The IFFA is dedicated to the future of Australian flora and fauna, whether in habitats of world heritage quality or in the urban back yard. Read More
FEEDBACK NEEDED.
Wed, 14/10/2009 - 05:04
As you may have noticed the website is undergoing some changes. So what you would like to see implemented or changed or not changed?? Either leave a comment here or you can contact me here
Do you want a seed exchange? (Current forum overhaul)
On site PM's (personal messaging)?
More detailed profile pages? Business - Website - Buddy list - Education - Your Twitter feed (other social networking) - basically, linked-in - facebook style stuff :)
The wiki is moving onto the main pages as it allows far more flexibility in how you look for/navigate content. If you have a look at http://iffa.org.au/centipeda-cunninghamii at the bottom of the page you'll see some (required) tags:
Family: = http://iffa.org.au/category/family/asteraceae
Genus: = http://iffa.org.au/category/genus/centipeda
Flower colour: = http://iffa.org.au/category/flower-colour/green
Will also have bio-regions
Once other content is moved and it fits within any of those taxonomies they will be displayed on the respective page.
Now this is all well and good but it doesn't allow for content navigation for the novice but, is this wanted, as this can be highly subjective? Keep in mind already a multitude of sites for the amateur botanist - ethnobotanist that really aren't navigable for someone that just wants some indigenous plants for their garden..
Tags that could be used:
Suitable for: (multiple select)
- Potted Garden
- Suburban Garden
- Acreage
- Not suitable
(single select)
Type:
- Tree
- Shrub
- Grass
- Moss
- Lichen
- Fungi
- What else???
Note these will not be required when submitting content.
Mon, 19/10/2009 - 13:20
#2
Business members and plant tags
I think eventually when we add the membership database to this website, it would be good to allow and encourage organisational members to set up their own page or links to their own website. Maybe that is not appropriate for individual members.
In terms of other tags,
I would think something along the lines of
Aspect:
Full Sun
Partial sun or dappled shade
full shade
copes with all
Soil and drainage:
Dry well drained soils
Moist well drained soils
Moist swamp soils
Wet boggy soils
Aquatic plant
Nursery availability:
Broadly available
Rarely available
Not available
Size and habit: (using the Flora of Melbourne categories)
Tree Small - less than 8m high
Tree Medium - 8 to 15 m high
Tree Tall - More than 15m high
Shrub Small - up to 1m high
Shrub Medium - 1 to 2.5 mh high
Shrub Large - more than 2.5m high
Herb Annual
Herb Perennial
Tuft
Groundcover
Climber
Epiphyte
Mon, 19/10/2009 - 13:23
#3
Mollom
the link "Report to Mollom" makes some sense to me, but most members would be mystified. could it say instead "Report as spam"? Who does Mollom report to?
Tue, 20/10/2009 - 23:31
#4
This is visible only to top
This is visible only to top roles as it can mean the wrong IPs get blacklisted. Mollom was created by the drupal founder http://mollom.com/ it's free for small sites and the best way to combat spam at the moment.
Wed, 21/10/2009 - 01:52
#5
Thanks for the tags almost
Thanks for the tags almost covers it :)
Depends on the purpose of the site? Encourage the dissemination of information irrespective of the individuals standing within the association or a members only site. Even with a paid up member the links allowed are going to have meet certain criteria which should be defined in a TOU. With guidelines you state what can and can't be linked to and more importantly when. It's obvious when someone joins a site just so they can link (spam)
What is the purpose of the forum? Currently it duplicates content (pages) - Events - Publications - Gardens and it doesn't encourage someone to talk about their garden or talk about an event. The only "chat" I've seen is outside the forum - someone asking about pruning a Hardenbergia and something about a wombat or an echidna somewhere.
The echo is pretty loud :)
Mon, 26/10/2009 - 10:39
#6
purpose of the forum
Well, we do get questions emailed to us through the contact us and we thought it would be better to let everyone have a go at answering questions, but it seems like people prefer to ask via emails. We could put the forums on ice and if there's a future need thaw them out again?
Tony.
Mon, 02/11/2009 - 04:55
#7
ABC's 'Scribbly Gum' is an
ABC's 'Scribbly Gum' is an example of an environmentally orientated live forum, post-moderated, involving a regular volume of requests for flora or fauna IDs, management issues and concerns.
The idea of a pool of experience being available to assist a poster seems suited to a website.
Live threads or not (and moderated?), posting images and responsiveness make any such forum more attractive, as would promoting, cross-linking from other sites such as garden forums or media programs a pre-requisite for obtaining a critical mass of members or users (casual queries on ID perhaps?) just wanting some advice or assistance on some matter.
Google searches or similar of a specific site often allow some fuzziness suited to general visitors' needs if provided.
Establishing a strong site direction and capacity to provide useful feedback, promptly, immediately even, is a first step to such an endeavour. Forums ain't forums.
I personally would enjoy some thematic structuring to the site, with a seasonal focus highlighted, such as the emergence of orchids and other pleasantries, with internal organisation by location, images, classification, information etc as an accumulative storehouse of sightings, botanic detail and environmental status
Mon, 07/06/2010 - 16:39
#8
I see this forum as a great
I see this forum as a great place for people in the environmental industry, students and anyone else who is interested to come together to discuss just about anything relevant to Indigenous Flora and Fauna. All we need are more members to this forum that are willing to post. As a member of other forums I remember the intrepidation I felt before taking the plunge and making my first post. Once I started I got so much help and support I have never stopped. I tried to encourage a few people to join this forum a year or so ago with no luck. I'll try again, and if anyone else can do the same we might get some momentum going.
Tags could be added as requested. Pesonal messaging would be great, and personal blogs would be too, but first let's see if we can get some action here. I'd like to see a spell checker :)
Come on guys some input please!!