eric rochow

In November of last year I started The Greenhouse ( which runs on top of Ning )as place for people who watch Gardenfork and Real World Green to get together. One reason for starting it was as a solution to answering individual viewer mail. I encourage people to ask everyone, not just me.

 
photo posted by Greenhouse member

The number of members is not huge, but it does reflect the 1% participation rule of Web 2.0 . I think more people read posts on the site than those who are registered.

The people who sign up are what one could call the dedicated.

The Greenhouse’s small size is a virtue, its not Facebook. People are attracted to it because its not this huge entity. Facebook is like walking into a Bed Bath & Beyond Store. It can be overwhelming. The Greenhouse is more like Broadway Panhandler, a quirky niche place. When I walk into BB&B to find a potato masher, its daunting, not so in a smaller place.

This sentiment is reflected in comments people have posted on my Member Page:

Thank you so very much for the great resources. Living rural Wisconsin, sometimes I think that there will not be the same opportunities available to us; I was very wrong. Thank you for the link and video. This site is just becoming such a valuable tool for living! You should be very proud of the good things you are helping make possible.

Getting notes like that make it all worth it.