What am I missing? First you must go to the Rate and Review Forum You can find it by going to the top of any page here, and hovering your cursor over Forums at the bottom of the green banner. There will be a drop down box. Choose Garden Forums...then scroll to the bottom of the page where all forums are in alphabetical order. After you once get there, you follow the instructions for the Forum...they are posted at the top of the forum. Go to the search box found just below the list of threads, and put in the exact member name. If a review thread has been started, it will bring it up. You can then see who has said what for that member...much like the Feedback on an ebay member. You can then make a decision as to whether or not you want to trade with the member. If there is no review thread, the member is either quite new, has not done much trading in a while (forum was started in Nov 2006), or they have had the misfortune to have traded with folks who either do not know about the Rate and Review Forum, or those who do not believe in posting to it, or members who just plain forgot. If you are left wondering about the member, you can feel free to email me, or any others who are quite active here...maybe agirlsgirl, or medontdo. Once your trade is complete, then you do the search thing there and post to an existing review thread for the member, and if there is not one started, you are to start it, being sure to list the member name exactly as it is spelled in the Subject of Posting line. You can then leave a review, stating if it was a plant or seed trade, and just how it went. Whew...quite loquacious, wasn't I? Sue...resident busy body

We've just created a new forum to help you rate and review the trades in which you've participated. Please use the forum in the spirit in which it was intended and do not use it as a way to post personal attacks. While it's okay to post negative reviews, we encourage dialogue in working out problems that you may have encountered. And, as always seems to be true, we often are quick to complain about the problems and don't take the time to offer a pat on the back for a job well done. So, please take a moment and reward those good traders with a kind word. For traders -- Once you have a review thread on the new forum, you might think of linking to it in your profile or 'have' posts. This is simply an announcement -- please do not use it to discuss the new forum. Kindly visit the Conversations area of this forum for discussion purposes. Thanks! Here is a link that might be useful: Rate & Review Exchanges

I tell people I'm leaving them feedback in the R&R when I email to tell them I got their seeds, hoping that'll inspire them... but I refuse to beg. ;-) I know what you mean. I write a positive review and then when I'm emailing them that I received my plants/seeds, I include a link to the thread/post I made...hint, hint. Yikes...I just checked and I have posted here 93 times, yet only have 20 reviews. A lot of my posts were conversations, or pointing members threads to the original review thread....or clarifying a correct spelling on a members name, or, or, or. They don't call me busy body Sue for nothing. bbs

The sad thing is that some members have threads started on them with different variations of their name...with only one being 'correct'. One member has three threads and one could never be found on a search unless her first name was known and searched that way. I think the instructions as they are are simple enough, and doubt if it would be an easy thing to make them foolproof via changing programming. The instructions say... To create the best user experience, please keep all reviews for a particular member in one thread and before posting a new thread, use the forum's search feature to see if one has already been started. but there are always going to be some who will not read or follow them. Additionally it says... To report abuse or violations of our forums, please contact Member Services. Maybe the incorrect posts should be reported...though I don't really feel they are violations...but instead just not following the rules completely. I would especially like to see the member names listed in the subject line for those members who have been disappointing others...rather than a generic "Won't trade with" and then the name not placed in the subject line. I can kind of understand the OP's feelings on that though, but I did post a member's name (in the subject line) along with "Won't trade with" Sue