Welcome, Pamela and Terri. NO PLANYS TO TRADE = NO PROBLEM! That is how a kot of us got our gardens started. You will find that gardeners are the most generous and kind people you can associate with and be lucky to have as friends. I go out into my garden and as I spend time with plants I remember the people who gave them to me. Fawnridge AKA Ricky has a corner in my yard dedicated to him. I even have a placque that says Ricky's corner. It is where the majority of my crotons are planted. I have a corner dedicated to Lisa and also various other corners where I have planted all the edibles that she has so generously shared with me. I hate leaving people out but almost every person on this site has shared something with me and hopefully in the upcoming swaps I will have things to share with them. Gardening comes from my father's side of the family and when I was borh I had two green thumbs. I received a shovel for my first birthday and have been a roto tiller ever since. I love hand digging and turning the soil over and over in my hands. I love feeling it flow through my fingers and seeing the tiny seeds sprout and develop into beautiful plants. I even feel pain when one dies and I have killed my share. You will find great advice here and if you desire to get into tomato farming then Treefrog will be your best buddy and does he have seeds to share. Terri, as long as you have had your rabies shot you have nothing to fear here. If someone bites it is usually painful for only a second and then they place salve on the bite and give you advice. Please speak up more and we would love to see you at a swap. That goes for you also, Pamela. Welcome and be ready for the passion of gardening to totally consume you here in the sub tropics. Linda

It used to be that when you clicked on "Edit" of "My Page" there was a box at the very bottom that said 'Home Page' and you could put a link to your site such as a blog or home page. A friend had made a home page for me with a few pictures etc. which is linked above so when "My Page" was clicked you had the option to click on the 'Home Page' or blog of that person, but now there is no such option on my "My Page". You can still put it on the "Optional Link URL" box, but as you say that takes a little time. Just wondering if the 'Home Page' option on "My Page" had disappeared for everyone. Click the 'Edit' button on your "My Page" to see.

Welcome aboard. It would have been nice had you offered a few opinions about why going to a different format would benefit anyone. Yes, the phpBB software software you suggest is free but what about the costs of moving such a huge site as Gardenweb is to the new format? The thread you linked to was posted on all forums in the Gardenweb stable and did create changes, two very noticeable. The ability to edit and to add graphics has been very nice. On some/many sites using phpBB software there is a tendency to attract trolls who are more concerned with post counts than sensible content in a post. Here we have no post count although showing the number of visits per page might be useful.

The business of GW depends on people. They must keep people interested in coming here to keep their business going. Lucky for them there are lots of people, so they are less concerned about how we feel about all of this than we would like to think. I have been a member of these forums for years--yes, back in the days when it was Spike's world. I have always loved this forum. Personally I preferred it before there was a separate conversations area. Now that pictures can be posted within the messages, I forget there is a gallery. I like things simple. But, more important to me is the people and the sharing that happens. I have links to dozens of other quilting forums. Most of them are set up so that you you must go to specific forum categories such as swaps, or charity quilts, or applique quilts, or tips and techniques, etc. I seldom "visit" those forums, though I will go if I am searching for information on a specific topic or technique. I have to file and categorize and follow rules and be careful of the special requirements of various personalities all day long in my job. On my own time, I like things a little looser. This forum fit that bill. When I come to this forum, I LOVE the energy and the variety and the creativity that happens because of the free-flow of topics and conversations. I only click on the topics that look like they may interest me, whether they are on topic or off. Sure, having a discussions category and a conversations category is not a lot of separation, only and extra click or two, but frankly I never visited the conversations forum until all this started up--I forget it is there. In all the years I have been part of this forum, the only time I have not enjoyed my visits are times like now, when members get into a fight and snipe at each other. I am not saying there should not be a difference of opinion, but I really cringe and feel terrible after reading posts pointing a finger at one or two members, demanding they identify themselves, or naming them when complaining about the change. That makes me feel waaaaay worse than any of the rules we might have to follow to participate in this forum. I will continue to participate in the forum and I will click between the 2 categories if I must, but if I am not enjoying what's going on, I'll visit less often, just as many will do. Can we please just get back to sharing this fun and sanity-saving craft we all enjoy so much. I choose not to dwell on one thing that I do not like here, or to direct any negativity towards whomever may have felt more strongly about the set-up of our forum than I. I prefer to enjoy the fun and learn from each and every one of you as long as I can. I just couldn't keep reading and keep my mouth shut. I hope others feel the same and we can put more energy into the good things and let the bad go. Please.