For years I produced my family's nursery catalog (remember paper catalogs), and later also converted the catalog to html each year (long before online shops). That was a giant yearly project...and I was 3000 miles away from actual operations. Sitting here, I glance over at my garden spreadsheet and shudder at the thought of converting it to a presentable and useful online catalog...and doing it in a way that it is maintainable and easily updated. Knowing that whatever solution I choose, there will be many dozens of hours of work before something workable results...time where I would be away from work, the garden, and any other personal activities I might indulge in, time that I wouldn't get back, nor compensated for. It is really easy to understand the choice to keep legacy systems going when the commitment to change is so expensive (time/labor/money)...and the replacement never works perfectly for you, since it is alway a mass market system with limited or expensive customization. We have three interlocking systems at work, one an enormous spreadsheet that is manually updated, but produces the reports needed, and easily workable, another commercial system that does its job pretty well, mostly because of an inhouse software wizard, and a standardized system that replaces a completely obsolete system that had once been well customized...it does nothing well, is ferociously difficult to use for everyone, but is what we are stuck with since a previous administration wanted to get the resume entry for "updating this obsolete system". No, they don't talk to each other, except for a few limited digital reports that are sent occasionally. I will note that you can get an answer out of the spreadsheet faster than you can get either of the other systems started up. Anyway. Kudos to the small independent nurseries that supply my plant habits, so long as the websites have the basic information, I can do my due diligence. If they add deeper descriptions and information, provide images, and have a workable navigation interface, wow, that is a major plus! Now, if you will excuse me, I _need_ to go pore over the Telos offerings. I'm sure I'll find a "few" items I can't live without! Robert in sunny pleasant San Francisco where this week's biggest flower show is fields of Oxalis pes-caprae in full glorious invasiveness. On Wed, Feb 17, 2021 at 4:12 PM Diana Chapman via pbs < pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote: > I thank you all for the kind and positive comments. I can't tell you > how much that means to me. > > I don't mean to complain about customers asking questions, just silly > ones like 'how much is this bulb?'. I try to answer all questions, and > give advice where necessary. In these modern times, it is rare to be > able to communicate with a real person, only with the small specialty > nurseries will you get personalized care. That makes it special for me > too, I feel I know some of my customers. People send me pictures of > their bulbs, or of their greenhouses or gardens, and that is really > wonderful, I feel I have friends all over the world. > > Again, many thanks for your supportive comments. > > Diana > Telos > > For great, unusual plants I’ll happily deal with a non-professionally > designed website. I’m hot after the plants not the graphic design. So as > long as I can figure out how to pick the plant and pay for it I’m good. > > > > Jan > > > >> On Feb 17, 2021, at 2:47 PM, Arnold Trachtenberg via pbs < > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote: > >> > >> i think we can show our thanks to Diane and Robin by patronizing their > nurseries. > >> Even if it's only a bulb or two. > >> > >> I heard a quote once about small specialist nurseries. > >> How do you make some money with a specialist nursery? > >> "Start with a lot of money" > >> > >> ArnoldSnow coming in NJ > >> > >> > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Vlad Hempel via pbs <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > >> To: Pacific Bulb Society <pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > >> Cc: Vlad Hempel <vlad.hempel@gmail.com> > >> Sent: Wed, Feb 17, 2021 3:57 pm > >> Subject: Re: [pbs] Telos Rare Bulbs > >> > >> If I may add my two cents: > >> > >> Diana, I find your website good enough for what it is. > >> > >> Being a bulb enthusiast myself and not from US, I took time to read > through > >> the conditions (especially the international orders page). > >> > >> I think your request about name and address is essential. > >> > >> Please continue to offers these gems. There are hardly any place that > offer > >> so many generas and species in one place. > >> > >> Greetings from Berlin, > >> Vlad > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> On Wed 17. Feb 2021 at 21:43 Diana Chapman via pbs < > >> pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote: > >> > >>> Thank you, Robin. It has actually taken me the best part of three > weeks > >>> just to update the availability on the web site, and I still have the > >>> greenhouses to take care of and orders to fill. As for hiring someone > >>> to do it, I couldn't possibly afford it, and anyway, I tried some time > >>> back to have someone make a cd of bulbs that I would provide to > >>> customers and it was a total nightmare, she couldn't understand the > >>> names, couldn't spell them, even with me going over them carefully, and > >>> I finally abandoned it. So, if my web site is clunky and 'not modern', > >>> that's the way it is. I have rarely had any complaints about it. > >>> > >>> Diana > >>> Telos > >>>> A suggestion that revamping our websites that would avoid questions > and > >>> other issues is great. But when you're a single proprietor with no paid > >>> help and when revamping takes an incredible amount of time and > resources, > >>> it's much, much more difficult. We struggle along as best we can and > make > >>> changes as we can, but for me the last two years have been very > difficult > >>> due to family issues, a major move and other obligations. Oh, yes, and > a > >>> grandson who is no longer readily available... Given the pandemic and > the > >>> fact that we all have family, often elderly or otherwise needing > >>> assistance, things don't happen as quickly or efficiently as they > should. > >>>> Right now I'm faced with at least updating some website information > and > >>> finding the time, let alone determining the best way to do it, can be > >>> roadblocks in themselves. > >>>> So, these upgrades will get done, but for specialist nurseries, these > >>> take a lower priority than making sure we have unusual and/or rare > plants > >>> available for the plant lovers who support us. Personally, I'll put up > with > >>> clunky websites to get what I want, knowing I can't get a plant > anywhere > >>> else nearly as easily. > >>>> Robin Hansen > >>>> Hansen Nursery > >>>> In the southern wilds of Coos County, Oregon > >>>> > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> pbs mailing list > >>>> pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > >>>> http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > >>>> Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> pbs mailing list > >>> pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > >>> http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > >>> Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > >>> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> pbs mailing list > >> pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > >> http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > >> Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> pbs mailing list > >> pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > >> http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > >> Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > > _______________________________________________ > > pbs mailing list > > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > > Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>