haven't had time to noodle around - but it looks great!
brett olson
creative director
renewing the countryside 782 hague avenue saint paul, minnesota 55104 usa
651.293.1172
On Jan 24, 2010, at 8:23 AM, Liz Pike wrote:
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. (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
List
FAQs
http://marketfarmshoptalk.com/market-farming-email-list-faqs/
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