Help needed for e-book

[Mark]

Hello,
I'm researching for a new e-book that will be like a beginners guide to vegetable gardening. I want to help encourage more people like you to become passionate about growing their own produce. In order to do this I need a number of gardeners to answer the following short survey and post your replies to [e-mail]
As a way of saying thank you I will email you a free copy of the e-book when it is completed which you can pass on to friends and family to encourage them to get involved in growing their own vegetable garden.

1. What was the biggest question you first had about starting a vegetable garden?
2. What were your most pressing questions about starting the garden?
3. What are you most frustrated about with having a vegetable garden?
4. What are some common problems that arise with growing your own fruit and vegetables?
5. How much would you pay to do a course that would improve your vegetable garden and save you money?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Mark

[TAR HEEL]

.

[John Walker]

Phew, how much time do you have?
Not to be too negative but my major challenge is realising that gardening in KY is likely not be be the same as Australia.
so I could answer 1,2 3 and have these answers worth something to many people but not 4.
as for 5, I think we have a moral obligation to make information free (I'm no entrepreneur....)
I will try and send answers soon.
pax
John

[TAR HEEL]

#1 location #2 soil requirements #3 CRITTERS! #4 CRITTERS! #5 why pay when I have KGI? #6 ORMUS(haha)

[Kay Robbins]

You bring up a good point with comparing the to our Ormus issue. What is the difference between this and the person trying to promote his product. Mark has not added anything to KGI discussions so far and seems to have joined just to get info so he can profit from an ebook with knowledge from this group.

[TAR HEEL]

BINGO!!

[Michelle W. Flannery]

There have been a few posts like this one since I joined KGI last fall. Very soon after I joined, I posted a survey asking what people eat for breakfast. I hadn't participated in any other discussions prior to that. Was my agenda for posting such a query inappropriate? I found it a good way to get to know people on this site. When the members answered my questions, the opportunity for conversation opened up.

Perhaps we should give Mark the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps the survey he is taking, besides being an aide to his writing, is his way of getting to know us. So far, we aren't giving him a very good impression, don't you think? I believe we should give Mark a little room and a little time before we light the torches and warm up the tar.

The difference between Mark's post and the mess we just went through with BC-O is that Mark is not insinuating himself into multiple discussions and groups in order to promote a personal agenda. Mark chose a single acceptable KGI format to present a legitimate query to this gardening group about gardening. His questions are things we talk about all the time anyway.

Many of our members find a way to promote their programs and gardening "agendas" through acceptable methods - links to blogs and webpages, forum discussions, KGI blogs, and photos. Mark chose a legitimate format (forum discussion) to present his agenda in a personable way. He was honest enough to inform us of his intention to write a book, and kind enough to offer those who respond a free copy of that book. In this legitimate forum discussion format, we are free to respond to Mark's queries or ignore them, something we did not have the option to do with BC-O. Mark is engaging us in a discussion. BC-O never did.

We are all a little bruised by recent events, and therefore edgy about certain things. However, if we step back and look again, I'm sure we'll see that Mark's participation here is appropriately respectful of our membership. I think we should show him equal respect. Don't you?

[Michelle W. Flannery]

I'd like to add... many writers take surveys of populations in order to gather research material for books they are writing. In the old days they posted their queries in national newspapers or sent out survey letters to borrowed or purchased mailing lists. These days, such surveys can be conducted successfully on the internet. And where better to go to "communicate" with gardeners than to an online gardening community. Books about gardening are always being written, and will continue to be written with or without us. Wouldn't it be nice to have our personal experiences chronicled in a book that will be made available to many. If Mark uses our information, I'm sure he will credit KGI in his book, and wouldn't that be a wonderfully positive way to promote this website and web community among beginning gardeners? I sure think so.

[TAR HEEL]

...''how much would you pay''?...there lies the rub. think about it.

[TAR HEEL]

...oh yeah,..I answered every question. I love this.

[Michelle W. Flannery]

Mark is writing a book for beginners. You and I and almost all the other KGI gardeners are not beginners. So I wouldn't want the book even if it was free. But someone who hasn't done any gardening before might find it helpful, and might find his book worth the few dollars it would cost. Most e-books are much less expensive than hard-copy books. And reading his book, they might find their way to KGI. It's a win-win.

[Kay Robbins]

This is the only post made and he has not joined any groups or contributed to any discussions. If this were an active participant in the group I would not question a post like this. It is very different from the What's for Breakfast post. I don't think you were trying to profit from that question.

[Michelle W. Flannery]

Kay, we are all free to ignore this discussion if we choose to. It isn't being forced upon anyone in any other or multiple discussions. Likewise, we are all free to answer Mark's questions. Perhaps there are those who would like to.