MX: final community gardening poster

here is the final output of the community poster. my teammate from Team Growin' Together can be viewed here.



Here are some needs/solutions for the gardeners of the present and how our online gardening community will enhance their gardening experience.



need: how to connect gardeners from around the globe.

solution: we will host seasonal online growing competitions. they will be able to submit photos and video to the site to compete worldwide to see who has the best gardening capabilities. the winner circle then flies to a location in the world to celebrate together. each season the location will be changed. this will encourage gardeners to compete and stay connected with one another for growing tips.



need: what happens if i forget to properly ready my gardens for the different seasons?

solution: a phone service sends calls for seasonal changes. the message will leave them tips (trim your shrubs, save your summer bulbs, dry your flowers for the upcoming winter months) about what should be done to prepare them for the upcoming months. this way you can maintain a healthy garden year round. it will also give advice what can be grown during each season (did you know you can grow onions in the cold winter months?)



need: my garden looks fine, but how can i see what other people are doing?

solution: you are able to document the plants (and their sizes, how many times you water etc) in your garden from very specific to nothing at all. you'll then be able to compare the ways people might grow their gardens. if you have the best stuff around, the other users on the community garden site will often visit your documentation to see useful ways to do what you do best. what about if you need help growing a particular green? no worries, you'll find other users from around the globe who are growing the same thing, successfully or not. (based on a tagging system)



need: advice on how to save water.

solution: notifications can be sent to your phone with weather updates. it will show you the weeks forcast, and have prediction days when you should water, and when you can hold out. also allows you to purchase items, like a rain barrel, so you can use the (free) rain water to quench your gardens thirst.




need: help starting a compost

solution: advances with online mapping will allow you to see where to pick up free compost materials. the mapping will indicate where the businesses or homeowners live that hand out this useful material. you can then map that point on your phone to help you get there. did you know, companies like starbucks have free coffee grounds to use in your garden and compost?




need: help starting or growing a particular green in your garden.

solution: users can record their stories online about how they overcame a growing delimma. the audio or video file can then be downloaded or streamed through your computer, radio speakers and mp3 player. the person listening is able to look at their own lawn while hearing a persons voice advise them on how they succeeded with their garden. everyone loves a good story.




need: to know how much material to buy for the garden

solution: a calculator application for the phone will help find out how much of a particular material a person needs for the size of your garden. this might include how much mulch to buy, how big certain plants get after an extended period of time, what variety of plant is best for you in your climate or what tools a gardener need to use to successfully grow in their yard.

MX: gardening demographic & parameters

Laura Berglund and I chose to research gardeners as a project demographic. I find this appriate for the situation we are all in, with the economy lower than a Jamaican limbo stick. What happened to good ol days throughout the war when families across America would grow their own vegetables to help out it's nation?






Gardening is a great, productive hobby, not only for the retired with nothing better to do than sit on the couch, but also for the kids to take charge and become responsible about something. If their gardening skills stink, send them to military school to learn some discipline. All kidding aside, gardening is a great way to be involved in a group activity.

the physical boundaries of gardening range from what kind of plant you'd like to grow, where you're growing it (crop, field, rooftop, sun-room, kitchen), when you want (or are able) to grow it, the size of your garden. Gardens can grow anything from plants, vegetables, shrubs, fruits, and so much more!

the people involved could be anyone that wants to take gardening on. Research shows many gardeners are between 30 to 60, married, have the time to upkeep and maintain their gardens, are retired, stay at home mothers and fathers, the baby boomer generation and vegetarians. there has even been movements to persuade middle and high schoolers to produce their own gardens.

what's in the gardeners toolbox you ask? well most importantly you need hands. one should do just fine. optional tools include: shovel, gloves, watering can, watering barrel, soil, compost heap, bulbs, cutting sheers, plastic saran wrap, wheelbarrow, sticks, chicken wire (not made of real chicken) and sunlight.

what does this community want? whether someone wants to start a garden, or one is an intermediate hot dogger, everyone can use tips. this community is full of helpful hands to show you the way to make the garden you desire. information ranges from where to buy supplies, what kind of garden to grow for best tasting dinners, when to plant (and not to plant) particular items, which tools work best for your garden, how to start a garden, how to maintain a garden, how to spruce up your garden, talk with other passionate gardeners, and if you're lucky enough to have both hands – where to buy gloves (and other supplies).

what are some official symbols of gardeners? large straw hat, a hoe, gloves, overalls, the color green, a watering can, the smell of fertilizer.

some motivations this group has are: growing healthy foods, saving money and helping the environment, enjoying an outdoor hobby, a relaxing escape from one's spouse, making your home attractive, winning the town fair's largest vegetable contest.

Here is an online model my partner and I created.

here is a (very) loose Community Model for an online space

In general, once you move a community to an online space, it encases the same ideologies as in real life, but the means communicating are a different process. In real life, membership boundaries can be set by things people wear, but online, you aren't able to see what these people are wearing so you have to find other ways to ways to set the boundary. (the group might be 'invitation only' or you can apply to a group).

1. Integration and fulfillment of needs– fulfillment of needs is enhanced by being online since there are more people able to interact. In real life, you don't get as big as numbers helping your cause, but online you're able to reach more people in more places because the internet allows for wider exposure. when one person comes into the community to meet goals and needs, those people have those same concerns, they can work together to achieve their goals. They are depending on each other for help to succeed. If one sees others are participating, they will want to participate as well. When many people with a similar issue come together to find a solution, the reward is now shared with the group.

2. Membership– in the online community, it's all a lot more open which is possibly why there aren't many boundaries. There isn't much personal privacy which then limits personal connection/relationship
• boundaries ( invitation only, blocking people, referrals, applications)
• emotional safety (own blog posts, how people respond, attitude towards participation, privacy controls, banning, sharing one's own ideas)
• sense of belonging and identification ( if people show interest in what you're doing, identification/profile page, number of friends, invitation to certain events)
• personal investment (this is what online is all about. If you don't participate, it's as if you don't exist–blogging, commenting, rating, posting images/video, customizing main profile page etc.)
• common symbol system (the look of the website is a symbol system–its logo, colors, typefaces, topics)

3. Influence– based on what the website is used for, that's the groups influence on the individual. The more you participate in a positive way, the more participation you'll receive from others in the group. Influence is inherent–the fact they are on the same website means there are shared values, needs and purposes, so users already know what others want/need. Influence comes when people make the effort to participate and be known.

4. Shared emotion connection– things are constantly being updated and changed online, so there isn't much reflection of a community history. Instead of having an experience with someone in the community, you're just sharing experiences you've accomplished offline. There is no 'real' contact online, so the quality of interaction is hindered by a screen.