Aroid forums. Why another one?

Discussion in 'Araceae' started by photopro, Oct 30, 2007.

  1. photopro

    photopro Well-Known Member

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    I received another interesting piece of mail and thought it might be well to share the explanation I offered here for other comments.

    The writer wanted to know why we had even bothered to try to help establish another aroid forum. They pointed out a couple of other garden sites apparently already have such forums and the International Aroid Society has one as well called Aroid l. The writer appeared to think this one was a little overkill. So here are my personal thoughts:

    Some of the other garden sites have a fee for their information. This one doesn't. Somehow, I think there are a lot of people who would appreciate that feature alone. Some are visited by folks who are more into home gardening and less into how to properly grow the species and the scientific background of the plant including some of the botanical science. I made a recent post on one site pointing out the spelling of plants makes a difference and one individual quite pointedly did not like having their "spelling" corrected. In that case, the question was about A. titanum. Well, there is Amorphophallus titanum and Anthurium titanium (with and i) The discussion started going in both directions due to some not being sure which plant was being discussed. So spelling is important. In my case, if I make an error PLEASE point it out! I'm in this to learn! You won't hurt my feelings. But I understand, some are in just to garden as a hobby and have fun. I will try to respect anyone with that position and goal.

    I've personally found the UBC forums to have quite a few contributors who know their stuff! They can give the reasons why a plant should be grown in a particular way. They know where a plant originates in nature. They know if it can, or cannot be grown in cold climates. They know the details I seek. Personally, I like that. But to some, one other excellent aroid forum appears to be "too scientific" for some. And I personally think that is a misconception.

    That site would be Aroid l (and that is an L). Aroid l, although not a part of the International Aroid Society, is endorsed by the IAS. It was started by two individuals, one of whom is a friend who lives quite near. One big benefit to those of us who post regularly over there is we often receive answers from very well known botanical scientists and experts. People like Dr. Tom Croat of the Missouri Botanical Garden, Pete Boyce in Singapore, Dr. Eduardo Gonçalves in Brazil, Julius Boos and several others. I personally love that! I can get in-depth answers to my questions. Some may find that a bit "over my head". I don't think so, but to each his/her own. And by the way, some of those honest-to-goodness experts from Aroid l are now right here on this forum!

    Aroid l works quite differently than the UBC site does since it is a list service. Basically, a person with a question sends it in and the moderator posts it and it goes out in an email form. Then those who have contributions and answers send in their responses and those are emailed to the list. You need to subscribe to be on the list. I love that service, but I love this one too! They serve different needs for me, and I hope for you as well.

    Several of you sent personal messages to me asking that we ask UBC to start this forum. If you do a count of the "heads" who have read our posts you'll see something over 3000 views have been made in less than one week! I think that is pretty incredible! It is allowing a lot of people who are not yet "aroidophiles" (if that is a word) to find answers to questions about aroids. Some may become as "nuts" as many of us already are and some just need an answer to a question or the name of a plant. So the UBC forum serves a definite nich and need. And I think that was a big part of the intentions of those who wrote to ask we get this one started.

    Many of you know, I've encouraged a bunch of you to join this forum. Have you noticed the new names that have joined? And I promise, there are names out there who haven't posted anything yet! I receive mail from some of them. They are there. I like good information from people with plant knowledge. For those of you who may be new to this forum, you should be aware some of the folks now contributing truly are experts in the field of aroids. They've had years of experience and even though I've been collecting aroids for over 20 years, I've already learned new things in just the past 5 days as a result of this forum! I want to learn even more!

    For those of you who might want more technical information than we are giving you here or don't feel you're finding the answers you need here just yet, visit the archives of Aroid l. Every post for years has been indexed. And you can find them here:
    http://www.hort.net/lists/aroid-l/

    If you think you'd like to be on the Aroid l mail list (and I encourage you to check it out), you can find the information to join Aroid l on the International Aroid Society website:
    http://www.aroid.org/

    And for all of you who are now participating here, I am personally delighted to have you as friends and new friends! Quite a few of you send me personal mail all the time! Aroids are an extremely interesting group of plant species and I grow hundreds. They're addictive! Some on this forum literally grow multiple thousands! So take advantage of what they know. Ask!

