Merge Indoor Plants ID with Indoor and Greenhouse Plants?

***Daniel Mosquin*** · #1 October 30th, 2006, 09:47 AM

Here's a poll question for you...

**Junglekeeper** · #2 October 30th, 2006, 10:08 AM

Daniel, a little background on the reason for posing the question would be helpful.

***Daniel Mosquin*** · #3 October 30th, 2006, 10:59 AM

Well, I'm really wondering if there are people who only frequent one or the other. It seems to me that people involved in these two forums tend to be the same folks, and it would a) perhaps be more convenient to have one place and b) save me a bit of work from having to move questions back-and-forth between the two forums.

**Junglekeeper** · #4 October 30th, 2006, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel Mosquin

It seems to me that people involved in these two forums tend to be the same folks...

You're probably right. If I'm reading this correctly, you're thinking of merging the two forums into one as opposed to the identification forum becoming a sub-forum. Doing so may create a problem if the name Indoor and Greenhouse Plants is not updated to reflect the new mandate; in deciding where to post, someone needing an indoor plant id may scan the top level of the forums, not see one for indoor plant identification, and so post into Plant Identification. Again you end up having to move postings. Perhaps a pinned announcement with a link to the indoor forum should be added to Plant Identification to redirect such people. Appending "(including Identification)" to the name of the indoor forum may help too.

**Michael F** · #5 October 30th, 2006, 01:38 PM

Voting 'Don't know/don't care' as I only look at the 'new posts' section anyway.

**Marn** · #6 October 30th, 2006, 05:39 PM

yes i think you should .. it would make it alot easier .. sometimes i miss the greenhouse section and forget about it ..
they are all about the same type plants for these 2 forums ..

Marn

**azaleafan** · #7 November 4th, 2006, 10:02 PM

I give a vote for yes. I agree it would make it easier for people to make one pit stop instead of posting in two different forums.

**wild-rose-43** · #8 November 8th, 2006, 11:46 PM

I vote yes as well. I visit the Indoor Plants Identification forum a lot more often than this one. It seems like they have the same basic theme.

utrechtman · #9 January 20th, 2007, 12:59 PM

Yes, join the two together, after all don't most houseplants start off in a greenhouse?

Suszanna · #10 January 20th, 2007, 01:47 PM

NO they should not

**K Baron** · #11 March 2nd, 2007, 10:47 PM

Ok so I am a little tardy here.... but definitely merge the two if you haven't already...

truebrit · #12 July 14th, 2007, 12:18 PM

im new on here and cant find my way around now so anything you can do is good for me.
i say put the two together.

**chimera** · #13 July 14th, 2007, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by truebrit

im new on here and cant find my way around now so anything you can do is good for me.
i say put the two together.

The "Forum Help ,Info and Feedback" forum NOTES should help to find your way around here. It's here http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/fo...isplay.php?f=4 and on the index page at www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forums/index.php

**everlasting** · #14 July 22nd, 2007, 07:13 AM

or merge the plant ID with indoor plant ID.

***Daniel Mosquin*** · #15 July 23rd, 2007, 12:01 PM

Thanks for floating this up on my radar screen again, everlasting.

**Sandra75** · #16 January 4th, 2008, 12:35 PM

I'll have to say no. I think even if people misplace a thread between the 2 it doesnt really matter. If I may suggest.... Why not offer the 'owner' of the thread to move its own thread? It happened to me that I started a thread on the wrong section but I was unable to move it after posting.

**Junglekeeper** · #17 January 4th, 2008, 01:17 PM

Having them separate makes it easier to review previously identified plants.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandra75

Why not offer the 'owner' of the thread to move its own thread?

It's available. Have a look at this thread.

**rockminer** · #18 January 5th, 2008, 10:47 AM

I look at both forums every day and feel that they should remain separate. Most new lookers are confused on a new site (speaking from experience) but soon sort themselves out and find what they are looking for. Daniel--We appreciate the time and effort you expend to keep everyone in the right place but I agree with Steve that the ID requests would likely end up in the general plant ID thread and stlill have to be moved. Bill

mathew · #19 February 5th, 2008, 08:01 AM

Thanks for the right comment. merge inddoe ID with indoor plants. mathew

**Barbara Lloyd** · #20 May 10th, 2009, 08:03 PM

Daniel,
Other than the humidity levels they are pretty much the same. I visit indoor plant regularly, but do tend to forget the greenhouse section. Listing could be something like "Indoor & Greenhouse Plants" to hopefully avoid confusion.
barb

***Daniel Mosquin*** · #21 October 30th, 2009, 10:34 AM

Anyone else feel strongly "No"? If not, I'll go ahead with the merge. I plan to mitigate the problem of being able to search on IDs by adding a thread prefix for ID request, so the use of the advanced search tool can pinpoint just those threads (assuming thread prefixes are used).

I'll come up with a solution to help direct the Indoor Plant ID postings to this forum (and, correspondingly, Cacti & Succulents, etc.).

**joclyn** · #22 October 30th, 2009, 08:57 PM

i would merge the indoor plants id with the outdoor plants id - rather than the two indoor items being together.

makes more sense to have all things that need to be id'd in one spot.

***Daniel Mosquin*** · #23 October 30th, 2009, 11:34 PM

My take is that about 40% (or more) of the indoor plant ID questions are: help ID this plant and how do I take care of it?, whereas only about 20% of the "outdoor" plant ID questions ask for how to take care of the plant. My opinion is that moving it into a "subject area" helps get a better response, as long as that subject area forum is well-visited / has subject experts (and indoor and greenhouse plants is and has).

I've been moving the cacti / succulent ID requests (also around the 40% mark for ID+ care) into the cacti/succulent forum and that seems to work well -- a one-stop shop, so to speak.

**Junglekeeper** · #24 October 31st, 2009, 12:25 AM

I would prefer to see the indoor and outdoor postings to be in separate areas. It would be easier for someone with expertise in both areas to review two forums than for a single expertise person to filter out posts in a mixed forum.

**joclyn** · #25 October 31st, 2009, 01:45 AM

well, i always hit the 'new posts' button and just go from there to look at whatever looks interesting (and skip over what doesn't)...i really don't make note of what particular sub-forum the posts are in (as has been pointed out when i've suggested someone post their question in such-n-such forum when that's exactly where the posting already is ;) ).