Forums available to subscribers only

There is an asterisk on the Agastaches and Salvia forum. I just got a d-mail from someone who is not a subscriber. Is it available to subscribers only or to all members?
Thanks, Sherry
edited to add:
Sorry, forgot to mention that the d-mail was in response to a post in the agastaches and salvias forum.

This message was edited Sep 8, 2007 7:43 PM

It's subscribers only, but members can still read the first post in each thread. So my guess is they read the first post and since they couldn't respond in the thread, they d-mailed you instead.

Thanks, Liz. Good to know. I think I should take a look at DG from the non-subscriber side to see how it looks from there.
Sherry

It may have changed also but it seems like for the first couple of weeks, maybe a month, when I was a non subscriber, I could access all threads ~ kind of like bait and then it was cut off?

For a while Dave had made a lot of the newer forums open to everyone, but then he closed them. But there were still a lot of the older forums that were subscribers only at that point, so if you could see all the posts in those too then it was some sort of computer glitch.

Not sure I am comfortable with non-subscribers being able to go into Dmail or any other private forum.

Nothing's changed, they've always had d-mail and been able to see the first post in subscriber only forums. Personally I think it's nice only allowing them to see the first post in subscriber only forums-- I've been on other sites where you can read everything, but then if you want to make a post you have to sign up, and I think this is a much better way than that. If you don't let them see anything from the subscriber forums, how are they supposed to know whether they'd get enough out of them to justify the subscription fee? You've got to give them a "teaser" of some sort and I think most people here would rather have it the way it is now where they can just see the first post than to do what the other sites do and give them read access to everything but then make them pay in order to make posts.

I know it threw me the first time I got a seed/plant request from a non subscriber. I would never have been that brave ~ not sure if I am yet... lol

I know some people are very particular about whether someone is a subscriber or not. I have been a member since Dave’s Garden was new (and free), but only ended up subscribing a few months ago when I needed to ask a question and this seemed to be the best place. Until I subscribed, I never realized it was a sort of “discrimination” (for lack of a better word) about my subscription status that caused certain people not to respond to my trade requests. It’s ironic, because even though I hadn’t subscribed, I had given more images, comments, etc. to plant files than many subscribers. As to myself, I never even check a person’s status before trading. In my experience, some of the best trades were from non-subscribers, and one of the worst (plants never sent to me) was a subscriber. A number of years ago I was delighted with poppysue and others’ generosity to share seeds with me for a SASE, and I “pass it on” every chance I get.

Unfortunately I have a feeling there have been a few "bad apples" who've made some subscribers gun-shy about trading with non-subscribers. Not that subscribers are necessarily going to be any better, but at least they're more invested in the DG community so your chances are a little better, and you can feel like you know more about the person (even if you really don't!). I'm sure most members are like you, but it only takes one bad experience to make people a bit wary! And I think there are a lot of people out there who don't care and are happy to share regardless of whether people are subscribers or not.

Gabrielle ~ the one nonsubscriber I recall requested a list of plants as long as my arm and no offer of a swap. I checked status as I didn't recognize the posting name and wondered it this person was a commericial grower. I have no problem sharing with nonsubcribers at all but the greed of that one overwhelmed me...

I can understand that ... I've had people to do that, but as long as I have a lot of extras, I don't mind, as they'd go to waste otherwise. I did always make an offer for a swap, but to begin with, didn't have much to offer. More recently though, I did have a good list to chose from, but some people would not even dmail me back to say, "no thanks." I know that they are not obligated to, but I am the type that likes to at least acknowledge the person. Yes, I have a tendency to get stuck on the phone with telemarketers, too. I am getting better at saying “I’m not interested, thanks anyway” and hanging up.

LOL sounds familiar. DH says why don't you hang up. I say they needed the practice before I politely tell them thank you ~ no. I hate to interrupt.

I agree etiquette is lacking on some of the DG trades. I am glad to share but have had some that never give so much as a thanks ~ feedback is unheard of. Down the road in a post, I will say that is an XYZ plant that I sent you. They say oh is that where I got it! I remember plants sent to me and thank profusely and feedback too. Maybe it will rub off... I have heard many complaints on this recently.

Nearly 15 years ago, when cell phones were just becoming popular, I worked inside sales at U.S. Cellular. My supervisor thought it would be a good idea to do telemarketing when we didn't have any customers in the store, so set a daily quota of calls. This was not part of my job description, and my pay was not dependant upon sales made through these calls, so I actually liked it when people weren't interested (it was even better if no one was home ... I HATE talking on the phone). It did give me a lot of empathy for those who have to do it for a living. A side thought from that though ... people would come to the office for help that I could not give, though I could make it easier for them to get to where they needed to go. Some people have the mistaken notion that being rude and telling someone off for a perceived incompetence makes them a bigger person and gets them what they want. They don't realize that every problem is not a scheme against them and is sometimes their own fault, and that a little kindness goes a long way in making someone want to go above and beyond what is required to straighten it out (it likely keeps your food from being spat on in a restaurant, too).

Back to trading ... Unless I am looking for a very specific seed/plant that not many have, I tend to scan the longer lists for things that catch my fancy. I am addicted to plant collecting (I'm not sure that I used this term loosely), and it is more time/cost efficient to do fewer larger trades than many small trades. I hope no one ever took offense at me requesting a large variety of seeds. As I stated earlier, I always offered to trade.

Boy ~ I've never even scanned the trade lists and don't have one myself. This party must have gone thru my journal shopping. Never thought about that....
I have provided seeds/plants with nothing expected in return but the long lost thank you... I still will for a few I know but for my own plants, generally shop outside DG.

I do quite a bit of shopping elsewhere, too. Especially for hybridized plants that aren't usually true from seed. It's generally faster to just flip through a catalog and make an (oversized) order. I also get a lot from the botanical garden I volunteer at. I have had people go through my zip code reports and images and ask for seeds or plants. A lot of times they are either new and I don't have extras or are not even my plants (i.e. photos taken at a botanical garden). I've received LONG wish lists based upon my zip code reports. Now that takes nerve! I figure if people don't list them in their trade lists or the trading forums, they don't likely want to share.

Amen! Or if a limited amount, save for a "special" trade...