So what do you think of the Monarch Watch Forums?

[Jim]

We'd love to get more feedback so please take a minute to post any comments or suggestions here. If you are new to the forums please take a look around then let us know what you think. It feels like we've just moved into a new space and we still need to figure out where all of the furniture goes

We need your help so tell us what you like about the forums and what needs improvement - together we'll build a stronger and more enjoyable online community for Monarch Watchers all around the world!

[psi_chemie]

Things are easy to use and well laid out. But I haven't noticed if there is any RSS type thing here. It would make it easier to read all the new posts, possibly. Also, is there a way to set personal preferences, like having new posts displayed at the top for each forum when I log on?

[Keith Petrosky]

It's a great place and had great information!

[John Beaulieu]

This is a great site and I have enjoyed the information. I am surprised that there is not more activity and articipation. Once I discovered the line that says 'View posts since last visit', it has been easier to go right to the messages that I have nor read. I think that sometimes some subjects get hidden in areas that not everyone checks. I bet Wade's request for seed exchange would catch more interested people if it was in the milkweed/gardening area rather than in suggestions. Every now and then I check catagories that I don't normally look at just to see if I'm missing an interesting thread.

Thanks for providing this site for us to exchange information.

John

[butterflylover]

Hi Jim,
I just think this whole Monarchwatch and Forums is the coolest, I wish more people used it too. I have learned a lot from your site and have been able to give out advice from my experiences. I am with the one person that mentioned having the newest posts easy to get to right on top. And I was wanting to give you all the imfo of my records this summer and was wondering which subject would be the best for that? I guess I will go and look further and see if I might find a subject to write this in. Butterflylover, Debbie Moore

[Farfalla]

More people need to know about this place! I intend to share it with all the educators and butterflyers I know! It would be cool to have a chat room.

[Jim]

More people need to know about this place!

I agree - the more the merrier! Anything you can do to help us attract more Monarch Watchers to the forums will be greatly appreciated.

I'll have to think about the chat room idea - if there is enough interest I'll see what I can do.

Thanks!

[Teresa]

I'd be interested

[Farfalla]

*clapping for joy* ! See, Jim? Teresa is interested!
It would be a great way to ask questions and share experiences... all together...at the same time! Maybe we could have scheduled chat sessions with topics.......

[monarchmama]

I am just getting to know the forum but have belonged to other forums in the past so I do have some experience with how to use a forum.

I would definetly be interested in a chat room. We had one on a poetry forum I moderated and it was a great way to communicate with others and so much easier than sending private messages back and forth when you want to discuss something in depth with other members.

The way it was set up, it could be used any time by any member, so if you see at the bottom of the index page that someone is signed in that you would like to chat with you could send them a pm asking them to meet you in the chat room to talk if they like.

We also had a regular time for a group discussion for an hour once a week where anyone who wanted to could stop in and chat as a group. It was a great way to get to know other members better and also having a weekly schedualed meeting gave us a chance to discuss specific topics and share information more efficiently. And anyone who wanted to stay and chat longer than an hour could . It was great for a nightowl like me, as I am often up till the wee hours and it is my favorite time to chat.

I will leave more feedback as I get a chance to explore the other parts of the forum. So far I have only been to three or four of the forums and have not had a chance to check the whole site out.
Keep up the good work! I am so glad to have found my way here!

[turkweed]

This is so helpful & I am getting to be such an addict.
If I may make a suggestion: Could there be an index or something on the terminology and common terms? I'm not sure sometimes what people mean when they are talking about certain things unique to the butterfly raising world. (ie: what is instar?)
Also, is there a site you could suggest that will show pictures of the real stuff, like what the eggs look like & the start to finish. Even the bad experiences would be helpful so we could know what to look out for.
Thanx for all the help
Cathy

[Jim]

Cathy: You might find our vocab page handy:

http://www.monarchwatch.org/class/vocab1.htm

and our old photo gallery has some life stage photos:

http://www.monarchwatch.org/gallery/photo/

We have lots of higher quality photos and I plan on getting a bunch online this winter so stay tuned!

[Jeanine L. Shaffer]

I'm very new to the forum and glad that I finally had the courage to start. Even though I was registered for some time I was reluctant to get started as I don't know that much on how to get around in it but I'm learning. I think it's great to get everyone's input and different ideas. I don't know how to use the emotion pics and would like to learn.

Jeanine from Monarch Waystation 381

[freda]

I see by the posting dates that this is an old topic. But since I'm a relatively new forum contributor and avid reader of it, I'm going to revive it. This was our first year of raising monarchs indoors and this site was invaluable. Without it I never would have even thought about the possibility of helping these critters. We've just been lamenting for years about the obvious predation. Our only attempt to help was to drape a row cover around some plants thinking it might keep the birds away, never thinking of spiders, grasshoppers, wasps, etc., as also being culprits. Spurred on by previous posts about rearing indoors I lept in with both feet and feel that we were hugely successful for our first year, releasing 155 Monarchs into our garden. So, score 155 for the Forum. Everyone has been so helpful and there is a wealth of information on here. I started a number of Word documents where I store cut'n'pasted online comments that I want to incorporate into my own records and reminders for another year.

