Well I'm gonna say it...

[bloomz]

Red dot me if you must, I can handle it, but......I guess sarcasm didn't work, so I'll try being direct:

Isn't this board about floristry?????

I guess I'll have to block the whole Chat forum cuz it's rife, full of, overrun with inane baloney that has utterly nothing to do with flowers or floristry.

I hate to do it cuz there is occasionally some stuff I'd like to know about here, but it's gotten absolutely ridiculous.

When I click new posts it seems 90% of them that come up are utter time wasters. Too much chaff - not enough wheat. I really do come here to try to figure out and learn or share ways to help business as I'm guessing are most of the others that are running businesses here. I have 13 pages of unread posts I have to mark them read cuz sorting thru them just probably isn't worth it.

But I'm sure lots of good stuff is lost in the sea of ::BS baloney. It really makes me question why I spend so much time here, but I don't want to miss something useful. It's just so hard to find these days.

Yup, opinions vary...

now does anyone remember how to block an entire forum from view?????

I tried and just couldn't find it.

Thanks for listening.urpletea

 

[duanermb]

I agree. I love everyone here, and it is really great that people want to chat. (Also, funny fun stuff sometimes) But are we getting distracted from why we are really here, and potentially missing posts that could really help our business?

I know I have missed threads that are important to me lately that I came in on the tail end of after digging through the many pages.

Bloomzie! We agreeeeeed!

BTW. I tried to red dot you, but we are currently in the chat area, no dots!

 

[avflorist]

I agree. I love everyone here, and it is really great that people want to chat. (Also, funny fun stuff sometimes) But are we getting distracted from why we are really here, and potentially missing posts that could really help our business?

I know I have missed threads that are important to me lately that I came in on the tail end of after digging through the many pages.

Bloomzie! We agreeeeeed!

BTW. I tried to red dot you, but we are currently in the chat area, no dots!

Yes, yes, there's so much noise lately, I just scan the first page and then leave.

 

[bloomz]

Yes, yes, there's so much noise lately, I just scan the first page and then leave.

Good way of putting it, signal to noise ratio is about 99-1.

thank you

 

[geebf]

Bloomzie take a Chill Pill dude cause those cranky ones are playing havoc with you.:tongue

I gotta agree.... I have said it before, I do miss important stuff most weeks cause I'm having to sort thru the rubbish......

Look - I don't have a lot of patience - a lot can and does get up my nose ....HOWEVER you caught me on a good day so I also gotta say that there is also nothing wrong with "The Chat" - Social chat is and can be of great benefit too - It just becomes annoying and an issue when some take it too far.

Simple answer - just block the profile.

The Saying " It takes all types to make the World Go Round" Well.... it works the same way for forums too.

 

[rewolf]

I agree, there has been less substance lately but I'm sure the extra chat comes in waves. Right now we are simply up to our eyeballs in it.

Maybe it has something to do with the economy, we are all feeling vulnerable and need a friend to listen to us babble about nothing...

 

[sandytf]

Yes, as you say, opinions do vary.

If you don't want to see any "chat", then click on "forums" when you log in. Then you may choose what you want to look at: commentary, wire services, etc.

You can avoid the chat if you don't care for it.

 

[Connie]

I, too, have been a bit dismayed by the large number of posts lately. Not that I want folks to stop posting, but who can read 300-600+ new posts per visit here? I get up an hour earlier than necessary to get ready for work, just so that I can glean from FlowerChat some things that are going to make my business and myself stronger.

I usually scan the posts, and look for certain posters. For example, I always read whatever you're talking about, Jon, because you are always interesting and, shall we say, ready for battle.

I'd hate to see you drop out of any forum here again. You did drop out of one rather recently, didn't you? Maybe you could just click on the last page of a thread and FC will think you read them all. That's my very un-techie way of dealing with some.

Just don't go away.

 

[Joe Mioux]

there are no red dots in this forum.

the chat stuff isn't nearly as cumbersome to work/cut through as the New Member Introductions have been for the last few days.

 

[greatflowerlady]

I agree to I enjoy talking about what everyone's shop is doing and how you seem to be getting threw it all. I also like to share about designing and new trends, But it's been awhile...:handball:

 

[BOSS]

My personal opinion (ie:FC Admin hat off):

Yes there is a lot of frivolous stuff being posted of late, some funny, some useless and some just down right confounding. I've been as Bloomz would say, "u in here" for a while, actually since the minute the site was launched, and I can say I have seen this "trend" come and go more than a couple times.

Being one that at least looks at darn near every post, most of the "fluff" is coming from longer term members rather than the many new members we have been blessed to have join our ranks of late. As we go forward, and FlowerChat grows and the industry continues to change the number of posts is only bound to increase and each member will have to figure out what is important to them.

