OK I have to speak up and TOTALLY DISAGREE!

Homesteadingtoday.com has been extremely helpful for me throughout many of their different topic threads (goats, rabbits, country-life, classroom, barter-board, etc.)

I've been able to respond to all I've found except for the 'chat' thread and since that one seems to have a HUGE amount of controversy I can understand why they like to make sure that you're not out to start a 'chat war' and that you can play by the rules.

Sorry you've had a bad experience but many other people may enjoy it.

I have to say that I agree with presmudjo. I tried to join, got the confirmation email with a link to complete registration & it wouldn't work. I contacted the admin & never heard from them again.

I wish I could join it since this forum is so slow and so many posts go unanswered.

I've been in contact with someone who knows the owners of the site, so maybe they will be hope for me. I hadn't even found the chat area. I didn't even know the site was privately owned.

Marti8a, if you go to the farm life forum and read this same named post, maybe you could also write to the person who offered to help me.

I agree, it seems like a great place for valuable information. I just want to be able to ask and answer.

Maybe we're talking about two different Homesteading Today sites. I can't find a forum titled Farm Life. Can you link it?

I'm sorry, I mean Farm Life forum here at GardenWeb.

Wow, I've been a member of Homesteading Today for about a year and a half and have found it to be very helpful with nice people and lots of great information. I don't recall having to visit other sites to get approved for membership. Hope it works out for you to get on there.

Becky

I've also had great experience on Homesteading Today. Had no trouble at all signing up. I can't imagine why they would not permit you to post. My only frustration here is the sometimes low activity. They always seem to have members online when I am looking.

I also see no reason to use this forum to bash another forum. That seems kinda crude.

Russ

Hmmmm

I've had similar "issues" with that Homesteading Today website. It's been an exercise in frustration for me.

I agree that the site appears to be a nice set up and is very attractive. However, pretty is as pretty does...

After registering, I received the confirmation email and followed their instructions "to the letter". However, the website thwarts every attempt I make to particpate. It appears I have not been "approved" yet and the adminstrators have not responded to my queries.

Well, I know that I'm a farmer and I have plenty of past experience to back up that statement. I have nothing to prove and certainly don't need anyone's approval so I can't be bothered with the Homesteading Today website.

I agree with presmudjo's statements. Don't bother with the Homesteading Today website. It is definitely NOT user friendly.

Perhaps the Homesteading Today members that belong to our forum could contact those adminstrators and tell them about the "negative press" their getting. I'd like them to know that farming/homesteading IS NOT A CLUB with exclusive membership!

Kat
katymattice@hotmail.com

Thanks Kat on your input. I was feeling like a butt head, like maybe I did something wrong. Now I know, if they accept me, fine, if not, fine. It seems to be a toss up on people who have wonderful times and others who can't get on like me. I'm new at having 2 cows. I grew up around a farm until I was about 10, but I don't recall alot, and what would I really know anyway at 10!. Can you give some sites that I could learn from? I find alot of places, but they seemed geared to large operations.

You are not being a butt head. Your experiences are as valid as mine. But, different forums exist for a reason.

On my homestead I raise meat rabbits (no forum here for that), bees (yes both sites have beekeeping forums, and I am active in both), dairy goats (again not covered here), and we raise all of our own vegetables and fruits organically (which gets better coverage here than there).

So, IMHO both sites have merit, both provide me with useful information, both have knowledgable members helping with questions.

Sorry if I came off as rude in my earlier post. My experience has simply been different than yours. I know they hold off on allowing posts in General Chat for a time, but I seem to recall being allowed to post in all other forums immediately upon registering.

Russ

HT= homesteading today

It might be that the moderators are slow lately at approving new members- some IIRC are out of town/ not at the computer daily. As RN says one can not post on GC until proving one is actually a participant elsewhere in the forum.

They have in past had problems with some trolls registering with new names so maybe they are being slower and more careful at new members. It is even possible (no offense intended presmudjo; anything is possible right?) that the OP is a troll there on HT angry they can not get back on the site, or that the moderators fear they might be! Anyway those of you with troubles starting there try giving it a week, repeat your requests to them weekly or so, even reapply before giving up if what you see as a guest appeals as much as it does to me as a member.

To be unbiased I sometimes get rude responses from a few folks- I venture into many forums that discuss more sensitive issues than gardening such as religion politics or how to raise your kids! - and once had what I felt was inadequate support when a slighty crazy member began sending me and many others poison PMs. While they didn't do as I asked I have to hope my complaints about that member added to influence their later decision to bar them from the forum for further more egregious sins.

And despite occasional arguments between folks on those more sensitive topics they all seem to forget their differences when giving garden or other homesteading or family raising or life advice in other threads. Only once have I decided not to take the consruction type advice from a fellow I know votes directly opposite to me (and occasionally attacked my political opinions) since the advice seemed bad and I feared he was either as dumb as I believed him from his expressed political opinions or actually trying to do me harm.

Thanks for all the responses on the subject. Even though I would love to be able to particiapate on Homesteading Today, I don't even go there to read anymore. Too frustrating knowing I can't write answers or ask questions. I feel better about it now, seems it wasn't anything I did.