Everybody ok?

[JohnAndSancho]

Just wondering - with a few exceptions, it seems like most of our regulars have been awful quiet on here lately and just wondering if everyone's alright. Hope y'all are good! 

[DoomsDave]

I’m okay and hope you are too!

[Harry’s Palms]

Everything cool on the Western front! Harry

[flplantguy]

I think people in Florida are a bit burnt out after heat all summer and problems, followed by the cold front last week.  Now that it's warm I'm sure they are doing what I'm doing (planning winter projects or just taking a break) and will be posting more soon.  There are also other forums and social media that people have been crossing over with so that could be part of it.

[Jim in Los Altos]

I’ve noticed a number of past “regulars” here that haven’t posted much lately seem to show up on the Facebook International Palm Society page more regularly. 

[Hu Palmeras]

Western Front reporting for action. Ready for war.

[JD in the OC]

We're all here.  It's Fall... Winter coming up. Most places get cold and slow down a bit i reckon 

JD

[Merlyn]

Still here and just posting less frequently.  That's partially due to "finishing" my yard and moving on to other big tasks, and partially because a certain member keeps "spamming the board" with 20 or so new and yet somehow highly repetitive topics per day.  

[PAPalmtrees]

it always seems like this time of the year the posts start to slow down. a lot of people don't have stuff to post about and it seems like a lot of people have moved to posting in the palm  Facebook groups. That's just my guess I don't know I could be wrong.

[SeanK]

Watching the skies.

[BayAndroid]

Not everyone is on Facebook (me). That site is evil and we need to stick to our own dedicated spaces. 

[happypalms]

Last time I checked it was all good down under! 

[JohnAndSancho]

9 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Still here and just posting less frequently.  That's partially due to "finishing" my yard and moving on to other big tasks, and partially because a certain member keeps "spamming the board" with 20 or so new and yet somehow highly repetitive topics per day.  

The anxiety makes me wonder if this meant me, but then I remember I primarily post in my own thread which like, 2 people actually look at. 

 

5 hours ago, BayAndroid said:

Not everyone is on Facebook (me). That site is evil and we need to stick to our own dedicated spaces. 

I've tried to get back on there but their algorithm permabanned me for violating community standards before I even finished setting up my account. 

On 11/18/2025 at 5:14 AM, DoomsDave said:

I’m okay and hope you are too!

Me and Sancho are surviving and my grow room is absolutely absurd now. You called me insane before, I think this room needs a name. It's completely out of hand. 

[Merlyn]

18 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

The anxiety makes me wonder if this meant me, but then I remember I primarily post in my own thread which like, 2 people actually look at. 

Hah, no...not you!  If it had occurred to me that you might think I meant you...then I would have typed "(not you)" in the middle.    How's that for a convoluted sentence?

[ChrisA]

Hey there! Doing well and hope the same for everyone else.  I noticed it slowing down also, seems to go in fits and starts but the latest lull seems to be longer than usual. I always worry that everyone is more and more using groups on social media… I was on Facebook for years but deleted my account a few years back as I was stupidly spending a huge chunk of a finite life mindlessly scrolling. Evil damn thing that there is literally no end to scrolling! So much negative crap as well.  I used to be a member of a few snake forums (as I am into reptiles as well as plants) and all have sadly gone by the wayside in favor of FB.  Drives me nuts that I can’t find a website for so many businesses as they’ve all gone to FB. Can we just go back to 2010 and leave it at that? Maybe even 1999? Would like my youth back as well! 😝 

This forum is notable in that it still persists while so many others have not. The members here are prolific and dedicated and continue to create fantastic posts with all that palmy eye candy we love to see. It’s also so reassuring that I don’t have to scroll too far before I get to the bottom of a page, puts my mind at ease and gives me chunks of my life back for other things.

 

[Cindy Adair]

I have had some medical issues but hope to get back on track soon.
 

 It is great to have the “unread content” option to catch up on all the content when we check back in. 
 

I know of one other IPS Director who has had some fun travel recently plus all the normal IPS duties and paid job. 
 

But we remain loyal PT users and neither use FB.
 

The IPS felt we needed a presence on the most popular social media sites but really it is PT which we support with our dollars and moderation. 

 

Please continue to read and post here when you can. 

[JohnAndSancho]

1 hour ago, Merlyn said:

Hah, no...not you!  If it had occurred to me that you might think I meant you...then I would have typed "(not you)" in the middle.    How's that for a convoluted sentence?

I have posted lots of pictures of lumber lately, so I had to make sure. I try to save my argumentative and annoying side for Twitter 😂

[Butch]

I'm still kickin'... I read this site religiously, but don't post much, as I don't have a lot of new material worth posting... I too, am not a fan of Facebook, and only used it to keep up with family and friends... To much drama on most of the sites there, so I tend to stay away from them.. Recently I just stopped reading it at all...