My thought on the reason, and this has proved to be true over the years FC has been on is that when times get tough, the posts go a bit south. When business slacks, the number of posts increase as people have more time to spend here, and the topics move away from the business of flowers. It's happened before, and it will happen again.

The underlying theme in this thread seems to be exclusionary, wanting to keep things as they were, rather than allow things to evolve and grow as is the wish of those of us who have made this "community" a very important part of our lives. I wonder how folks will handle things when we hit 7500 or 10,000 members?

Everyday, there are numerous business builders, how-to's and personal notes posted that I would be less than if I miss them... I'm glad we're growing, I'm glad folks are participating and I for one look forward to the day in the not too distant future when FlowerChat is the only place any florist needs to be to be connected to everything floral.

We're a family, and every family has that uncle that tells the odd joke, or that aunt that farts at the dinner table... put your big girl panties on and deal with it.

(FC Admin hat back on)>

 

[TGDragonfly]

I will say that some newbies are scared to death to post, probably more so now. What a shame.
Yes this forum is growing everyday, but with first impression theory at play here, we may be shrinking. If you don't believe me look, I can count the number of posters here as fast as I can count the change in my pocket.

Repression quells creativity. Creativity breeds solutions.

 

[lori042499]

I am on here pretty often and almost every time I come on to 100 new posts, I scan the heading and read what I think will be interesting or useful and my favorite posters to make sure I'm not missing some milestone or heartache in their life...Then if one of the posts that I didn't first look at keeps getting new posts added I may look at it in the future..the fact of the matter is I don't have time and the time I spend does take me away from things I should be doing at the shop....

But I do love to be able to come here and talk some nonsense...it helps me keep sane while I am all alone in my shop especially days when noone comes in or calls...You are all there ready to talk to.

 

[steve]

I too am here for the meat and to try to win a bigger piece of the pie in my market. But I don't have time to read 80 percent of what is sitting in my unread box here every day. I look at a title and if it sounds like it has real florist industry meat in it I open it and I am sure in some cases I have missed something good. I will admit thou I sometimes frequent the joke section when I need to have an attitude adjustment.

 

[RWK]

As one who does pass on the occasional joke, mundane tidbit, or frivolous fluff........I will say this.

As I understand things, The entire Flowerchat forum is about floristry.....however, there are sub-forums, sections, and areas that deal with different aspects of floristry, including the funny, crazy, wacky, stull that happens in our shops....and in our lives.

That's why it is called CHAT - Whatever you want to talk about.
That's why it is called COMMENTARY - Talking about what people write and say about our industry.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

There is are to rather old adages that apply here - NO FOOL, NO FUN and ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES (JB) A DULL BOY......or MAKES (RWK) A DULL BOY.

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Love all ya'll on FC.......and let's face it, We have a W-I-D-E ranging community here. We have grumpy, crotchety old curmudgeons, brash, bold young whippersnappers, some way out there wacky broads, some real classy ladies, some gripers, some whiners, and even some people with some fairly level heads.

There is a time and a place to have fun.....in our shops......in our lives......and in the CHAT section of Flowerchat.

 

[Victoria]

The Chat forum by defininition is Chat Whatever stuff you want to talk about..

May I suggest those of you who are irrated by chaff and noise, choose to ignore the forum.
V

 

[Luc]

Jon,
Yes I get iritated at times when I log on from a rest of a few days to see 500 new posts. Or from yesterday afternoon to this morning to 513 new posts.
Sometime in our lives in need to laugh and talk about things that affect us.
I do not know what happens in the other flower shops, but my staff and I have a good comminication thing where we know pretty much good and bad things that happens in our lives. I guess it is the same here. I look it as a place of gathering, Like the Fina station years ago, where men gathered and talk about nothing substantial but it was a place of gathering.
Yes, I get fed up at time and quickly scroll down topics I want to read, and probably miss important one because I just do not have the time.

I do not know if it is possible to click on preferences of topics you want to appears on your own home page and the rest stays out.
You know something like I will take topics from: Products, or wire services, or florist topics you want.

Then there is some days, it doesnt bother me, less irritating.

Yes I also agree that there is topics or talk that is taking time for nothing.

Luc

 

[Joe Mioux]

Admins. does each forum here have a page number assigned to it?

if so a you could bookmark something like this.

"http://www.flowerchat.com/search.php?do=getnew&include=#,#,#"

the # signs would be substituted with the pages/forums you wish to view.

basically what this does is that you pick and choose the forums you want to view and exclude the rest.

jb, you are savy enough to test this out, hope this helps.

joe

 

[aileen_c]

Ricky if I could I would NOMINATE your post!! Are you a Casino player? Because if you are, I would give you all of my cash right now and to heck with trying to earn a bunch for myself!

 

[RWK]

"Any and all donations to the RWK charity gambling fund gleefully accepted - The fund's mission, " to help stem gambling in the FC casino by winning it all for me "

lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol

Just kidding ya'll.