WTS: personae non gratae at Tomatoville® - Page 2

ginger2778 · December 9, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goodloe

I looked at the site. It doesn't appear that they [I]sell[I] seeds. They still list Craig as an adviser.

I'm not entirely clear on its purpose. Maybe it's just one of those high-brow foundation things that well off, well meaning people want "to be involved with"...?

They asked me to write some articles for them. I said no. They can do the work themselves.

KarenO · December 9, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Especially considering who they hired to run it.

The website is not the issue, that has remained vague in its purpose, colourful and unobjectionable.
The social media presence on the other hand has been much more of a marketing tool for seeds, even greeting cards.
I am reserving my opinion pending further observation.
KarenO

Patihum · December 9, 2018

As far as I can tell the WTS is mostly just the self promotion of its members. Buy seeds here - eat here - blah blah blah!

Worth1 · December 9, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patihum

As far as I can tell the WTS is mostly just the self promotion of its members. Buy seeds here - eat here - blah blah blah!

Does have that west coast ring to it doesn't it.

I dont see Tomato Growers Supply on the list but I see Howdy Doody.

**nctomatoman** · December 9, 2018

Definitely reassessing things. Tricky situation - one either gets involved when asked to be able to keep an eye on things, or defers and has no way to express things. But....things have gotten weird, so...stay tuned.

ginger2778 · December 10, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by Patihum

As far as I can tell the WTS is mostly just the self promotion of its members. Buy seeds here - eat here - blah blah blah!

Facebook page is different.

FarmerShawn · December 10, 2018

I can't guess the motivations behind the efforts. My only experience is the Facebook postings. The photos are gorgeous, and the descriptions of tomatoes I know are spot on accurate. I don't have any problem with a page that tempts me to try a new tomato variety, and provides a link to where I can get the seeds. Maybe I'm just too unsuspicious.

DonDuck · December 10, 2018

I checked out the web site Carolyn provided a link too back in January again. It does seem to have been fleshed out a little more with more meat on what was a pretty bare boned web page. Near the bottom of the page, it has a tomato identifier function which allows you to identify tomatoes by color, shape, size, and type. I identified orange, large, round; and indeterminate. It identified quite a few cultivars which fit the description. I was curious if it would identify KBX. It didn't, but it did identify Kellogg's Breakfast and Orange Minsk and a few others. I didn't follow anything to see if it led me to favored plant or seed vendors. If they continue adding to the site,, it could become a useful data base for information regarding tomatoes much like Tatiana's Tomato Base has been a useful tool for me over the years.

I was wrong. It did identify KBX as the last entry on the second page of photos.

If they would add cultivar histories, preferred growing zones, disease resistance, and tomato based recipes; it would be a great web page/data base.

oldman · December 10, 2018

I took a quick look at the site. It just seems to be a platform to suck people in and market to them. They rank their influencers as highly as their experts. The fact that they even see a need for. "influencers" bothers me. While they seem to have begun adding content it's nicely formatted but not unique to the site. Much of it seems to be what you'd get if you edited some Tomatoville threads into articles. I'm not saying the WTS doesn't have some admirable objectives. I'm just observing that making money seems to be one of their goals. I think if you want to talk tomatoes or learn more about gardening there are better options.

ginger2778 · December 10, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonDuck

I checked out the web site Carolyn provided a link too back in January again. It does seem to have been fleshed out a little more with more meat on what was a pretty bare boned web page. Near the bottom of the page, it has a tomato identifier function which allows you to identify tomatoes by color, shape, size, and type. I identified orange, large, round; and indeterminate. It identified quite a few cultivars which fit the description. I was curious if it would identify KBX. It didn't, but it did identify Kellogg's Breakfast and Orange Minsk and a few others. I didn't follow anything to see if it led me to favored plant or seed vendors. If they continue adding to the site,, it could become a useful data base for information regarding tomatoes much like Tatiana's Tomato Base has been a useful tool for me over the years.

I was wrong. It did identify KBX as the last entry on the second page of photos.

If they would add cultivar histories, preferred growing zones, disease resistance, and tomato based recipes; it would be a great web page/data base..

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldman

I took a quick look at the site. It just seems to be a platform to suck people in and market to them. They rank their influencers as highly as their experts. The fact that they even see a need for. "influencers" bothers me. While they seem to have begun adding content it's nicely formatted but not unique to the site. Much of it seems to be what you'd get if you edited some Tomatoville threads into articles. I'm not saying the WTS doesn't have some admirable objectives. I'm just observing that making money seems to be one of their goals. I think if you want to talk tomatoes or learn more about gardening there are better options.

