Finding time to post

Hello all,

I was curious what you all do to find time to post and take part in conversations on this site. I find that I will be active for a day or couple days in a row and then not be on for a week or more before getting back on and being active. Sometimes I feel bad because I will make a post in a thread but then lose track of it and any responses or questions people might have posted. So what do you all do? This is especially aimed at those who are very active on here. Do you set time aside on a regular basis for coming on here? Do you just do it organically when it fits? What works for those of you who are active?

I'm trying to be more a part of this community and eventually I want to have a regular blog, etc. But it is hard to be consistent and I would like to hear from all of you about what works.

Thanks!

I have dodgy health and need a lot of 'down time' during the day with my feet up, which I generally spend with a laptop open so I can browse and keep an eye on the place.

When I've got my breath back, I close the laptop and go and do something in the 'real world' instead.  It seems to work and stops me feeling guilty about all my down time.  

As for keeping up with all the conversations, just do it when it suits you.  The threads generally stay open forever as a permanent resource so unless something is time-sensitive I make posting fit around everything else I have to do.  There are exceptions - the first couple of days of the PDC I made sure I was online more than usual to help people get set up with the live-streaming, because that seemed the most valuable thing I could do with my time for those few days.  Now things have calmed down a bit (ha!) I'm back to doing the morning spam hunt and tidying up early in the morning while it's too early to let the chickens out and my other half is still sleeping so I can't clatter round the kitchen tidying up, then soon I'll be and about in the real world doing chores, mulching the garden, planting melons, playing with the ducklings, training the new chicks to forage, maybe even cleaning the cooker or building a screen door, and when my energy drops I'll sit down, put my feet up, dig out the laptop and do another check for spam, check for any interesting threads, maybe do a bit more of the book review I'm working on, maybe get another book promotion organised, and so the day goes on.  

I know a lot of the staff here tend to feel like you and worry about how consistent they should be and I really don't think it's a problem.  When everyone shares what they can when they can, great threads develop, ideas get shared, the community develops and everyone benefits.  I like it best when everything I do on permies is a joy to me, or at least rewarding or satisfying in some way.  I don't think it would work for me if I forced myself to do set things at set times for a set number of hours.  

Checking in on permies is  how I unwind after work, or something to do when the fields are too muddy to work. I get a lot of valuable feedback about my plants and ideas, so I make the effort as part of my continuing education.

I sit down for some reason and spend a few flicking through and dealing with life, universe, and checking email for the 'someone posted to a thread you posted on' and catch up. It's here and there but usually several times a day.

Its my downtime. Instead of Facebook, Twitter, TV, Netflix, etc.
Much more fulfilling.
This is a very supportive community that has concerns similar to my own.
But don't feel like you have to "produce content".
Just let it come as it comes.
For instance Dale was missed while he was away, but his old posts kept on giving and he's back without missing a beat.
Some of my favorite,most useful posts come from people who have written less than 10 posts EVER.

Thing is, forums are time shifted, so you can pick up on a line of thought later, or not at all, and it's all good.

Anyways, glad your here and wanting to contribute,that's  great all by itself.

I am usually here early in the morning while the internet provider offers bonus minutes.  I drink a cup of coffee and enjoy the forums.

Sometimes I see a question that I would like to answer but would like to wait to see other responses first.  Typically, I never see it again so I miss out on seeing the responses.

Or if the topic is something I am really interested in I might just reply ... thanks for the topic ... so I can get an email with the responses.

Anne Miller wrote:I am usually here early in the morning while the internet provider offers bonus minutes.  I drink a cup of coffee and enjoy the forums.

Sometimes I see a question that I would like to answer but would like to wait to see other responses first.  Typically, I never see it again so I miss out on seeing the responses.

Or if the topic is something I am really interested in I might just reply ... thanks for the topic ... so I can get an email with the responses.

Anne, if you select 'watch topic' at the top of the thread and then in your profile check the place to receive email notifications, you can keep up with a thread without having to post there.  I tend to do that until I see if I want to participate or not or especially for ones that I've got nothing to contribute but want to learn about something.

Permaculture practices have allowed me to have the time for all of my permies activity.  Most of what I grow is perennial and requires no attention most of the time.  The animals pretty much take care of themselves too.  I just bring treats and water daily.  My total average work time in a day is about an hour.  I haven't had to work a real job in a decade, thanks to what I've been able to accomplish on my land.  That leaves some time to post on permies and to manage my other obligations like climbing trees, playing with my kids and cooking all of the food that keeps popping up all over the place.  

Judith, thanks for the suggestion about "watch topic".  I knew it was available just haven't utilize it as of yet.  I just started using the "bookmark topic" feature for topics I am really interested in.

