2011 Online Hosta Journal- WOW!

[Don Rawson]

In case you haven’t noticed…the new 2011 Online Hosta Journal was posted a while ago and is available at your convenience by going to the American Hosta Society website at http://www.americanhostasociety.org. Have you read it yet?

Well, if you’re like me, then you were astonished at the number of excellent articles in this year’s Journal. I think my brain is still on overload as I try to digest all the information and photos. It’s way too long for one read…in fact, you’d have to cover ten pages per day to get through it in a month!

This year’s Journal included a good variety of articles- descriptions of new hostas, practical gardening tips, scientific discussions, biographies, convention photos and more. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you will not be disappointed. And if you have not read it in detail, then you’re missing some great stuff!

Kudos to the contributors and editorial staff for undertaking such a monumental task! We’re grateful for all your hard work and dedication to make this year’s Journal a success. It must have taken a ton of hours. I’ve got to believe that every other plant and gardening society must be jealous of the talent, professionalism, and end product of our own AHS Journal staff!

The printed Hosta Journals are published twice per year and have 80 to 90 pages. In comparison, the 2010 Online Journal had a whopping 203 pages! And just how long is the 2011 Online Journal? Here’s my tally:


2011 Online Hosta Journal


Front Cover- 1 page
Contents- 3 pages
About the Online Journal- 3 pages
Notes From the Editors- 3 pages
President's Message- 2 pages
Letters from Readers- 3 pages
Divisions 3 pages
Product Reviews- 3 pages
This and That: 2011- 14 pages
Standout Hostas of 2011- 3 pages
Holistic Hosta Gardening- 4 pages
Hot Hostas- 3 pages
Focused on Hostas- 3 pages
One Cold Day in March- 4 pages
Growing and Overwintering Hostas in Containers- 11 pages
What's with all the Baskets?- 4 pages
The Wilson Garden: Friendship and Faith- 3 pages
Hosta Collecting in Japan- 8 pages
Toni Wright - Over Ninety Years in the Garden- 7 pages
Skaggs Benefit Auction and Obituary- 4 pages
This Old House Discovers Hostas- 2 pages
Nursery Trade Needs Height Standard for Minis- 8 pages
Eldren and Nancy Minks, Hosta Pioneers- 3 pages
An Interview with Nancy Minks- 4 pages
Finding Frances- 3 pages
Does a Virus Cause White Veins?- 4 pages
Nematodes: Getting to Know the Enemy Better- 3 pages
H. sieboldiana or H. 'Sieboldiana': Species or Cultivar?- 34 pages
Finally a Family Name: Hostaceae!- 10 pages
Hosta Registration: What's Behind the Curtain- 8 pages
What's the Scoop on The Hosta Hybridizer Group- 5 pages
Heartland Hostaholic: Rod Kuenster- 6 pages
Thoughts on the Origin of 'Sum and Substance'- 5 pages
Hostas in Tasmania- 5 pages
Centerfold- 2 pages
2011 National Convention- 78 pages
2011 Alex J. Summers Distinguished Merit Award- 4 pages
2011 Eunice Fisher Distinguished Hybridizer Merit Award- 4 pages
2011 Benedict Garden Performance Program- 9 pages
Other 2011 American Hosta Society Achievement Awards- 3 pages
Hosta News Scapes- 16 pages
Hellebores: Prelude to Spring- 3 pages
AHS Announcements- 3 pages
Past President's Message- 3 pages
What's a Hosta Convention?- 5 pages
AHS Online Auction 2012 - Hosta Magic in January!- 4 pages
Call for Nominations for Summers and Fisher Awards- 2 pages
2012 Nashville, TN - Hosta, Friends, and Music- 4 pages
2013 Milwaukee, WI - Escape to Wisconsin- 3 pages
Winter Scientific- 3 pages
Hosta College- 3 pages
First Look 11- 4 pages
Midwest Regional- 2 pages
Dixie Regional- 3 pages
Fall Forum 2011 “Wild Thangs”- 4 pages
Board of Directors- 3 pages
Merchandise Mart- 2 pages
Back Cover- 2 pages
__________________________

Grand Total - 358 pages!!!

In addition, the 2011 Online Journal includes 739 color photographs, one video, a 16-page local society newsletter, and a downloadable 43-page cookbook! Also, a comments section at the end of nearly every article! What more could you ask for?

Finally, here are some comments and suggestions:

First of all, my main concern is that the Journal is so lengthy that much of the information will be overlooked if the reader feels overwhelmed.

Secondly, it would be helpful if there was a separate link to the current Online Hosta Journal on the main page of the American Hosta Society website at all times to make the Journal easily accessible.

Thirdly, I would like to see a comprehensive topical index (or search engine) for all the Online Journals. This would allow a website user to look up a topic such as “nematodes” to find all the articles that dealt with that topic. An index such as this could be posted once there are a few more Journals online.

A big “thank you” to all who were involved! And now, back to the 2011 Online Hosta Journal . .

[Chris_W]

Those are some good suggestions for the AHS, Don. By the way, I had no idea there was that much content in the online journal. I must have been on overload!

Another idea, I think, would be to put ads in the online journal. It would be very easy to incorporate them. Hopefully they can clean it up a bit, too, and make it easier to navigate

[Marlys]

Dan,

I haven't been to Hallson's for a long time but here tonight and see your article of interest on the OLJ (on-line Hosta Journal).

