Want more readers? Connect!

Kathryn, the above does get a wider readership. My problem with a big readership is having enough time - in addition to writing - to be a reader and to comment on all those who subscribe to me. As this point at least, both sides of the writer-reader equation is important to me. However, it is true that not all of my subscriptions are as active as they once were.

It's striking a balance, I guess.

Magi

Thanks for the useful information, Kathryn. While you are highly noticeable by managing to keep yourself on the top of the charts, it is good that you take the time and the trouble to help others.

thanks for giving me some hints, I am a newcomer.

Magi, it is important, and everyone can decide that issue for themselves....

Thanks, Dolphi, I do try, but it is difficult. I should do more I feel, but a person can't be everything to everybody...

Thank you, Carol, I do hope you and other newcomers find this helpful....Good luck....

Kathryn, I agree that connections are one of the best ways to get your new article noticed by as many members as possible...especially the way in which Gather is currently set-up today (and this may become even more relevent in the new design coming out later this month).

However, I personally struggle with the 'ethics' of connecting to other members simply to further my own readership. I have slightly less than 200 connections, and it is almost impossible to reciprocate regularly (by commenting and encouraging my connections on their content).

Also, while I could gain greater readership by connecting to new members as they join, like you do, at what point does it become self-serving?

In your case, how can you keep up with almost 1,000 connections?

Is this a 'good number' for you? ...and, do you have any advice for those of us with less than 1,000?

I have a lot of connections. My philosophy has always been to send out an invitation if I like the person's work. I've done that from day one, and I've worked hard at it. I believe it is the person's prerogative to accept or not... so I don't feel bad about doing it. Plus I get dozens of invitations each week to connect to others. But the most important point I would like to convey, is that so many of the connections, after a couple of weeks or months, become inactive. What I do every 2 or 3 days, is select for all "My Connections," then go down the Articles Published, and try to read as many as I can. Obviously, I can't get to all of them... but I think it works out over time. Finally, I have sent out a couple of emails to all of my connections (yes, a mass email, but hopefully a welcomed one) in which I explain that they should feel free to disconnect (and tell them how) if they so desire. Often new members will accept connection invitations and not understand how to control their email settings, then get diluged with notifications. I hate that!

Ed, the process you follow for catching up on your connections is similar to my own. On the other side of it though, I have had many new members inform me that they get hit with connection requests before they even publish anything, and this turns them off, as they consider it to be another form of spam, or self-serving act on the part of the requester (which is probably true). That is what I would want to avoid. Perhaps when Gather has a better mechanism for identifying new content from newer members, and a way to add a personal note to connection requests, the reasons for connecting will be more apparent to both parties.

I have to go to work and won't be back for several hours. I'll respond to respectful comments then.

Kathryn, thank you for taking the time to write all of this. I've enjoyed all the comments as well and really don't have anything to add. I did follow the Gather, Get Discovered guidelines and they have served me well. My time on here is limited as well so, for example, one day I try to read the latest articles that my connections have put out. I try to read and comment on ten articles a day. I also try to tell others of the especially good literature. I just send an individual message to whomever I think would like that particular article as well. Have a great day, Kathryn. Salud,

I have a question about connections that I hope some of you can shed a light on. Do you connect with everyone? I have been very slow to build my connections (only at 32 right now) because I personally hate spam and don't want to "spam" other people. So, here are a few questions about connections:

1. Do you consider it spamming when someone you barely know asks to connect?
2. How do you decide to respond to a connection request, do you you read some of the person's articles, look at their network, or use some other criteria?
3. Do you feel it's acceptable to ask for as many connections as possible, and let the connectee (not a word I know) decide from there?

Any insight at all would be helpful.

So...let's see....make as many connections as possible---then don't get notified when they publish an article--so you don't comment on that article---or even read it--and hope the damn fools are reading and commenting on your articles....have I got that right??

Kathryn,

Your latest comment is interesting, considering that there weren't any disrespectful comments in this thread, but I can understand given the response to one or two of your recent articles.

I agree with the thoughts of some posters here in that honestly, I'm not interested in connecting with EVERYONE on the site. In fact, a couple of people who approached me about being in my network have turned out to be not the best choice; unfortunately, every time I've tried to turn off notifications (it's been four times now) it hasn't actually worked, which has proven frustrating.

I was and still am your student. Thank you Katheryn for being the first one to help ! love and light to you

And I have heard from people who were totally offended by an 'immediate' request to connect, and then repeated requests from the same person when they declined the invitation. Becky S. has a story about someone who left because of this. Hopefully, she will find this article and tell the story.

