dave said:I mistakenly thought that detail was brought in through the registry.
Well, we have the field in the database and it can be filled in. Maybe the process of filling it in is too inconvenient? Do we need a more convenient way to check off that value?
I think it is, but only for registrations that had that information at the time of registration. In this thread, we have been discussing ways of encouraging bud/branch/foliage/scape information contributions by ATP members. Some ideas that have been thrown around are:
* thread 'events' that feature particular cultivars that need bud/branch/foliage/scape info and all users submit their findings in the thread and an average/consensus is gathered from it and entered into the database
* extra acorns for bud/branch information that users submit updates for in the database
* a form that users can fill out that would tally results and determine the typical/average data and input it to the database
[This is a generalization of what we have discussed; for more details, you may wish to read from the beginning of this thread.]
We're open to other ideas, too. Although there is a spot for comments for each plant in the database, it isn't easy enough for a viewer to see bud/branch/etc. at a glance when it is buried in comments, especially if they're looking through dozens or hundreds of cultivars.
Also, users seem to be more engaged in forums rather than directly altering the database, so the forums may yield better participation if we use the forums somehow to make an 'event' out of it. (To give an example, it's like rescue dogs. People may have it in the back of their mind to go to the humane society some day to see if there is a dog that suits them--or maybe they don't. But if there is a dog featured on TV, then it suddenly spurs interest and they and everyone else want that dog!)