Thank you for your good information and bringing the OLJ to "attention" here on the web-site. That's a good thing!!!

In response to your ending comments there is a link to the current OLJ on the AHS web-site homepage under members. Normally there is a "members only" click icon where the on-line auction link is right now. This was only the second OLJ edition ever published. Old editions are to be archived and parts of them are "open" to the public in an attempt to intice interest and maybe grow some new AHS members. All AHS publications except the current OLJ can be accessed under that icon on the AHS homepage sidebar. "The Hosta Journal" editions are prviledge of membership in the AHS. It's what membership dues go to support.

The amount of reading material in the current edition will be "there" for a year. So like, a good book, you can read what you want at your leisure. And if you are a AHS member the OLJ will always be available for us to read in the archives. (Or that is the plan at this time.)

You suggestion of a comprehensive indexing system is a great idea. All OLJ staff are volunteers and I bet you would be welcomed with open arms if you would like to devote the time to create such an indexing system. Contact information is posted in the OLJ.

Thanx! again for your promoting the OLJ and your willingness to give great suggestions. Please feel free to email or call any AHS board member or officer at any time with great suggestions and to volunteer to help out.

MM

[Chris_W]

Thanks for sharing the link to the online journal Marlys. I couldn't find it either, and had no idea that the link for "members" would lead to the online journal via the password field. There isn't any indication even on the member page that you will be going there after entering the password, so thanks again for showing the way.

[Marlys]

Isn't it funny how easy things are once you know how to do them??? The AHS homepage is disrupted right now due to the on-line auction that just got over last night. Usually there is a members only click spot.

And it was too late last night to go on any further but there are advertisements under "Merchandise Mart" with the OLJ. And there is advertising on the AHS web-site under "Buying Hostas" & "Garden Goods" on the homepage sidebar, & there is ad space available inside each paper edition of THJ. And there is another advertising opportunity available to those vendors that support the AHS New Member Program. They get a free banner ad with a direct link to their own web-site. And the ads are very nicely done.

Let me know if you would like any further information about advertising with the AHS.

Thanx! Chris!!!
MM

[Chris_W]

Thanks for the info Marlys, but I don't have a current membership with the AHS so I can't advertise, and will get penalized for a late renewal, so I'll just save my money all around and skip it for now. Money is tight this time of year and of course I never think to renew my membership during the summer... Since I can pay less to just start a new membership later I'll probably just wait until next year.

[thy]

WOW is the word - once again

Thank's, thank's, thank's to all of you for the extreme efford you have all put in the Online Journal. Still nott finished reading and my behind is sore

Marlys, you said, - darn it , this is difficult, - what I am thinking is difficult to type even in my own language

So you want more members, sure , I know, so....
Some of you may know I have been reading Media sience, comercial branding and bussiness comunication for nearly 5 years... No, not at all, but my DD have and I have been reading all her tasks and forced to discuss them

The picture of the online journal is beautiful, but she would tell you, it do not say anything to a non member. They just meet a demand for a password.
So what can you do:
Either make a sort of box or a link just under or inside the picture, telling it is 358 pages, have clickable (sp) beautiful pictures - for me it is one of the wonders of the online journal- it is all about hostas, news, gardens, science, people ect. Make it clear to non members, that for their $ they get 2 paper journals and a "fresh hosta book" every year and possibillity to go on tours and and...
Is it possible to have a text translator ? I was thinking on an article about one of the auctions, there were people from Netherland, Belgium and Russia.. and there are more.. French, Hungarian, Germans, Scandinavians ect. . I know the translators are not perfect, but if it was enclosed, it might get more non English members to join.
Then there is the branding - if you could twist an arm on Bob and have the online issue snown on the HL It is where everybody go and what everybody know.

[kaylyred]

I just read the OLJ today. Yes, it was a little challenging to find, but I had an idea about where to look.

It's very obvious that the OLJ is a labor of love. Clearly, a great deal of time and effort goes into it. I, for one, appreciate every article, every photo, and the time it took to pull it all together. I'm an editor (it's what I do to earn a paycheck) so I can only imagine what a daunting task it is to get the OLJ published.

That said, I hate to see any effort wasted, and I do feel that the sheer size of the OLJ is a little overwhelming. Obviously, it's not a printable tome by any stretch (unless you have a great printer, a binder, a hole punch, and a whole lot of paper!), but I do wonder if it could be pulled together in PDF format so that members could download it to read offline. PDF is a much easier format to deal with than navigating through pages and pages online. Almost everyone who owns a computer has the free Adobe Reader (required to read .pdf files) already installed. For those who don't, the program is free and only a download away.

On a much smaller scale, I edit the newsletter for the Wisconsin Hosta Society. We email the newsletter (a much smaller file than the OLJ would have to be) to our members as a PDF and the response to it has been very positive. I'd be willing to bet that a downloadable version of the OLJ would meet with a similar positive reaction. For me, personally, I'd love to be able to just download the file and save it for reading on my Kindle Fire later. You can do that with a PDF!

[Marlys]

Great thoughts on the OLJ. Please forward them on to the editors. I believe they would be very interested in your insights and comments. This is a new venture with only 2 issues under their belts to date. Work will begin very soon on the 3rd OLJ. All contact information is included in the OLJ.

Thank you, Hosta Friends,

MM