Fri, 02/26/2010 - 14:37
Yeah, I know, I said that Wednesday. And even the topic where I said that Wednesday got lost. 
So! What happened: during a routine annual fire inspection at my web hosting company, somehow the fire suppression system was turned on in the server data center. Where all servers and hard drives and backup arrays live. Fire suppression foam (or whatever) suppresses electronic equipment really well. Many web servers died, with many, many websites upon them. Replacing computers doesn't take long. But restoring them from backups, and diagnosing where that did and didn't work, takes a long time.
Our server came back briefly on Wednesday, only to find that part of it they thought was OK, wasn't. "The RAID array was corrupted." So it went down again for rebuild on fresh hardware. There are a lot of websites on one server - simply restoring one from backup takes over 24 hours, and they only had the equipment to restore 3 at a time. Slow.
On the bright side, this time when AGMastery came back, its backend database is no longer scrambled as it was on Wednesday.
But anything we wrote on Wednesday is lost, since they started over from previous backups. Sorry!!! As for last Saturday's traffic... I dunno how many posts are lost.
Wed, 03/03/2010 - 13:52
#2
It's quietly alive...
It's quietly alive...
Wed, 03/03/2010 - 13:57
#3
Very quiet.
I have three
Very quiet.
I have three domains on this server. For some reason, two of them are alive, but the main one is dead atm.
Fri, 03/05/2010 - 20:34
#4
I'm here. I'm really
I'm here. I'm really surprised we haven't gained new members. All those ag users that want to move to the next level? Is it what Peat said about Google search?
Beth
Fri, 03/05/2010 - 23:47
#5
It's a good question. I don't
It's a good question. I don't know the answer.
Once upon a time I happened upon another forum. It was sleepy and had few members. But I wanted it to be hopping, to have friends to talk to who'd try some stuff and I'd try other stuff and we'd share what we found out. And whenever anybody said anything, I was right there to converse back with them almost immediately. A lot of the addictive nature of social computing comes from the fact people like feedback and acknowledgement - attention feels good. And they talked to each other, too. After a while it gained momentum, and I was far from most chatty.
But - that was a different point in Aerogarden's market trajectory, and there were many-many new people trying out Aerogardens for the first time.
The best way to rise in search engine rankings is to spew links to this site all over the internet. Like, refer to stuff here on other forums / social sites / blogsites.
*Sigh*. I need to look into what I can do about it. I only put Peat's suggestion on hold this week because 1 of my 3 sites on my server (and my email 
!) was still dead. Making this a terrible, horrible time to go experimenting and installing new server software. 
In truth, right now, any search engine should discount us because the site was down for so long.
Sat, 03/06/2010 - 20:28
#6
Hi Gisette,
Is it
Hi Gisette,
Is it acceptable to post links from this site on other sites - like the earthbox forum? And gardenweb? I don't want to step on toes, but some of the stuff we do here is relevant to other sites. And we are doing stuff here that is interesting to all gardeners. I do see that there are guests interested in viewing the tiny tim grow (and the cuc grow).
Thanks,
Beth
Sat, 03/06/2010 - 21:57
#7
Hi, Beth,
Absolutely! Link to
Hi, Beth,
Absolutely! Link to us anywhere you'd like! And add links here to them - we link all the time to stuff we think is interesting. 
There used to be one exception - I didn't allow live links to aerogardenmastery.com. (I didn't remove the url text, just made them inactive links.) Because the owner of that site would ban anyone who linked to us. However, last I looked, I no longer receive an obnoxious you are banned! greeting when I visit, and the owner and my replacement as 'moderator' have abandoned the site. So I doubt anyone would be banned for linking to us there either, anymore. If they start up again, I might reciprocate again. Or not - it was always rather stupid.
In any case, Shane Arthur seems to be in control there now, and I don't think he'd hassle folk for posting links of interest. Indeed, I don't know of anything that would get Shane's knickers in a twist - great guy.
Cheers,
Ginger / Gisette
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 00:30
#8
Hi Gisette,
There are a
Hi Gisette, There are a number of live links to this forum from "www.aerogardengrowers.com", I just did a search over there on 'aerogardenmastery' and there are over 15 live links. Members are interested in Peat's Guide and in cucumber growing, for example. I don't know what the problem was, there are too many threads that have gone to a review board, but I think it's unfortunate - more sharing between the two communities would help everyone. There are also questions we get over on that forum that members here would be more equipped to answer, I think.
