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Connecting Online

© Marie A. Miczak

Do you feel alone in your quest for an ever bigger pond? Do you have extra plants headed for the compost pile? Are your loved ones tired of hearing about your new waterfall modifications? If so it might be the right time to connect with other water gardeners online. Some of the best ways to learn can come from messageboards and posts by real gardeners who often learn by trial and error. Although many will have to admit forums are not what they once were, there is still a great deal of information to be had. Not to mention possible friendships to be made along the way.

Prior to using forums, usenet and online groups be sure to check out any FAQ's (frequently asked questions) area if one exists. New users often ask the same questions over and over again. The FAQ's area will help you educate yourself so you don't run the risk of sounding redundant to seasoned users/members. Also look to see if the forum has a search feature. One should always search to see if the question(s) they wish to ask have already been asked and answered.

One of the largest groupings of garden related forums in at the website gardenweb.com. Having been featured on TV and linked by many websites this is a popular hangout for many gardeners. Be sure to look in the Water Gardening and Bog Gardening forums for all sorts of discussions on the subject. You can also do plant exchanges on the Plant and Aquatic Plant Exchange forums. Even if you don' feel like actively participating there is tons of pertinent and timely information to browse and debates to ponder.

Another popular website like Gardenweb but expanded to include pond animals is the website PondHobbyist Forums. There are numerous active forums on specific topics such as Building Your Pond, Goldfish Forum, Koi Forum, Frog Forum, Exotic Plants and much more. There certainly is a forum for everyone at that site. The exception would be forums for setting up trades. Looking to the right you will see a column of hot topics. Many times these will be topics that are effecting you and your pond.

Do you enjoy writing an online journal such as on LiveJournal or blogging with Blogspot, etc.? If so why not see if your community of blogs (weblogs) has a search function or category for finding pond related journals and groups? On LiveJournal you can check out the fishponds community. You can also create your own journal for free and share your joys and sorrows of water gardening with other enthusiasts!