Hi Jo-Ann

There has been a problem with WWOOFers using Comments when trying to contact Hosts.  We added a stipulation in this area to "Please contact members through their email address or phone number or use the CONTACT tab above." hoping to distract WWOOFers from doing this.  But they still are.

The web team does have a task on their To Do List to provide notification to members when a comment is left.  But they have been so busy trying to keep up with all the requests I ask of them that this one got overlooked.  I have just sent off a reminder to address this as soon as possible.  I apologize for the missed contacts with potential WWOOFers.

We have a new feature in the works that will also help eliminate this problem.  We are developing a reservation/booking system whereby each WWOOF-stay will be registered on-line with a schedule and status identified on both the Host and WWOOFer profiles and provide an automatic feedback system for all participants to rate their experiences, collecting all ratings and making them visible on the member’s profile.   

 There will be specific criteria that will be rated (different for a host then a WWOOFer) and the ability to place a comment.  All ratings will be visible with the member's profile, providing a balance of varying opinions.  Right now comments are scattered in the Forum and with comments left on profiles.

Our intent is to keep all comments together, to be used as they were meant to - for feedback, not contact, and to provide more balanced feedback, and to instill accountability for all members.

 So there will eventually be a different method for contacting hosts and for leaving feedback.

Regarding the search feature:   Besides selecting the specific features of Region, Smoking, Meals, and Accept WWOOFers in Winter, the "search for specific words" only searches the Description portion of a Host's profile.  We tried adding the other features (those items you check in your profile) to the search criteria but it made the search feature too slow.  We are also looking at revamping the Search function altogether which will also include Google Mapping and full searching of all information found in a profile.

These ideas are still "in the works" and not completely formulated.  If you have any ideas to contribute they are most welcome.

We appreciate your patience as we continue to develop new features to our infant website (launched Dec 2008) that will help members better utilize the site and create better WWOOFing experiences.

A Newsletter will be coming out in late fall (after harvest) to advise everyone of new changes made to the site & program in the past year, and new developments in the works with expected dates for implementation, as well as other updates.

Cheers!

Becky

Coordinator