Attention All Members!!! Regional Host/Certified Instructor Opportunity!

Victoria and I have spoken several times about how to get more folks involved on the forum with answering questions and presenting accurate information about SFG on the forum.
The forum is looking for 4 hosts who will basically be responsible for the Regional Forums.
The foundation will offer the online instructors training course for free for those hosts. The foundation and Mel want to be sure that accurate information is being presented about the SFG Method. We want folks who are committed to the method, will help answer questions concerning the method, and members who will stay in touch and up to date with sfg'ing.
To sweeten the deal a bit more, at the end of a years term, Victoria has offered up $100 gift certificates to the sfg store.
But to be clear, you must be an active host, participating in daily activities, updates, welcoming new members, rookie topics etc. You also commit to a year of service and commit to promoting, and encouraging the method. Non, or hit n misss participation on the forum will forfeit the $100 gift certificate. You don't have to live here, and commit your ever waking moment, but you do need to participate and be active on the forum.

Some minimum requirements. You should have at least 500 posts as of this posting, and preferably, a member of the forum for a year. Others may be considered, so if you think you have what it takes, contact me.

Some typical Regional Host duties:
-Regional Hosts will be our welcoming committee, welcoming new members and helping direct to the proper regional forum.
-Hosts will work together on putting together Rookie Topics. Hosts can choose to write all the topics, or recruit participation from forum members, or combination.
-Hosts will help maintain and moderate all regional forums.
-Hosts will help answer questions, and help present proper information on the SFG method.
-Hosts will be active members and participate in day to day activities, not only on the open forum, but in the regions as well.

If you think you may be interested in becoming a Certified Instructor, and serve as a Regional Host, please PM me or Email me.

This is fresh territory for us all, and there could/will be things that will have to be figured out along the way, but I would really like to see this work. It's hard to find volunteers, so perhaps these incentives will help bring in some interest. At the least, several members will become Certified Instructors and have $100 to spend at the SFG store.

The certification is ongoing. It does not expire when your term ends.

Times a wastin! This is a great opportunity to get certified for free and not only serve the forum, but your community as well. Plus you get $100 to spend at the sfg store!

I'm kind of surprised there are not more folks interested in becoming a certified (by the SFG Foundation) Square Foot Gardening teacher. Being an active participant volunteering on the forum has taught me a lot. And that's a nice bonus, a little shopping spree.

I would love to! But I do no meet your standards sorry... I would love to though...

camprn wrote:I'm kind of surprised there are not more folks interested in becoming a certified (by the SFG Foundation) Square Foot Gardening teacher. Being an active participant volunteering on the forum has taught me a lot. And that's a nice bonus, a little shopping spree.

Actually, I'm a bit surprised as well. We have a lot of regular members here on the forums that are very active and participate daily. I guess I thought more would jump at the chance to learn more and become certified for free...something that if they chose to, they could use to their benefit in their everyday lives. Plus the store front bonus bucks

RoOsTeR wrote:

camprn wrote:I'm kind of surprised there are not more folks interested in becoming a certified (by the SFG Foundation) Square Foot Gardening teacher. Being an active participant volunteering on the forum has taught me a lot. And that's a nice bonus, a little shopping spree.

Actually, I'm a bit surprised as well. We have a lot of regular members here on the forums that are very active and participate daily. I guess I thought more would jump at the chance to learn more and become certified for free...something that if they chose to, they could use to their benefit in their everyday lives. Plus the store front bonus bucks

And the possibilities of making some extra dough by teaching SFG method to others. Sfg4uKim is having tremendous success with her How to SFG workshops. Way to go Kim!!

Several folk are wondering why more people aren't responding, so maybe the premis is wrong.

How many people on this board have over 500 posts, participate every day, and are not already SFG Instructors?

Of that number, how many don't already have full-time jobs and family that take up their time already so they can't take on another responsibility.... or have the time to get the stated benefit of holding classes?

Just curious what that number would be...because that's your pool of applicants.

I think there are several of us who think it's a GREAT offer, but we don't meet the requirements -- yet -- and may not before the offer will probably be withdrawn.

Back when minimum wage was less than $5, I put a BIG sign on my mailbox, which is on a BUSY 4-lane highway. The sign said, "$10/hour 2hours/day shovel work" and got ZERO responses in 3 months. So, I changed the sign to say, "$100 for 10 hours shovel work" and got nothing. So finally, testing the premis, I Changed the sign to say, "$100 for 10 hours sitting in the shade and watching me work" and got a response the first hour. So despite rampant unemplyment and good hourly wages for simple unskilled labor, the problem was in the requirements. Either the unemployed and desperately looking for work in my area weren't physically ABLE to do the job requirements. Or they didn't wanna.