Butch

[JohnAndSancho]

Well, maybe between my thread and YouTube I can at least give y'all something to look at while you poop or whatever. My 2nd worst nightmare came true and I have spider mites in the grow room so now that I'm done playing Bob Vila for the most part, I'll get a story about that going. (My worst nightmare is still all of my seeds germinating at once and having no soil, pots, or money.)

 

Also yes Facebook is the devil and I'm doubly mad because it seems like marketplace is the best option to sell stuff locally. Our craigslist is tumbleweeds and I don't want to ship 3 foot tall plants ever again. 

 

Anyway glad to hear y'all are ok and glad that I'm not the annoying one. I'll keep updating my mad scientist indoor tropical hell on here and YouTube. 

[flplantguy]

Glad to see I'm not alone in the "no thanks" to Facebook, mine is not on the phone and I only check on desktop on rare occasions. I don't miss it so why bother? This place is better anyway!

[Mazat]

On 11/18/2025 at 8:46 AM, JohnAndSancho said:

Just wondering - with a few exceptions, it seems like most of our regulars have been awful quiet on here lately and just wondering if everyone's alright. Hope y'all are good! 

We are okay, John 👍 

We just had a coffee at the balcony bar 😁

[Silas_Sancona]

12 hours ago, BayAndroid said:

Not everyone is on Facebook (me). That site is evil and we need to stick to our own dedicated spaces. 

👍

Face- plant

X  ...wetf it's being called now

Tacky tok

=

Absolute trash

Glad I bailed.. 

..let alone never joined 😉

[Mazat]

6 hours ago, Cindy Adair said:

I have had some medical issues but hope to get back on track soon.
 

 It is great to have the “unread content” option to catch up on all the content when we check back in. 
 

I know of one other IPS Director who has had some fun travel recently plus all the normal IPS duties and paid job. 
 

But we remain loyal PT users and neither use FB.
 

The IPS felt we needed a presence on the most popular social media sites but really it is PT which we support with our dollars and moderation. 

 

Please continue to read and post here when you can. 

get well soon, Cindy.

[UK_Palms]

On 11/18/2025 at 7:46 AM, JohnAndSancho said:

Just wondering - with a few exceptions, it seems like most of our regulars have been awful quiet on here lately and just wondering if everyone's alright. Hope y'all are good! 

 

I have not long come out of jail, hence my lack of posting. I occasionally managed to post via a 'burner' phone from the inside.

Anyway, it is important that I do not criticise the UK government anymore. 👍

[Merlyn]

3 hours ago, flplantguy said:

Glad to see I'm not alone in the "no thanks" to Facebook, mine is not on the phone and I only check on desktop on rare occasions. I don't miss it so why bother? This place is better anyway!

Yeah, I regret wasting so much time endlessly scrolling the Book of Face.  I have a friend who I swear spends 3/4 of his waking hours on some antisocial media site.  I told him I'd rather spend my spare time tweezing nose hairs with a pair of rusty sporks.   

[Harry’s Palms]

So glad we are all still around . I guess this forum is , for me , my only social outlet online. Here , I can go on about palms without eyes rolling ! I can brag about success’s and complain about losses ….” Gopher ate my palm”. Harry

[Kim]

I've been away for a couple of weeks to a place with lots of palms and a lot of desert but uneven internet connections.

 

 

[kinzyjr]

In my own case, still pushing down on the grass instead of up.  Between work, my own garden, the gym, CFPACS, and once in a while, sleep, time is at a premium nowadays. 

Some of the folks on here that were frequent fliers went to other platforms like Facebook, Twitter/X, WhatsApp, etc., with several citing the reasons similar to @Merlyn's.

[Merlyn]

@kinzyjr it seems like a forum could have a convenient "max new topics per 24 hours" setting...

[kinzyjr]

13 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

@kinzyjr it seems like a forum could have a convenient "max new topics per 24 hours" setting...

I'm not as familiar with forum software as I am with enterprise systems, but regardless, @PALM MOD would likely have to make that change.  As far as a decision, I think that is a decision for folks at the @IPS President and director levels.  If memory serves correct, @Cindy Adair handles PalmTalk.  As for me, I'm mostly Bot/SPAM/Inflammatory Post Police.

[Merlyn]

@kinzyjr sure, I was just making a suggestion.  It doesn't help grow PalmTalk when a new member joins and post a desperate request for help...and then that post is immediately buried several pages deep by a single PT member.  I've seen it happen several times recently.  Of course, there's a fine line between "stifling discussion" and "preventing spam."  But when people start posting threads about "where's the regulars?" then maybe it's time to address the root cause with a simple fix?

[JohnAndSancho]

Sooooo I started Bokashi composting. I'll let y'all know how that goes in a few weeks. If I could get the rest of the house on board I think we'd do well. I kinda cheaped out and got the 8 dollar lids instead of the 20 dollar lids and they're kind of a pain to open and shit but I guess that's a good thing if you want it airtight, right? 

