My name is Steve and I'm one of the founders of HelpMeFind. Many of you have written us asking about HMF and how it operates. I also see the same interest on rose related forums occasionally so I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you a little about us.
Clara Thomson was the other founder of HMF. Her love of roses, along with her well-honed research and organization skills, paved the road for us to build a state-of-the-art database about roses. Sadly, Clara passed away a few years ago. It's hard to imagine, but HelpMeFind is ten years old this year.
First and foremost, HelpMeFind is intended to be a tool, not a service. What do we mean by that statement? With a website intended as a service, a group of people, usually specialists in a particular skill or discipline, on one side of a "fence" are completely responsible for the content of a website, and individuals on the internet (you) are welcome to come and look but not touch. On the other hand, a website intended as a tool is designed to encourage everyone to participate in its content. That is what we mean by our mission statement on our "About Us" page found in the Welcome section:
HelpMeFind Roses is all about providing the tools to collect, organize, and present information about roses and everything rose related. It's about pooling the resources of the rose and gardening community by each of us sharing our experience and knowledge.
HelpMeFind provides the ability for all site guests to participate in several ways and is designed to organize the information you provide in the most useful and applicable context. On every page of the site you are welcome to comment about, or question, the content. If you can provide additional insight pertaining to the current page display, or you find an error, please click on the "Comments & Questions" tab and let us know. Also, at the top of every page are links to let you report generic site-related problems or errors, share your general knowledge and insights, or send us your suggestions (or complaints).
Who is "us" you may well ask? The day-to-day management and development of HMF would likely grind to a halt if it were not for the untiring efforts and devotion of a group of volunteers that help administer the site. They hail from different regions of the United States and from several other countries around the world. Each brings considerable and varied knowledge and many years of experience to HMF. They are also responsible for managing the core data of HMF - all plant listing additions and changes are vetted through them. Watch for a future "Editor's Notes" introducing them all.
There is a tremendous wealth of knowledge spread around the world and the internet is the first viable tool to collect, organize and disseminate that knowledge. Certainly much of this wisdom is concentrated in renowned individuals but it also can be found in bits and pieces in each of us - your insight and experience could be a small piece of an important puzzle.
HelpMeFind Roses is an interactive, mutable resource that is constantly growing and improving. It has the potential for documenting the current state of knowledge of the rose community and for sharing the insight and experience of millions of people from around the world, but to live up to its full potential, HelpMeFind needs you. Expert and novice alike can add to and refine the collective knowledge base that is HelpMeFind. We openly acknowledge we have some errors, as does almost every rose publication, but the difference is with your help we can identify and finally eliminate those errors, even the misinformation that has been repeated from reference to reference over the years.
Equally important is the accumulation of knowledge gained from your experiences. Which is more useful to you -- the breeder's claim of plant's disease resistance, or the actual experience of dozens (maybe someday hundreds or even thousands) of gardeners around the world in very different conditions? Isn't it nice to be able to ask others that live in your area or a similar climate how well a specific variety or species performs for them? You can do it through the "Comments & Questions" tab - put questions to people you've never met and help answer others' questions the same way.
Please tell us about your experience with the plants you grow using the "Comments & Questions" tab on each plant display. You can do the same for the nurseries you buy your plants from; the gardens you visit; the gardening organizations you have joined; and the gardening books you have enjoyed (or have been sorry you bought). You can show us the plants you grow by uploading your photos to the specific plant pages. Of course close-ups of blooms are the most popular but please consider whole-plant photos as well as close-ups of leaves, stems, hips, etc. as they can be crucial in aiding others in identification of their unknown plants.
Another great way to participate on HelpMeFind is to start a (private) garden listing. Everyone is welcome to add themselves to HMF, and it's free. Here you can list all the plants you grow as well as keep a garden journal.
It's nice to be able get information when you need it - you can do that with HelpMeFind. And it's nice to be able to give back to others by sharing what you have learned - you can also do that with HelpMeFind.
HelpMeFind is your tool; use it as you will.
