firstly, unless they are in the Off Topic Forum, they must remain on a subject of plants, and plant related activity. A certain amount of plant related banter will be allowed, but any topics going off topic will GO to 'Off Topic'

These should be about the day to day activities in people's gardens, and should not be used for plant discussions as it is 100% not searchable in future, so that 'gem of information' will be lost forever if written in these topics.

If all posting activity moves from general named searchable topics to XXX's Garden Blogs, I may need to review this, as it does not fit in with the aim of the forum in general.



Dave with Admin Hat on

Thanks Dave for clarifying this - I am fairly new to this kind of thing - this is the first forum I've subscribed to. Am I right in saying that this is where I post all the sort of daily hum drum things about exotic gardening and if I want a serious discussion about a certain plant, I go the exotics reference and discussion?........and if I want to discuss what this winter has been like in my garden and other's gardens, I post it here but if I want a serious discussion about how weather affects us, then I post it on the weather and climatology forum?

I think we are possibly all guilty of blurring the lines between one forum and another so I, for one, will read up in the help section just what is to be discussed where.

Sorry if I am one to wander "off topic" sometimes, no excuse, it's probably because of my geographical isolation!

[Arlon Tishmarsh]

Yep, quite right Dave. Far tooooooooo much "banter" going on. Particularly like the use of the word "banter", nice touch.

[Dave Brown]

Hi Hupor, yes that about sums it up. Informal plant related on the Main Community forum, serious discussion that may be of future use in the Reference Forums,

Blogs are something new and my concern is that many plant discussions may take place within a blog which might be useful, but will only be known by others who read the blog day in day out.

For instance, I may add all sorts of info on how I got my Alocaisa calidora to survive and grow so big as part of day to day growing. If someone comes on here to find out how to grow Alocasia they will never find it other than trawling through all the blogs without knowing that it was ever discussed, or by doing searches.

Forum searches are by posts, topics, and Authors, and combinations. If I search on Alocasia there are 1348 posts conbtaining the word Alocasia, that will take quite a while to sort through. If I do a search of Topics containing the word Alocasia in the Title there are 76, which would be fairly easy to look through. Because a Blog is just called 'Someone's Blog' in the title, you could only search by posts, and with a forum of this size that is impractical, so any good discussion is effectively lost.

Most guests, and I imagine most of your started out being a guest before registering, arrive here as a result of a Google search. Google only indexes Topic Titles on the public forums. This means anything discussed in any Blog will only be visible to as XXX's Blog. How many people are going to search Google for that.

I know some want this to progress as a fun way to post about anything under the sun, hidden as XXX's blog, which may benefit some, but I have to think of the forum as a whole, and becoming too inward thinking can kill forums. The posting membership is fairly diverse and fluid. People come and go, but probably what brings people back after a period, is doing a Google search to find we are talking about a subject which they are interested.

Dave
With Admin Hat on

[huporhaha]

Thanks very much Dave - this makes real sense. Sometimes we just want to discuss something lightly, other times more in depth.

Its nice to be able to "chat" about plants but when serious advice or if we come up with a new propagation method of a given plant, (we can always live in hope), it is much better to go to the reference section.

Thanks for explaining.



Stephanie

[Conifers]

Excellent idea putting the blogs together

[Tom2006]

Great idea.

[GoggleboxUK]

Dave am I OK to make overlapping posts in both my blog and in the other searchable forums? I ask this because I tend to record what I buy in my blog and sometimes I'll forget what a plant is 3 months after I've put it in the garden and will need to refer back to my b;og to find it and then search for tips on how to care for it.

If I list the plants (possiblywith pics before and after planting) in my blog but then start a topic (or add to one) in Exotic Reference and Discussion that will allow me to refer back to how it looked when I got it, find out when I planted it in my blog and also share any tips or ask questions in the other forum.

Did you also consider the possibility of users having moderation control of their own blogs too? I'd really like to trim mine back and lose all the irrelevant posts in order to make it an easier to use personal reference guide to my own garden.

[kata]

Have we to apply for blog space?

Not a blog as such just a set of holiday snaps.

[Kristen]

Have we to apply for blog space?

From Forum Rules (top of the page) - took me a Google search to find it though, as I don't see the top of the page often

"Users cannot start their own topics in this area, so if you want a blog topic started, contact using contacts form at the bottom of the page "

[The Codfather]

I am waiting for mine to be moved in to it...