Regional Host Positions Available!

Are you interested in becoming a regional Host?
Here's your chance to step up and lead your regional forum for the upcoming season.
Listed below you will see some of our guidelines/duties for our regional hosts.
In addition to these duties, I am looking for a solid 3 month commitment. If you don't think you can honestly commit for 3 months, please don't submit for a position. At the end of the term, if the administration and host are still in agreement, then the term just continues to the next, and so on.
I will also consider partnerships. Some regions and hosts might just work better with more than one host. Remember, this will be a team effort! Share the duties.
We need regional hosts who are going to be committed and take an ACTIVE DAILY INTEREST in the forums. Hosts need to check in daily and contribute to posts and conversations, and help lead day to day activities.
Please read through Regional Host's Duties. If you are still interested, then email or pm me a brief description of yourself and region, along with your regions first and last frost dates, planting times, etc. that best fit your region. This will be used as your introduction for your region.
Also, I am looking for hosts with an active interest in promoting our Rookie Topics. I would like to put one host in charge of Rookie Topics. This person will promote, coordinate and schedule the topics with other hosts, members and administration. If you are interested in leading this effort, please let me know in your message.


Regional Host's Duties
timwardell on Fri Mar 26, 2010 4:38 pm
The more members that post, the more fun and informative it is for everyone. These are suggestions that are known to help increase participation. They are not requirements. Try them out-see how they work for you. If you try something new, and it's effective, let everyone know so they can try it to.

Regional Host Duties:
1. make sure that newcomers in your region are greeted.

2. keep conversations/posts/activity going within your region by posting relevant information.

3. consider posting first and last frost dates, planting times, etc. to help newbies

4. watch for information or pictures in your regional posts that may be of interest to everyone and should be included in the general forum.

5. start a first of the month update thread in your region for folks to check in to see how others are faring, and to post their status.

6. post photos of your SFG - and encourage others to do so - to stimulate conversations, share ideas, and let others know that there are MANY ways to have fun and be creative with SFG.

7. Encourage others to post. This can be done in the initial greeting. example:"Hi SnuggleBunny1986. Welcome to the SFG Forum. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Someone here is bound to have an answer. And please share your experiences with SFG, and any tips or tricks you might have learned. Oh, and if you have any pics of your SFG please post them! Thanks." OR you can post a general announcement welcoming everyone to the region and ask for their input. Here's an example of a message I posted in the Lower South regional forum:
In case you missed the memo the Lower South spans the hill country of Texas to the coast of South Carolina. Here's a map for reference:
http://www.garden.org/regional/report/description/full/10

I'd like to encourage everyone to please introduce yourselves - especially any Certified SFG Teachers out there.

Goodness knows we have our challenges gardening in the heat and humidity of our region. Thankfully we have SFG to make our efforts so much more rewarding than they might be otherwise. Please share your experiences, your past & present success and any questions you might have. Chances are someone will have an answer.


8. Some newcomers are shy and feel they have nothing of value to contribute. The off-topic forum and the specialized forums like food & recipes and the seed exchange are areas they may feel more comfortable posting.

9. Last but not least: from Theresa, the founder of the SFG forum:
"Asking a question to the new member is a good start to keeping them posting.
Asking questions even if you know the answer, is a good way to keep them posting.
If someone posts a picture, always compliment, find something good to say."

I highly encourage anyone who wants to step up a little bit, volunteer, and be a leader of their regional forum, to submit an introduction. This can be an excellent opportunity for you and your region to have a great, productive, fun, and informative year.

Rooster

We need more hosts!! The following regions still need a host:

Lower South
Northern & Central Midwest
Pacific Northwest
Southwestern Deserts
Hawai'i
South Plains

Australia
South America
New Zealand
Canada
Asia
Africa


If you are in any of these areas, and would like to host the region, please submit! We have several Canadian members around here!! Don't be shy It's an excellent opportunity to serve the forum and gain some new experiences and knowledge, plus share some of your own.
Join the forum staff and help us promote the square foot gardening method!

Last chance for volunteers We need more regional hosts!! Any teachers out there want to host a region? This is a great way to step up and help serve the forum.