Feeling inspired by Kevin V (again) by this article: My 'g': What Inspires Me as a Gather Member - I've decided to let you all know about my Gather 'g' and what being here means to me.
I do my job at home. I clean the house, keep things organized, pay the bills, take care of my 10 year old, 5 year old and the baby, who is 9 months old. I make all meals, I do all the shopping, I pay all the bills, run all the errands. I search for, pick out and buy all the gifts for gift giving occasions, I wrap them, I send out the thank you cards for the things we get. I am the one who corresponds with my husband's Grandparents. I am the one who keeps peace in the family and keeps everyone in the loop. I know where everything's at around here. My husband and my kids always come to ME for help. I am the go-to person at home and this is how it is. That is my life.
So do you want to know what I'M here? I'm here to make meaningful connections with people, for an escape from my everyday life as a stay at home mom, and also for the little bit of money I get from hanging out here. That's right: The little bit of money.
When I first started here, I really didn't know what to do... but just started checking out things that made ME happy. I realized that I could actually take a few half-way decent photos here and there, so I joined some photography groups to get some tips and see what other people were doing. I also joined some freebie groups because I'm a frugal mom and love to get free stuff. I joined some recipe groups too, but then decided those really weren't for me only because I ran out of ink in my printer and it was way too hard to try to remember a recipe all the way to the kitchen. I found myself walking back and forth in between my bedroom and the kitchen just to cook something because I couldn't print the recipe out. So, those groups are gone. Then I realized that I loved the "post anything" groups. Why? Because I could post anything I wanted without fear of having it removed. I also found a LOT of really great articles and images there. So, most of my groups are in that category.
I even started helping other people out when they needed it. If they posted an article and it didn't get a lot of readers, I'd do a search for them and list some more groups dedicated to that topic that they could post to. I offered my help and people started coming to me when they couldn't figure Gather out. It made me feel good about myself knowing that people knew they could rely on me here just as much as my family relies on me at home.
After seeing my points start to increase, I became even more excited about this place. I know I shouldn't have been driven by that, but I was. Who doesn't want to earn a little extra while they are already doing something they love to do? I decided I'd work towards earning a Vacation Outlet gift certificate to pay for a much deserved (and needed) vacation for my husband and I since our 2 year anniversary was on May 5th. We had a baby 10 months ago and also have 2 other kids, and it really puts a damper on the ol' romance department. I'm sure a lot of you on here know what I mean and can relate to that. I love my husband dearly, he is the best thing that has happened to me and our children and I want to keep that all alive.
I then found THE best group on Gather (to me) filled with a bunch of ladies who are all here for different reasons, but still have one shared interest, and that's the group. I rely on these women, I count on them, I respect them and I actually miss them when I don't hear from them everyday. I stick up for these people, and will continue to do so, because some people have the wrong idea about the group. They think we're "all about the points", but we're not. I like the points, but that's not the only thing I'm here for. I know that may sound weird to some of you, but you need to remember that this article is about what Gather means to ME.
Even if my husband and some people on Gather don't understand the emotional connection I have with people here, it doesn't matter to me. I'll continue to spend my time here and have fun doing it.
Gather makes MY life better and MY life sane and that, my friends, is my Gather 'g' and what it means to ME.
~ Faith B.
<-- - My Gather 'g' cloud in my Oregon sky!
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Oregon talk
weloveoregon.gather.com
This is a group for current Oregonians, people who used to live in Oregon & people who are thinking about moving to Oregon. Just a place to say hi and talk about our favorite spots in this great, beautiful (and wet!) State. We can share links that pertain to Oregon or spread the word about some of our favorite restaurants or experiences in Oregon.
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I LOVE MYSELF
ilovemyself.gather.com
If you love yourself or even if you don't, this is the place to post anything about YOU. "I Love Myself" is the group to post pictures of you & write stories and poems about YOU. If it's about YOU, we want to hear all about it.
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Pet Personals: Anything pets!
petpersonals.gather.com
Pet Personals: This is just a fun group to post anything related to pets! You can post pictures or articles of your pets as well as anything that relates to pets. You can post ANYTHING about pets.
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BEFORE and AFTER pictures, stories & poems
beforeandafter.gather.com
A place to post your "BEFORE and AFTER" pictures, stories & poems. Have you remodeled your home? Have you transformed your body? Changed your life? If so, then post your article here with the "BEFORE and AFTER" shots to share your journey with us. This group is a place for everyone to share their "BEFORE and AFTER" pictures, stories & poems. As long as you keep it clean and stick to the subject, I don't care what you post here AS LONG as it's got a BEFORE and AFTER picture included with it, or the story, article or poem is about your journey to get from point A to point B.
