I just cannot believe all of this. First this episode with Kat Gore and now this with Wm. Who is runing this place anyways? These are some of the nice people on here. Some on here should not even be allowed to post as they are here to ruin it for others and make it hard for them to "just be".
I strongly am thinking of leaving myself here, and actually was thinking of it yesterday. This stuff just adds to a couple of my personal reasons. I have only joined since Feb. and, what used to be a fun and friendly place is now turning into spite, hate, and competiton not only among people taking pics, but article writers as well.
All these DB1 and crap. There seems to be an excessive about of mean spirited people on here all of a sudden. Out for themselves whether it be for points or just to run and tell gather staff on people. OK so someone posted a few jokes from there email. It was not hurting you and bringing joy to others days. Isn't that what this place is? For all to come unwind and have fun?
Write seriously if you want to. That is cool. Leave room for some fun for others as well. You don't know this guys life, kats, or mine really. What these people struggle with behind the scenes. Maybe they need some lighthearted laughter. I know I get it for posting games alot. WEll let me tell you these games, and playing others posted keep a light spirit for me. I need that to make it daily.
Wm. jokes are light hearted and carefree. This is why I created my group the lighterside. That is the whole purpose for it. To keep things light in a tight world. I can see why Wm. would want to leave.
I know why I do. When light shines in a darkened place the enemys cannot stand it. Thank you for reading and good day to you.
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Comments: 61
I am just a person that loves everyone to get along.
Maybe its better that way.. Maybe its not..
However this is the Internet and people have a way of feeling big and almighty behind a key board and a monitor! People shouldn't leave because someone does db1's thats only giving into what the @#(*&%*(&#@ 's want :)
On the other hand I honestly can say I don't care if there are groups where people post jokes, games, etc. I don't have to read those. I will, however do a DB1 if someone repeatedly posts inappropriate material to a group, such as posting a poem about how your girlfriend done you wrong on the Adult Harry Potter Fans site, or similar such things. I won't do that, however, until I've posted comments two or three times gently letting people know their posts are inappropriate where they are.
I think Gather needs to rein in the power tripping people whose sole purpose in coming here is to make other people's lives miserable. Sheryl? I think Gather has been asked nicely any number of times and the problem continues.
One person's "rational, thought-through" disagreement with a political or religious stance is another person's "nasty, hatred". Unfortunately, many people, especially the very young, consider disagreement with an opinion to be a "personal attack". Heaven knows, I've gotten my share of "F*** You" gather e-mails from younglings who didn't like my responses to them.
Some people want to just be "left be" - but then cry because they get no "feel-good-noogies" in comments. Some want nothing but 10's - and cry if someone rates their article any lower, and call those lower ratings a "DB1" - even if it is, in fact, a well-earned 3 or 8.
Per President Lincoln:
You can please some of the people all of the time.
And all of the people some of the time.
But you cannot please ALL of the people ALL of the time.
Take a deep breath - grow a thicker skin - and get over it.
Though Gather is suppose to be FUN and enjoyable. If you are feeling that stressed out, then a break might be recommended.
I personally hope no more of my favorite people start disappearing from Gather. It would be really sad!
About your article, you used there instead of their and about instead of amount. I am sure they are just typos but I figured you would want to fix the errors.
I missed the Kat Gore situation, can someone email me concerning it?
I have to say that your right about the light being put out, every time they push one more away.
So what did he not deserve? Should he be allowed to post things he has not written? Should he be treated differently from other members who have been asked to remove content? I was twice asked to remove something before I understood that things on the internet are not free for us to use, just because they are there. I removed them and got on with my life. William should do the same.
Besides, I'm fairly certain he'll be back under a new name.
He's free to stay or go. If he leaves his friends will miss him. It's his decision. I know he got a lot of support from his constituents in the comments to his article.
Ha ha ha.... yes, I heartily agree!
However, this situation does not warrant his departure, and I am hopeful that he will remain (I have called him a few times, but his line has been busy).
Gather has evidently deemed William's content (jokes) a copyright violation. I did not see the articles myself, but Gather has always had a policy against publishing material you did not author yourself, or which did not receive the author's permission to publish. However, this has not always been enforced with much rigor, especially for content where no clear ownership exists.
Thus, in my opinion, Gather has fine-tuned their processes and resources enough to address all forms of content not published by the author, whether or not clear copyright/ownership can be determined. Consequently, the publishing habits of some members will need to adjust to reflect the new enforcement.
I love William and his presence is always warm and friendly. I have confidence that he will return, and find other ways to cheer us all up, and brighten our lives with his kind reassuring words.
Why am I not surprised?
This often happens when I try to call myself. And sometimes when I try to the cable company.
I guess all the r e a l writers are happy to see William gone .
Now if only they could convince 350 Gather Gamers to leave with him they'd be in heaven. It won't happen.
Kevin, I thought hell would freeze over before this happened, but we agree on something.
I have seen articles and pics more worthy of censorship over Wm.
~E~ enjoys having the last laugh lol W., Jun 20, 2007, 3:46pm EDT
They should all be stopped. Just because one person gets away with a crime, does that mean everyone else should be able to commit the same crime? Twisted logic.
I don't have a problem with William, in fact I like the guy, but if someone violated any rules that Gather has set forth, then it needs to be remedied. He shouldn't feel like he needs to leave Gather over this though.
I don't think it's the fact that Gather has asked him to remove his content, is it? I think it's the fact that there's a group of people here who constantly harass other people about it. It's Gather's job to uphold the rules, not the members.
Small changes can be made and it's not going to affect how people feel about William. We're still going to like him even when he doesn't post the jokes, right?