I also noticed that as soon as the northern production slowed down, so did the posts, naturally enough. Now I'm sorting through some of the archives for more information...there's lots to learn on here. Thanks everyone, for contributing to our success this year.

Freda

[freda]

John, THANK YOU for that tip using the View Posts Since Last Visit! Even now I had to look for it but it will be a wonderful tool to use. How very cool!

Freda

[Mona Miller]

Is there any way that we could sign up for topics that we are interested in and have the system send us notification when anything about those topics are posted. I am interested in things happening in my state, migration, tagging, research, rearing, education, gardening, etc.

What I see happening is that one has to search the topics already listed, find something of interest, post, and then if someone replies one gets a notification. I am finding that there are a lot of similar posts on the same topic, but those topics are hard to find. I did note that there is a search feature, which is good.

[keithpetrosky]

It's good, but the member list and activity has dropped significantly. You should create a Monarch Watch page on Myspace to spread the word!

[Mona Miller]

Activity will pick up again when the Monarchs get back to the United States and Canada.

[Pixie]

Keith - from my observations, new members are joining almost daily. Some post, some don't. Activity is a bit slow for those of us in areas where we don't have monarchs during the winter months. I tend to spend time planning my spring gardens - making lists of what to add, what to take out, etc..........and I am anxiously looking forward to the return of the beautiful monarchs and other butterflies...........

[Mona Miller]

Journey North begins on February 5.
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/index.html

Dr. Chip Taylor of Monarch Watch estimated a smaller overwintering population this year. Journey North will post more information about the Monarch population in February.

[jbw99]

Hi, I have been butterfly gardening for a couple years now & just found your site. It is awesome!
In the past few months, I have reared over 50 Monarchs in my indoor butterfly house my hubby built me...as soon as I let them go there are more to move in before the elements or predators get them.
I am having great success and I look to your site for answers I can't find anywhere else; the latest one being about the fly larvae! Thanks again!

[texas butterfly]

Great information.

Even older posts have good information for learning.

The only thing that I'd add would be a way to rate postings.

That way old or inaccurate postings with lower ratings could eventually be removed.

Texas Butterfly

[Mona Miller]

Good idea. Misinformation can cause major problems.

[joann0811]

Also, just letting everyone know that Monarch Watch.org is located on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Monarch-Watch/86195995114

[Morti]

These Forums are helpful, helpful and... ¿did I mention helpful?
Now seriously, they've answered many of my questions about monarchs, particularly about monarch rearing.

[skates4marty]

Hi Jim. I've looked in the FAQs but can't find the answer. In the "Topics" column, there is a "document" icon for each thread. I see that if it's black, I've opened it since the last post. If it's red, there are new posts since I last opened it. What does a star mean? And what does it mean if the icon is scrolling? Thank you.

[Jim]

In the "Topics" column, there is a "document" icon for each thread...

Two general points:
- Red icons are unread items, blue/grey are read
- A star on any topic means you have posted in it

- Announcement
- Sticky topic
- Read topic
- Unread topic
- Read topic that you have posted in
- Unread topic that you have posted in
- Hot topic
- Locked topic
- Moved topic
- Forum with subforums (which have been read)
- Forum with subforums (which are unread)
- Link forum
- Attachment
- Go to last post in the topic
  - Go to last unread post in the topic
- Subforum read
- Subforum unread

[Mona Miller]

Jim,

Thanks for posting these, they have helped me get to topics faster. Time spent nagivating the topics is less time to garden and tend to the butterflies. Thanks.

[summerluver]

This is my first time using the forums, and I love it. My family knows that every night they'll find me at the computer talking to "my people". (I think that when I read them some of the posts, they're reasurred that I just posess enthusiasm, and that it's not insanity!)

I just need an avitar. A dog with flying long ears and a cow wearing sunglasses just isn't me. Could you please post some in time for the 2010 season? I'd really appreciate it.

[David Calhoun]

I like this website a lot.I'm always checking it for new postings.No special suggestions.Keep up the good work.David

[Mona Miller]

If you have any questions, ask us. There are plenty of learners here. My goal is to do whatever I can to benefit wildlife.

[skates4marty]

My curiosity is killing me: What happened on Apr 9 that made so many people get on the forums?

"Most users ever online was 316 on Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:20 am."

[apseyf]

Hello Jim! I thought I would like to have a seperate index for observed tagged monarchs. People need to have a place outside of the tagging/migration site of monarch watch. I can't believe that all of these butterflies people are observing have had no tags on them. We need to let people know to really look hard at the monarchs for possible tags, especially those south of the Illinios, Indiana, Ohio line. Then the observers could list the tag numbers and letters to let others know if their butterfly was seen. Also, thanks for finally putting the tag recovery site as off-line so I don't have to look everytime I go there and find no recoveries. I would also add that I enjoy the forum very much. Thanks from Waystations 4205 and 4357.

[skates4marty]

Hi Jim

Monarchs in Space and Temperature Monitoring haven't had new posts in years. Perhaps you could move them to the bottom of the list? (You can see I'm in a spring cleaning mood.)

[Mona Miller]

Jim just did a major open house for Monarch Watch so I don't know if he can get to this now.

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2012/may/1 ... terflies-/
Monarch Watch event offers close look at butterflies and more