Little action here

[paul123456]

Hello there ,

is it my imagination , or is there little interest on the site , alternative energy and
other hot issues are hardly spoken of .
Is the amount of people looking here declining ? Could it be that the economy is
coming out of it's dip ?
I am a bit dissapointed in the respons and comments made here for a bunch of "ish'ers".
Please comment .

regards ,

Paul

[Mal]

Interesting question, I thought it had gone quiet over the last few months. But then, with winter set in, I was looking less as well whilst the allotment and the garden were quiet. There are signs of spring though, I think - the forums are starting to get livelier now.

[Green Aura]

I don't think it's that there's no interest Paul. From time to time people ask questions but apart from a general discussion on its merits (on which we probably generally agree anyway), most people want specific questions answered.

For my part I have every intention of producing at least some electricity at some point in the future - we live in wind central up here (I mean outside ). But current planning regulations mean we can't have a wind turbine. Our house is south-west facing and gets full sun from about 10am but PV panels and the rest of the kit are so expensive.

I have to be honest - I don't know where to start, I don't have the time to research it fully and I don't have the money to get it wrong. So I do very little.

I have got as far as seeing the guys in the boatyard to see if they have any suitable batteries I can have, but beyond that I'm stumped

[citizentwiglet]

Why would the economy coming out of its dip make any difference? (Not that I think the economy IS coming out of a dip, particularly). Most regular contributors have been around for much longer than the 'credit crunch' - I think you've got the wrong end of the proverbial stick if you think that people only want self-sufficiency when times are hard; and will throw it all away when things 'get better'. If you go to the news section, there is a thread there about the recession - the majority of posters have said that the economic downturn hasn't affected them to the extent that it seems to have hit less 'ish' people.

We've had a dreadful winter, and there seems little chance of the bad weather abating for a while for some of us; I imagine that for many people protecting and harvesting lean-month crops, dealing with livestock in this weather, planning the planting year ahead and just paying the necessary bills are taking up time at the moment. Get past this winter, get your seedlings sorted out, your growing plans sorted out and your garden/allotment sorted to sustain you through the coming year, and then you relax and think about other things. There might be little thriving at the moment in the garden for many people, but now is a vital time for planning and preparation - get it wrong, and you are, essentially, losing food.

As GA says, people generally want questions answered rather than debates - particularly in the specific sections. And if there is a burning issue you want to discuss, you can - of course - start a post to get a discussion going.

[chilitony]

i gree with you as far as it goes and i have had some outlandish responses when i have post some times , so i agree with u

[Milims]

I think that the thing about ish is not about making wholesale changes to becoming eco warriors, but rather the thing of doing what you can, when you can and how ever you can. There are members who have the wherewithal to make sweeping changes and are beacons for the rest of us, such as Nev ( ) and Stoney ( ) etc. Those who show the low-wattege-eco-friendly-but-just-as-bright-light! And the rest of us who have a few chickens, make jam, make our own bread, (or in Daves case wine and beer - he's creative with yeast! )and generally try to make our impact on the world as gentle and thoughtful as possible. Advice and conversation about anything "green and eco-friendly" is more than welcomed and indeed encouraged - after all we all have a lot to learn!
"This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine"

[citizentwiglet]

Yay! Lovely post there, m'dear!!

Doing at little, whenever you can, is better than doing nothing.

[Millymollymandy]

I'm here twice a day (and have been for years) and can tell you that the forum has been buzzing for months but is always quieter at weekends, maybe proving that some Ishers post whilst at work and either don't have computers at home or get on and do things instead.

I am a bit dissapointed in the respons and comments made here for a bunch of "ish'ers".

Where did you mean by 'here', exactly?

[oldfella]

The way I feel about the site and the reason I only enjoy being a member, is that it is more of a family, where one can write about their problems and support each other through discussion, united by the fact that they are more ISH, and interested in trying to live a life in a better way. I for one would love to have the money and the abilty to go the full Monty but I don't so I do the best I can.

[indy]

I also have big, big plans and dreams but never enough money and enjoy the advice and the sense of community here. I do the best I can with what little I have. Have been unable to post for a while as my laptop died but I always come back.

[fran]

I love the friendliness and sense of community that you get from this site. I am relatively new but have been given advice by many 'ishers, as well as encouragement for my eco ideas. I have learnt a lot by reading various posts, new and old. I think it is great that one can also come on to the site just for a chat. Keep up the good work fellow 'ishers.

[kingmaker]

Im just suggesting you guyz should improve and make some more fun and joke threads in the forum then many people would like to participate in new threads...

[MKG]

Im just suggesting you guyz should improve and make some more fun and joke threads in the forum then many people would like to participate in new threads...

But many people (and many new people) DO participate - and often with lively banter. Even, sometimes, with humour!!!! And how should it improve? The site is what it says it is, it has become immensely popular, and it is consistently good value in terms of its stated aims.

Yes, sometimes it goes quiet, especially at weekends (probably because Ishers also have lives). At other times, it's difficult to keep up with current postings - swings and roundabouts.

Just jump in and join in. Start your own thread - humorous is OK, but watch out for the humourless moderators ( ).

Mike

[Millymollymandy]

Im just suggesting you guyz should improve and make some more fun and joke threads in the forum then many people would like to participate in new threads...

He's spam, Mike!

[MKG]

Oh Bugger !!!!