Last Friday, Gather unlocked its front door. Rather than the imposing impasse of an invitation only introduction, we now allow the world to see the content that users and media partners have contributed to the site. Any article previously made available to the Gather community at large is now available to the entire Internet community. Private articles and profile information are, of course, still private. But the wealth of interaction from existing and soon-to-be-launched tools - like connecting, subscribing, and on-site messaging - are still the benefits given to registered users.
For writers on Gather, this open access provides some great new opportunities. While the Gather community has been able to find your thoughts and comment on them, now a much wider universe can access them - in many cases right from any search engine. More audience means more readers, and more readers means more points. In short, now that we are open for business your opportunity to be recognized and rewarded for your efforts has just taken off!
I think this means two things to writers. On the one hand it means you are now officially published authors. This is really exciting to those who love to write, but have not taken the initiative (or not found the opportunity) to express yourself in the past. Unlike a blog, Gather will provide you the visibility and the compensation you deserve for your thoughts and images. It also means you have a responsibility. As a published author, you make a commitment with your audience to entertain them, inform them, teach them, or query them. As Jim (vaugheyj.gather.com) and Michael (mgazala.gather.com) have learned, Gather is an active community where comments are welcome, and not always supportive.
For readers, this open access is important as well. It means you can read the latest features and content on Gather, and you can let other?s know how to find you (using your new namespace such as username.gather.com). As a reader and registered member of the Gather community, you can comment on articles, rate their quality, and connect to authors you find engaging. The tools we make available over the coming month will allow you to converse with authors in ways never before possible on a public site.
What are your thoughts about this new open access? Let us know what you think, and enjoy our latest updates.
David Cooperstein is VP Content and Gather's Editor-in-Chief. His thoughts and experiences can be found at david.gather.com.
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