Ah, I found the thread. It's not posts but database contributions of 100 or more that determine eligibility.

The thread "Members can disable ads now (under certain conditions)" in Site Talk forum

Edit: cross-posted with Dave!

If memory serves me correct I believe the no ad feature was for charter members only, of course I may be wrong.

If you have an ad blocker and have disabled ad on this site, you should consider that Dave and Trish put a lot of time, effort and money into this site, which they offered to us completely free of charge. The ads are how they pay to keep this site running, pay their bills and put food on the table. No ads equal no income for the Whitingers, No income equals no NGA. I feel it's not much to ask that we leave them enabled and click on a few, here and there.

Aha ... thanks for the sleuthing @Danita, I didn't remember that.

I'm delighted that ATP NGA is still open to non US gardeners

True, the name change is a bit of a step backwards from where I'm standing, but it's not a deal breaker. There certainly are many other gardening communities that have a name that can be directly linked to a specific country, yet are open to international members. What could be done better in my opinion is to inform about this, perhaps a little text in the header on the forum pages that clarifies that NGA welcomes international members. That little gesture would go a long way to take the edge of the word 'National' in NGA and I've seen this put to good use elsewhere.

Perhaps a small text clarifying how the plant database will be used and how it's going to be accessible in the future also would be reassuring. If its not intended to be commercialized or sold, then why not say so? A written commitment would be so much better and people would worry and speculate a lot less.

I can understand a need to keep 'official' NGA-advice US-specific, however I hope this wont be a hard limit extending to all areas of the the site. Personally I have never really expected database info, podcasts and so on to always be useful outside the US (but it can be useful, nevertheless). Rather I come here for the great people, the friendliness and the knowledge of everyone here. I also think it's fun to see how plant lovers garden in other countries, the methods and approaches they are using. Hopefully this aspect wont change

For what it's worth, a quick web search did not pull up any "International Gardening Association"

@William, exactly my thoughts...but you articulate it so very well! Kudos!

Jay, I do see your point.
I am perfectly willing to pay a yearly fee not to see obnoxious ads. I don't mind ads pertaining to the contents of this site.

You would pay a fee to have your site preference enabled to block ads? Not a bad idea...the fee will help offset the lost revenue from ads. I don't mind the ads, it allows for my continued free membership of this organization.

In general ads don't bother me too much although it's nice if they are garden-related in some way.

The non-garden ads that move and twitch and jump off the page are the ones that are distracting to my eye and brain.
I enjoy ads for thing I actually buy like Swanson (supplements/vitamins) and ads for Ayurvedic medicine, but this ad from LowerMyBills.com is pretty annoying...the ad moves and the mouth keeps flapping. Very distracting.

I certainly wish to support this administration, this place here has become my home on the web!

Dave has been good in the past at blocking particularly annoying ads for me, especially just the type you mention, greene...

Just off the top of my head here are a few sites that have geographic specific names and have world wide members. People across the planet join a site because of what the site and group have to offer, not because of its name.

Scottish Rock Garden Society
Pacific Bulb Society
North American Lily Society

I see people from across the world active with these groups and generously contributing to the respective websites and e-lists. It's really the internet that makes it possible and brings us together; not so much the name of the site...

I'm one of the non-US gardeners, though we in Canada have similar, if sometimes colder conditions to what much of the US has. However, I've never felt excluded. I do hope that we be able to continue including everyone and I suspect we will.

Change is sometimes unsettling, but those of us who are honest will admit that it's usually positive and I think on this site (unlike another that some of us have frequented), the changes seem to be well thought out and made with a minimum of disruption and the further changes to smooth out the bumps take place very smoothly indeed w/o further major disruptions. I'm grateful for that.

As for ads, I guess maybe I've reached a level where they are disabled (though I don't recall disabling any). But I'm not being bothered by ads. Maybe I've just reached a point where they don't bother me. I certainly recognize that they are necessary if we are to have free membership here.

I look forward to what is to come and expect (and hope) that it will be an enriching experience. And I thank Dave and Trish for their hard work in keeping the site working smoothly.

I'm with the Thumbs Up side, and hope some of the valuable contributers from other countries get over being miffed about the name change, and stay with us. I really enjoy the input from other parts of the world and the expertise they add.

I don't think it is as simple as being on the thumbs up or thumbs down side. And 'get over it' or 'I wouldn't have a problem if I lived outside the US' (when you don't) rather minimizes our international friends' concerns. I do think things will shake out well in the end, but in the meanwhile everyone's voice should be heard with respect and their concerns addressed.

I agree. Carol. As moderator of the BBB thread, we have so much fun comparing our bird, butterfly, and bee friends. I love that the bird people are currently arguing over who has better-looking birds. Americans think European birds are more colorful, and the Europeans think the American birds look better. It's been pretty funny to see the compliments flying back and forth.

As much as I love native plants, I can be honest and say that most of us grow things that came from other parts of the world. And people in other parts of the world grow things that came from here. I think a lot of the advice on this site is applicable to most of the world, no matter what we call the site. On the forum I moderate, we're all concerned about the decline of bees. We all worry about various endangered species. We have far more in common than we have differences.

Personally, I've been referring to the site as garden.org in my mind. That seems pretty inclusive. If you garden, have a garden, or want to garden, come here! I'm excited to meet new people on the forums and I hope they come from a wide variety of places. The more input we have, the more we learn!

And I have faith in Dave. I feel like he's always tried to do right by the members, and I don't see why that would change now.

to everyone!

I don't like the new name at all, but I will try to ignore it and that big logo.

It just sounds a little snobbish to me, I really liked the All Things Plants name. But I am sure I will get used to it. What is more important is the people and we have very good ones here from Dave and Trish to all the members. I just hope all those from other countries stay with us, they have made valuable contributions to this site.

The transition was so smooth that I didn't even notice. I logged on this evening on my laptop (I'm normally just on my phone), and thought something crazy was happening.
I like the new "brand", and feel like the international members here won't be offended or feel non-represented. Everyone here is very friendly, caring, and understanding -- which is why I come here.

Congratulations on the smooth and clean transition. I'm really liking the new site and name.