Permies.com has so many great features that I have not found elsewhere.  And many great helpful folks!

Thanks all for the responses! I keep debating with myself over if it is better to just let things happen when they happen or carve out a specific time for it. Since buying my property in September my free time has shifted fairly dramatically towards doing things out on the land. I rented before that and it is great now having land to work on but at the same time there is a lot to get done. My time on Facebook and other sites has plummeted - though I find I'm on Youtube more now of days watching videos about homesteading / permaculture to get new ideas and figure out how to do things. Recently, I have been thinking that I need to take a break from digital tech in general to give more time to do work on the land and spend more time with family. I'm also trying to develop a plan that would let me start my own business in a year or two so that is keeping me busy too. If I do take a break from most digital tech I want to prioritize specific sites when I am online and I think this site is one I will focus on. I might end up just blocking out a time each day to get on here - say every other morning before work for example. At least this way I could be semi-consistent. I appreciate the feedback about not worrying about this but I think I want to at least try to be a bit more consistent. I appreciate this site and the community on here and I want to try to be a bit more a part of it.

Thanks again all!

I found permies.com while trying to ID some plants.  I knew immediately that I had found a wealth of information.  I lurked for several months before registering, I found I wanted to share and give back to the community what I had been given.

While youtube may offer a lot that you are needing now being part of a community is so much more satisfying.

All my posts are 'watched" so to speak so they go to my email. Since I check my email often because our farm runs on it (I am a full time farmer), I see what people reply and then get caught up. Sometimes it is distracting and I think to myself, "why don't you get off the computer and actually farm", but the reality is, I already farm...a lot.

I am under the gun now to get some serious work done as I got a big grant to do some permiculture restoration work on my farm, and it is super time sensitive, (June 15th is the deadline), and there is only one of me after all, but when I look back over the past 9 years and see what has been accomplished, I wonder if our State Agricultural Commissioner was indeed right...farmers need to share more of their knowledge. I believe that. I believe too many farmers are so wrapped up in their own farms that they are too busy to help others, but also believe we need to share, as much for ourselves as for those who may be listening to. Since he challenged us farmers with that in December 2016, I have really tried to do that on here, share what little bit I do know about farming.

Right now, I am deeply discouraged only because it seems 9 out of 10 posts I make go unheeded, and I think, "what is the point of posting?" There is some merit I know to people finding out on their own that it just will not work, or that they just want their biases verified, but it is frustrating to watch people plow a field that I have already plowed too. At what point do I say, "I tried" and plow under the uncultivated garden, or at which point do I roll up my sleeves and say, "time to put some extra effort into this endeavor?"

I love everyone on Permies, and would love to gather them up under my wings like a Hen does her chicks and help them out, and should things be different, perhaps I would do just that. IF I did not have a wife, IF I did not have young daughters, and IF I did not have a farm, oh how I would love to be a traveling Permiculturist, just traveling to each person's farm, for nothing more than a bed for awhile, meals and then gas money just to drive to the next place, all the while giving advice and free labor so that hundreds of Permicultural farms flourished instead of just mine here in Maine. When you have been given so much, you cannot give back enough. I know that, and know what it takes to bring a Permiculture Farm to fruition, and its tough doing so alone. I try to do that with words on here instead...

My time for the Internet is the time many people spend watching television: the evenings. I did the television away, now I read and answer my e-mails and follow the links, that's the way I come here at Permies (through the links in the daily-ish mail). After the e-mail I do facebook and/or watch youtube videos (the ones about interesting subjects).
This is possible because I am all by myself now. When my husband was still alife, I had less time (about 8 - 10 PM) for the internet.

I tend to check permies when my baby is nursing/napping in my arms. Sometimes I even get to comment if she really soundly asleep. I try to always find one post a day to give an apple to. And, if I have time to post my own question, I always try to make time to help someone else by answering THEIR question. I don't always succeed, as some days are crazier than others, but I try!

My time on Permies is down time from work.
When my eyes and or mind need a break, I take a few minutes to come here.
This can happen throughout the day and usually I come on four or five times a day for a brief amount of time.

Redhawk

Anne Miller wrote: Permies.com has so many great features that I have not found elsewhere.

I've been looking for an orientation group or thread that explains how features work here.  Can someone point me in the right direction?

I spend most of my on-line time at LibraryThing.com and their Talk system is very different and customizable.

We really need to figure out how to put a link at the top for that! The forum that has the answeres you're looking for is tinkering with this site. It's also a great place to ask questions about features. We've also got a thread full of tutorials and how-to and "what does ____ mean??" here: how permies.com works (tutorials and other useful threads)

I must confess, I only get on the computer while I'm at work.