Blatant attempt at subject change on a convo I started 😬

Anyway I'm glad to hear folks checking in. Please take some Sabal seeds from me. 

[Silas_Sancona]

8 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Yeah, I regret wasting so much time endlessly scrolling the Book of Face.  I have a friend who I swear spends 3/4 of his waking hours on some antisocial media site.  I told him I'd rather spend my spare time tweezing nose hairs with a pair of rusty sporks.   

I'd wager your social media obsessed friend probably calls all the random people they might interact with ..but not know ..at all..  " friends"  

...Don't get me started on that pile of bull -

Lol

 

 

[ZPalms]

I'm just tired 🥱

[JohnAndSancho]

31 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

I'd wager your social media obsessed friend probably calls all the random people they might interact with ..but not know ..at all..  " friends"  

...Don't get me started on that pile of bull -

Lol

 

 

I actually met 3 girlfriends on there. I mean, in retrospect I'm not so sure that's a good thing since it seems my biggest turn on is red flags, but I at least had some fun. 

[Jonathan Haycock]

3 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@kinzyjr sure, I was just making a suggestion.  It doesn't help grow PalmTalk when a new member joins and post a desperate request for help...and then that post is immediately buried several pages deep by a single PT member.  I've seen it happen several times recently.  Of course, there's a fine line between "stifling discussion" and "preventing spam."  But when people start posting threads about "where's the regulars?" then maybe it's time to address the root cause with a simple fix?

I’ve tried the “ignored user” function, but it’s frankly useless. All it does is hide the content of the individuals post, not remove it from your feed altogether, so the same issue remains with threads being smothered into oblivion before anyone gets a chance to see them.

The beauty of Facebook groups is one can block an individual if required, which ensures you don’t see their posts nor visa versa. Wonder if something similar could be implemented on PalmTalk?

[iDesign]

5 hours ago, Merlyn said:

@kinzyjr it seems like a forum could have a convenient "max new topics per 24 hours" setting...

Add my voice to those supporting a limit on number of new threads a single poster can make in a day. 🌱🌱🌱

I consider many of you to be great friends and have hesitated saying anything since I don’t want to hurt feelings, but it really is excessive!

I do enjoy the photos, but I also enjoy seeing what’s going on in EVERYONE’s gardens (not just one person’s nursery). Seeing how fast new posts get buried is discouraging and makes me less likely to post than in the past. 😶

To be clear, I’m not saying anyone should stop posting! But do we really want one person to be the author of half of the posts on here? Especially when the posts are so similar. For example, can we perhaps have a single “my Joey palm collection” post and add to it (rather than a daily Joey palm update post)?

[palmfriend]

3 hours ago, iDesign said:

Add my voice to those supporting a limit on number of new threads a single poster can make in a day. 🌱🌱🌱

I consider many of you to be great friends and have hesitated saying anything since I don’t want to hurt feelings, but it really is excessive!

I do enjoy the photos, but I also enjoy seeing what’s going on in EVERYONE’s gardens (not just one person’s nursery). Seeing how fast new posts get buried is discouraging and makes me less likely to post than in the past. 😶

To be clear, I’m not saying anyone should stop posting! But do we really want one person to be the author of half of the posts on here? Especially when the posts are so similar. For example, can we perhaps have a single “my Joey palm collection” post and add to it (rather than a daily Joey palm update post)?

When I sensed this kind of development a couple months ago I brought it up and it was well discussed. I would say half of the members were pro and the other half contra regarding a limitation of new threads.

Therefore this forum lost its value for me when finally turning into the predicted diary-like medium, I have drawn my consequences.

 

[kinzyjr]

@Jonathan Haycock + @iDesign + @palmfriend

Thank you for weighing in.  Please keep in mind that I can't control this aspect of the forum software.  That decision and implementation are outside of my rights and responsibilities. 

I'd be fine with limiting the number of threads and agree that a lot of the content mentioned could be consolidated as many posts in fewer threads.  The link to @palmfriend's original thread on this matter is provided at the end. 

A lot of the folks in CFPACS are in a WhatsApp group, some citing this as a reason.  A few have jumped almost exclusively to Facebook because of the reason Jonathan mentioned - blocking someone's content works much better there than here.

It was discussed once in a more cursory manner, but it looks to be revisited because the numbers seems to be tilting a bit since the original 50/50 split referenced by palmfriend.

Thank you all for providing your input in a respectful manner.

Original Link for Reference

[Harry’s Palms]

This has turned into an interesting discussion . I really don’t know how to respond as I enjoy this forum and it seems we all get along so well . Very good points , I haven’t been on the forum long enough to make a comment but other forums I was on for over ten years had some pretty heated “back and forth” stuff , so I no longer frequent them. They seemed to have gotten off track. Harry