Moan, moan, moan----get it off your chest or have a chat

[ashley]

I rarely if ever use the search facility any more, as even from the main page I get a fraction of the actual results it should be getting. 

Paul,

Remember to check what level you're at in the Forum 'tree' before you attempt to search.  Searches seem to run 'downstream' only.  Therefore if you're already within a particular thread then the Search is restricted to that thread only, whereas if you search from the top level or 'trunk' then the results span all the downstream threads.  That said, I don't understand either how search results are ordered or limited in number

Apologies: I'm more or less repeating what Vivien said already further up  .

[Paul T]

Ashley,

I only ever usually tried searches from back at the main page, because I realise that wherever in the hierarchy you are is where the search starts and only moves downwards.  But I still found that the results varied from time to time for the same search, and that there were things I KNOW were posted that weren't in there, and on occasions I searched them out and found them myself just to prove to myself it wasn't my imagination. 

[ashley]

Sorry Paul.  Obviously you've tested this more thoroughly than I have.

[Sinchets]

As a recent convert to the Transmutium theory- here is the plant i obtained as Lupinus breweri in a well known seed exchange- what a stunner eh?  It sets prodigious amounts of seed then dies- I won't be entering it to seed exchanges as L.breweri. By the way the flowers look huge in the pic- they are maybe 3 or 4mm in real life!

[Paul T]

Ashley,

What in the world are you apologising for?  There definitely is no need.  I only know because I came across the problem a while back and found it extremely frustrating (to put it mildly).  I'm happy for any input or ideas as to how to make it work for me, so there is no need for any apology.

[Maggi Young]

My little moan today concerns the search facility on the Forum. I've never had much joy with it but when I'm looking today for references to Saponaria, all I get is "You probably mean Sonora." No, I don't!

Lesley,

I rarely if ever use the search facility any more, as even from the main page I get a fraction of the actual results it should be getting.  Obviously it works fine for a couple of people, but it most definitely does NOT work right for me (as I have said before), to the point where I no longer bother using it at all because I can't trust it.   
I guess the only other possibility is that whenever we need to search for something we just send the request to Maggi.  I am guessing that the search facility must work differently for those with administrator capabilities at least, because for me if I search from within a topic it only searches that topic, yet for Maggi it works for the whole forum.  And as we've said before in the admin area..... Maggi seems to get much better results for the same search than we do.    So Maggi could become not only the administator but also the search-master-general for the forums.    She's already infinitely invaluable, but that would make her doubly so (although can infinite be doubled?  )

OK, I'll stop rambling now. 

I am sorry that some of you find that the forums search system does not work well for you . I agree it can be somewhat erratic but  I have just tried the "saponaria "search again..... looged out, so just using the search function in a "gust" guest capacity and I got the 20 results I did before . I am pretty certain that the result was not simply coming from the cache. There is no doubt that there can be variations in results because of some anomalies, as Luit points out..... when we can refer to both saxifraga and saxifrage, then there will be differing results. Try as I might, I cannot check every post for spelling and correct same......if a reference has been made where a typo exists, it will not show up as we would expect in a search.

If you try a search and don't find what you're looking for, by all means send the query to me and I will attempt to help.
 Remember, the impossible I do right away, miracles may take a little longer!

[Greenmanplants]

Those searchy gusts must work wonders in the North.

Force 8 and rising, as we used to say on an evening out.

[Maggi Young]

Those searchy gusts must work wonders in the North.

Force 8 and rising, as we used to say on an evening out.

 John, you do make me giggle .... sorry for the typo.... I did of course mean in a "guest " capacity!!! Just shows, doesn't it, how easy it is to get a mistake in things!! 

[Lvandelft]

Aaah, now I do understand what you meant Maggi. After looking in the dictionary for "gust" I gave up....

[Greenmanplants]

Hi Maggie,

At least here once you realise an error, you get a friendly jibe and a chance to amend the error, (If indeed it is relevant).  In that other place it is all tablets of stone once the button is pushed.  Although we are trying to soften the boundaries.

[Maggi Young]

We do try to make this place as accessible as possible, John.....just like other parts of this Club which brings so many devotees of the wild plants of the world together in this virtual meeting space.
I read that efforts are suggested to make some improvements to the AGS discussion area to make it more user friendly. There is no difficulty here in using the name of the "other place" of course    : No-one in this place has any antipathy to our sister society or would imagine that membership and participation in both organisations was anything other than a good thing........ a fact evidenced by the very large number of folks who have membership of both clubs.  The two have differing approaches, of course....for instance the SRGC is not at all intrigued by the "League Tables" which appear to hold great appeal for AGS exhibitors ....at the SRGC AGM, the names of those awarded the trophies for most points in Section I and II are read out..... it seems that there is very little interest in the matter beyond congratulationg the winners!  Every task in the SRGC is done by volunteers while the AGS has employees, this  also seems to affect the character of the two clubs to a considerable extent....... so, the two sisters are different.... siblings often are.....but the family is the thing.


 
I hope that all that is done by the SRGC to provide publicity and a wide audience to such AGS events as we can, shows that we have no bar to mutually beneficial discourse.

I wish every success to any project to enliven the AGS discussion area : it could only ( in my personal opinion as an AGS member) be of benefit to the society to offer more interactivity, in all matters, to the membership.

[Greenmanplants]

Maggi,

As always, my sentiments exactly...not forgetting NARGS of course.

I suspect if we ever did a cross reference on every member we would find that a large percentage of our core members belong to all three.(and a good deal more).  It would be interesting to see to what extent that was true for each of the three. I suspect anyone in Britain who has been a member of either for over 20 years is a member of the other. I've been in both since 1983(first owned garden) and a life member of Nargs since the time when the $exchange made it an obvious choice.

I have no problem with league tables or anything else as such, indeed, it's a joy to see a perfectly grown plant, and something that you seldom see outside these "Inner" circles of plant lovers. I would just like to see positive progress being made for inclusivity, which at times can appear difficult to drive.  The family being the thing, I am concerned that the AGS can sometimes be seen to drive towards the older members of the family rather than bringing focus to the younger and perhaps crucially the more IT literate and international aspects of the plantaholics and great gardeners that comprise our current core and potential membership.

I welcome the mutually beneficial discourse and have seen a willingness in the AGS to tackle some of the issues, I am certainly open to any suggestions to take things forward and will continue to try to do so.

[Maggi Young]

I have no problem with league tables or anything else as such, indeed, it's a joy to see a perfectly grown plant, and something that you seldom see outside these "Inner" circles of plant lovers.

I don't mean to suggest that I have an issue with the League Tables ....of course not, it is just an illustration of the differing emphases placed on activities.... here there is more interest in the actual, wonderful plants... especially to see photos of them and the shows in general from those thousands of members who can never attend such events. The joy of seeing pix of brimming show benches, full of colour and ably demonstrating the skill of the exhibitors is a great delight .....the League tables may be rather more limited in their appeal, that's all! No section on cakes, for example!!

[JohnnyD]

No section on pubs either and I am not sure that your list of league tables cannot be complete without one.
At the pub in Stockton yesterday, as well as attendance by at least 20 exhibitors, we had excellent service  , good grub  , and a really good laugh.
While I agree that it is the plants which make it a good show they are surely matched by the company in which they are found, and it can be a long day without such a break. 

Your reference to AGS and all things cooperative is much appreciated Maggi. I do hope that efforts to see a better response to the AGS website is not in vain. Either way we will still have SRGC thanks goodness.

Johnnie

[Paul T]

Um... what's a "league table"?