I was asked to remove an article myself and I did so, but I never felt like I needed or wanted to leave Gather over it.
With that in mind, I believe that certain articles, which fall under the 'copy and paste' category, may be viewed differently than they were before – the potential for copyright violation versus hard evidence of copyright violation. For example, just because William thinks the material isn't copyrighted, doesn't mean that it isn't. All he does know for sure is that it comes to him in the form of an e-mail. I know that I have received e-mail material originated by comedians (which I only know because I have seen them perform the same jokes) that does not give them credit.
I am compelled to mention something that always bothers me when situations like this arise on Gather involving a popular member. Two words: mob mentality. It is one thing to support William and ask him to stay, it is quite another to blame his departure on others whom, at best, many may only speculate just who reported the issue that has prompted William to review his tenure here. By making the issue about 'others' it negates that a valued member may just need the support of those who adore him in order to continue on. What he probably doesn't want is to be the center of a maelstrom (I judge this by how William has stayed away from commenting on disputes).
I know that recently William has stated he has been feeling tired and that all the publishing has been getting to him. Although I admit, I have wished he didn't publish as much (my sentiments mirror the sentiments April expressed in an article published a month or so ago) I do see him as am important member of the community. The reason for my wish had nothing to do with him personally, but because I felt, and still feel, that the freebies and e-mail jokes have little artistic merit and crowd out articles of which other members have labored. Further, my issues with such articles grows when they are published individually.
Overall, I will proudly state that I think William has a unique niche here in Gatherworld. Yes, I understand that his 'Good Mornining/Evening' articles may not be literary tomes that future high school students will be forced to pour over for English tests, but I have always thought that the genius of his efforts were not the articles themselves, but the way he hosted the threads. Adjectives like 'folksy' and 'kind' come to mind. Although I seldom peeked in, I always knew that I could if I wanted to and that a seat would be made ready for me. Once when I temporarily thought I had carpal tunnel in my hands (it turned out to be a minor muscle strain) I went into the 'Morning' article and was given kind words by William, really all I needed to calm my racing mind.
Despite how I am perceived by the general community, I do hope William stays. If he needs a break, then I hope he takes the break and comes back refreshed. If he decides to hit the road and do other things with his time than I wish him well. Overall, I think of him as the Grandfather of Gather. A kind man who despite it all always was willing to offer the stray member a place to just be. Although I know it is silly to think of his 'Good Morning' articles this way, but there were times you could almost taste the fresh coffee he brewed for us.
havent you noticed, janet? theyre gamers now too!
One factor which I believe may have led to William's reaction is a prior statement, to him, from Gather in which it was deemed 'ok' for him to publish his jokes. Thus, the perception of a sudden shift in policy without explanation or forewarning may put most of us off a bit.
Stick around. If nothing else, to see what happens next. Rules aren't so bad. We have followed em' most of our lives, right? Besides, we all forgive mistakes. Well, at least I do. They happen. And, in the end...it's what I learn from them, that matters the most. There are people here that will miss you. They have made that very clear. Almost to the point of obsession in some cases, if you ask me. Tho', I'm not sure if the obsession is with you, or just plain ol' drama, quite frankly. I guess only they know that. Either way, it seems they adore you.
-Not that my opinion matters much, I guess.
Uphold-yes. The problem seems to be that people don't like the fact that there is reporting of violations of the rules in the first place. And, they believe they know who is doing it.
From the TOS:
"Violations. Please report any violations of the TOS to Gather at support@gather.com."
I think it's pretty clear right there what Gather wants us to do. It's also quite clear with the fact that there is a FLAGGING feature attached. Why would they have a flagging feature with a section for "copyright violation", if they didn't want us to actually use it?
I have no idea who flagged William's jokes. I don't care. If he didn't write them, he shouldn't be posting them-period.
More from "Community Guidelines:"
6. Abide by Fair Use guidelines when publishing and posting on Gather. I will not publish articles, comments or images belonging to others without permission and attribution. When in doubt, I will refer to
http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html.
Which part of "I will not do this" do you folks not understand? Did the jokes belong to William? Nope. Then, they belong to someone else. The fact that he doesn't know who that "someone" is, doesn't make them his, to do with what he'd like.
I think that it is terrible that he has decided to leave us all.
I hope that he discovers the other sites out there that are like this one.
I myself have been branching out away from Gather more and more lately.
There are groups out there for the jokes as well. This also includes recipes. What boggles my mind is, who started the jokes? Who was the first person who actually wrote these email jokes down and copyrighted them? I can understand the ones with the pictures where it actually says, but come on. Most people can't really say where those jokes originated from. They just getpassed from point A to point B to point C, and so on and so forth.
And recipes for crying out loud? If I want to post a recipe that is my personal cookbook, that I made from recipes passed down from my mother, grandmother, great granmother, great aunt, etc. then I will post it. Many people have the same exact recipe because recipes got shared with friends and neighbors for many many years before copyright laws came into affect. In other words, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME EXACT RECIPE AND NO CLUE WHERE IT CAME FROM!!! That doesn't mean that when we post a recipe of any kind, that we violate copyright laws intentionally. I could say that all of my recipes are copyrighted and no one can use them when I post them, or even share them with anyone else. Now, what in the world would be the point of that? Why publish a cookbook at all, if I can't share a recipe or two with a friend or neighbor? Do I have to hoard the recipe and thell them, "Go buy your cookbook!"? No, I will share it as will they share a great recipe from a cookbook they own.
I hate to see William leave as well. But he is a big boy who makes his own choices.