About potential members finding you, I'm probably telling you something you already know, but Google picks up page titles and seems to priorize based on page titles. So if I search for "aerogarden forum" on Google, I don't see this site anywhere on the first three pages. Google makes some suggestions at the bottom, this site does not show up for 'aerogarden discussions', but does show up for 'aerogarden mods' - not high because the term is on the page, not in the title. But searching for 'aerogarden broccoli' this site comes up second, same thing for 'aerogarden cucumbers', but not 'aerogarden tomatoes'. So I know that this site is about much more than AeroGardens, but if a certain thread is about the AreoGarden including that in the title would help those AG users who want to move to the next level find your site. Again, sorry to be telling you something you already know. I retired last spring but before that was working on the business side of the web in a government department. We focussed a lot on page titles in an attempt to raise our visibility, so maybe I'm a bit fixated on that.
A bit off topic, but I thought it might be of interest to members here, we received an update on AeroGrow's direction concerning their product line. (I'm quoting from a thread on "www.aerogardengrowers.com")
"What AeroGrow is doing is restructuring. Having introduced not just a new product but a whole new KIND of product, we have had to feel our way step by step and try to be responsive to our customers and to the exigencies of a difficult economy. Essentially, we are reducing the AeroGarden line up from 26 to 6, and we are making it comprehensible; each step up in price will now give you more value, and people will be able to read our catalog and understand what the differences between the AeroGardens are. That's hard to do now. Also, imagine the difficulty of having to manage inventory for 26 different AeroGardens! We are also backing away from the AG6s, a customer-driven decision that was made when we observed that even our prospects, who are not even shown the 7 pod AGs in their catalog, still purchase them 2 to 1 over the sixes. The Extra as you have figured out is the old Deluxe; it's called "Extra" as an easy way to distinguish it from the classic size AGs - Extra height, Extra light, Extra growing power. The Extra Elite is the old Pro 200, and finally it is priced HIGHER than the Extra (as it should be since it has extra features). Over time, the only AG6 we will market is the SpaceSaver. We will of course support all the AGs we have sold. Also, we are moving to a universal seed kit."
Hope to be back a bit more frequently. Shortly after I was here last time my green bean garden was infested by thrips (in November 
) and eventually I had to shut down all my AGs. I think I mentioned leaf problems when I was here before - insect damage. 
Most obvious in the basil which started developing deformed leaves. It's nice to have them back up and running with no bugs to worry about.
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 00:39
#9
Hey, good to hear from you
Hey, good to hear from you again, Bab! So sorry to hear about your beans and thrips.
I know what you mean about the insult-added-to-injury bit about November! My peppers last year were absolutely infested with aphids in November. Grrrrr.
Great to hear there are links from aggrowers to here now.
It's true - the page title makes a big difference in how Google ranks. That's why the topic titles here are duplicated in the page titles and URLs. (I did go to that much trouble at least .) I don't know whether "aerogarden forums" is the search I'd want to optimize enough to change "Aerogarden Mastery" to "Aerogarden Mastery Forums" on the title line. In practice, AGMastery is more blog-oriented. We just also have forums. What do you think?
Very very interesting on Aerogrow simplifying its product line! Here I'd been expecting they'd dump the water-pump-based AG7's, and instead they're culling the air-pump 6's!? And 3's? Clarifying the naming scheme and feature explanations is simply long overdue. 
And the seed kits.
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 00:46
#10
Oh, in case this wasn't clear
Oh, in case this wasn't clear - any topic on this board has a page title of " xxxx | Aerogarden Mastery", where xxxx is the name of the bookpage / growlog / forum / blog entry. If we aren't near the top of "Aerogarden tomato" in Google rankings, that's because there are a lot of people who want to grow tomatoes indoors, and a lot of pages competing for that ranking, including everyone who's trying to sell products. So, secondary factors.
Though a page called "Aerogarden Tomatoes | Aerogarden Mastery" would probably rank higher than "Tiny Tim Tomatoes | Aerogarden Mastery", for instance.
