That's fine to fly to other venues if the spirit moves you....but IMO, none can compare to GW, under the various old regimes or the new Houzz. I'm a member of 4 forums, and there simply isn't the daily traffic anywhere that there is here. Some groups are downright stagnant and it makes me wonder why/how they still exist if no one ever posts?

The link didn't work. I wish I had a good answer to the (unasked) question.

It was just meant as an FYI as a list of other groups on line. I probably should have put a different heading on it. I did not intend for anyone to not continue to read and post here.

Sometimes newcomers might not be aware of the specialized groups because they are privately moderated, and require an application process, so are not as easy to find.

I appreciate the feedback on the other groups. I learned most of what I know about AVs from various internet forums. This is the only one I post to but I do read others.

Some violet enthusiasts I know monitor several groups as well as Facebook. It is just a way to keep updated with what is going on in the AV world.

Seems that once Houzz took over the hosting, we lost a lot of regular posters.

I am one who monitors various forums and FB sites. FB has certainly had a negative impact on forums. . . most are dying & I for one am sad to see this happen. While FB is ok, I prefer the forum format. Any discussion can be found months & years later so valuable information is not lost. I do post on one other forum besides this one.

While this forum has no doubt lost some posters since the switch to Houzz, I'm encouraged that new ones have emerged. Hopefully, we can keep it going. Terri

Yes, it is very nice to see so many new posters. The Houzz format seems to have a wider reach, so it brings in many visitors to the AF forum as well. Joanne

If no one posts to the other groups, they will die. What will you read if no one posts? Maybe they are dead, killed by Facebook. I think Facebook is very good for showing things, but not so great for learning and information. A good group or forum needs some quality posters - people who have experience. At one time we had some very good people here as did some other groups but many of them have gone (some have died) but others have left the groups. Joyce Stork posts on Facebook sometimes but she can't be everywhere.

I admit, though I resented it at first, the new format is more contemporary.

I've shied away from forums that appeared dated, I think there was an even older version of gw I didn't even want to try, way back when I was reading up on bonsai...

Now, I read before I judge. Content being more important than frills.

FB has good eye candy, and it's nice to meet people from your area...

The European av forum has some good people, but its sloooow.

Bratpack is fun but not as open....

I like hopping to wherever something is going on :-)

Karin, how is your dish garden coming along?

Which one? I have blooms, but the moss is crispy. Will work on that...

Pictures to come :-)

Violet Voice is a good AV forum ... and about as active as GW.

AV TALK is the most active sub-forum there ...

I think I am throwing in the towel with this Houzz format now that they have added a cumbersome, intrusive graphic to the first post. of each thread. Too much screen clutter. I cannot glance down the list of topics quickly to see what's new. Instead, I have to scroll through pages and pages. This is just Houzz calling attention to themselves with a pointless, boring graphic. Anyone who wishes to contact me for trades can either PM me or email me. I might try to send their moderator an email to express this. Joanne

I'm slowly getting used to this new format and plan to stay put. I too monitor several other AV forums plus FB. All have their ups and downs. Vikki

Joanne, is this the layout you are talking about?

where you see the red arrow, you can change how the threads are displayed. the one on the left with the three little bars should show just a list (i'll check it in a min).

Yup. that's what it does... personally i like this view, because it lets me see who last commented :-)

Karin

Yes, thanks, Karin and Vikki. I do n to see any red arrow. Any advice would be appreciated, Karin, can you believe, the automated word check changes your name to rain! grrrr!!! I am not going to also check the above Thank you because that means you will get two emails instead of one, then you have two to delete, completely unnecessary! Joanne

LOL, in my picture i meant, it isn't part of the format...

above the threads, where it says "5,084 Garden Web Discussions | African Violets", if you follow that line to the right, there is a dropdown that says "latest activity", next to that there are three buttons - you want to pick the one on the left.

It seems that this format with the large graphic is the one that takes me to the most recent post, duh!?

Anyway, Can you tell me how to get back to that page that has those three buttons on it?

I messed with the buttons the other day by trying to change settings.

I stumbled across this thread in a forum called Design ...

It shows a lovely want to display violets.

I posted a message on their thread to invite them all over here. There were probably 20 names I did not recognize who are growers of AVs. ( I "found" them by doing a search for the purpose of trying to get back to AnneCeclia's post on how to find the three buttons to change settings to not have to reset them to be able to go to the end of a thread. I typed in "Ann" and "African Violets")

Below are two comment, the first is from Emily who works for Houzz and the second from Halbanes, who has two forty year old vintage violets!

(1)

African Violets - Do I dare?

Emily HurleyMarch 7, 2014

I have always loved African Violets and my mother used to have several in her kitchen.

(2) Excerpted from a post by Halbanes

remember your violet is a living thing and it manages to survive because you do look after it and care about it, despite your benign neglect. Read this wonderful book, "The Secret Life of Plants," for more insight about plants. Out of print, but found in old book stores; maybe Amazon, ebay books, or other used book sites.

Joanne

I don't see it either although maybe my toolbars are hiding it. I don't have whatever graphic is bothering Joanne so I'm not hiding my toolbars to look for it. LOL, I went looking for the red arrow too and then realized I was an idiot. My Houzz is a very bare-bones affair.

I use Firefox on a laptop.

Diana in PA

I don't have the bothersome graphic either. I really don't have a problem with this forum. . . I find what I'm looking for without any trouble. I access it through Safari & go to the front page with all the choices. The only difference to me is that I have to go through the front page or side bars to switch between discussions and exchanges. But thats just a couple of clicks.

I do not like receiving emails on updated posts as I usually check all my various forums a couple of times a day & here the post turns green if I haven't read it. At least I can turn it off & probably will do so. Now, how do I turn off Facebook comments? I don't need ten notifications from other people all saying the same thing. . . "pretty plant, etc." I guess thats why I don't comment too often on FB.

Terri

Hi Diana, that gives me an idea, i can try the computer at work to get back to the old format and see if I can reconvert to it, but now i am getting used to this one. I edited my post above to add new info to it. I'd rather do that, because Houzz fonts our posts.

Thanks, Tamarra!!!!! And Terri!