Stop Me Before I Post Again!!!

It saddens me to make the following suggestion, but it's for your own good, really. You may not want me to comment on your article.   If points are important to you, then you should encourage me to rate and run.  My inadvertent knack to stifle Gather dialogue will probably bum you out.  It's like I came late to the party, sober and ready to dance, but everyone has already called a cab.

I don't know why it happens.  I perform regular maintenance on this contraption and my font is exactly like everyone else's.  Perhaps its because I'm not fluent in the art of cyber symbolism.  I recognize the little punctuated smiley faces and their clever variations.   I know the meaning of both LOL and ROFL, but others remain a mystery to me.  I wish I could think of a few more examples, but that is precisely how ignorant I am.

There are regular contributors who have such incredible Gather cred, that  even my comments get buried in the mix.  Others, however, just beginning to gather momentum with an encouraging remark here, an insightful observation there, must pale when they see my icon.  Often it represents the final word--the unintentional eulogy.  I'm beginning to feel like SNL's Debbie Downer (wah, wah, wah, waaaahhhh).

I've considered changing icons.  My pink flamingo seemed festive enough when I first googled it. While it captures the essence of my transplanted Floridian heart, perhaps it is too garish, or too alien for the thoughtful Gather masses. 

Not all of my posted comments seem peculiar.   I've compared them to others and they follow the same basic format.  I say what I like, and do what I can to encourage the contributor.  Sometimes, when I'm especially touched or amused, I respond more personally and later check to see if I've generated a response.  Frequently, all I find is that lonely flamingo perched on the end of a thread.  

Some of you have already wised-up and respond to my comments with your own.  This simple action seems to be an effective remedy to my otherwise end note posting.  It allows the conversation to resume, the flow to continue, and normalcy returns to the Gather party. 

Don't say I didn't warn you.  If I were you, I'd warn my friends, my family, and maybe even my colleagues.