I Would Like to Lobby for a New Forum on OB

[estación seca]

You could have a second account just for testing purposes.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by WaterWitchin

Hmmm, good commentary Camille. Lets leave new one up for a little bit and see if folks can see it? A test drive? Or perhaps incorporate Referrals as a subforum also containing meeting notes or videos from speakers?

---------- Post added at 08:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:55 AM ----------

**Pay no attention to the Wizards talking behind the curtain**

---------- Post added at 08:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:56 AM ----------

Thanks KeysGuy for the heads up. I get a different view than members do, and it's hard to figure out what I can see vs others. Nice to have a guinea pig readily available!

I think that this could be a really valuable resource. The job of Program Chairperson in any society is the hardest one. (I have done everything else for multiple societies, have managed to avoid that job. But I often get asked for ideas by new program chairpeople in the societies that I belong to, since I do "get around" the orchid world quite a a bit) I live in an area where there are quite a few people who are excellent speakers, but it's hard to know who might be great, in a different part of the country. (Clubs really, really need "new blood", even with our rich resources we exhaust the "new talks" of the local speakers.) And the option of Zoom makes it possible for clubs to even have speakers from far away without a lot of expense. (A lot of clubs have "hybrid" meetings, even with on-site meetings the speaker may be online, it works quite well) So starting to generate the list in one place (rather than scattered throughout the board) can help lots of people and clubs.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by estación seca

You could have a second account just for testing purposes.

I do. It's easier to have willing guinea pigs. It's a PITA to use the second test account. I have to log off, clear cookies, then repeat, and sometimes it won't let me sign back on as WW for awhile. Likely just software glitches from non-updating.

[estación seca]

Use a second browser just for that. Or open OB in a private tab.

Firefox has a plugin called something like "containers." Each tab may have different settings. I have my own business domain with two E-mail addresses, for business and personal use. Ordinarily with one browser I can only log into one of the two. Using container tabs i can have both E-mail accounts open at the same time.

[WaterWitchin]

Speaking of... thoughts on both referrals plus notes/videos from talks being on same forum? Like a subforum? I agree with Roberta having all in one place would be beneficial and easier to find.

ES... you've done lots of notes taking and posting. Would you be willing to let me copy a few of them into a section here and see how it goes? [Read as: Estación, please be my guinea pig? ]

[estación seca]

Yes, of course.

[WaterWitchin]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Use a second browser just for that. Or open OB in a private tab.

Firefox has a plugin called something like "containers." Each tab may have different settings. I have my own business domain with two E-mail addresses, for business and personal use. Ordinarily with one browser I can only log into one of the two. Using container tabs i can have both E-mail accounts open at the same time.

Getting too technical for this old lady. Plus, I like guinea pigs, and I get feedback from them other than what swirls around in my head. I do have test account set up under different email address.

---------- Post added at 12:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:20 PM ----------

Originally Posted by estación seca

Yes, of course.

Gracias!

[claypot]

Presumably each country has its own lists of speakers, their topics, charges and willingness to travel. Here in the UK we have a central resource on the British Orchid Council website. Anyway, those who run Societies and arrange speakers have, from my experience of doing that job, wide ranging contacts already. Those who give talks which are not on the official lists, again like myself, offer services personally to groups (not exclusively orchid groups) directly. I would have thought that maintaining such lists on this forum would not be a productive use of resources bearing in mind locations, distances and the wide audience.

[estación seca]

Originally Posted by claypot

Presumably each country has its own lists of speakers, their topics, charges and willingness to travel. Here in the UK we have a central resource on the British Orchid Council website. Anyway, those who run Societies and arrange speakers have, from my experience of doing that job, wide ranging contacts already. Those who give talks which are not on the official lists, again like myself, offer services personally to groups (not exclusively orchid groups) directly. I would have thought that maintaining such lists on this forum would not be a productive use of resources bearing in mind locations, distances and the wide audience.

There will always be a great many excellent speakers not on any list. Some of those I listed in the forum have given international talks. It is impossible for any society to have an exhaustive list of excellent speakers. Travel is not an impediment in the age of video conferencing via the Internet.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by estación seca

There will always be a great many excellent speakers not on any list. Some of those I listed in the forum have given international talks. It is impossible for any society to have an exhaustive list of excellent speakers. Travel is not an impediment in the age of video conferencing via the Internet.

I have heard some excellent talks, both at Society meetings and "Speakers Day" conferences, from various parts of the world, sitting in my very comfortable recliner at home. Like Australia, South Africa, India, and multiple countries of South America. With the 'Net, the only impediment is time zones. For evening Society meetings in the US, Australia and South America work best. Conferences in the morning make Europe and Africa reasonable. Within the US, from the west coast to the east coast (3 time zones) it's quite workable. So geography is a very manageable factor when expanding one's horizons. With a very small "carbon footprint".

If there was any upside to COVID-19 and the curtailing of in-person meetings, it was the realization that the world is really not very big, especially where orchids are involved.