[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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