Can we nominate an "UBER"?

BWilliams has been an incredible source of information for me and others on the Tropicals, and now the Aroids, forum.

He is constantly providing phenomenally accurate and detailed info on identifications, care, and breeding.
Several of us have posted a thread and then say "Heah Brian, hope you'll chime in here!"

I would love to see him have some recognition for his outstanding contributions.

ROX

That's definitely a nice compliment you've paid a fellow member! Here's a little background on the UBER's: http://davesgarden.com/pf/hof.php

The more I read the info on UBERs the more I think Josephine (Frostweed) is going to make it - and I hope very very soon. She is the guru for Natives and is adding them by the 100's... she is very dedicated to her plants and adding up a storm. Hazel (htop) is very up on her natives too but nothing matches the work and efforts brought by Josephine. I think she meets every requirment of an UBER.

Mitch

I know Uber is an honor for people who contribute signicantly to Plant Files, but I wonder if we couldn't have another honorary title, maybe "Garden Angel" or something like that for those people who are just extra helpful and extra knowledgeable in various areas/forums. Bwilliams is one example, but there are many others as you look across the forums who have a great deal of knowledge and are real life-savers in providing advice for less experienced gardeners, and I think it would be nice to recognize them!

I also think that would be wonderful!

ROX

I totally agree with the Garden Angel concept, BUT can also see lots of problems associated with it.

There are some who know a great deal but are not always kind about making a point ... what would you do in that case. If you gave them the title, those who were offended by them would get MAD, but if they didn't get the title they and their friends would be mad.

Yet the two named above plus about 15 more, I could name, certainly deserve to be recognized for the assistance they have given to all of us.

Judy

Some people may have a more abrasive style, but if they provide good info that helps people then they ought to have the title. It would of course be nicer if everyone could be super polite about everything too, but the world's not perfect, and I'll take great info from a more abrasive person any day if it solves my problem! Maybe Garden Angel's not the right word--that does imply a certain level of being warm and fuzzy while providing advice, and my thought was primarily to recognize expertise and the willingness to offer good advice, regardless of personal style.

How about Garden Guru?
ROX

I think before settling on a name, the bigger issue is whether this idea is feasible.

I have some reservations about it because a nomination/"popular vote" process tends to lead to campaigning (because some people are just naturally competitive), and then to hard feelings when someone feels they have (or their friend has) been overlooked.

Just for the record, no UBER has ever been actively nominated by anyone (no self-nominations, or through the efforts of others.)

Since the first UBERs were announced, the selection process to add more to the list has been ongoing - steadily and quietly - based on several factors. It's not just volume of new entries or photos but also in how thorough, accurate and complete the member is when creating a new entry.

Why is that important? Only the person who creates an entry can open all the checkboxes to set all the details in one fell swoop. If someone creates a slew of empty entries (nothing but the name), the "fill-in-the-details" process is a tedious chore for anyone willing to come in after them and do it. And we get routinely ripped into for empty entries. (Sidebar note: please don't leave empty entries!!!)

There is also an element of personability/approachability - is the member typically helpful to others when asked to advise or assist, and how do they react when one of their entries is questioned, corrected, moved, or deleted?

Duplicate entries, misspellings, taxonomy shifts all come with the territory, and our PF admins correct and delete our own entries as well as others' work as a matter of course. Most of our members are quite pleasant to work with, but there are some who get angry, defensive or even hostile when we apprise them of a change or correction. And that can give us serious pause when considering them as a possible UBER. An UBER doesn't have to be a contender for any "Miss Congeniality" awards, but they do need to be professional and courteous to our admins and other members.

Just getting the names in there can let others like me come on and work on the details. Maybe plantfiles needs to be more flexable in the way it is used so more people can add more details? Having added several plants I know it is a huge headache to get one in the system let alone someone who is adding 100s or rare native Texas plants to help our system be the best in the state.

Personally I get annoyed when I run across those cases where you can tell someone just went in and added every species under the sun for a particular genus but added no info for any of them. If it's a plant I know, then I'll usually go in and try to add the info, but it's a pain because you can't edit all the things at once, you have to do them one at a time and on a dialup connection I'm not going to do that very often! I also believe if you're going to enter something, you should have at least some info on it or do some homework to get that info--I don't know if there's a way to force people to enter at least some basic info when they submit things? Otherwise what's the good of just knowing a plant with a particular name exists if you don't know anything about it. I've entered a few rarer plants where there isn't a ton of info and in those cases I've entered skimpier info because that's all that I could find, but I know I would never add something without at least trying to find the basics like zones, sun/shade, flower color, watering, etc. And even with the rarer ones, they're always plants that I have in my possession, so I always intend to get a picture in the entry someday, which somewhat makes up for lack of info.

ecrane3 - wish everyone used your criteria
MitchF - I totally agree with you
Terry - well said

Work is calling me.

Judy

I have to agree with ecrane3, it is time-consuming to go back and add the individual details; even if you have broadband. I know this because I frequently take the time to do so ONLY IF it is a plant I grow, or am planting seeds for, OR seriously considering growing. That's because I have done the research prior to wanting to add that particular plant to my garden.

I've also frequently found entries where it was obvious that the person did little or absolutely no research because common names were wrong or not used at all for plants well established in the nursery trade. I think that that is as big a mistake as say, occasionally misspelling a word. That's because when newer growers buy the plant it frequently only has a tag with only the common name. I think thoroughness of research is evident in the amount of details one posts with their new entry.

