Questions for Youngish Orchid Growers - Orchid Board

epiphyte78 · #1 11-15-2009, 09:15 PM

The following is a survey for youngish (<40 yrs old) orchid growers regarding their nearest Local Orchid Society (LOS). As the publicity person for my society I figure the answers might be helpful for the leaders of societies. Thanks in advance for your participation!

How old are you?
How long have you been growing orchids?
Are you in school or working?
Are you a member of your LOS?

If your nearest LOS...

had a monthly e-Newsletter would you subscribe to it?
had orchid how-to videos on youtube would you watch them?
had a facebook page would you become a fan of it?
had a flickr group would you join it?
had a twitter account would you follow them?
had their own forum would you participate on it?
had an RSS feed of orchid articles would you subscribe to it?
sold orchids on craigslist would you buy them?

Would you be more inclined to join/rejoin your nearest LOS if they...

offered free membership for students?
offered free membership for anyone under 30?
received a 10% discount at local orchid nurseries?
received a 20% discount at local orchid nurseries?
received a 30% discount at local orchid nurseries?
offered tours of their members' greenhouses/gardens?

On a scale of 1 (least important) to 10 (most important) how would you rate the following items...

a good selection of reasonably priced orchids for sale at every meeting
a good selection of raffle orchids
weekend meetings
more young members
knowledgeable members
friendly members
interesting presentations
an extensive orchid library

Please feel free to offer any specific reasons why you haven't joined your LOS or why you continue to be a member of your LOS.

musicloveranthony · #2 11-16-2009, 02:21 AM

-I'm 21.
-Growing for 9 months +/-
-I am a full time student and half time employee
-I'm not a OS member (yet)

-I would subscribe to an OS newsletter
-I would LOVE OS videos
-I would join a facebook fan page if it seemed like it was updated regularly
-I don't have a twitter account
-I'd use an OS forum, again if it seemed like it wasn't a dead zone simply there for the sake of being there
-I would definitely subscribe to an article feed
-I would buy OS member sales on craigslist if I wasn't able to make it to meetings and knew/trusted the people selling the plants

-Finances are what has held me back from joining my OS. So, as a student, if i were offered a free, or discounted membership, i would absolutely join
-I dunno about free membership under 30, I think it would need to be within reason. I work with people that are 25 and making over 100 thousand a year
-I'd never turn down a discount at local nurseries, no matter the percentage, but I'm not sure what they would get out of the deal. Higher sales volume, I'm sure, but would it balance out for them?
-I would love to tour anyone's gardens of any variety!

8 - a good selection of reasonably priced orchids for sale at every meeting
7 - a good selection of raffle orchids
8 - weekend meetings
6 - more young members
9 - knowledgeable members
10 - friendly members. I went to one event as a non-member visitor and found a surprisingly rude person selling raffle tickets. I knew I wasn't allowed to buy them as a non-member, but I don't think it's ridiculous that I should want to ask questions about how the raffle works

9 - interesting presentations
8 - an extensive orchid library

As I said, a main reason I am not a member of my local OS is that I'm not entirely sure it'd be financially realistic for me. I mean I know it's really only going to be the cost of 1 orchid each year, but as it were, I feel like I'd be happier with the orchid than the membership. From what I've seen, I'd probably be the youngest person at any of the given events. That doesn't necessarily bother me, but I don't know how anyone else would feel about it. Also, I have other sources for information about plants, so I'm not sure information seeking would be motivation enough, at this point, for me to shell over enough money to feed myself for a few days.

camille1585 · #3 11-16-2009, 06:42 AM

-I'm 24
-Been growing for almost 3 years
-Student
-Not a member of anything.

In France my local society focuses a lot on native orchids. Their society excursions are (80% of the time) hikes in the area or Alps to find wild orchids. While nice, I want stuff about 'normal' orchids too! Organized trips to growers would be nice. In the Netherlands I haven't joined because of the language problem. Most member are older and don't speak English very well. But in general I wouldn't feel comfortable with joining because I would be the youngest by many many years!

