Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Getting the word out WAS Re: NNGA membership declines

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Michael Nave <jmichaelnave@yahoo.com>
  • To: North American Fruit Explorers <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Getting the word out WAS Re: NNGA membership declines
  • Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 21:41:48 -0700 (PDT)

With regard to number 1, amateur fruit and vegetable
growing is not about marketing. It's about love. If
the internet generation doesn't want to join a fruit
and vegetable group because they don't like the
website, it would be pointless for them to join NAFEX
or NNGA. Trying to make a fancier website to attract
these people would be like making a trail of bananas
to get a gorilla to enter an opera house. The gorilla
would not appreciate it when it got there.

Number 2. People look at you like you're in the wrong
place because 99.99% of young folks have no
understanding of the importance or wonderment of fruit
and vegetable growing nor any interest in it. So the
odds are very good that when people see you they think
you are in the wrong place. If they refer to you as
the baby of the group, it's because you are the baby
of the group. If that bothers you, and I cannot
imagine why it would, just wait. Eventually you will
not be the baby of the group. You will not be 24
forever. Enjoy it while it lasts. It will be gone very
soon.

Number 3. If someone is interested, they'll find these
groups. It's not the group's job to try to twist your
arm. That doesn't work anyway. The real issue is why
are so few people looking for these groups. The answer
has to do with American society, not with clanky
websites or 24 year olds who think they should be
treated like 60 year olds. The answer has more to do
with popular culture, a culture which treats growing
fruits and vegetables as a nonexistent activity at
worst and at best something that only illegal
immigrants would be interested in.


--- Amanda Emily <amanda@wa-geek.net> wrote:

>
> As a 24-year old who actually works in technology,
> let me be frank and
> offer some opinions.
>
> 1. The websites. They are your first line of
> marketing in the internet
> age, and they are showing their age. A site that
> looks like it was
> designed in the mid-90s with no new content is not
> going to make a
> favorable impression to those of the internet
> generation.
>
> 2. Meetups and groups. I've attended, or rather have
> tried to attend
> many meetups and groups with an age group much older
> than I am. It may
> not be intentional, but the impression I've received
> is of "what is that
> young punk doing here in our group" (in those cases,
> it was with
> "friends of such-and-such park" groups). If someone
> younger shows up,
> don't give them grief and refer them to as the
> "babies of the group". It
> doesn't exactly feel very welcoming.
>
> 3. Reach out to the FFA & 4H groups and the rural
> schools in your
> community. The rural schools still have those
> student organizations and
> they may be a potential source of future members.
> Heck the high school I
> attended in rural Northeastern Washington State had
> horticultural and
> forestry courses. I never recalled any outside
> groups coming in to offer
> presentations and to say, hey, we're here if you are
> interested.
>
> Amanda
>
>
> Spidra Webster wrote:
> > On Jul 1, 2007, at 8:18 AM, Michael Nave wrote:
> >
> >
> >> I've been an NNGA member for about 16 years. My
> >> impression is that the older folks are dying off,
> and
> >> more importantly, not being replaced by younger
> folks.
> >>
> >
> > We are having that problem in our local chapter of
> CRFG and I know
> > that a number of other garden specialty groups are
> having similar
> > problems. At 41, I am one of the youngest members
> of our chapter. I
> > think some of it is that the generation gap has
> been accentuated by a
> > technology gap. Our older members insist on a
> paper newsletter
> > although an online one would cost the chapter
> less. Those who have
> > the most knowledge to share are less likely to
> participate in email
> > lists. I think some compromises will need to be
> made and groups are
> > going to have to look at it as a "marketing
> challenge" although non-
> > profit garden groups of this size are loath to
> think of outreach as
> > marketing (and god knows I have no love of
> marketing...)
> >
> > ON THAT SUBJECT, I approached the University of
> California,
> > Berkeley's Botanical Garden with an idea for an
> event and they liked
> > it enough to go with it. I didn't ask anyone from
> NAFEX because all
> > indications I had were that NAFEX had no chapters
> near the SF Bay
> > Area. However, if anyone would like to represent
> NAFEX or NNGA or
> > another horticultural group, we would welcome you.
> >
> > Here's what we sent out a month or so ago:
> >
> > My name is Deepa and I am the program coordinator
> for the UC
> > Botanical Garden in Berkeley. I have been
> collaborating with Megan
> > Lynch who is a member of the California Rare Fruit
> Growers and we
> > would like to host an event for all of our local
> garden clubs to get
> > together and share information. We are looking at
> a date of Sunday,
> > September 23rd from 10am - 3pm
> >
> > Please let me know if you would be interested in
> attending this event
> > as a representative of your respective
> organization. We will be
> > setting up tables in the conference center so that
> each group will
> > have table space.
> >
> > Here is a working description of the event-open to
> suggestion!
> >
> > Cross-Pollination: A Garden Club Fair
> >
> > There are various Flower & Garden shows in the
> Bay Area, but how
> > often do gardeners get the chance to network with
> other gardeners?
> > The Bay Area is a hotbed of gardening and as such
> plays host to a-
> > well- host of garden clubs, community gardens,
> plant societies, urban
> > farms, and organizations that use gardening as a
> means to improve the
> > lives of others. Instead of being a large showcase
> of demonstration
> > landscapes, Cross-Pollination brings gardeners and
> garden clubs
> > together. Even folks who already belong to one
> society may find they
> > have an interest in another society. Clubs,
> community gardens and
> > plant societies can talk about their missions in
> the lush
> > surroundings of the UC Botanical Garden. The
> plant-loving public can
> > find out about various special interest and
> general gardening
> > organizations, community gardens and volunteer
> opportunities as well
> > as become better acquainted with all that UCBG has
> to offer. What
> > user group fairs are to computer users,
> Cross-Pollination will be to
> > gardeners and plant-lovers.
> >
> > If you're interested in participating, please
> email me at spidra at
> > gmail dot com Let me know if you'd be willing to
> do a demo of a
> > skill or something else likely to rivet the
> audience.
> >
> > Megan Lynch
> > Berkeley, CA
> > _______________________________________________
> > nafex mailing list
> > nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
> >
> > Reproduction of list messages or archives is not
> allowed.
> > This includes distribution on other email lists or
> reproduction on web sites.
> > Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't
> claim you have permission!
> >
> > **YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
> > Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed
> are discarded.
> > No exceptions.
> > ----
> > To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of
> this page (also can be used to change other email
> options):
> > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
> >
> > File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
> > TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER
> VIRUSES!
> > Please do not send binary files.
> > Use plain text ONLY in emails!
> >
> > NAFEX web site: http://www.nafex.org/
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
> _______________________________________________
> nafex mailing list
> nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
>
> Reproduction of list messages or archives is not
> allowed.
> This includes distribution on other email lists or
> reproduction on web sites.
> Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't
> claim you have permission!
>
> **YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
> Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed
> are discarded.
> No exceptions.
> ----
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of
> this page (also can be used to change other email
> options):
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
>
> File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
> TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER
> VIRUSES!
> Please do not send binary files.
> Use plain text ONLY in emails!
>
> NAFEX web site: http://www.nafex.org/
>




____________________________________________________________________________________
Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search
that gives answers, not web links.
http://mobile.yahoo.com/mobileweb/onesearch?refer=1ONXIC




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page