GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

Sacha[_1_] · 17-11-2006, 12:45 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 17/11/06 11:43, in article
gum-hctertsdd, "David D Stretch"
wrote:

On Friday 17 Nov 2006 02:06, michael adams
) wrote:

[lots of good points]

I really do agree with and endorse the points made here. It would be nice if
the alternative strategy could work, but I think it will only hasten the
slide of urg to _unusability_ if this alternative was adopted. better to
ignore and killfile, I think.

Hasn't worked too well all this kill filing, has it? This group is down to
around ten or so posters, some of whom post only one line "me too" type
msgs., some of whom are just irritatingly facetious ALL the time but rarely
discuss gardening and some of whom don't know which way is up to plant a
bulb. Many bob in from gardenbanter to ask a question and then bob out never
to be seen or contribute again. There are about four people posting who
actually know anything and most of them specialise in one way or another.
There is nobody with the depth and breadth of knowledge of Janet Barraclough
or David Poole and Puke has made sure urg has lost them and all that
killfiling has allowed her to do it, because none of you spoke up and told
her to just shut up. David is a professional plantsman and past nurseryman
and Janet might just as well be. The information and knowledge I was able
to pass on from my third generation husband who has worked in his own
nursery for over 50 years, on a vast range of plants and such things as
biological control, is lost, as are the seeds, cuttings and plants I shared
around the group. But don't worry, your kill files are in place, so you
won't even be aware of what you've lost. And Puke has the lowest possible
level of RHS cert. so *that* will see you all okay.

The strength of the group is vitiated and for those of us who knew how
fabulously valuable it was to all levels of gardener, it has been a tragedy
to watch that happen.

The *enormous* and incalculable value of this group to those wishing to
learn has been stamped out of existence in a few months by the
determination of one poster to rid this group of everyone who will not
butter her up and who knows more than she does - not difficult, admittedly.

And Judith, one of the kindest, nicest, funniest and most genuinely charming
of urg's long-standing members has had her job threatened, has been sworn at
and insulted on a regular basis (as have Janet and I) and has been almost
bullied out of existence by a consummate liar who has echoes of the stalker
about her, visiting our place just to be photographed outside it and
threatening to pay a visit to Janet in Scotland. Not what I'd chalk up as a
major success for a thriving and vibrant newsgroup, personally.

What all you kill filers are refusing to wake up to is that urg is already
almost unusable because you have lost all the wide range experts and are
allowing someone who doesn't know a zillionth of what has been lost, to pass
around largely useless advice, to set herself up as a self-appointed expert
and to harry or bore still more people off the group while she is stealthily
encouraging trolls who are probably also in your kill file. You see none of
this going on so are doing nothing to contribute to the health of the group.

But hey, it's a newsgroup so it will be what its posters make of it. As we
see.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/