If your nearest LOS...
1. e-newsletter: Yes
2. orchid how-to videos on youtube: Yes. But I watch some now even though I'm not a member of anything.
3. facebook page: Yes. If the page was well maintained and was a way to get to know other members outside of the monthly meetings.
4. flickr: Yes
5. twitter account: I don't do twitter
6. own forum?: Wouldn't really participate. It would be far from being as complete as OB.
7. RSS feed of orchid articles?: maybe
8. sold orchids on craigslist? No craigslist here, but would buy on our equivalent sites from trusted members.

I think it would be nice if there was either free or discounted membership for students. That may help attract some people. It's not that it's expensive, but students don't have deep pockets.

On a scale of 1 (least important) to 10 (most important) how would you rate the following items...
8-- a good selection of reasonably priced orchids for sale at every meeting
7-- a good selection of raffle orchids
8-- weekend meetings
10-- more young members
9-- knowledgeable members
10-- friendly members
9--interesting presentations
6--an extensive orchid library

Undergrounder · #4 11-16-2009, 07:35 AM

How old are you? - 26
How long have you been growing orchids? 4 years
Are you in school or working? University/working
Are you a member of your LOS? No
If your nearest LOS...
had a monthly e-Newsletter would you subscribe to it? Yes
had orchid how-to videos on youtube would you watch them? Maybe
had a facebook page would you become a fan of it? No
had a flickr group would you join it? Yes
had a twitter account would you follow them? No
had their own forum would you participate on it? Probably
had an RSS feed of orchid articles would you subscribe to it? No
sold orchids on craigslist would you buy them? Maybe
Would you be more inclined to join/rejoin your nearest LOS if they...
offered free membership for students? No - They're fairly cheap anyway
offered free membership for anyone under 30? No - for the same reason
received a 10% discount at local orchid nurseries? Yes
received a 20% discount at local orchid nurseries? Yes
received a 30% discount at local orchid nurseries? Yes
offered tours of their members' greenhouses/gardens? No
On a scale of 1 (least important) to 10 (most important) how would you rate the following items...
a good selection of reasonably priced orchids for sale at every meeting 4
a good selection of raffle orchids 1
weekend meetings 2
more young members 5
knowledgeable members 8
friendly members 10
interesting presentations 8
an extensive orchid library 4
Please feel free to offer any specific reasons why you haven't joined your LOS or why you continue to be a member of your LOS.

Because i just haven't got around to it. I don't have anything against joining, but when it comes around to the monthly meeting i'm usually busy or just not motivated enough to go. I can get all of the information about growing orchids i want from the internet. I think the people in my local societies are fantastic people and i would like to join one, but i just don't have a real reason to... i probably should though, now that i've got a bit more time.

P.S. I think if orchid societies don't really take advantage of all the different internet technologies then they'll never get anywhere.

raindeepak4u · #5 11-16-2009, 11:39 AM

1. How old are you? 24
2. How long have you been growing orchids? past 2 months
3. Are you in school or working? Yes but not earn too much
4. Are you a member of your LOS? No

If your nearest LOS...

1. had a monthly e-Newsletter would you subscribe to it? YES
2. had orchid how-to videos on youtube would you watch them? YES
3. had a facebook page would you become a fan of it? YES
4. had a flickr group would you join it? YES
5. had a twitter account would you follow them? YES
6. had their own forum would you participate on it?
7. had an RSS feed of orchid articles would you subscribe to it? YES
8. sold orchids on craigslist would you buy them?

Would you be more inclined to join/rejoin your nearest LOS if they...

offered tours of their members' greenhouses/gardens?

On a scale of 1 (least important) to 10 (most important) how would you rate the following items...

1. a good selection of reasonably priced orchids for sale at every meeting 4
2. a good selection of raffle orchids 3
3. weekend meetings 7
4. more young members 6
5. knowledgeable members 8
6. friendly members 10
7. interesting presentations 3
8. an extensive orchid library 4

slipperfreak · #6 11-16-2009, 11:56 AM

1. I'm 18 (well... I turn 19 tomorrow

).
2. I've been growing orchids for about 8 years.
3. I'm a full time student and work part time.
4. Yes, I'm a member of the Orchid Society of Alberta.

