Welcome to our discussion forum - come on in! A wealth of knowledge is only a mouse click away. Grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and let's talk gardening in the maritime Pacific Northwest.
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Index to FAQs, Tips and Guidelines
What is a forum?
This is my first visit. What should I know before I participate in the forum?
Do I need to register as a forum member to post?
How do I register?
What do the administrators and moderators do?
Enter the Forum
Forum Tips and Guidelines
How do I navigate through Rainy Side’s forums?
I’m ready to join the discussion. How do I post a message?
How do I start a new topic?
May I post pictures?
May I post links to other web sites?
Can I use different fonts and font colors, emoticons and symbols, underline or use bold text?
How do I search the forum?
How do I make suggestions or report problems or broken links?
How do I send a PM (private message)?
Can I amend my profile?
I forgot my password. What do I do?
What is the Topic of the Week (TOTW)?
Topic of the Week Archives and Archived Discussions
Forum News
Forum Netiquette
Enter the Forum
Happy gardening from your Rainy Side forum administrators and moderators!
DebbieTT
Lisa A
Gary
JeanneK
Screaming Eagle
What is a forum?
For those curious to learn about gardening from the comfort of their home, internet forums provide ample opportunity. A forum is not a live chat room; it is a discussion list, similar to the old-style computer bulletin boards that were popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. Forums’ benefits include the ability to ask questions, to learn from others’ experiences and to connect with people from across the street or across the country.
This is my first visit. What should I know before I participate in the forum?
If this is your first visit to our forum—or to any forum—please take a few minutes to read our Forum Netiquette (Internet etiquette) and the information provided on this page before entering our forum. This will help you avoid beginner missteps while you learn how to use and navigate through our forums.
Do I need to register as a forum member to post?
Yes, you must register before you can post; however, you can read some of the forums without registering.
How do I register?
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-Go to the Forum page and click on the “Register” button, found near the top of the page. A window showing our “Forum Rules and Policies” will open. Read and click “accept”. A new window called “Register New User” will open. Enter the required fields (denoted by *). Please remember your password.
-The fields in the section “Profile Information” are optional. However, we ask that you fill in the location field. There are regional differences within the maritime Pacific Northwest; your location will impact advice regarding gardening practices and information.
-At the bottom of this section is the “Signature Line” field. Information entered here will show at the bottom of your posts. You are welcome to include your home page Web address. We suggest you make this a hyperlink to allow members to click through to your link directly. See instructions on How to make a hyperlink..
-When you have finished, click “Register”.
-When you are ready, please take a moment and introduce yourself in the Rainy Side Café.
What do the forum administrators and moderators do?
Our moderating duties are light – primarily helping our members on the forum - except when discussions become heated or focus on touchy subjects (cats in the garden is often a battlefield topic on gardening forums). Thankfully, heated discussions rarely occur but when they do, they are heavily moderated.
In addition to assisting with moderating duties, our administrators work behind the scenes to keep the forum running smoothly. Their duties include updating forum information, problem solving computer glitches and archiving discussions.
Please note:
Rainyside.com reserves the right to delete or edit inappropriate posts, as outlined in our Forum Netiquette. Posters will be notified by PM (private message) if a post requires intervention. Usually, the poster will be given the opportunity to make corrections and re-post the message. Persistent problem posters will have their forum privileges revoked. Bans and warnings will not be publicly discussed on the forum.
Forum Tips and Guidelines
How do I navigate through Rainy Side’s forums?
When you first enter the forum, you will see a summary listing of forum categories such as Rainy Side Gardening, Edible Gardening and Native Plants and Wildlife Habitat. Under each forum title is a brief summary of the forum’s focus. Click on the forum that interests you or that is appropriate for your topic. A new page will open, showing all the active discussion topics (often called “threads”). Click on a thread to open the page with all the posts that members have made in the thread (this is somewhat similar to a shared e-mail box).
Some of the forum categories on Rainy Side’s Forum have special rules. They are usually posted at the top of each page of the special forums or in the FAQ for Using the Forum. Please read the special rules before posting in these sections.
I’m ready to join the discussion. How do I post a message?
We’re glad to have you join in! Feel free to ask a gardening question or just talk about gardening. Remember, for every person who asks a question, there are a dozen who are too afraid to ask. At the bottom of each discussion thread is a form you can use to add your comments to the thread. Type your message as you would on a word processor or typewriter. To start a new paragraph, type two carriage returns (enter) in a row. Our post processor will start a new paragraph when it sees a blank line. Type one carriage return (enter) to drop down one line.
Before posting, be sure to check the FAQ PNW Gardening (Frequently Asked Questions) and search the forum to see if your question has already been answered.
How do I start a new topic?
If you want to start a new discussion or ask a question on a different gardening topic, click on the New Topic icon in the appropriate forum and post your message. Be sure to enter a specific topic in the subject line.
May I post pictures?
You may upload images on one forum only—the Photo Gallery. Follow the tips and instructions for Posting photos.
May I post links to other web sites?
Yes. If you know of a Web page (your own, or someone else's) that will supplement your answer, please include the URL as a hyperlink in your post. You may post hyperlinks to a company that sells products or plants relevant to a topic, particularly for hard-to-find plants or seeds, provided the thread and link do not qualify as spam (see Forum Netiquette). Please include some information in your post with the link; we’d like to see more than "go see http://www.mywebsite.com/".
See Making Hyperlinks for tips and instructions.
Can I use different fonts and font colors, emoticons and symbols, underline or bold text?
Yes. You can select a different font, font size and font color than the default setting. You can bold, italicize, underline, center, bullet or number, or indent your text. Read the tips for How to use the text forum codes.
The emoticons are found to the left of the message body. Click on the emoticon that conveys the emotion appropriate for your message. As stated in our Forum Netiquette, “…don’t rely on them excessively and don’t rely on them to take the sting out of unkind words.”