In addition to thinking it is rude to request a connection to someone without looking to see if you might have something in common, I think it is unwise. When I receive a request to connect, I go look at what the member has published, recent comments the member has made on other articles, the groups the member has joined, and the other people the member has connected with already. If I see she/he has connected to people I have nothing in common with, that tells me I probably won't enjoy what this person publishes - and I do believe I owe it to my connections to MAKE time to read their work. I may not read everything they publish, or comment on everything I read, but I try. And when I fail, I don't publish anything else until I have caught up.

Sandy has a good point about staying caught up, but I finally have reached the point where I try to read certain types of posts, only. There are people who regularly comment on my articles, so I try to stay caught up with them, but too many post 3 or 4 articles at a time. I have to make certain my own writing doesn't suffer from a lack of attention.

Connecting is a double-edged sword. If you do connect, I feel you should at least try to keep up with your connections works. It's a very complex issue.

Kathryn, Thank you for the information and the education that I always receive from you and the comments of others.

In life and in business, networking is key to whatever our goals and hope-filled achievements may be. To do so without stress or strain with sincerity and genuineness is the foundation of balance that I must remind myself.

As someone else so wisely statedt, (paraphrased) 'we cannot be all things to all people.' I will add another wise axiom, "To thine own self be true." If we are true to our self, there is balance and a sense of peace.

No one said it would be easy, yet it can be fun! Simply, trust the process. A message that I continue to remind myself.

Have a meaningful and abundant day, everyone!

Kathryn, in the event that you felt my comment to be facetious, it wasn't. I genuinely would like some advice from you. I struggle with just under 200 connections, and you have found a way to manage close to 1,000. That makes you an expert in this area (seriously). I would like to learn a better way to manage my connections, and to reciprocating more than I do now.

Also, as I mentioned, I personally have difficulty connecting to new members that haven't published anything yet. Yet, this seems to work for you. I (again seriously) think that other members would benefit from your knowledge in this area as well.

Ed, that sounds like a good method and one that works for you. I think any number is indibvidual, in that a person may feel they prefer a smaller number of connections or a larger number of connections than someone else.

Mariana, that sounds like a good method. It is very difficult to keep up with everything unless a person spends 20 or 30 or 40 hours a week here.

Katrina, when I first joined I didn't connect to anyone because I didn't know anyone. Sadi offered me my first connection and then I realized you don't actually have to know them in physical life to connect. I read a poem of hers, and she and I traded comments reciprocally for a while until we both got too busy. I offered my first connection to Sigalit, (this was back in January)... To answer your quesion, it is not 'spamming' to offer a connection to someone you haven't met yet...You will meet them by reading their material or by they reading yours, hopefully both...If you want to you can certainly look at their connections (I usually do this), their groups and their network to see what types of things they are interested in....

Whatever number of connections works for you is best. You may find you want a higher number of 32. Originally, I though I would stop at 50. After a few weeks I found that a fair number of them were not as active anymore, so I really didn't have '50' connections...Then i thought I would stop at 200,which I did for a long while...But someone suggested that I should have more readers, which I would get by connecting to more people...

Even though I do have one of the larger networks, quite a lot of them are no longer as active as they once were. It is a never-ending process, just as the new members are arriving every minute.

Did i answer your question? It is a fairly common question to wonder if one should conect to someone they don't know in real life...I frequently read something of someone i offer a connection to, and, frequently they read something of mine...We might exchange email messages,...and, voila ! we have met.

two bain, I know you as someone with a brain full of brain cells, not just two of them.

I for one have kept my email notifications on, to my detriment, somewhat, as I get upwardsof 3,000 email mesages a day...I do offer a lot of connections because probalby about half are not as active as they were months ago...I do try to comment on people in my network; for many weeks, I made more comments on other articles than anyone in Gather. This was not something I strived to do, but somehting that happene as a reulst of my being on Gather a lot and doing a lot of reading...

Gather has gotten so big so fast that most people have a lot of trouble keeping up with everything these days.

Sheeri, those words were very astute and right on. Thanks !!!

Pittershawn, not all the connectios are active. It seems about half of the people I'm connected to are not active, or at least they are not making themselves obvious by commenting...My connectios are a result of six months on Gather. Just start with what seems comfortable to you...

