The Editor's Desktop: Gather Etiquette

This is super. Thank you so much for posting it. I'll admit that I was getting a bit worried today when I saw some stuff that seemed to be violating copyright (by cutting and pasting the published work of others seemingly without permission or even attribution or supporting comments).

I believe in community and community online. I didn't always but I truly do and these guidelines will really help with bringing even more top-notch content to this site.

As for content: I really like the essays and the colums (like Shaun's wine colums and farmgirls gardening ones as examples) but I also enjoy the diversity of what I find here.

Thank you for clarifying what we newbies have been wondering but didn't know who to ask. Although we should always take information posted on the internet with a grain of salt, it is nice to know that the intention to provide genuine content exists here.

How about a reminder to accurately tag your articles? I really enjoy a funny, humorous article, and I understand wanting a wide audience. But when I open "humor" tags and find random musing about a pet I am usually not amused. It might get me to read half of your article once. But I'll probably avoid all your future postings. Please try to be accurate.
Thanks

great post. thanks for the reminder - i have been loving this site since i signed on. it helps that we're all on the same page.

This is a very helpful and informative reminder! For a philosophical basis for this **smiles** please see my recent article entitled "John Stuart Mill: Patron Saint of Gather (Part 1)"
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976725303

Recently, I published a post, and someone posted a comment that included language that would be rated "mature" on the site. I wish people would consider that I want my pages visible to readers of all ages and sensibilities. If there's ever a true gather netiquette guide I hope it includes an injunction against invective in comments where that language isn't reflected in the original post.

Thank you for this article. I am excited about this diverse commmunity. I find myself in the company of like-minded, and just as importantly unlike-minded people. I have read stories that make me cry, tried recipes that won praise (from my husband) and articles that agitated me throughout the day, and a few that perplexed. Keep it open, non commercial and even more diverse. I appreciate your parameters.

I think most people do a really good job with commenting and responding to comments appropriately. There is a tendency to get a bit personal when the topic gets heated or people feel like they've been attacked.

One of the "logic errors" you see the most in these instances is the ad hominum fallacy of relevance, defined as "An argument ad hominem attacks the person supporting an opposing view instead of the viewpoint itself".

If we as commentators, contributers and defenders of our work remember that it is the IDEA we should be responding to, not the person, the discourse here on Gather is bound to be more collegial, less prone to hurt feelings and a place where people feel free to discuss ideas.

Thanks for posting these tips on etiquette!

Thanks for writing this. It definitely should be required reading for all Gather members.

While there is a "flag" link at the bottom of every article page, how does someone flag a specific comment, for which that option does not appear to be available? Clicking on the feedback link in the upper right only opens a blank email message. Is the procedure then to write one's own details about the comment, article and poster in question in the email, or is there a more uniform procedure?

Thanks for this. I was concerned this AM that 2 articles were VERY short or seemed to be here only to get readers into a commercial web site.
Like ANY message board or blog or site like this there are always a few who can spoil a great place. I have been impressed with some really excellent writing and it makes me aspire to improving my writing. (I can't tell you how many times I edited my recent article!)
Ideas, opinions and information should be the goal here whether to amuse, provoke thought or just share I am pleased that we have the opportunity presented here and trust that anyone that is here for other reasons will eventually see that they can't get away with the usual internet "chat" and leave.

Thank you for the clarification. I think an article about appropriate responses as Eric has stated would be a great follow-up. Responding to the idea and not taking responses personal are two great reminders to both Dems and Reps to bring back open discussion in this country.

As a person who is dedicated to the belief that rules are meant to be broken, I'm perplexed at why I would want to in this case. Seems mostly reasonable.

Allan

I asked a question to that feedback email regarding the content, specifically "we should all recognize that the experience on Gather is lessened when articles are little more than advertisements..." I wondered why Barnes & Noble was posting 34-38 "book reviews" a day, advertising with "buy book here" links for many books published at least 5+ years ago. ("Girl with a Pearl Earring" for example, is hardly newsworthy.)
Is B&N a corporate sponsor of this site? Just curious.

Clear and respectfully well-said, thank you. Like so many others interested in literature and dialog, I like a wide latitude and you have provide for a very large center.

It all sounds good to me. The reason I switched to Gather is beause you appeared to be serious about doing things the right way here.
The site I stopped using when I came here does all the negative things you speak of, and if you ask me they're on their last legs.
Example:To those who think articles having a short shelf life here on Gather is a bad thing, consider how motivated you'd be to visit Gather if the same articles were featured for weeks on end.
The site I stopped using has gone in that direction. The reason these articles stay on their front page is not because they a worthy of being there. It is because quality susmissions to the site have dropped to near zero.
The reason for the drop in these submissions is because the site has totally lost any sense of discipline. It has degenerated into a small clique,one-sided view,site. submissions submitted by writers who disagree are blocked out or ignored.
I see tastes of that kind of behavior here on Gather, and the time to nip it in the bud is now. My guess is that Gather's superior format and higher quality writing will draw many away from the one-sided, name calling, sites they currently use.
If they play by Gather's rules, I say welcome aboard no matter what they have to say.But if their goal is to sink this boat like the one they are leaving, I say if we all agree to a set of rules that keeps them from drilling holes in the bottom of our literary rowboat here at Gather, they'll tire quickly and go look for other rowboats to drill holes in.
By the way ( BTW ) these hole drillers never go down with the boat they drill holes in.