I agree with you both, but here again mostly we are having trouble more with the Facebook page, not really the website.

jtjmartin · December 10, 2018

I took a look at their website and Facebook page and found nothing to be objectionable. They do try to sell some seeds but it's a pretty soft sell. (My wife and I just sat through a local time share presentation to get some cash and vacation points - now that was a hard sell!)

The photos are very professional and the artwork is great. It is very 2018ish with the comments to the comments very affirming and non-judgmental.

I would miss the back and forth sometimes squabbling that passionate tomato-lovers get into here on T-ville. ie: To prune or not to prune?

Jeff

DonDuck · December 10, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger2778

I agree with you both, but here again mostly we are having trouble more with the Facebook page, not really the website.

I have no problem with their facebook postings. I steer clear of facebook. Many years ago, I signed up in the morning and dropped my account the same day. I didn't understand why all those folks I didn't know wanted me to "friend" them. I still have no idea what is on facebook.

AKmark · December 10, 2018

People way over think the most simple things in life. It is a tomato FB page. Enjoy!

pmcgrady · December 10, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by AKmark

People way over think the most simple things in life. It is a tomato FB page. Enjoy!

LIKE!

JosephineRose · December 11, 2018

Forewarned is fair warned. Thank you all. I too will reserve judgement.

December 9, 2018	#20
nctomatoman Tomatoville® Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Hendersonville, NC zone 7 Posts: 10,385	Definitely reassessing things. Tricky situation - one either gets involved when asked to be able to keep an eye on things, or defers and has no way to express things. But....things have gotten weird, so...stay tuned. __________________ Craig

December 10, 2018	#22
FarmerShawn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Vermont Posts: 1,001	I can't guess the motivations behind the efforts. My only experience is the Facebook postings. The photos are gorgeous, and the descriptions of tomatoes I know are spot on accurate. I don't have any problem with a page that tempts me to try a new tomato variety, and provides a link to where I can get the seeds. Maybe I'm just too unsuspicious. __________________ "Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!" -- Tommy Smothers

December 10, 2018	#23
DonDuck Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Corinth, texas Posts: 1,784	I checked out the web site Carolyn provided a link too back in January again. It does seem to have been fleshed out a little more with more meat on what was a pretty bare boned web page. Near the bottom of the page, it has a tomato identifier function which allows you to identify tomatoes by color, shape, size, and type. I identified orange, large, round; and indeterminate. It identified quite a few cultivars which fit the description. I was curious if it would identify KBX. It didn't, but it did identify Kellogg's Breakfast and Orange Minsk and a few others. I didn't follow anything to see if it led me to favored plant or seed vendors. If they continue adding to the site,, it could become a useful data base for information regarding tomatoes much like Tatiana's Tomato Base has been a useful tool for me over the years. I was wrong. It did identify KBX as the last entry on the second page of photos. If they would add cultivar histories, preferred growing zones, disease resistance, and tomato based recipes; it would be a great web page/data base. Last edited by DonDuck; December 10, 2018 at 10:25 AM.

December 9, 2018	#18
Patihum Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Southeast Kansas Posts: 878	As far as I can tell the WTS is mostly just the self promotion of its members. Buy seeds here - eat here - blah blah blah!

December 10, 2018	#24
oldman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Kansas 5b Posts: 198	I took a quick look at the site. It just seems to be a platform to suck people in and market to them. They rank their influencers as highly as their experts. The fact that they even see a need for. "influencers" bothers me. While they seem to have begun adding content it's nicely formatted but not unique to the site. Much of it seems to be what you'd get if you edited some Tomatoville threads into articles. I'm not saying the WTS doesn't have some admirable objectives. I'm just observing that making money seems to be one of their goals. I think if you want to talk tomatoes or learn more about gardening there are better options.

December 10, 2018	#26
jtjmartin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Williamsburg VA Zone 7b Posts: 1,110	I took a look at their website and Facebook page and found nothing to be objectionable. They do try to sell some seeds but it's a pretty soft sell. (My wife and I just sat through a local time share presentation to get some cash and vacation points - now that was a hard sell!) The photos are very professional and the artwork is great. It is very 2018ish with the comments to the comments very affirming and non-judgmental. I would miss the back and forth sometimes squabbling that passionate tomato-lovers get into here on T-ville. ie: To prune or not to prune? Jeff

December 10, 2018	#28
AKmark Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Wasilla Alaska Posts: 2,010	People way over think the most simple things in life. It is a tomato FB page. Enjoy!

December 11, 2018	#30
JosephineRose Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: California Posts: 383	Forewarned is fair warned. Thank you all. I too will reserve judgement.