Dani, I don't ocnnect to everybody, either. Some people disconnect from me, and that's fine, too. I keep my email notifications on, though it is frustrating, but at least I am aware of what is going on in a way that I otherwise would not be...You can contact Gather via the feedback linke at top left of your screen with a quetion about why email notifications off doesn't seem to work.

Marinela, you are so sweet. The feeling is mutual. Thank you.

Sandy, I read Becky S.'s story about the person (not me) who offered repeated attempts to her friends she had invited...I am usually not aware of who has disconnected or even connected to me...If someone disconnects, that is fine with me...I like to move forward in life.

Aileen, you have hit on a very important point. It is difficult to accomplish everything on Gather that we may want to: read, comment and publish.

George, you have struck an incredible balance, and, I would say, you have done it in a very good way, which is not all that common. You publish excellent articles which take time to write and put together (the photos, for instance) you make insightful comments on your own articles in response to comments people make and you make very insightful comments on other people's articles. You are a shining example !!!

James, your words carry a lot of weight. To quote you: you said: "paraphrased) 'we cannot be all things to all people.' I will add another wise axiom, "To thine own self be true." If we are true to our self, there is balance and a sense of peace. " "

I've enjoyed your thoughtful comments on my articles. Thank you.

John A. 2.0, when I came home a little while ago, I was tied for first place for most comments received. I had been away all day and ALL the comments until 30 minutes ago were from others. So, I don't make even half of the comments on my own articles, most of the time...Last week, the article about Oza had at last count 320 comments...I had made some 40 of them...Or so...In the last week, if you take the total comments received, I did not make even half of them.....And, I'm not even close to coments written on Other articles...The comments received I think counts ONLY for own articles. I think comments written is only for other articles. I say I think because I have not been sure; I think one should not get points for comments on own articles, however.

Audrey, I have been trying to locate where Gather mentions about connecting. While it is true Gather mentions a caveat, the caveat is not as you state. What Gather basically says, is to make sure you want to connect to the person. Gather doesn't want people to feel they have to be connected to someone. What is not true about what you stated, is that Gather does not 'not recommend you connect to everyone' nor does Gather state that a person should connect to everyone....

Gather just states make sure you WANT to connect to that person...

Kevin, when I had 200 conections, I managed to keep up with my network just fine. Of course, I was spending about 30 or more hors a week doing so...It isn't conecting to further one's readership that is the question, but I introcuced this topic because I have read various comments by various people on various articles that wonder how some of us (namely me) stay on the top list for so long? People have wondered if Gather is fixed, if I have an 'in' , if I work for Gather, if ....the list is endless....but Gather's basic premise stands....The Top Contributor's List of Most Viewed is simply that - people click on the article and view it. Some coment, some finish the article, some do not. The more people in the network, the more people will look at one's articles. This is a democratic thing; it is true for everybody....

That stated, there are a lot of other factors about getting in the top viewed list that are invididual and very subjective and differ from person to person, day to day.

Kathryn, it's statement like this that make you look dishonest. You know for a fact that you make half of the comments on your articles, so why would pretend otherwise, even if that doesn't prove to be true on ONE article? You say you've been gone all day, yet 17 of the 37 comments on this article are yours. If you follow your known routine, you will add a bunch more.

Also, today you commented about keeping up with your 48 pages of commections with a statement about watching to see if they are inactive by their COMMENTS. I would suggest that you look at their articles. I just looked at the last seven people you connected with. Between them, they have posted twenty-eight articles. You have left one comment on one article. I thought I'd take a peek and see how you manage that number of connections. I stopped after these few because it appears you don't. I'm not saying you must, just that your comment there also seems a bit misleading.

oops, you got a few more in before my comment posted, even though I typed as fast as I could.

WHERE Gather states to that about connections is on the page that comes up when someone requests a connection. Maybe you don't see it because you initiate all of your connections?

Sandy, the article about Oza has 323 comments, 74 of which are mine. Death of a Penis has 49 comments, 17 of which are mine. Frequently, I answer my comments one-fo-one, but not always. Time is one factor. You misrepresent me when you stated a 'statement like this makes you look dishonest.' You freguentkly devolve and misrepresent me on my articles; you misrepresented Gather in your article, "Maureen Owns Gather?..." And Tom Gerace rebuked for misrepresenting Gather.

I get invitations from others nearly every day.

I agree, if she thinks I misrepresented Gather.. what a joke from the one whose headline misrepresented Gather and she still won't admit it. My article about Maureen clearly stated that MAUREEN misrepresented Gather when she claimed they gave her the power to "get rid" of those she doesn't like. Tom came in to let us know she did NOT have that power.

