[Arisaema-l]  Re: AEG in danger

Gouda, E.J. (Eric) e.j.gouda at uu.nl
Mon Apr 25 12:06:13 CEST 2022


It is *no *problem to add a Forum at http://arisaema-l.nl but forums are 
as old fashioned as email discussion lists I think.

If the group think it is better to have a Forum, I can give it a try 
(for example with installing Simple Machine Forum), but still we need 
somebody who will be actively managing the forum.

Lets discuss this further!

Eric

Op 22-4-2022 om 09:14 schreef Jonas Bracht:
> Hello everybody,
>
> I would very much prefer a solution like Paige has suggested, since I 
> would like to stay away from Facebook for the obvious reasons. I read 
> a lot in forums but didn't participate actively yet but I would 
> readily change that in the future in the case we had our own forum.
>
> If I understood correctly, Nestor already offered to help if we want a 
> new web solution. Maybe that is the way to go?
>
> Best regards,
>
> Jonas
>
> -- 
> Diese Nachricht wurde von meinem Android Mobiltelefon mit GMX Mail 
> gesendet.
> Am 22.04.22, 00:05 schrieb Paige Woodward via Arisaema-L 
> <arisaema-l at lists.science.uu.nl>:
>
>     Hi, Eric and all.
>
>     It appears that the AEG has basically moved to Facebook (minus me).
>
>     But for the record, it would be possible to use other software
>     instead. With no harvesting of our private information and so on.
>
>     The email forum software used by the Scottish Rock Garden Society
>     has been mentioned here recently.
>
>     Today the Pacific Bulb Society officially moved to the same
>     software. http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbsforum
>
>     The framework is called Simple Machines
>     https://www.simplemachines.org
>
>     It’s true that you don’t automatically receive messages in your
>     email inbox in this forum system. Rather, you sign in to the forum
>     and then look around at all the different topics that interest you.
>
>     But you can stay signed in indefinitely if you wish.
>
>     Images are easy to see and search is a breeze.
>
>     And the the PBS database is being retained.
>
>     Cheers.
>
>
>     Paige Woodward
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>     > On Apr 20, 2022, at 12:48 AM, Gouda, E.J. (Eric)
>     <e.j.gouda at uu.nl> wrote:
>     >
>     > Op 19-4-2022 om 18:54 schreef Paige Woodward:
>     >> Hi, Eric.
>     >>
>     >> Agree that the AEG list is not being used.
>     >>
>     >> I know about the AEG site but it cannot be a “first reference”
>     because it is incomplete — of course partly because seldom used.
>     >>
>     > Hi Paige,
>     >
>     > Thank you for your reply (I will cc it to the group, because it
>     is relevant here). I got several replies personally about the
>     disadvantages of Facebook and I know it is not ideal, but seems to
>     be (really) used by many of our AEG group. The website and sources
>     (literature etc.) on Arisaema-L.nl (including the domain
>     aroids.nl) are owned by the AEG and we have additionally our own
>     FloraPix gallery with 550 pictures of Arisaemas (with discussion
>     possibilities). So I do not understand why you say it can not be a
>     “first reference”. Sure, it is far from complete and maybe
>     outdated if we are not taking care of it, like the discussion list.
>     >
>     > It is a tendency in many groups that used email or bulletin
>     boards for discussions, these were abandoned and replaced by
>     Facebook groups. I must say, I use FB restrictively and I am not
>     very active on it, but for example my Bromeliad activities I use
>     it for the Bromeliad Society International (BSI) and the
>     Encyclopaedia of Bromeliads (https://bromeliad.nl/encyclopedia) to
>     advertise news, and it has a reach of 1000 up to 3000 followers!
>     All those people are on FB, whether I like it or not, and I can
>     not reach them without it.
>     >
>     > Although I'm quite active with Bromeliads, the Brom-L discussion
>     list faces the same problem and recently the Brom-L FloraPix
>     gallery became part of the BSI website, which revived activity on it.
>     > We have to make a choice I suppose, use the existing FB group,
>     keep the email list, create a new FB group for AEG or maybe choose
>     for something else???
>     > Eric
>     >>
>     >> On reflection, however, rather than a hub website, an active
>     group where questions can be answered with current information
>     might be ideal.
>     >>
>     >> Sounds like the Facebook group!
>     >>
>     >> But I cannot join FB — it has done too much harm, and continues
>     to do too much harm.
>     >>
>     >> If FB were the only place people could exchange information, I
>     might join, with regret.
>     >>
