[Market-farming] Happy Anniversary List!!
Liz Pike
liz at marketfarmshoptalk.com
Sun Jan 24 09:23:35 EST 2010
10 years ago today this list came to life! Huge hugs all around for the
loyalty of our subscribers--many of whom have been here all along--quite
a feat by internet standards. Even though I've never met you, I feel
like y'all are old friends! Heartfelt thanks go out to Marcie
Rosenzweig (Market Farm Forms) who had the foresight to start this
community from the original CSA-L list from PrairieNet.
Over the past 10 years, the internet has evolved and email lists are
slowly becoming the dinosaur for online communication. Especially with
the younger generation. With email lists too insular to reach this next
facebooking, tweeting, texting generation of potential farmers, the need
to carry our discussions out where they can find them is paramount. So
in celebration of this 10th year anniversary, and while I recovered from
back surgery & contemplated my own farming future, I put my coding,
programming & graphic design skills to work to create an extension of
the list on the web. The site puts out the information shared on the
list to a wider audience while providing an easier format for list
members to find older information (as opposed to wading through the list
archives). The site also provides:
* the ability to show photographs easily uploaded from your
computer, no need to host them elsewhere. (Showing photos through
the list isn't allowed as a courtesy to our dialup users).
* you can print "articles" from a print link at the bottom of each
article so you can take stuff out to the field when/where you need it.
* classified listings-you can now sell/give away stuff to your
fellow list members & others (if there's not a category for what
you want to list, let me know, I'll add it). Listings
automatically expire after 30 days.
* (coming in the next couple of weeks or so) print templates for
business cards, coupons, recipes, newsletters, flyers, etc that
you can personalize for your customers and CSA members. Prefilled
generic newsletters with room for your personal message & logo
will also be there to save you time when you're at your busiest.
* calendar for promoting conferences and events.
* price index divided by region. This isn't fancy and in the
interest of keeping it simple, but it gets the job done when
you're wondering how much to charge for what item, and need some
quick comparisons. If this needs a more robust application, it'll
be implemented. (so far this is empty-just waiting for input from
readers/farmers.)
* you can subscribe to new posts or comments through rss feed
readers or by email.
No private information from list members is revealed on the site, just
the information from the discussions. And this isn't a substitute for
the list. As you'll see, the "articles" on the site start as list
discussions which I update throughout the day and night with the current
posts & topics. Those who are not members of the list can add their
experiences and comments to the information shared. Page styles can be
disabled via the browser to enable fast load times for those on dialup.
It was quite a balancing act to reach as wide an audience as possible
without leaving out anyone.
You might find some duplication on the site, such as the current thread
on deer fencing sidetracking onto using dogs to ward off deer.
Sub-topics are given their own "article" space as well as copied into
the original thread to make finding the information easier
The site is still evolving, some categories are empty as I haven't
gotten to those topics in the archives. Eventually all 10 years worth
of the archives will be copied there. I'm starting with the most recent
posts and going backwards, season by season, so information is
applicable for whatever season in which you're growing. If you're not
where you can access your email to get to the list, you can go to the
site for the most recent discussions which are always on the front page
under Today's Topics. The placeholder images seen on the site now will
be replaced with real photographs as I receive them from subscribers and
readers. A picture is worth a 1000 words, and I've always intended to
create a place for photographical essays for growers to cut short the
information-gathering time. I have lots of interviews scheduled
throughout the year, too, so new information of particular interest to
market farmers will be available to read there also (& not from the
typical "celebrity" farmers we hear from so often!).
With the explosive growth of social media, now is the time to reach out
to the future farmers who'll continue our work (something that became
even more painfully apparent after my back problems last year). Without
further adieu, here's the site: Market Farm Shop Talk
http://marketfarmshoptalk.com <http://marketfarmshoptalk.com>.
(Disclaimer: If you encounter a bug (ha! perfect pun for farmers!!),
let me know so I can fix it...it is after all a website, guaranteed to
thrill and frustrate whoever reads it and builds it--just like farming!)
Liz Pike
MF List Administrator
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming
Market Farm Shop Talk <http://marketfarmshoptalk.com>
http://marketfarmshoptalk.com
List FAQs <http://marketfarmshoptalk.com/market-farming-email-list-faqs/>
http://marketfarmshoptalk.com/market-farming-email-list-faqs/
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