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 03:02
#11
Oh, it wasn't just the beans,
Oh, it wasn't just the beans, that was just the start. The herb garden next to it and the flower gardens also got the thrips. I got rid of potted plants immediately and probably should have done the same with the rest. The good thing was that most of the gardens were over three months old and I had already had good harvests. They didn't get into the cherry tomatoes much - the basil served as a good 'trap plant'.
Oh well, I think I learned from that and will be taking more precautions in future.
I ran some more searches, and I see what you mean. Aerogarden Mastery does show up if I search for 'aerogarden grow logs' even when the member hasn't put aerogarden in their title. So my apologies, I was telling you something you already know. 
I thought it was the <h1> on the page Google was looking at rather than the <title> tag, but we always had them mirrored so I tend to look at the user's end. Anyway, it's a mystery why http://aerogardenmastery.com/drupal/forum only shows up on page 5 of an 'aerogarden forum' search. After reading the posts in this thread, I was trying to figure out why the site does not show up frequently. When I started with the AG all my searches took me to the other site and those unmentionable ones if I wanted to go there. I found this site through a blog site.
If I have any real ideas on that, I'll post back.
I don't know if they'll be keeping the AG3 line or not and whether colour is factored into the count. (Although they're cute machines, my AG3s are horrible rattlers. If I move them around a bit the noise stops - putting in a new airstone helps.)
The AeroGrow decision took everyone by surprise. I personally prefer my water pump machines because of the noise factor. I like the VeggiePro I got for Christmas, it appears to grow as well as the Pro200 and the noise isn't like the AG3s, but silence is nicer. Mind you, one of my daughters was visiting and commented on the soothing noise of the AG3s. 
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 05:04
#12
It is disappointing, we've
It is disappointing, we've been here for over a year now and I was hoping this site would now be shining out from just being an AG based forum.
I would love to see more AG folk here and other hydroponic/gardening enthusiasts. We've had some good posts about fogger systems and LED grown peppers but unfortunately these people have moved on, or don't have the time which is a shame.
There is a huge mass of good hydroponic information on here: different ways of growing in hydro, LED grow lamp testing (when they work), and a good variety of plants grown using the AG and the other systems.
I just don't know why we still have a core set of members and few others? Last year I posted on a number of other forums, dropping subtle links to us, it seemed to give us a rise in members but did not come to anything in the end...
Is it because H2O's site has the monopoly on AG's, members over there see little point in coming over here, loyalty if you wish - certain members do a really good job of answering questions, bab43 for one, why would they therefore migrate? Also, I think the AG is seen as a 'toy' in the hydroponic world, something a serious hydro grower would not want to be associated with - but, we have catered somewhat for this market, perhaps the AG idea is just too much of a turn off to post here?
I don't know, just throwing ideas out at the moment. 
Bab43 - I still pop into the other site and would like to thank you for linking to us, your kind words about my guide were appreciated. 
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 12:31
#13
Bab - I never got an AG6 or
Bab - I never got an AG6 or AG3. I had AG minis (the doomed predecessor), and the fountain sound of the AG7's is wonderfully better! The tiny little tank of the mini's does echo the bubbles breaking really loudly, to the point it dwarfs the noise of my external airpump.
Don't apologize, please - it was a great point, Bab.
Please keep bringing up ideas...
Sun, 03/07/2010 - 23:49
#14
Peat - it's a great guide. I
Peat - it's a great guide. I read it when my first salad garden was nutrient-burnt. Gisette, I also saw your posts on baby greens. So I got help from you guys right from the beginning, but felt too much like a beginner to be posting here.
There's a nice core group at the other site as well. Other than that, I notice membership there comes in waves, members will be very active for months and then go on to other interests, I guess. The same thing you've noticed.
Anyway, I've read all the threads on this forum and will be continuing to follow your growing adventures.
Mon, 03/08/2010 - 00:37
#15
Good points, Bab. There are
Good points, Bab. There are many forums I read, without feeling I have anything to contribute. (Not on this topic of course. I was a loudmouth from day one on Aerogardens. ) And people do come and go.
Any lurkers reading here, we'd love to hear from you, though. Just saying "hi" is very cool.
testing - is this site really alive? appears to be...