On 27/1/08 23:48, in article ,
"Hugh Jampton" wrote:
On Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:13:53 -0000, shazzbat wrote:
URG is not the busiest NG right now, because it's seasonal. I haven't
checked out statistics, but I think they would show an increase over the
last week or two. And the pace always picks up as the growing season
commences and the newbies start wondering which end of the spade to use.
I've been following uk.rec.gardening for over 10 years. It is not in anyway
as busy as it was in the old days - it was *very* busy then - it isn't now.
I think I know why the group isn't so busy - I'll just say that I think a
few non-gardening nutters posting here have put off some nice gardening
people from posting here :-(
Bring back the old days :-)
There is an element of that but I think there are other factors involved,
too. Some long-ago posters became a bit tired of the business of repeating
themselves over and over again. By its very nature, a gardening group is
bound to be a bit repetitive because not only is it seasonal, we have new
people taking up gardening and asking the same questions - which are new to
them - over and over again. That isn't a criticism, BTW. As I say it's
inevitable.
Other factors are things like people simply becoming more busy, changing to
more demanding jobs, having children etc., or perhaps becoming interested in
a different type of gardening, such as more exotic or tender plants. One
valuable poster had a really bad accident and hasn't, I think, posted since,
another wrote a book, sold up her business and moved, another felt
physically threatened and intimidated by someone here, so has stopped
posting, others just feel their time on a group has run its course. Some
dislike the permanent trolls who make it their mission to be rude to certain
people, so they just quietly leave, as you seem to be saying above. Some
have been pounced on too sharply when first posting, so they don't post
again but lurk. Some have been bereaved and have undergone big life
changes, so they become interested or involved in other hobbies or needs.
All these are things that I know of personally but there may well be other
reasons, too.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove weeds from address)
'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our
children.'