In the case of this post, I think the premis fails somewhere in requirements.

Just sayin'.

That's an excellent point ENT.

I would like to mention that RoOster post says that you should have over 500 post and been a member for over 1 year but that they will look at everyone who is interested.

mschaef wrote:I would like to mention that RoOster post says that you should have over 500 post and been a member for over 1 year but that they will look at everyone who is interested.

Exactly. Part of the requirements is because like mentioned in an above post, my time is valuable just like anyone elses. I work full time, have a wife, three kids and a small farm. There are others here as well, like our moderator who also works full time etc etc. We've been down this road all to many times where you get folks who think they're interested till they actually have to do something, then not so much. They just vanish. You spent time getting them up and running only to have them decide they're no longer interested. This time it's even a bit different. The foundation is vesting their time and money to properly train individuals and basically pay them $100. This training can carry over into the personal lives of members and like camp stated, could possibly even turn into a profitable business. I don't think setting a few simple requirements is asking to much to help insure that folks are truly interested and not just fly by nighters. I want (and so does the foundation) people who are going to stick around. And yes, like mschaef said, my OP does leave a bit of openness. But I guess most have been more focused on what the requirements would be as opposed to what they could possibly gain. I hate to get a bit negative, but thank you mschaef for noticing and going out on a limb and taking a chance!

Well maybe there will still be no host for the middle south next year around this time!

ArkansasSFGardener wrote:Well maybe there will still be no host for the middle south next year around this time!

LOL. I get the need for commitment. I agree with it.

So just 10 months and 400 posts to go.

If you don't have something worthwhile to contribute to this, then please move on. There are many members here past and present who've donated many, many hours of their free time to better the forum with no compensation at all. So show a bit of respect to those who've served and those who continue to do so.

I would like to reiterate a point I made earlier, that being how much I have learned since I found this Forum and SFG. It's amazing how a little research can go a long way in my education but then to share back with the community, everyone learns something new. I love the Rookie Topics posts from the Regional Hosts.

When I was a Regional Host, it was an easy thing to write a post at the beginning of the month saying what was going on in my garden and what my plans were for the next few weeks, post a few photos...
SOme of you may be worried you don't know enough to take up the task, but remember, here is no way you will ever have all the answers to questions someone may ask in a regional forum. You don't need all the answers about gardening, just about the SFG method.

The SFG Teacher course is not a terribly long commitment, is quite interesting and comprehensive.


Come on down folks, give it a try! SFG.

RoOsTeR wrote:If you don't have something worthwhile to contribute...

Is that an invitation for constructive feedback?

boffer wrote:

RoOsTeR wrote:If you don't have something worthwhile to contribute...

Is that an invitation for constructive feedback?

I think it was meant to keep the discussion of the thread focused.

Yes it was camp and thank you. Boffer, if you have something to say, you can seen a pm.

RoOsTeR wrote:

mschaef wrote:I would like to mention that RoOster post says that you should have over 500 post and been a member for over 1 year but that they will look at everyone who is interested.

Exactly. Part of the requirements is because like mentioned in an above post, my time is valuable just like anyone elses. I work full time, have a wife, three kids and a small farm. There are others here as well, like our moderator who also works full time etc etc. We've been down this road all to many times where you get folks who think they're interested till they actually have to do something, then not so much. They just vanish. You spent time getting them up and running only to have them decide they're no longer interested. This time it's even a bit different. The foundation is vesting their time and money to properly train individuals and basically pay them $100. This training can carry over into the personal lives of members and like camp stated, could possibly even turn into a profitable business. I don't think setting a few simple requirements is asking to much to help insure that folks are truly interested and not just fly by nighters. I want (and so does the foundation) people who are going to stick around. And yes, like mschaef said, my OP does leave a bit of openness. But I guess most have been more focused on what the requirements would be as opposed to what they could possibly gain. I hate to get a bit negative, but thank you mschaef for noticing and going out on a limb and taking a chance!

Your welcome I just figured that somebody needed to say it that didn't have a title by their name. For me personally I don't post often because what I would say has already been said in the post but when I do post it is, hopefully, helpful. I also figure that many of us on here already do some research outside this site to help in our own garden. How much work would it take to help look up answers to others problems that might become your problems too. One never knows what type of bugs, weather, or other outside force could hurt their garden so by helping others you might be able to help yourself time and produce later on down the road. Also I don't think I'm going out on a limb my son wants to be a gardener when he grows up and I just figure why not try to help others while helping him learn more about gardening. He is only 6 and loves everything involved in gardening.

Pick me!!

I will touch base with interested parties this evening.

Okay, I'm in if you deem it possible.

GG

Thanks to all for participating