I only have one question: What program does everyone use to get fonts bigger? I used notepad AND Word and still have this tiny writing for my articles.
It is haphazard (sometimes the fonts are bigger but still not like the original that I'm pasting into Gather) and I'm not sure how anyone gets this great look. My pasted articles are so small I'm afraid no one will have the patience to read them. Help!

Sue,
Did you try a bigger font before you paste your article?

David,

I think you have laid out great plans for Gather members here. I do have a few suggestions though. I think I have figured out how the ratings should work here at Gather to stop flaming. There should only be 1 option - "recommend this article." This way, only people who like the article will be voting, and no "Flaming" can occur in the ratings. Then there could be a "Highly Recommended" section. Recommendations could easily remain anonymous, because it is positive feedback, and the comments can be utilized to give criticism if desired or just feedback. Most likely, when there are people willing to recommend an article, there will also be corresponding comments about why the post was good. I have found that the negative ratings are rarely backed up in comments.

I also think that we authors should have authority to delete comments on our own articles. This would give Shava the ability to remove the comment with words she does not want to use in connection with her article. I think both of these suggestions would prevent a lot of time and research on behalf of the Gather staff, who would have to respond to e-mails about flaming or inappropriate comments and attempt to remove them. Perhaps, when deleting a comment, there could be a box to check that says, "Alert Gather staff regarding inappropriate behavior." This way, if someone is wrecking havoc in Gather with his or her comments, the individual author takes care of it on his or her article, and Gather can deal with the troublemaker if there is a trend.

Thanks for the great article David!

Monica - I understand why you are suggesting that authors should have the ability to delete comments from their own articles. I have seen some comments on articles that were really disrespectful or completely off-topic. However, I'm not sure if this is the best solution. I think you would have some deletions by authors just because the comment was controversial or critical of their writing. Maybe there should be an ability to flag a specific comment as "intended for mature audiences" instead of the entire article. This would solve Shava's issue - which is certainly a valid one.

Good points Kat. But I do think to a ceratin extent that this is about writings getting to publish their work, and ifthere isa comment they do not like, then they should have the power to remove it. Would some perhaps abuse this right? Yes, but I think it is still in the best interest to leave that power with the author. If you ran your own site, you would have this power. Why not here?

Thanks for all of your comments so far on Gather's etiquette. Many of the points you make about ratings and comments are actively being worked on at Gather, to make the experience better for readers and writers alike. We continue to take your feedback seriously, as we believe the community has some of the best ideas for how to make Gather a long-standing environment for sharing ideas.

Until then, keep voicing what you like, and flagging articles or using the "Feedback" link to let us know what is not working for you. We will address these issues as we see them, and as they are called to our attention.

Thanks for giving us a great base to get Gather going with!

David

Thanks for the helpful guidelines. It'd be great to also have a formal 'Guidelines' or simplified 'guide' page on the site. In so much of the non-fiction I'm currently writing in series, there's a constant need for me to pay attention to the formal rules for attribution, reference, citation, etc. I'm doing my best to try to follow these.

Hi David. Off the tpoic somewnat, I'm new to Gather, and am seeking advice from some "experienced" writers here. I'd like to ask you (and others) a question or two. I'm an unpublished writer, working on my first novel. My partner and I have culled a short story from the book, and I'm thinking both about printing a PART of it here (seeking input), and about submitting it to several contests.

QUESTION: Does posting here constitute "publication" in the eyes of contest sponsors? (As I'm sure you're aware, most contests require unpublished stories.)

QUESTION: How comfortable should I feel about copyright issues if I post here?

Thanks,
Steve

Useful info; thanks!

David,

First, I want to respond personally to your much appreciated comment on my Sago piece, a comfort in a difficult time. Thank you again.

Then, about your Gather Etiquette: Each time I log onto Gather I feel like it is my internet place to learn, laugh, think deeply, meet writers I'd never have read otherwise. Your article reminds us there are good rules to follow for these communicatons. Thanks for posting.

Steve - publishing on Gather is no different than publishing elsewhere on the web. You should keep a watchful eye for your content on other sites, to make sure your content is not being unfairly repurposed. You might want to include a copyright at the conclusion of your posts, to reinforce that message. As far as contests, the actual work that you put on Gather for public viewing would likely be considered published. However, you can publish only to a private set of your colleagues, friends and or family to look at without you having to email all of them.

Monica - We are looking at both the ability for users to moderate comments, and at adjustments to the rating system. As we continue to get great feedback like yours, we are incorporating them into future releases.

Scooterdude - there are two places you can look for now: these columns, and the terms of service (see the link at the bottom of every page of the site). Very soon we will have a detailed FAQ that will help you as well.

David,

I have several articles rated 10. Why they never get picked as top articles or featured articles? I am pretty new and still learning to get around Gather. I'd appreciate your advice. Thanks!

Hi David: Thanks for yet another fine article. A while ago, you mentioned wanting to read my book, The Scent of God. I'm heading to New York next week to visit the publisher, marketing and publicity persons who are also hosting a media cocktail party for me (which has me quaking in the knees ... hoping that my tongue won't cleave to the roof of my mouth). I'd like to bring your name and contact information along so they can send you a free book. Of course, I shall talk about Gather. You can send me this information via my web site. Thanks again. www.berylsingletonbissell.com