Sandy, this is what Tom Gerace said: "Sandy- Respectfully, your article misrepresents actions taken by Gather."

http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976763130

Here is what Gather says about Connections and Connecting on Gather's FAQ page about Connections:

"Connecting

What are connections?
Connections are the friends, family, and colleagues you've connected with on Gather. Want to expand your network? Invite as many people as you'd like to join Gather, and you'll automatically be connected when they register. You can also search to find current members by their first name, last name, city, state, email, or username. If you're interested in making a connection with a current member, simply click the Connect link under the Gather member's name and choose the appropriate connection type. They'll receive a connection request that they can accept or decline.

How does My Connections work?
See all your Gather connections and keep track of their most recent publications. My Connections displays all of your connections and a brief list of their recent articles; these articles are also listed under My Network's Articles on your homepage. Want updates? Choose the appropriate notification settings on your Preferences page so that you receive an email whenever content or comments have been published or when new connections have been made by one of your connections.

Who should I connect with?
Connecting is a great way to stay in touch with your favorite people and share your work on Gather. Connect with your personal friends, members of your family, and people you currently work with or those you've worked with in the past. You may also send a connection request to any other Gather member, if you choose. But realize that if you choose to publish an article or image to just your friends, for instance, your close friends and those you've met on the site will be grouped together as "friends" and your content will be published to them all.

How do I connect with someone who's already a Gather member?
Just search. You can find specific members by searching for their first name, last name, city, state, email, or username on the find members page. You can also find and connect with other friends/family who are on the site by surfing your social network. This way, you can discover people you know who have already joined Gather who you might have missed.

How do I connect with someone who isn't a Gather member?
Inviting friends, colleagues, and family to join Gather is a great way to keep in touch and grow your Gather network. Inviting also earns you valuable Gather Points™ -- and it's easy.

Click the Invite Others button on the right side of your Gather homepage (on My Dashboard). Then type in the emails of the people you'd like to invite into your network. Select which connection type you want to have with each, and add a personal message, if you'd like. Finally, click the Send Invites button; the invitations will be sent from your email address. You can change your email address at any time in your Preferences page. And don't forget: inviting new members is one of the many ways to earn Gather Points.

Why is it important to connect with others?
Connecting expands your personal network and your readership. The more people you connect with, the more personal networks you ,in turn, join. The result? More people read, comment on, and rate your work, and others get the same benefits for their own work. It all adds up to the best experience for each Gather member."

Right, and you can always use your comments to go back to a thread.

That is so true, Susan. Thank you.

I would like to say:

1) I do appreciate Kathryn trying to share info on how to increase one's readership and points.
2) Kathryn did request to connect with me once, and though I have gotten a lot of spam out of the
deal, I am fairly certain that I have also received a lot of points. (Sometimes my points have
gone up when I have done nothing. Yet at the same time I have noticed that my Connections
have been busy.)
3) I must admit that commenting on my own articles never occurred to me. It may very well be a
way of inflating one's numbers, but if Gather thought it was an issue they could certainly change
the scoring methods.
4) Kathryn is getting berated for commenting on her own articles, yet she continues to get
comments on this article that she is forced to respond to. If you have an issue with her methods,
it might be better not to respond at all and therefore deny her the points.
5) There is obviously a game to the Gather scoring. In the few months I have been on Gather I
have been the featured article twice - both were academic book reviews. However, I only have
seven connections. Simply publishing well written papers/essays is not the way to bring in
readers. I have a page of these and one group connection, yet very few readers. At least Kathryn
has found a way to keep everyone engaged.

(And as they say, "Don't hate the player, hate the game.")

Joey, a very insightful comment.

Oh well, the nature of the beast that is Kathryn Olestra is that she:

1) Repubs her articles multiple times to keep collecting her points for that stupid cruise at the end of the gather rainbow

2) Loves to hear herself talk so she posts comment after comment after comment after comment on her own articles. Even the repubed ones!

3) Likes to think of people on Gather in only two ways...how can they help her get more points and she likes them only if they gush about the crap she posts here

4) She also likes to cut and paste things from newspapers and magazines and publish them here as if she's sparking some important discussion. And this too gathers more comments which, as we all know, are tied to points.

The sad part to all this...Kathryn Olestra clearly has no life. And must be a very lonely person to be doing all of this. But it still pisses me off Johnny 5000 was publically reprimanded by Gather staff for commenting too much on his own articles (I guess this happened a few months ago) when Olestra here butters her way through this community daily with crap and shamless point collecting.

