USING THE NGA SEED SWAP TOOL
Please don't be put off by the length of this post... I've tried to cover every step, and that always means more words!
A reminder to those who are using items from their general swap list... Remember to enable each variety you’re offering for our swap by clicking the checkmark. If it’s not
green, it won’t be seen!
1. If you don't already have a screen name here, you'll need to sign up (it's free). Go to
http://garden.org
2. Click on “Tools & Apps” at the top of the page (above the photo banner) and choose “Seed Swaps” from the pull-down menu. In the “welcome” box, you’ll notice that Dave has added a video link with his instructions on using the seed swap tool.
3. From the main swap page, click on “2017 Mid-Atlantic Think Spring! Swap." Clink the link to "
Join This Swap," and then you’ll see “You are a member of this swap” on both the main page and on the page for our swap.
4. At the top of the page for our swap, you’ll see a “Your Profile” section. Click "Manage your swap profile." Add a brief description of yourself and your garden. This is also the place for your “
wants list”, which can be very specific ("Purple-speckled Loonybird Vine") or general ("I love purple flowers").
5.
Create your seed list for the swap by clicking "Manage your own swap list" under "Your Profile." Note that seeds aren't available for choosing until you click the checkmark at the left and turn it GREEN. Please try to get at least some of your seeds listed and enabled by Monday, Jan. 16.
You can also create a general list of seeds for use in this and other swaps by clicking the "Your Primary Swap List" button at the bottom of the "Seed Swaps" page. Then, when you "manage" your list for a particular swap, you click the checkmark for seeds you are including, and you'll see it turn green. Note that this is different from your NGA trade list – this is a specific list for use with the swap tool.
6. As people request seeds, they will be removed from your "available" number. You'll be able to see exactly what each person has requested from you. You may continue adding seeds to your list of offerings as we go along.
7. Although trading won’t open until 2 weeks before the swap, you can look through the items being offered at any time and “star” them to put them your
wish list. Please do *not* make requests or promises on the discussion thread or on the side with regard to seeds on the swap lists. Let’s give the tool a chance to do its thing.
Of course, you can chat up seeds that you’re offering, mention things you’re looking for, or say thanks for something you’ve put dibs on… but let’s use the swap tool to make requests official.
8. We will start calling
dibs on seeds from the seed swap list, on FRIDAY, JAN. 20. (I think the clock starts at 12:01 am Thursday Texas time). On the first day, you may ask for ONE item. On the second day, you may ask for TWO items, and so forth up until the day before the swap (when you may ask for 14 items). This feature of the seed swap tool spreads out dibs on the less numerous choices. Trading is very limited the first few days, but unused dibs “roll over,” and you’ll have plenty of “dibs” (105!) in 14 days.
9. You may “join this swap” after Jan. 20. Please note that if you are late signing up for the swap, you will still start with one request your first day, two your second, etc., even if everybody else is getting 10 requests by then. I’ll probably increase the multiplier to some absurd number a couple days before the swap so everybody can get advance requests in, even if they joined late.
10. Is there anything I forgot to mention?
