Re: Are plant societies on the verge of extinction?

["Howie Dash" <fd6bd32d1@rewrite.aisboard.org>]

Yes mentoring is certainly important.  Mine was Bob Keup who many of you probably know.  Meetings and get togethers are important too as if they are done properly they provide a social get together and a learning experience.

However, we can't lose sight of the fact that social media is the future.  In the spring I post pictures of my iris bloom on Facebook.  I maintain a Facebook page for my local iris society.  This fall I used Facebook for a very nominal cost to advertise our sale to a local audience that is interested in gardening.  It brought lots of younger people to our sale.  After a couple of years some of those younger people become possible new members.

Another thing we advertised for our sale on Facebook and other places was if local children brought their parents to our sale on Sunday, the second day of our rhizome sale, we would give a free older iris rhizome to the children.  Another way to try to get young and younger people interested in growing iris.

By the way, I can thank Andi for his program on social media at a convention several years ago for helping me find the best way to promote my society on Facebook.

Howie Dash




-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Pries <101p@rewrite.aisboard.org>
To: aisdiscuss <aisdiscuss@aisboard.org>
Sent: Fri, Nov 18, 2016 8:12 am
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] Are plant societies on the verge of  extinction?

Just this fall I wanted to join the Raleigh Chrysanthemum society. The local club noted in the Triangle gardener that there would be a show in November and that they met on a Tuesday at noon the last of each month. I was NOT interested in showing but I was interested in finding cultivars that would overwinter and be great cutflowers for my garden. I would have been willing to join for that information. Presently I have 2 that fill that bill. But I drove an hour into Raleigh on the Day prescribed only to discover they were not having a meeting that month.

I tell this story for two reasons. First what people want from a plant society is not always the societies main thrust, garden plants verses show plants. And second it is critical that meetings take place on a regular basis, or put another way that the organization runs predictably. Yes I am one of those old farts that does not want my information from Facebook, although I do not begrudge those that do. But note having meetings on weekdays is great for us retired folks but does little for working people. I believe one of the challenges to plant societies is meeting the needs of a more diverse population.

I think the importance of mentoring new members can not be underestimated. I started/continued with the AIS because Frances Boyd was a mentor to me.

----- Original Message -----
From: "andi rivarola" <0b5865f51@rewrite.aisboard.org>
To: aisdiscuss@aisboard.org
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2016 9:43:14 AM
Subject: Re: [AISdiscuss] Are plant societies on the verge of  extinction?

I shared the BIS story on Twitter and someone offered this article from The
Washington Post:
<https://www.washingtonpost.com/local>
At National Chrysanthemum Societybs annual show, a hobby slowly fades into
the past:
https://goo.gl/GPAXfE






--
*Andi Rivarola*

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-- 
Bob Pries
Zone 7a
Roxboro, NC
(336)597-8805

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