1. My society does have a monthly e-newsletter and I do subscribe to it.
2. When I first started out I used to watch online how-to videos. I no longer really have use for them (except perhaps for one on flasking), so no that doesn't interest me.
3. No, I don't use Facebook.
4. No, I don't use Flickr.
5. No, I don't use Twitter.
6. Yes, I would participate in a forum. As my society's webmaster, I'm actually looking into implementing one.
7. Probably not.
8. If society members sold plants online I would buy from them. This is another feature I'm looking into implementing in my society's website (i.e. a "classifieds" section).

1. I remain a member of my society whether memberships are free or not. However, it would simply not be feasible nor fair to offer free memberships to students, in my opinion.
2. This is definitely not an option for my society, and I couldn't see anyone doing it. Our society has too many expenses to offer this, and I would bet that most other societies are in the same position.
3. Membership in our society does entitle members to a 10% discount at select local nurseries. It's a great feature that is likely incentive for a lot of people to join.
4. This would be great, but unlikely.
5. As above.
6. Our society does this already, and it is very popular.

1. 10
2. 9
3. 10
4. 7
5. 10
6. 9
7. 10
8. 10

Kaykay · #7 11-16-2009, 01:17 PM

[*]How old are you? 28[*]How long have you been growing orchids? 4 years[*]Are you in school or working? working[*]Are you a member of your LOS? no[/LIST]If your nearest LOS...

had a monthly e-Newsletter would you subscribe to it? yes
had orchid how-to videos on youtube would you watch them? maybe- but wouldn't be a reason to join by itself.
had a facebook page would you become a fan of it? probably
had a flickr group would you join it? yes
had a twitter account would you follow them? no
had their own forum would you participate on it? probably
had an RSS feed of orchid articles would you subscribe to it? yew
sold orchids on craigslist would you buy them? no

Would you be more inclined to join/rejoin your nearest LOS if they...

offered free membership for students? no
offered free membership for anyone under 30? yes
received a 10% discount at local orchid nurseries? no
received a 20% discount at local orchid nurseries? no
received a 30% discount at local orchid nurseries? yes
offered tours of their members' greenhouses/gardens? yes

On a scale of 1 (least important) to 10 (most important) how would you rate the following items...

a good selection of reasonably priced orchids for sale at every meeting 3
a good selection of raffle orchids 1
weekend meetings 8
more young members 5
knowledgeable members 8
friendly members 10 (all others worthless compared to this one!)
interesting presentations 7
an extensive orchid library 5

Please feel free to offer any specific reasons why you haven't joined your LOS or why you continue to be a member of your LOS.[/QUOTE]

My working hours are really irregular for a start, but I have never attended, partly out of a probably misplaced fear that I wouldn't fit in with a more knowledgeable group, and otherwise because I wouldn't be able to go regularly because of work. I am also the only person I know who grows orchids, and at the risk of sounding a little shy, I don't really want to go by myself... I would however subscribe to a newsletter and may well attend one off lectures/ presentations etc.

The demographic of the group has little to do with my reasons for not joining.
You've got me thinking though. Maybe I should try and go along and at least try it for the next meeting...

I hope our answers help.
Kay

Angurek · #8 11-16-2009, 01:58 PM

1) I'm 22.
2) Seven years.
3) Both (I work between semesters)
4) No.

If your nearest LOS...

had a monthly e-Newsletter would you subscribe to it? No.
had orchid how-to videos on youtube would you watch them? Yes.
had a facebook page would you become a fan of it? No. (I'm not on facebook)
had a flickr group would you join it? No (not on Flickr, either)
had a twitter account would you follow them? No.
had their own forum would you participate on it? Yes.
had an RSS feed of orchid articles would you subscribe to it? No.
sold orchids on craigslist would you buy them? Yes.

Would you be more inclined to join/rejoin your nearest LOS if they...

offered free membership for students? Maybe (it would all depend on time, and whether or not I'd be able to attend).
offered free membership for anyone under 30? Yes.
received a 10% discount at local orchid nurseries? Yes
received a 20% discount at local orchid nurseries? Yes
received a 30% discount at local orchid nurseries? Definitely yes.

offered tours of their members' greenhouses/gardens? I'm indifferent to this question - it would not affect my decision in any way.

