I visit Gather periodically. I publish a tutorial or two, and make a few comments.
Along the way, I view, and answer, questions posed by newer members. The same questions that have been answered by myself and others many times in the past. With the same answers that already exist on Gather ...somewhere.
Therefore, is it possible to bridge this gap?
Over the past week I have been contemplating this problem. I have also 'discussed' this issue with Ron Hall in his recent article, "Is Self Promotion a Bad Thing? How Bad?".
Based upon that feedback, I have decided to not republish any of my older articles, as they will also soon sink to the bottom of the Gathersphere, with nary a glance from newer members.
Hence, I will be testing an idea over the coming weeks. Soon, you will begin to see a 'signature line' appear within some, or most, of my comments. These unique signature lines (sample below) will direct members, as discreetly as possible, to resources on Gather where they can obtain additional help, or information. Over time, I may change the individual messages to a single, consistent message directing members to a central resource.
I realize that this is yet another form of advertising. For that, I apologize to any whom this may offend. I hope that you will all please bear with me, as I gauge the impact of this 'project'.
Also, I would welcome any other members that wish to utilize the same method. I believe that it could be a relatively low impact means of linking other members to your best work.
However, "The best laid plans....." as they say.
For those that are interested, I have programmed my keyboard to automatically enter up to 15 different signature lines into any comment, through a one-stroke command. This is available on any computer, PC or MAC. For further information, please send me a message, or if there is enough interest, I will write it up in an article.
Thank You for your patience, and I would appreciate any commentary.
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Comments: 29
Michelle,
This topic has been the subject of many discussions on Gather, and the general consensus echoes that of Andrea and Arielle. By allowing comments to be deleted in this manner, an author could strip an article of all dissenting opinions, thus negating the ability for a true, open exchange of ideas.
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Although the answers to a lot of our questions are on the gather site somewhere, they're not always easy to find. So any help you can provide in a positive nonthreatening atmosphere would be appreciated. This would be a win/win because newcomers would get needed information and more experienced gatherites would be spared.
I would love to see a "tutorial for new members" link on the "my gather" tab if possible. (more comprehensive than the brief FAQ)
I am hopeful that a future release of Gather will have information which goes beyond FAQs, or that Gather adopts some member-generated content and links new members to it as an additional resource.
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You would not be the first.
Thanks again for all you do
I have read two of your 3 articles (that's all i found so far)and you have helped me tremendously. I appreciate all the help you are giving.....
I'm with the crowd on this. You should be an employee. In lieu of that, I HOPE you get a gazillion points for all you do. Your signature lines aren't self promoting, they're helping all of us newbs learn to gather.
I've been through the FAQ's. I've searched articles until my fingers went numb. I've missed out on a whole lot of fun reading and writing trying to find elusive answers to simple questions. ANY way that can mitigate that unfortunate circumstance is more than welcomed by me!
So, are your signatures done with Macros?