What do you think about Wwoof Portugal?
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Written on Jan 29 2009 01:54
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rodrigo
WWOOF Coordinator
Topic creator
Registered Since:
Jan 07 2009
Posts: 106
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We are beginning so your feedback is very important!
Here is your opportunity to tell something about us! Post here what come inside your mind (please no insults  ). Some nice words will be welcome too.
Don't be shy! Post your idea! Lets fill this empty Forum 
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Written on Feb 21 2009 21:06
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abelhas
WWOOF Host
Registered Since:
Dec 30 2008
Posts: 12
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i think it's great! very easy to use website and nice to have all the portugal hosts in one place.
my only worry is that wwoofers have to pay membership to more than one "organisation" now, and so it's maybe not affordable to visit more than one country.
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Written on Mar 21 2009 15:18
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ju
WWOOF User
Registered Since:
Mar 16 2009
Posts: 1
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Nice website.... I hope to find a host soon...
Would it be possible to add a "favourites" or "bookmark" function for hosts? Then it would be much easier to find again a certain host at a later visit to the website...
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Written on Mar 23 2009 15:15
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Oli
WWOOF User
Registered Since:
Feb 18 2009
Posts: 2
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Hey,
I like the web-site a lot, I am already in contact with some farms through this site.
I only have one little problem, even though it is not your fault.
About every second farm didn´t reply on my messages to them, not even after 3 weeks which is a little bit sad. Maybe the hosts could inform on this site here, how often they are able to check their emails, so everyone would know if and when he or her will receive an answer.
Best wishey, Oli
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Written on Mar 26 2009 17:24
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Zanni
WWOOF User
Registered Since:
Feb 12 2009
Posts: 1
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A very helpful site indeed. Especially since I´m a wwoofing rookie, and I daresay I would have been completely at a loss without a good working messaging system
( Though I couldn´t as of yet find - or gather the courage to create -
a good thread to simply state the following;
I´m currently traveling here and there around portugal with two friends, tell me if you need someone or somethree to help. (At least I´ll be staying until June... maybe longer, maybe forever.) )
"The world is a stage, but the play is poorly cast. "
-O.W.
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Written on Sep 30 2009 04:13
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jmckerricher
WWOOF User
Registered Since:
Sep 30 2009
Posts: 1
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I have spent a lot of time on WWOOF websites, and spent last Fall WWOOFing in Japan. I think the WWOOF Portugal site is good; it is very clean and well organized.
I like that I am able to organize host profiles by region, this helps me reduce my search area quickly. I also appreciate this forum, where ideas can be discussed. However, there are a couple steps that I would like to suggest, that would help the process of connecting with an appropriate host easier.
For me there are a few key pieces of information that I need before I will consider a host, and these should be included in the "host information" on the right hand side of the host profile.
-Most important for me is diet: is the host a vegan, vegetarian or omnivore. Do they cook meals, or am I expected to cook.
-next most important is minimum/maximum stay. There is no point in me reading a host profile and getting all excited only to find out that they only accept people willing to stay for 2 months.
-Another important piece of info is their (the hosts) season: Are they a year round operation or do they only operate from April until October? When are they most busy?
One aspect of the WWOOF Japan website that I really appreciated was a link to a list of "Hosts needing help now" which was updated on a monthly basis and was basically a list of hosts, and the tasks they required help with. This was fun way to monitor what was being harvested and when.
I'm just starting my search for an ideal host. I've got it down to a short list of 12 with a couple "stars" that I'm really putting energy into. Ideally I would only email one host at a time, but if you don't hear back from a host after a week, its hard to keep waiting.
Thanks for everything you put into this site. I'm really looking forward to another Fall of excellent WWOOF experiences!
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Written on Oct 08 2009 11:20
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rodrigo
WWOOF Coordinator
Topic creator
Registered Since:
Jan 07 2009
Posts: 106
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Thanks for your suggestions.
I will point it down and we will implement it on the next big update.
The only suggestion that don't apply to Portugal is the season work. The Portuguese winter is not so strong as in Canada or other high latitude countries, so work is necessary all year around.
Hope to see you WWOOFing around!
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Written on Feb 11 2010 19:55
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jessekaedra
WWOOF User
Registered Since:
Feb 05 2009
Posts: 10
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i have been involved in wwoof portugal for over a year now and have enjoyed the website. i think that there are a few key things that could help wwoofers and hosts all have better matches with each other.
one would be what the hosts GOALS are for themselves. do they aim to be living in a more organic or sustainable way or do they want help to avoid employing people? some wwoofers are not so caring about learning or participating in organic or sustainable lifestyles/farms, and if the hosts had a few specific questions to answer then wwoofers could gain an idea before even going if it would be a good fit. i thought that what another person said regarding diets is a helpful indicator as well.
something like answering "do you use biologic detergents?: always, sometimes, never, would like to but cannot afford" would answer a lot about the sort of place one is going to.
also what exactly is the "ecological" percent supposed to be for? if ones garden is 100% ecological, but no one is eating more than a couple tomatoes from the garden, is it accurate to say 100% ecologic?
so maybe if people could send a list of helpful prompts that hosts could use this could be implemented and then there could be more emphasis on better matches rather than complaints, which must be a bummer to hear!
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Written on Feb 16 2010 14:35
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jandi
WWOOF Coordinator
Registered Since:
Jan 13 2007
Posts: 32
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Thank you for your thoughts Jesse! We are doing the update now (it'll take a couple of more weeks until finished) and everything that is said here will be carefully considered for the update.
We have a loooong list "to-do" but please don't hesitate to give us more ideas!
Best wishes,
Jandi
jessekaedra wrote:
i have been involved in wwoof portugal for over a year now and have enjoyed the website. i think that there are a few key things that could help wwoofers and hosts all have better matches with each other.
one would be what the hosts GOALS are for themselves. do they aim to be living in a more organic or sustainable way or do they want help to avoid employing people? some wwoofers are not so caring about learning or participating in organic or sustainable lifestyles/farms, and if the hosts had a few specific questions to answer then wwoofers could gain an idea before even going if it would be a good fit. i thought that what another person said regarding diets is a helpful indicator as well.
something like answering "do you use biologic detergents?: always, sometimes, never, would like to but cannot afford" would answer a lot about the sort of place one is going to.
also what exactly is the "ecological" percent supposed to be for? if ones garden is 100% ecological, but no one is eating more than a couple tomatoes from the garden, is it accurate to say 100% ecologic?
so maybe if people could send a list of helpful prompts that hosts could use this could be implemented and then there could be more emphasis on better matches rather than complaints, which must be a bummer to hear!
Contact me if there are any new projects/events or festivals coming up, I love new challenges and meeting new people!
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Written on Feb 20 2010 17:25
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valoubs
WWOOF User
Registered Since:
Oct 05 2009
Posts: 2
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Hola,
After 4 month wwoofing through Portugal, I join entirely the points evoked by jmckerricher and jessekaedra.
I met some wonderful place, others much less ...
quinta ecologica con aerosols to kill flies and mosquitoes, or fooding wwofer only with tins, building with cement, a modern house with 2ºC in the bedroom, a fire place in a very small kitchen to share with 5 bigs dogs 2 host and their children, so quiet those same ecologic people using an electric dryer to dry apples in january !!!!???? etc...
For me the essential point is missing in wwoof.pt, is a section for each host “write reviews” where the wwoofer can write about their stay, good and no good experiences.
As there’s no verification de parte de wwoof-portugal about the description that the host make, it will be the best way to avoid the lies or clever concealment of some host. I think it would be an appropriate balance to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Thanks to work to make it better!!!
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