Hello

I'd like to be able to 'Pick' posts retrospectively.

Esther
http://estherinthegarden.blogspot.com/

Great idea Esther. There are 2 new feature updates that will be added within the next week that should help with that suggestion. The first is the much awaited bookmark button that each blogger can place on their blogs while the other is just a little in-house tweaking. Stay tuned.

Is that the button on your blog to be able to pick straight from the blog? That would be the best, then you don't miss out by missing the list.

Just a few random ideas to share with you.

Maybe you could have lists that include seperate categories as well. I know that many people here seem to blog exclusively about their garden, what about a list of people who blog about many different topics?

Or you could split into lists that signed up with blotanical in 2007, 2008,...?

I like your idea Stuart, and Esther's as well--but I'd also like a list that simply features everyone who's not on any other lists.

kate

I would love to have a little code I can add to each post for blotanical readers to pick...maybe once it's clicked, have it go to the traditional picks page? It'd just be nifty to hard code that!

Hi, Stuart-- I'd like to see something non-competitive that makes communicating with other like-minded folks easy. How about listing blogs by category, and publishing picks lists for each category? One scenario would have each blogger choose one category under which their blog would be listed. Another would allow multiple listings, but might cap them at three, or five. I might list The Manic Gardener under "Organic," "Vegetable," and "Cold Climates" for instance.

This would let us see all the blogs, but not all at once in a big jumble.

I also the idea of a list of Guru picks, but I feel it would mean more if people couldn't earn almost infinite points for picking posts. I hope that doesn't sound too curmudgeonly!

I think it's great you're soliciting input on this.

--kate

I've made a list of 'Favourites' on my blog. (At last.)

I waited this long because I wanted genuinely to say which blogs I have read over time and that I especially look forward to reading.

Of course, among them, are some of the highly poplular 'front line' blogs.

But there are other, less well known, less read ones which I would like to draw to people's attention. I would like to be able to put some of them prominently at the top of my list without implying a rank order.

So - please could we have the option to arrange blogs in what ever order we please but to leave them 'unranked'?

Esther

I'm an idiot. I've just realised that moving blogs around within one's favourite's list is already possible.

Obliterate what I said earlier!

Esther

Can a blog ever lose its top 200 status? (E.g., to make room for new favorite blogs, a member might remove another blog from the favorites list.)

I usually fave someone because one of that person's postings touched me in some way. How about an option to pick a post of a new person you fave?

I may be missing something here, but I don't think I'm able to view a list of the 200 most recent posts (not posts from the 200 newest blogs or posts from the 200 most popular blogs).

I'm not the sharpest crayon in the box, so maybe I just haven't formatted my preferences correctly.

Thanks for the help!

Jared

I'm not sure I would have time to pick other blogs and I'm not sure that my picks would necessarily be the choice of others. When Blotanical first started it was so easy to visit all the blogs, but now there just isn't the time to do that.

Just a thought, Have you considered doing the picks lists by geographical areas, similar to those set up on the search page? So when you clicked the country/continent name you would get a list of blogs instead of a map. I realize there are far more blogs from the USA than from other countries, but perhaps it could be divided into east and west (or something similar).

It is hard to please all of the people all of the time. But I'm sure whatever you do will be a good choice.

Thanks for the opportunity for some input.

I get lost when trying to get to the 'Plots' of specific people. Sometimes I manage, sometimes, I dont't.

On some lists, one can go only to the blogs, on others one can choose between blog or plot.

Could there be greater consistancy - with that choice always offered?

Also, the only alphabetical list seems to be where one finds the Blotanist's Geographical Location.

Would it be possible to have such a simple index more easily available - say down the right hand side of the 'Front Page'? One which gave the choice - blog or plot?

Also a straightforward list where new blogs are added as their owners join - one which stays in date order so the newest blogger is always at the top of the list?

I agree with Anna, simplicity would be good - so I am thinking these would be 'instead of' not 'in addition to'.

Esther

Esther - thanks for your responses. I like the idea of making things simpler across Blotanical and bringing some uniformity to the way in which the site works. I shall endeavour to work on these things.

The Search Blogger's Location list is more than just their geographic location. If you click on the flower icon it will take you to their listing so then you can then go to their Plot or to their Blog. As for having this feature more readily available (perhaps on the front page) I will see what can be arranged.

The list you're requesting with regards to new blogs already exists. On the home page click the MORE button in the "100 Most Recent Garden Blogs" and it will show you the list (in date sorted array) of the most recent blogs.

Ah! Yes! Well!

This is a case in point.

It took me four times going backwards and forwards between this page and the home page before I could see what you meant - because I was looking along the tabs at the top. Then I was clicking on the tabs to see if the list I was looking for was in a sort of 'sub clause'.

And then I realised one of my pitfalls is remembering whether 'New Garden Blog Posts' means 'recent posts from all blogs' or 'posts from new blogs'.

(I think I've come across a 'landscaping' blog category somewhere?)

Yes.

Definitely, I would go for rationalisation and simplification.

Esther

I don't know what you've done, Stuart, but, all of a sudden, everything seems to be working really well and fast.

I'm sort of boinging around the site, almost for the enjoyment of finding how quickly the pages load.

Even if this turns out to be a fortunate blip - congratulations!

Esther Montgomery
ESTHER IN THE GARDEN

How about a "Roaming" list that picks random blogs to feature for a week? It would be a way for everyone to occasionally come to everyone's attention, and for people to see blogs they might otherwise miss.

What is the criteria to be included in the New Garden blogs list?

I notice that many of the blogs there have been members for a long time. Perhaps if the criteria for the new list was in the past 2 months (or similar) more of the newer blogs would show up.

I'd like to "pick" the following post but don't know how:
http://melaniesoldcountrygarden.blogspot.com/2008/06/fathers-day-gnomes.html

Crafty - the criteria is the 200 Most Recent Blogs - with read-able feeds. Therefore, while some of these blogs may have been on Blotanical for quite some and have easily been usurped by fresher additions then newer blogs all seem to still be carrying blogspot default feeds. Hoepfully they will soon get on board with the feedburner burn and become current again.

Mary Ann - Alas, Melanie's blog is still offering the default Blogger feed instead of a Feedburner alternative. Therefore, it can't be picked up and displayed within Blotanical. Ask Melanie if she would kindly update her feed and then we can all start picking them again.

Hi Stuart, I want to tell you I haven't got a ping button and my blogs haven't been picked up since April. Is there anything I can do. Thanks a lot.

Hi, Stuart-
I like Cinj's suggestions about favourites within categories of gardening. I enjoy reading blog posts from all over the world, but it would be nice to be able to distinguish between gardening interests and styles (kitchen gardening, wildlife gardening, etc.)

Anyway, just a thought!

Lisa