GENERAL QUESTIONS

[Farhan Ahmed]

sometimes change is good......shouldering responsibility to new members might force them to be more active and feel part of the team.

[ahussain]

ASA,
I am glade that some of us are having this healthy discussion. So we do have a vision, GREAT.
I can find some professional horticulturist from the USA who will be willing to contribute their time and may be money to this forum. Also there is a program in Minnesota that pays for travel and everything else if someone FROM ABROAD wants TRAINING in horticulture.
What disturbed me most or the impression I got was that anyone who is not a donor he or she should have no opinion on this forum. If this was the case then it is wrong. Here in America I was able to change a traffic law which helped everyone who were affected by it. I did this by writing a letter to the highest responsible person. I am nobody in America. I was not asked “Do you pay taxes or are you a US citizen. Criticism is good if it is healthy. Here in everyday life we indulge in healthy criticism and do not discourage others.
I just wanted someone to lead this forum and get the title of being the president and VP. Having a president, VP makes you stronger and not weaker. I cannot think of any western forum or organization that do not have president or VP.
KH

[Munir]

I am a relatively new member of this forum. I thought it was a private site founded by Mr. Khabbab & being managed by some friends on voluntary basis to promote amateur gardening (correct me if I am wrong). They are indeed doing a great job of this noble cause. May Allah reward them for this Sadqa-a-Jaria. I have found the members also, by & large, open minded, helpful & supportive. We are lucky to have amongst us, many very keen & knowledgeable members, some with a lot of experience & expertise. It is thus a great forum for exchange of ideas, particularly for the beginners/novices to learn & pursue this healthy, interesting & joyful hobby.
However, there is always a room for improvement in any organization/endeavour, for which positive suggestions must be welcomed, in fact encouraged- I may also have some suggestions to make at an appropriate time. We should therefore, allow Mr. Hussain to elaborate his proposal in detail,especially its basis, purpose & the benefits it would accrue for this forum. Let us see what he has to offer. The management of course can then have the final say.

[M Farooq]

ASA,
I am glade that some of us are having this healthy discussion. So we do have a vision, GREAT.
I can find some professional horticulturist from the USA who will be willing to contribute their time and may be money to this forum. Also there is a program in Minnesota that pays for travel and everything else if someone FROM ABROAD wants TRAINING in horticulture.
What disturbed me most or the impression I got was that anyone who is not a donor he or she should have no opinion on this forum. If this was the case then it is wrong. Here in America I was able to change a traffic law which helped everyone who were affected by it. I did this by writing a letter to the highest responsible person. I am nobody in America. I was not asked “Do you pay taxes or are you a US citizen. Criticism is good if it is healthy. Here in everyday life we indulge in healthy criticism and do not discourage others.
I just wanted someone to lead this forum and get the title of being the president and VP. Having a president, VP makes you stronger and not weaker. I cannot think of any western forum or organization that do not have president or VP.
KH

Dear Amjad Shb, I am not a financial donor (wish I could if I were in Pk)- not even a single person said or gave any impression that being a donor means a stronger hold or say in this forum. Kindly clear this aspect as I didn't feel such a difference. I think it would be your great service if you request a professional horticulturist or botanist to contribute in the forum. Just curious, are you related to the plant sciences field?

And healthy criticism as you said, is very productive. My suggestions were:
1) Have you looked at "Flower of India" website, and their way of management?
2) Presidents or VPs are good for professional societies - Pakistan does have one horticultural society and its productivity is not prominent. This forum is made of hobbyists and it has not matured to become a professional society.
3) There are other western forums, like Dave's garden & University of British Columbia's Botanical Gardens and they work similarly on volunteers.
4) Titles will not affect the performance and quality.

Regards,
Farooq

[Izhar]

So we do have a vision, GREAT.

We are surprised; more than 11000 posts & above 600 members there is still a need to explain the vision. As Brig. sb. mentioned, the Name & Moto clearly explain it.

Gardening Pakistan
Connecting community through gardening

This forum has a sole purpose of discussion on Gardening in Pakistan and from this discussion we all learn a lot of things. this forum has evolved with time... just take a look at the information we have on this forum.. we have discussions on pesticides (both natural/organic and synthetic), propagation, seed collecting and saving, potting mix, varieties of plants, commonly encountered problems, members have shared quality books, sources for plants/fertilizers/pesticides, group purchases, trading and sharing seeds/plants... and all the information absolutely FREE..!!

What disturbed me most or the impression I got was that anyone who is not a donor he or she should have no opinion on this forum.
Also somewhere else you posted: where money goes & who manage it

Once again you commented without doing your search, the detail is available on forum, check it now viewtopic.php?f=2&t=816
Now look at the amounts we needs, they are very small sum which do not need any donations and any one from admin team or members can pay it alone. So why we ask for donations? Because we want our members to feel they are the part of community & the have contributed for a cause..

I think Farooq & Munir already answered very well about your concern regarding donor & non donor members.
although we have lots of ideas and have discussed many new features among ourselves but we have limited time and expertise...
"what to do" is may be not an issue here but "how to do" certainly is..
We encounter many problems related to technical issues on hosting, spam, repeat posts etc etc and our team members have done there level best to resolve everything before anyone notices..

anyone willing to contribute in structuring the forum is most welcomed.. we had in past and we will in future encourage every member to contribute whatever he/she thinks can be useful and would benefit this forum but the proper way to do this would be by using the "Contact Us form", clearly mentioning the procedure..

Now we the admin team just wants to conclude this post for further discussion .