And then castigates new members like Joe Poe for offering critiques on things because "he's too new to do so". Then continues with thoughtless articles like the one above. I got news Kathryn. We're not in high school anymore. Don't collect connections like baseball cards, please! Find people who are writing and thinking in ways that intrigue you and whom you would like to have good conversations with... Oh but that last one might be beyond you.

Thank you, Kathryn for your help. You have always been most informative and kind to me. Anne B. Grote

Kathryn, I have started to comment more on my articles because I feel as if it is my responsiblity to not only thank people but to keep the conversation going. How would you feel if there was someway for Gather not to count comments about our articles that we make ourselves? Speaking for myself, I find nothing sadder than to look in my personal e-mail and see I "sparked conversation" on a piece I wrote (Lisa West commented on Lisa West). It makes the humble midwestern in me die a little death each time.

Thank you Anne B. Grote for your kind words. They are appreciated, believe me.

Lisa, hi, nice to see you here. When I first joined in January, it seemed that most people responded to each comment. Fewer people had email notifications off and I, for one, appreciated that my comment to someone was read. I, too, believe it is nice to thank someone for reading, hopefully by saying something more than thanks, but sometimes that is all that is necessary.. .Now, sometimes people don't always have the time, but I also think people may be worried about being called out for responding to each comment on their articles. That issues didn't even become an issue until a few weeks ago when someone was criticized by Gather for making one-word comments on his/her own articles. A few people now do this as a joke. It was ludicrous of Gather to state this and I emailed Gather to offer support to the writer. It was during that time that people realized or discoverred that people get points for commenting on their own articles. I must say, however, that I haven't really noticed that happening. There will be times, like tonight, for example, when I will be making about 20 comments on my articles, having come in from a long day away. I saw my counter a few minutes ago and it won't change with this comment. It will change at some point, but it is not like the points counter changes every time you make a comment. Page views during the same time you are answering comments could change the counter, too. I don't really know.

I think the fairest thing is to have comments on one's own articles NOT count as points, thereby removing this as a bone of contention.

Another thing about people who comment on several people's comments in one article, I'm not sure if everyone's name is viewable in the two-line email that comes with the notification. I say this to state that someone whose name is mentioned might niot even realize it, if the two-line notification doesn't show it. I'm not sure about this.

Your reasons are good ones. I agree.

Kathryn, I'm pretty sure that commenting on our own articles don't add up to points but they do count toward comment ranking and help determine who the 'top members' are. What I would prefer is not to have the comments we make on our own articles count because I think this frees up the system so there is a wider variety of people listed on the 'top member' spot. This would eliminate the partical guilt I feel when I chat about my own articles.

Well, Lisa, there is certainly now a much wdier variety of member listed on the top comments received than was the case, say, for how many weeks was that me up there? I don't know. I wasn't even aware that it was happening until someone mentioned it...There is a lot of volatility to the system now and that is a good thing. By that, I mean there can be articles with 300 comments that get a lot of views and comments and then that may disappear for a few days and you will see top commented members who have perhaps 50 comments total for the past 24 hours...

I have read that other members believe that commenting on one's articles does count. Since I've been commenting in and out on mine and other articles this evening, my point counter has increased slightly. But I think the incease (and it is slight) is due more to the 'age views my artilces get when people stop to read it rather than my commenting on my articles.

I think continuing dialogue as well as thanking people is an important reason to comment on one's own articles. It is a way of getting to know the reader, which I feel is important.

Don't feel guilty, dear Lisa. I think some or most of the negativity about commenting on one's own articles was in some way about me...I feel very ambivalent about having stuff that people write actually be about me...Actually, I don't feel ambivalent, I don't like it...I just like to write; I'm obsessed by writing...

I know Gather is coming out with a new software release on the 10th. I don't know what changes are in store for ratings, comments and so on that people have been wanting for the longest time...Tom mentioned this in his article on June 20?

Having comments not count on the ticker is important. Yes, I agree wtih that...

I think variety of member on the top lists is very important.

Always great to learn more about the Gather network. Thanks for the insight.

You're welcome, Joe P. Enjoy Gather. There isa lot of good writing here. And some not as well written. This place, at last count, had nearly 30,000 registered members. Gather is huge, so you find a lot of just about everything you could find in society here. Well, not quite, but it is a microcosm of activity.