How do I search the forum?
We love to talk gardening so we may already have discussed and answered your gardening question. To search past forum topics, read the thread, How to do a forum search.
How do I make suggestions or report problems or broken links?
If you want to make suggestions about the forum, or report a bug or broken link from anywhere on our site, please post them at the Help Desk. If you prefer to do this privately, PM (private message) one of Rainy Side’s moderators or administrators.
How do I send a PM (private message)?
Read the thread, How to use the Private Message feature.
Can I amend my profile?
Yes, you can amend your profile at any time. Read the thread, How to amend your profile for instructions.
I forgot my password. What do I do?
Don’t worry, we can help you. Read the thread, Lost your password? for instructions.
What is the Topic of the Week?
Periodically, we offer a focused topic, called Topic of the Week, hosted by one of Rainy Side’s administrators, moderators or members. We encourage everyone to enter these discussions to ask questions or share their experiences. The discussions are archived to keep all the great information our members have shared.
Note: Hyperlinks included in discussions more than a year old are not transferred when the discussions are archived. Web sites addresses and web site information often change or become inactive; keeping these links up to date would be a challenging and time-consuming task. Only links in the Resource section (listed in left-hand column) are maintained.
Forum Netiquette
Even if you are an experienced computer user, the guidelines based on common sense and courtesy will help make your journey into the world of cyber-gardening a pleasant one. Please take a few minutes to review Rainy Side Gardeners's code of conduct.
Become familiar with our website and our gardening philosophy before posting.
Many Netiquette experts recommend “lurking” (Internet lingo for reading without participation) to gain a feel for the nature and culture of a site. Rainy Side Gardeners focuses on gardening in the maritime Pacific Northwest. We promote cultural and biological remedies, and responsible use of least toxic products for pest control, in that order. This approach is commonly referred to as IPM (Integrated Pest Management).
We discuss only legal plants and substances. There are plenty of specialized forums dedicated to the cultivation of illegal plants; we are not one of them.
Remember that Rainy Side Gardeners is a family-oriented web site.
Use of profanity or obscenities is not allowed. Euphemisms or symbols to denote swear words will be tolerated. (Note: Because our filter screens out many profanities, some plant names might be affected. For example, until we adjusted the filter, posters were blocked from typing pussy willow.)
Write a good post
Posts that are concise, on topic, informative, use correct spelling and good grammar are more likely to be read than lengthy, poorly written ramblings. Add line breaks between paragraphs to make your posts easy to read. Do not type your message or subject line in upper case (capital letters); it will look as though you’re SHOUTING.
Don’t point out others’ writing imperfections, unless a misspelling is in a critical place, such as an URL (web site address). Correcting someone’s grammar or spelling is a display of poor Netiquette manners.
When appropriate, include information from respected sources along with your personal experiences. Please cite the source, or when possible, include the source’s URL as a hyperlink. Irresponsible, dangerous or unsubstantiated information will be deleted.
Don’t write an excess of meaningless posts or post multiple copies of the same message. Excess posts will be deleted.
Respect copyright laws; plagiarism is unacceptable.
Respect the power of the written word.
Years ago, the TV show “Laugh-in” presented a skit in which one word comprised the entire dialogue between the actors. With only changes in facial expressions, gestures or intonations, the word “oh” conveyed so much more meaning than two simple letters could impart alone. Behind its humor was the lesson that we rely on face to face interaction to interpret the meaning behind someone’s words.
Forum discussions can experience communication breakdown because these simple but necessary clues are not present. Think before you post and choose your words carefully. If necessary, use emoticons, alternate fonts or other symbols to help convey the emotion behind your words. However, don’t rely on them excessively and don’t rely on them to take the sting out of unkind words.
Many of our forum discussions are archived, sometimes for years. If you don’t want to be haunted by your words later, keep them to yourself.
Practice the Golden Rule.
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Ask yourself if you would want to be on the receiving end of your words. If you wouldn’t say it to someone, face to face, without the comfortable anonymity and physical distance the Internet offers, don’t post it. Show respect for others’ opinions, experiences and information. Posts that ridicule, demean or threaten another poster are not acceptable and will be deleted.
Breathe deep, count to ten and check assumptions.
Don’t respond to a post in anger. A cooling-off period of 24 hours will help you respond calmly and rationally. If the post still upsets you, ask for clarification of the poster’s words or intent before jumping to conclusions. If you repeatedly find someone’s posts disagreeable, avoid reading his or her posts.
Avoid “trolls” - people who post emotionally charged, strongly held opinions in tactless, personal attacks in order to start heated arguments, commonly called "flame wars." Do not fall victim to their games. Do not start or participate in flame wars.
Report unacceptable or questionable forum behavior.
Send a PM (private message) to one of Rainy Side Gardener’s moderators or administrators if you feel a post is inappropriate. It is their responsibility to remove these posts, issue warnings or ban (deny site access) offending posters as necessary. Never assume this task; you’ll wind up in the middle of an escalating and uncomfortable situation.
Respect member’s privacy.
Don’t give out private information – yours or someone else’s - on a public forum. This includes publicly posting a private message without the sender’s permission.
Avoid taboo topics.
This is a gardening forum. Please refrain from discussion, references or promotion of religious and political activities here. If you feel you must discuss these matters, seek out appropriate forums on the Internet.
Do not post messages that are nothing more than advertisements or self-promotion, known as “spam” in Internet lingo. (Exception: your personal website may be included in your signature line.) Spam posts will be deleted.
Maintain a positive attitude.
It is you, our members, who make Rainy Side Gardeners such a great place to discuss gardening. Thank you for your helpful, welcoming attitude and your willingness to go the extra mile to provide others with the information they need.