On a scale of 1 (least important) to 10 (most important) how would you rate the following items...

a good selection of reasonably priced orchids for sale at every meeting 8
a good selection of raffle orchids 9
weekend meetings 10
more young members 5
knowledgeable members 10
friendly members 10
interesting presentations 10
an extensive orchid library 9

Please feel free to offer any specific reasons why you haven't joined your LOS or why you continue to be a member of your LOS:

I haven't joined for several reasons, the main ones being time and transportation. I don't have a car, and the local OS meets in an area where there isn't much public transit. As far as time goes, well, I'm usually pretty busy with school, so I wouldn't have much time to meet with the OS. I might join in the future. But I'd be pretty shy around the more experienced members.

LinhT · #9 11-16-2009, 09:47 PM

How old are you? 34
How long have you been growing orchids? almost 6 yrs
Are you in school or working? done with school, currently working
Are you a member of your LOS? yes
If your nearest LOS...
had a monthly e-Newsletter would you subscribe to it? yes
had orchid how-to videos on youtube would you watch them? yes
had a facebook page would you become a fan of it? yes
had a flickr group would you join it? yes
had a twitter account would you follow them? no, I do not tweet
had their own forum would you participate on it? yes
had an RSS feed of orchid articles would you subscribe to it? yes
sold orchids on craigslist would you buy them? maybe
Would you be more inclined to join/rejoin your nearest LOS if they...
offered free membership for students? n/a
offered free membership for anyone under 30? n/a
received a 10% discount at local orchid nurseries? sure
received a 20% discount at local orchid nurseries? yes
received a 30% discount at local orchid nurseries? most definitely
offered tours of their members' greenhouses/gardens? maybe
On a scale of 1 (least important) to 10 (most important) how would you rate the following items...
a good selection of reasonably priced orchids for sale at every meeting 8
a good selection of raffle orchids 1
weekend meetings 1
more young members 10
knowledgeable members 5
friendly members 10
interesting presentations 10
an extensive orchid library 5
I intend to renew my membership each year because I love the fact our OS has a prominent guest speaker at almost every meeting. The internet is a great place to look for orchid info but I've learned that it will never replace hearing people like Fred Clark, Greg Butler, Cordelia Head or Ron McHatton speak in person. I learn something new from other more experienced members all the time. Also, the plant sales, whether it be member sales or vendor sales, is always a fabulous opportunity to get plants at a cheaper cost than normal.

peeweelovesbooks · #10 11-16-2009, 10:55 PM

How old are you? 38
How long have you been growing orchids? almost 3 yeras
Are you in school or working? working
Are you a member of your LOS? I'm a member of one of the many OS here
If your nearest LOS...
had a monthly e-Newsletter would you subscribe to it? maybe
had orchid how-to videos on youtube would you watch them? probably not
had a facebook page would you become a fan of it? probably not
had a flickr group would you join it? no
had a twitter account would you follow them? no
had their own forum would you participate on it? nah
had an RSS feed of orchid articles would you subscribe to it? no
sold orchids on craigslist would you buy them? no
Would you be more inclined to join/rejoin your nearest LOS if they...
offered free membership for students? not really, i'm no longer a student
offered free membership for anyone under 30? no, it wouldn't apply to me
received a 10% discount at local orchid nurseries? yes, absolutely
received a 20% discount at local orchid nurseries? yes!
received a 30% discount at local orchid nurseries? yes!!
offered tours of their members' greenhouses/gardens? not interested in this
On a scale of 1 (least important) to 10 (most important) how would you rate the following items...
a good selection of reasonably priced orchids for sale at every meeting 10
a good selection of raffle orchids 10
weekend meetings 1
more young members 10
knowledgeable members 10
friendly members is there an 11???
interesting presentations 10
an extensive orchid library 10

Hmmmm...let's see. I'm afraid that it's crossed my mind not to renew my membership next year. Why?

Well, Let's see.

The members are kind of snooty, and like many orchid growers I've encountered, are not too interested in sharing information with members. This seems rather prevalent in the orchid world though, and not just in my society.

The members are very cliquish--which is ridiculous since a lot of the members are older in age. But there you have it.

Further, I really haven't learned anything new, and i've been going since August of this year. Ok, fine, maybe some parts of some lectures are informative, but it's very rare that I hear something I've not come across before.

Another reason I am thiking of not renewing the membership is that the society doesn't offer any perks (like a discount at orchid nurseries) or more in-depth lectures or discussion groups.

I haven't been wowed yet.