What Other Orchid Forums Are There and How Does OB Compare?

[gerneveyn]

I belong to RV Orchidworks, Orchidgeeks, and Big Leaf Orchids forum, but I mainly participate here and at Orchidgeeks. On these two boards, there has always been a small core of regularly active posters. I wouldn't say that there are more transients at OB compared to Orchidgeeks. At one time, I thought there might be a difference in the nationalities of the group of regularly active posters here and at Orchidgeeks, but I never explored it further.

[AvantGardner]

Originally Posted by PaphMadMan

Personally, I feel the best sense of 'community' at Slippertalk, but that may be due to the narrower focus close to my interests. Still plenty of non-slipper photos and information there. Though highly opinionated fertilizer discussions can tend to take over almost any thread. <yawn>

[RosieC]

I'm interested to know where else others go

I'm a member at...
Orchid Board
Orchidsforum
Orchidforum (for UK & EU)
Orchid Geeks

I wonder if the 'Beginners' section here at OB has far more transients perhaps. We have far more posts here, and percentage wise I don't think we have more transient members than anywhere else. Yes we have a lot, but then we have a lot of posts overall.

I find some of the ones I am a member of have so little activity that if I post pictures, I don't always get a response. Here I will always get someone respond. It makes me far more inclined to post here.

I don't mind the places that have more rules, and just try and stick to them, but I do find it restrictive when you can't mention other forums or mention vendors. Each forum has it's own ways though and what suits one person may not suit another so it's good to have a variety.

I tend to find I don't go to the others as much mainly because there is so much to read here I don't have the time to read that, let alone posts anywhere else and I feel more at home here, simply because I've been here longer than anywhere else.

[Daethen]

I have belonged to RV and then they changed their requirements for email and I haven't been able to get back on since. Even after contacting the moderators. I belong to 2 other boards but this is the one with the most traffic. Constantly new things to read and the sense of community here is major to me.

[NYCorchidman]

I am only a member of two, this one and slippertalk since I like paphiopedilums a lot more than all others at the moment.

I have also visited some other forums.

I have to say I agree with the positive things that have been said about OB.
This is the best. People are in general nice and friendly, I like the format the best, and lots of different interests can be discussed and shared.
I feel we have enough loyal members here, probably more than other places, so I don't know what you mean by saying we lack loyal members here.

The main problem with Slippertalk is that people tend to be heavily focused on certain type of paphs, plus overall, the atmosphere is just not as friendly and not as nice, tend to be highly judgmental instead of being flower lovers in a true sense.

[Ray]

I regularly visit 8 orchid forums. Each has its own "personality", if you will, but that is due a great deal to the participants and the moderators, but that's not the only things that affect that.

How folks state stuff ("I'm not sure I agree", versus "Jane, you ignorant slut"), and - just as importantly - how we take the comments, also affects our perceptions of "forum personality". That is where I have to pay attention to my own posts, as I have been known to occasionally blurt something along the lines of "That's wrong", as opposed to the preferred "My experience tells me something different.".

I agree that OB is probably the friendliest forum I've found, and seems to have the broadest range of topics.

I disagree with NYCOm's opinion that Slippertalk participants tend to be judgmental. My perception is that the members there tend to be more of a scientific bent than many other forums, and tend to focus more on the what, why, and how of orchid culture, rather than spending a lot of time patting each other on the back for the "nice flower".

Adding a general comment here, if I go to a forum and see someone being particularly nasty, I have the options of leaving the forum, buying into the attitude, or challenging the individual's posting. Quite often, that third option results in a response along the lines of "Oh damn. Sorry folks, but I just had a fight with my wife when I posted that."

There is one forum in particular that is very restrictive, and seems to have narrowed its population down to a "mutual back-patting society", and the only reason I go there at all is to try to help new members who might otherwise get sucked into the vortex of continually-shared misinformation. Although that may be a futile effort on my part.

[ashley05]

I think OB is very welcoming. I love the attitude of experiment and see what works best for you that everyone seems to have. I have seen some things that were just plain wrong corrected, and I have learned a lot since joining, especially about fertilizing.

I am a member of a general gardening forum, with an orchid sub-forum. The orchid forum is okay. There are a couple of knowledgeable people posting, but there's not a lot of activity, and most of the posts seem very similar. OB is much more active and has more of a variety of information.

This site does have exchange sub-forums for plants, seeds, and then by species. Those are wonderful. I've traded a lot with some very nice people.

Unfortunately, I don't enjoy some of the other sub-forums on that site, and though I read them, I tend not to post a lot. There is one poster who has an opinion about everything from fertilizing, to medium, to pruning, very one size fits all. If you don't agree with him, you're wrong, no matter what information you have, and where it comes from. To be fair, he has helped a lot of people, and many of the other posters swear by his methods.

[AnonYMouse]

The good things about clique-ee forums are the higher ratio of specific experts, lower rate of pissing contests, lower number of redundant info to wade through.

I think I will have to start participating in one such but not expecting the warm and fuzzies. I think it would be rude to go and ask a question and disappear until the next problem arises on a plant (I see that a lot here-I'm old fashioned that way).

OB members do not begrudge rude drive-by posters. Posts are almost always responded to, even if it's just courtesy.

I think there was a point where the internet shook down all the boards and the experienced/loyal/core members landed where they are today. There's some crossovers but most are comfortable where they landed.

[MattWoelfsen]

This was my first Orchid related forum. I blame this forum on my interest in Neofinetia falcata orchids, which the administration was kind enough to create a special sub forum devoted to Vanda Alliance -- Neofinetia.

This sub forum used to be very active until a member of that sub forum created a closed group Neofinetia Facebook page. That Facebook page was very inviting, at first, but then it got infested with self-promoting, self-important, know it all's that made participation on that Facebook page unpleasant.

The fact that the Neofinetia sub forum was used to invite Orchid Board members to join that group is indicative of the free and open policy of this board. Ironically the Facebook page that drew a lot of members is not as accommodating as Orchid Board's..

As others have listed, I read postings on
OrchidGeeks
Orchid Forum
BigLeaf Orchids
SlipperTalk
RV-Orchid Talk

I also read numerous Facebook pages devoted to orchid-species-specific pages or stories like Cattleya Lovers, Japanese, Korean, Chinese Growers, Phalaenopsis, and Dendrobium, etc.

But in all my wanderings, OrchidBoard remains my go-to forum.

[WhiteRabbit]

I don't have any experience with other orchid forums - I landed here, and have been happy

I will say, that in recent months, I have noticed a trend here with posts going by without comment, and it makes me sad. I try to make sure that I look back over the past days posts, so that any that may be approaching a day with no comment, get at least mine - but I seem to be the only person concerned about that anymore - and if I miss any (I apologize!), or don't get on the board, they may get missed completely

I understand that people are busy, but if you post here, I'm guessing you would like people to look and comment (or answer questions, if that is why you have posted), so I think everyone should keep in mind that it should be reciprocal.

If you are new, and/or shy - don't be afraid to comment, please! We don't bite!