I disagree a bit on the common name piece--those are so highly variable that it's not really a good way to ID the plant anyway except in rare cases like Crape Myrtle and Four o'clocks where I can't think of more than one plant that goes by those names. I know nurseries will sometimes label things that way, but searching in PF under many names is probably going to give you 10 other things with the same common name so you still won't know what you have until you post it in the ID forum! (and reputable nurseries will generally have the scientific name on there somewhere too--it's the Home Depot's of the world that label things without the scientific name, and their stuff is often labelled wrong anyway!) I do try to spend a little time researching common names when I'm entering a plant and will enter the ones I find, but since there is often little consistency in what common names are used for things, I may have missed the name that everyone on the east coast uses to refer to that plant, etc. If common names were really an easy way to know what you had, then I'd be all for making sure those were right too but they're not so I'd rather see people spend time on making sure the other details are there.

I can see at a glance why I am not...nor ever will be ...and UBER! But I do admire the work of the ones that are!! Terry and they work so hard to clear up mistakes....mine included! Jo

I know the scientific names of most of the plants I grow, but when I search for a plant to see if it's in PF I always look up the common name to get me close.
I do think it needs to be a mandatory field as I have entered plants that didn't come up in a search only to find out later that it was there one without a common name somewhere already there. Most people that are doing research on a plant will do the same. Sometimes a lot of filler does come up and you need to be more detailed then.
Like Debbie I will complete entries and make corrections on any plant that I own or have had. It would be better for everyone if this was done on a more regular basis. Comments seem to be like an afterthought and unnecessary to a lot of people also.

Question:
I love photography and have added a few images to the PlantFiles.
Sometimes I add images of the flowers; sometimes the foliage (which can be important for ID); and sometimes the whole plant. That's easy.

I also have plants that aren't in Plant Files, e.g. sedum 'gold mound'.
But I am hesitant to add them because I don't have all the info, e.g. hardiness.

What should I do?
ROX

A common name which is unfamiliar to you is not necessarily wrong, there are many international members working in the PF too :)

BigCityAl

Do you mean all the comments are unnecessary or just some? It's a place to share and expand on information on the plant.

MitchF

We're always open to suggestions for making life easier in the PF, we're also there to help if there are difficulties. If you have one of either or both please let us know so we may review it.

Rox_Male

Many people start with the information they know offhand such as they know it will survive the winter or not in their zone, to back up your own information you can use a number of resources such as a plant listed in the PF which is the same species just a different cultivar. Other sites can be helpful particularly university departments, books, plant societies etc. You can always ask on forum too.

Rox, here are the sources I use. I generally don't use just one, but will look at several of them and get sort of a consensus.
1. Plant Files--often there are other cultivars of your plant already entered, that can be a great source of info
2. Reference books (I have several, mainly on tree/shrubs/tropicals, so I look the plants up in there)
3. The tag that came with the plant (many of the nurseries I buy from have a lot of info on the tag about sun, water, hardiness, etc)
4. Grower's website: many wholesale growers have websites with lots of good info on plant details
5. Google! Here you have to be a bit more selective on what you trust and what you don't, but there are a lot of reputable sites out there, and if you find the same info on hardiness for example on a couple different sites, it's more likely to be accurate.

I know it sounds like this would take a long time, but after you've done it once or twice it's not really that bad. The only plants I really have a hard time with are the ones that I pick up from botanical garden sales--they tend to be rarer and come with very little info on the tag, and there's often not much info available on the internet for them either (at least in English or one of the other languages that I can read). For common garden variety things that you pick up at local nurseries it's generally pretty quick and easy to get most of the info that's needed. And you don't have to have every single detail--I think what helps people most are the basics like sun/shade, hardiness zones, watering, height, etc. And if you really can't find something, leave it blank! My complaint was about the people who obviously don't even try, not about people who are missing some stuff because they didn't know where to look. As long as you make an effort to find the info I don't think anyone will criticize you.

Baa - no I mean I enter comments on all plants that I have had experience with, it just seems other users don't seem to do so very often and it can be as valuable as the rest of the plant information.

OK, a little bit more reassured that I can do it.

Thanks, ROX

BigCityAl

Thanks, yes I agree, comments from experience can be invaluable and we strongly encourage them :)

I am one that also likes to see a common name. I agree that sometimes there's several common names that the same plant is known by, and I like to see them all listed in the common name field. I also realize that common names can be use for several different unrelated plants, but if the Genus is entered correctly, you will know which plant you are looking for when several come up in a search. To me, an entry without the common name just seems unfinished, especially if it's a plant that you are not familiar with, or if you are a backyard gardener that doesn't know alot about the Genus and species of plants, but only wants to look up what they bought at the garden center and only have a common name to go on.

I've come across lots of entries that don't have the Common name entered, and I do find it a bit irritating that I can't enter it, since they are not my entries. But....it's a minor irritation. :) I know I could hit the "report an error" button, but I worry that the list of reports for Admin will get extremely long if I use it for things like that. Or is that not a problem Terry, Baa or Mystic?

I hope not Joan....I do it all the time. I just put a note saying a.k.a. "Common Name"

I also check the info that has been entered already, and if something looks incorrect, I hit the button and tell why I think so, and give my source. Most common error....seed saving techniques on hybrid veggies.

I've done this a few times. But...having added several plants that do not have a common name, well, in English makes it very tough ie. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/137356/index.html has the common name of "chang guo qing gang" and Dave's Garden doesn't accept Chinese characters. Then I'm still kinda unsure if a cultivar should have the cultivar name before the regular common name or not ie. Japanese Ternstroemia-Variegated Japanese Ternstroemia.

I once was asked to send a shipment of Spirea out so I did. The guy yelled at me and it turns out he meant Astilbe and it is also called Spirea as a common name.

If you're sure of the common name, hit the "report an error" because each addition makes the PF just a little bit more finished.