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PEOPLE WATCHERS - pictures of & stories about people
peoplewatchers.gather.com
For people watchers who have caught fashion faux pas, don'ts, outrageous outfits & outdated hairstyles wondering if the person looked in a mirror before they left the house. Share light hearted pictures and stories of people with us! This group is for the "people watcher" in all of us. People, People, People! Are you like me and snap pictures of random people doing their everyday things? Are you a people watcher? Do you want to share the crazy things you've seen in public with us? Have you seen some really outrageous fashion faux pas, DON'Ts, or some obviously outdated hairstyles or crazy behavior and happened to catch it on film? Have you ever wondered if a person looked in the mirror before they left the house? Have you "accidentally" eavesdropped on a private conversation and want to tell us what you heard? We've all heard about fashion DO's - now here's your chance to share the fashion DON'Ts you've caught in public. Please share your light hearted pictures and stories with all of us: the people watchers of Gather! This group is for fashion faux pas, funny or outrageous people you've seen in public, a great picture of someone on the street, a family member or a friend that you took yourself, or even a picture that you've seen online. Tell us about the conversations you've overheard or tell us stories about amazing things that amazing people do. Please try not to post off-topic material here. If it's about a person or people - then it goes here! I've tried to keep this celebrity free, but I've gotten so many articles with pictures of celebrities, that I've just decided to change the rules. So celebrities are OK too.
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THE WORKS: every article every image
theworks.gather.com
POST every article or image you want, but you have to FLAG your content if you think it will offend anyone. POST The Works here. This is just another "post anything group". You can POST The Works here. You can POST every article or image you want, but you have to FLAG your content if you think it will offend anyone. Play NICE, people. All things, many things, the works, the total universe, the whole caboodle, the whole enchilada, the whole shebang and a whole lot of articles and images will be posted here.
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CRAZY SLEEPERS
crazysleepers.gather.comLet's post pictures of the way we all sleep. A place for photos of your pets, husband, wife, kids, YOU while in slumber. Articles you've written or found about our sleeping behaviors. A place to laugh at each other, in a nice way. This is a place for all of us to post pictures of the way we all sleep. Does your cat/dog/hamster/iguana (any pet) sleep in a really weird position? Did you happen to get a picture of it? What about your husband, your wife, YOU? Let's post some odd pictures so we can laugh at the crazy positions we get ourselves in while in slumber. How about an article, a story, something you've written or found about our odd quirks while sleeping too. Let's keep this as clean as we can, although we all know that when we start talking about bedroom behaviors... it can get a little off the wall!
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Ultimate Fighting Championship fans
ufcfans.gather.com
This is a place for all UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fans to get together to talk. Do you have some favorite fighters? Want to chat about any PPV fights that are coming up? Let's remember some of the most awesome fights we've seen. Basically anything related to MMA, Martial Arts, Karate, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, kickboxing, kung fu & Tae Kwon Do.
I love your honesty here! You truly are the best!
it makes my heart sing to see the way others respond to you. i always knew that you were meant to do very meaningful things in this life. you Have been positively impacting others since you were a child, and i guess i just have to say that i would like to be like you when i grow up.
love
I am home all day with a 7 month old, 3 year old, a 4 year old, and a 9 year old. Some days it is all I can do to just keep up with them, and others I have time to enjoy a little bit of Gather and chat back and forth with some of my connections.
I really understand the way you use Gather and the emotional ties you make with some people. To me it is like an extended group of friends that you just have not seen face to face. :)
Enjoy your time here and I hope all is well with you and yours, since I have not been keeping up with people much lately.
I think I love you. Not like that! Like we are here for thesame reasons. Sharing, connecting, writing. Wonderful sweet article. Thanks for sharing.
Until the g-cloud. Say that outloud... g-cloud. If you don't laugh, you are not human!
G-CLOUD!!!!!!!!!!
Ok... You are obcessed Faith, obcessed with Gather! You need an intervention. It's a rule; see a g-cloud, get an intervention...
Great article Faith:)
I also joined to "connect" with other grownups, but people tend to hate me as a rule, so I'm not having much luck. SO, that makes it okie dokie for it to be all about the points! oh yeah! Points points...I love points. It's a shame I don't do anything to actually earn some points...
I love you.
~B
Thank you so much, Karolyn!