>     >> But FB is not the only place. It is not even specially
>     convenient. It is just so *easy*, and many participants don’t
>     think about what’s happening. Frogs in pot of water heating on the
>     stove. From the moment I understood that my personal information
>     would be harvested and sold, I stood back. FB’s harmful role in
>     politics came into the spotlight with the US election, but that
>     was not the only election, not the only politics, not the only
>     manipulative, unmentioned algorithms. I am interested, but not
>     surprised, that so many people just don’t want to know, or care.
>     The internet did not cause this. It just highlights a common human
>     trait.
>     >>
>     >> This particular spring, it turns out that I have lost many
>     Arisaema spp that I grew for years. They came through a cold
>     winter and seemed fine, but then the temperature dropped
>     unexpectedly. The tubers had emerged from dormancy and could not
>     readjust. This happened not only to arisaemas, of course. I regret
>     the losses, but — this simplifies my plans!
>     >>
>     >> Thank you for the energy you have put into the AEG and other
>     groups over the years.
>     >>
>     >> With best wishes,
>     >>
>     >> Paige
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>
>     >>> On Apr 14, 2022, at 6:01 AM, Gouda, E.J. (Eric) <e.j.gouda at uu.nl>
>     >>> wrote:
>     >>>
>     >>> Hi Page,
>     >>>
>     >>> We do have a website:
>     >>> https://arisaema-l.nl/
>     >>> including a picture gallery, but people seems not to be
>     interested in that any more.
>     >>>
>     >>> And if all AEG members are discussing and posting photos on
>     FB, what is the use of our discussion email list?
>     >>> Eric
>     >>> Op 14-4-2022 om 00:52 schreef Paige Woodward:
>     >>>
>     >>>> Hello, Eric. Like some others on this list I greatly valued
>     the AEG when it was more active, and I still value the seedex; I
>     am just re-entering the plant world after a pause for family reasons.
>     >>>>
>     >>>> I did wonder why the AEG was so silent. If the group
>     completely vanishes into Facebook, I will be so sorry, because I
>     have sworn not to support Facebook. (I’m not here to argue, won’t
>     go into my reasons, all of them widely known.)
>     >>>>
>     >>>> Messages are useful, of course, but what I want above all is
>     a hub of reliable information about Arisaema spp and aroids in
>     general. Is there a way to have a reference website outside Facebook?
>     >>>>
>     >>>> Paige Woodward
>     >>>>
>     >>>>
>     >>>>
>     >>>>
>     >>>>> On Apr 13, 2022, at 1:02 AM, Gouda, E.J. (Eric) via
>     Arisaema-L <arisaema-l at lists.science.uu.nl>
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> wrote:
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> Thanks Keith,
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> I think your conclusions are right. I already contacted
>     Pascal, one of the FB managers, but used an old email address
>     which bounced, but try an other one.
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> I will let you all know what the outcome would be. I just
>     attended the FB group myself, although not very active on FB.
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> If FB is working for all of you, we can abandon this
>     discussion list (I have closed down several of the -L lists
>     already). The only problem with FB is that is does not interact
>     well with an other mail service (you can not post from email to FB).
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> Interesting question to all of you: who is not on FB
>     Arisaema Enthusiats? Because we have to choose!
>     >>>>> All the best,
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> Eric
>     >>>>> Op 12-4-2022 om 13:25 schreef Keith B via Arisaema-L:
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>>> Dear Eric and group members,
>     >>>>>>
>     >>>>>> Here’s my perspective, as someone relatively new to the AEG
>     and growing Arisaema.
>     >>>>>>
>     >>>>>> 1. The group resources were a great help when I first began
>     five or six years ago. Firstly the seed exchange, but also the
>     online articles and pictures. I have read the mailing list but, as
>     Eric points out, without someone actively running this it will
>     decline. So far there have been 10 responses to Eric’s appeal for
>     help for the AEG: such a limited response to an existential crisis
>     suggests to me that very few of the AEG members are reading the
>     mailing list.
>     >>>>>> 2. There’s a lot that I don’t like about Facebook, but it
>     is easy to use, the ‘Arisaema Enthusiasts’ Facebook group has 3800