This damn thing is taking up too much of my time already! I would love more connections, AND wider readership, but I DON'T HAVE THE TIME! I work 48 hours a week, and have become a "gather zombie," I fear.

Dear Gather Zombie, from one Gather Zombie to another, I understand perfectly. I went to bed at 4, after getting home at 10:30 p.m. and now I'm off to work again. Oh, my family is still asleep. Maybe you would like to write about your Gather Zombie experiences for my group, Unofficial Gatherholics, the group for Gather addicts, who write humorous or serious pieces about the negative or positive effects of being a Gather addict.

Christopher Leavitt, group address: gatherholics.gather.com

Actually Kathryn...It was you that contacted my friend less than five minutes after she came here to read one of my articles.
She has not been back since.
I've tried to stay out of this, but honestly, you contacted me in the first half hour I was on line also.
I, personally, don't mind, because I am not frightened by such things. Some people are put off by it. It is just the way it is.
My only problem with this is that my friend really did want a place she felt safe in, to write. Yeah....I know...this is a public forum and all that, It's just that some people can't take being swooped down on immediately.
She probably would have connected to you eventually, but she didn't even have any content on Gather yet, and was only visiting to see what was here.
I have nothing against you personally. I know you have been having a go with a few people here that I am connected to. That's your conflict, and I don't want to be more a part of it than I already am.
I just found it curious that I had told Sandy, in advance, that my friend would be here, and would she please read what she wrote. She didn't write anything, so the point was moot.
However, Sandy did ask me what happened to her, and I told her,"Kathryn freaked her out by asking to connect in the first 5 minutes that was on line."
I think that you have good intentions by wanting to welcome people here Kathryn. Honestly, I do. However, if you are going to connect to everyone, you have to realize that some people will be put off.

Plus, I also feel like if you are the welcoming committee, you have a responsiblity to the newbies to get their works noticed. I know that you are busy, but if you are going to extend yourself, you need to follow up, or your welcome does seem kind of self serving.
Just my opinion.
I realize this will probably get me on the "BAD" list, but since my name was mentioned, I thought I should put it out there. I've been trying to give this whole thing the benefit of the doubt, on both sides. I guess I'll see now.

when someone asks to join my network,i check out their writings as well as the about and images.If it is someone i think i will enjoy reading their articles,i then connect. i try to read all the new articles on the weekends that i can. I go down the line and if i have not read someone in a while,i will go to them first. It is like a catch up for me.

Becky, I just saw this. I'm sorry that happened to your friend. I'm not a welcomeing committee, though some people seem to make me out that way. I do comment on quite a few people's articles when I invite them as connections, though it is not universal. One thing is though, that if someone wants a place to write that he or she feels as 'safe', I'm sure that being anywhere on the Internet is sort of a disconnect with this concept in that the Internet is a place where so much happens, being a place where, for example, at Gather, 30,000 people are registered at Gather and untold thousands unregistered, according to what Tom Gerace has said publically in his articles.

I also don't see how offering to connect to someone would freak someone out. When I invite someone to visit, I tell them my experience of Gather but I also add, hundreds of people join every day and the character and tone of Gather changes in an instant so that I can't guarantee what someone will find here.

Also, with 30,000 or so registered members on Gather, I certainly don't have 30,000 connections, so I'm nardly connected to everyone.

Quite a number of people have thanked me for helping them get a start here, but it is certainly not a universal experience. With hundreds of people joining daily, it was just a coincidence that I happened to offer a connection to you and to your friend so quickly after you joined.

I want to add that when I joined in January, the same thing happened. I was offered a connection request, not my first half hour, but in my first day. I was over joyed because I had previously though I had to know someone personally on Gather in order to be connected to them.

I had publshed something, which had received no views until I got a connection request from someone who had a lot of connections, though she is no longer here.

A number of people have thanked me for connecting because they said it has helped get them a start here.

Everyone's experience on Gatther or elsewhere will be unique, depending on various factors.

Sounds good to me, Sheryl.

Kathryn...this will be the last thing I say about this, but it wasn't that she had written something..she had written NOTHING, and was only signed on to visit my writing and a couple of things I had suggested to her. She hadn't even commented on anyone's articles, she was just signed in as a new member.
That could be why she took it as odd. Then it was followed up by another member sending her a list of "good people to connect to"
At this point she still had not commented or written anything.
To this day she still hasn't been back.
Everyone does have different experiences..and had she actually written something she probably wouldn't have been freaked out.

Thanks for posting.

Rating a 10

Paying it forward

Please do the same