    There's room on the internet for all sorts of interests, and personally, I feel some of us have found a great place to "talk". But be aware, I am a regular on Aroid l and have no intention of jumping ship! I just want to introduce more people to the world of aroids! I hope you'll help.
     
    Last edited: Oct 30, 2007
  2. edleigh7

    edleigh7 Well-Known Member

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    I agree.The more people we can get involved in aroids the better. Isn't that the aim? Aroid l is great and because I am relatively new to aroids, aroid l can get a little technical for me, at times. But how am I to learn these technical details, if there isn't a place discussing them. I envisaged this forum being a little more "general" and as an introduction for people on UBC who may not of heard of aroids, or have aroids growing in there garden and don't even know it!!
    But that is not to say that it won't be technical or scientific over here, from time to time, as scientific answers may be required.
    IAS may get more members due to this forum, I know we have one new member already joining in January.

    I thought the bottom line was....the more the merrier.

    Ed
     
  3. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    thanks for posting links to the aroid l...i've wanted to ask about it and have been so darn busy, i just kind of fly through the different forums i visit on a regular basis. i hate being this rushed with everything...no time to stop and smell the roses ;)

    i use all of my experiences on all the different forums that i visit as learning experiences - regardless of what the focus is or my knowledge level, there is ALWAYS room for more info!!

    i'm looking forward to learning more about aroids - they're a very, very interesting group of plants...
     
  4. LariAnn

    LariAnn Active Member

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    IMHO, no group, organization, listserver, or forum host has any authority or jurisdiction to govern, regulate, prevent, prohibit, or otherwise interfere with the independent and sovereign right of any other group to start any forum that they see fit to start. This includes forums, groups, organizations, societies, or even individuals involved with aroids or any other family of plants.

    As a member of three aroid forums plus aroid-l, I know that each one of them has a "specialty" and none of them really overlap or interfere with each other. For example, one forum seems to concentrate on Calla lilies, Arisaemas and Amorphophallus, while another focuses on Colocasia, Xanthosoma and Alocasia. This one, so far, seems to be largely about Anthuriums. Having more places for aroid lovers to meet and discuss their passion can only be a good thing for the whole pursuit of aroid enjoyment. Whoever thinks that they should inhibit or control who, what, when, and where aroid lovers meet and chat needs to realize that no one appointed them to be such a totalitarian ruler of the world of aroid lovers. Furthermore, no one wants such a totalitarian ruler or organization interfering with their aroid pursuits or access to like-minded people and/or groups!

    For the record, my understanding is that when aroid-l first was started, certain elements within the IAS were opposed to it and did not support it. Now, the IAS claims it as their "official" forum. I wonder if those who opposed it at first ever apologized to the founders of aroid-l.

    LariAnn
    Aroidia Research
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2007
  5. bihai

    bihai Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    I belong to the International Palm Society, and it was the same way. At first, the organization did not want a forum attached to it and didn't want to support it. But, their membership has been pretty well enhanced by giving people a place to hang out, so its a positive thing.
     
  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    I see: aroid enthusiasts "poke" and palm lovers "hang". Seems consistent. Not sure I want to know what a collector of Amorphophalli might do.
     
  7. bihai

    bihai Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Well, Ron, I collect aroids, plams, orchids, water lilies, gingers, heliconias, vines, plumerias....so I hang and I poke and do whatever is necessary!
     
  8. LariAnn

    LariAnn Active Member

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    My thought is that any aroid person is going to either "poke" or "be poked". Of course, when I see an open spathe with spadix, out comes my pollen brush! So I guess I just "brush" the forums?
     

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