>     members and a regular stream of contributions. Many of the
>     contributions (including most of mine) are ‘here’s a picture of my
>     Arisaema …’, but there is also some more in-depth botanical
>     discussion.
>     >>>>>> 3. Combining the above two points, in my opinion, the
>     ‘Arisaema Enthusiasts’ Facebook group has become the de facto
>     discussion group for Arisaema. Perhaps it is time to encourage AEG
>     members to use the Facebook group for discussion.
>     >>>>>> 4. The AEG seed exchange is a very worthwhile, and unique,
>     activity. I would go further and suggest that there is a need for
>     an Arisaema tuber exchange (I’ve just finished repotting my
>     Arisaema and I have more A. fargesii offsets than I know what to
>     do with). However, appeals for seed from Eric seem to have gone
>     largely unheeded this year, and I fear that this is because of the
>     low readership of the mailing list. In the past I have used the
>     Facebook group to encourage people to contribute seeds to the AEG
>     seedex, and suggested it as a source for seeds, but this has been
>     in response to people asking questions so has limited visibility.
>     The next stage would be to liaise with the Facebook group owners
>     so that the AEG seedex can be publicised on Facebook in a more
>     direct way (there is no/very little selling/swapping of seeds and
>     tubers on the Facebook group, in fact I think it is discouraged,
>     so the AEG seedex wouldn't be in competition with anyone).
>     >>>>>> 5. That leaves the picture gallery, the articles and the
>     other resources on the AEG website. Again, they are very
>     worthwhile but I fear they are little used. I am afraid that I am
>     at a loss for ideas about how to make these better known.
>     >>>>>>
>     >>>>>> In summary, I think that the future efforts of the group
>     should be focussed on the website resources and the seed exchange.
>     >>>>>>
>     >>>>>> best regards
>     >>>>>>
>     >>>>>>
>     >>>>>> Keith
>     >>>>>>
>     >>>>>>
>     >>>>>>
>     >>>>>>
>     >>>>> --
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> All the best, / Met vriendelijke groet,
>     >>>>> Eric
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> --
>     >>>>> Drs. E.J. (Eric) Gouda | Curator Utrecht Botanic Gardens |
>     Utrecht University | Address Gardens: Budapestlaan 17, 3584 CD
>     Utrecht | Postal Address: P.O. Box 80162, 3508 TD Utrecht, The
>     Netherlands | +31(0)30 253 9281 |
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> e.jgouda at uu.nl | botanische.tuinen at uu.nl
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> | uu.nl/botanischetuinen | Follow us on Facebook | Twitter |
>     Instagram
>     >>>>> _______________________________________________
>     >>>>> Arisaema-L mailing list
>     >>>>> Gallery:
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/temperate/?gal=arisaema
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> Site:
>     >>>>>
>     >>>>> http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/Arisaema-L
>     >>> --
>     >>>
>     >>> All the best, / Met vriendelijke groet,
>     >>> Eric
>     >>>
>     >>> --
>     >>> Drs. E.J. (Eric) Gouda | Curator Utrecht Botanic Gardens |
>     Utrecht University | Address Gardens: Budapestlaan 17, 3584 CD
>     Utrecht | Postal Address: P.O. Box 80162, 3508 TD Utrecht, The
>     Netherlands | +31(0)30 253 9281 |
>     >>> e.jgouda at uu.nl | botanische.tuinen at uu.nl
>     >>> | uu.nl/botanischetuinen | Follow us on Facebook | Twitter |
>     Instagram
>     >>>
>     > --
>     >
>     > All the best, / Met vriendelijke groet,
>     > Eric
>     >
>     > --
>     > Drs. E.J. (Eric) Gouda | Curator Utrecht Botanic Gardens |
>     Utrecht University | Address Gardens: Budapestlaan 17, 3584 CD
>     Utrecht | Postal Address: P.O. Box 80162, 3508 TD Utrecht, The
>     Netherlands | +31(0)30 253 9281 | e.jgouda at uu.nl |
>     botanische.tuinen at uu.nl | uu.nl/botanischetuinen | Follow us on
>     Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
>
>     _______________________________________________
>     Arisaema-L mailing list
>     Gallery: http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/temperate/?gal=arisaema
>     Site: http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/Arisaema-L
>
-- 

All the best, / Met vriendelijke groet,
Eric

--
*Drs. E.J. (Eric) Gouda* | Curator Utrecht Botanic Gardens | Utrecht 
University | Address Gardens: Budapestlaan 17, 3584 CD Utrecht | Postal 
Address: P.O. Box 80162, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands | +31(0)30 253 
9281 | e.jgouda at uu.nl | botanische.tuinen at uu.nl | uu.nl/botanischetuinen 
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