Suggestions for the member list needed

Ok, I admit, the member list is not a place that I visit very often. In fact, I probaby haven't loaded this page in a month or so.....until just now.

YIKES!!!!! With 700++ members, it takes FOREVER to load!!

Those of you who use this page often, do you have any suggestions on a better way to display the members??
I know that I'm going to be needing to load this page more often, and the way it is isn't going to work for me.

Here is the suggestion off the top of my head:
When you click on "members", you get the alphabet. The letters will be hyperlinked, so if I'm looking for "trish", I can click on "T", and scroll down until I find "trish".

This may not be the best way....any other thoughts? Or are you happy with it the way it is??

Trish

Trish -

That is what I was thinking... but I would break it down into sections that include 5 or 6 letters a page... then maybe when it gets to large, break it down further.

- Amanda

I did wonder about listing by areas/zones? Then people would be able to see from members' seedlists what grew in any particular zone, as they'd all be together, and you could see who else lived near you (for members in the US), so you could arrange plant swaps and things.

I think all 3 of you have GREAT ideas!
Can you do all 3 some how Dave?? Actually I know you can being the computer guru that are.

Thanks for the vote of confidencce, Sari. :) Yes, I can do this.

If people don't enter in their zone, though, I guess they just won't show up in the "by zone" list...

Hmmm. Actually, that's problematic because people put different things in the "zone" field, for example:

"Zone 8"
"8"
"8a"
"USDA Z8"
"Z8"

But all these /should/ go to the zone 8 page.

well, I'll give this some thought.

Dave

Dave, I think going by zone is perhaps a so so idea, only because I think I put in "8a", am on Vancouver Island Canada, and someone in Ireland or England has put in "USDA Z8". We actually have very different climates to someone perhaps in a USA zone 8.

I don't worry too much about zones, maybe because I am in the higher zone range.

I have banana plants from Texas growing in my garden, and Kangaroo Paw plants from Australia that are now 2 years old in the garden, are these not Zone 9 or 10 plants?

I went to that list.Are all 700 names active?Can you tell?
Maybe you should send a note to people who have not been here in a long time.Have them update the info. in there so you can make the list smaller.2weeks to do it?
lilbudgc

I've been doing some thinking (boy is that dangerous!). You could request, by mass mailing, that the members update their Preferences page to include their zone, city and state, (country if needed). Maybe a basic sort by alaphabet, grouping several letters if needed, per page, like Trish and Nepthys suggested. You could maybe then offer a search of the member list by zone and/or location and the results would be drawn from the entire list.

Just me taking the old brain cells out for some exercise!
Sharon

Okay, well in the meantime I've updated the memberlist. Click members to check out my work.

I'll revisit this again later and make it even better, but this should at least do for a little while.

Dave

Looks good to me!

I can not find me

lilbudgc,

I found you in the "Zone 5" section, as well as the section for usernames that start with L.

Dave

Boo hoo - non-US members don't get to go on a location list! Could you put us together SOMEWHERE, please, Dave - maybe just a non-US list?

I agree with gardendragon - boy, is our climate different from a US Zone 7 or 8! Frost any time from September to April, rain nearly every week - two weeks without rain and it's a drought, highest summer temperatures in the low eighties - is it like this in California and Florida?

I just checked the members pages - how truly very cool!!!!!

I love it

Dave, You are indeed a genius!!!
Thank you and keep up the great work you're doing...

Best wishes
Pebble

I had my city in and then took it out..

I guess I am parinoid(spell?) about who knows me... I guess if a real sicko was out there they could find me...

I don't mind having my zone in but don't want my city out there for the whole world to see..

I got that porno from john doe, and what if the kid's opened it...?