Today marks 2 years here on Gather for me. I stumbled across the site back in the Beta days when I was looking for a short fiction contest. Gather was holding their very first contest, the Gather Short Fiction contest, and I decided to enter my story, Wedding Day.
I started reading other people's entries and their other articles, poems, stories, and photos, and soon grew to love it here. I started a series of articles called Gather Cafe on December 21, 2005 where I recommended articles of other members and encouraged discussion amongst the Gather members. You can read through all of the articles (kind of neat to see comments from the members back then and some links to great articles too) by clicking here. This series was short lived because someone thought I was a Gather staffer and therefore Gather staff asked me to discontinue using Gather in the name of the articles (others have been asked this too, but with the proliferance of "Gather" titled articles, I suppose they have given up that now). The series was a lot of work and I was kind of glad to have a reason to let it go.
Well, I have done a lot in my 2 years here at Gather. There have been ups and downs and friendships won and a few lost. It has all been worth it, though. A few months back I compiled my learnings here at Gather into an article titled, What Every New Gather-er (and a Few Old Ones Too) Should Know About Gathering. I offer it again to all of Gather today on my 2 year anniversary. I hope you all get as much from Gathering as I have, and I hope to have many more happy years here.
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(Please take a look at my novel, The Friend Behind the Mask--First Chapter, I've entered it in the Court TV Search for the Next Great Crime Writer contest, and would appreciate your vote and comments. Thanks!!!)
How did you do it?
OK, you're two, but are you potty trained? ;)
Faith - I remember you had joined slightly before me but did not become active until after me - isn't it amazing to see the changes over tume?
Hee hee Peter - I did it by learning the hard way to not let Gather consume my life. I come here for fun and enjoythe profit, but I don't come for profit. I earn less now than I have in the past, but that is okay. I know I can always earn more by increasing my activity, but not atthe rate that it takes over my life. Gather can be an addiction if you are not careful, so it is better to enjoy it in moderation. And yes, many of the connections from the bygone days of Gather have disappeared, but when I do see one online, I have a special feeling for them unlike any other Gatherers. We were part of forming Gather and many of us grew to be quite close. I remember mentoring many of them on the site who are now more successful than I am. Look at the Gather Cafe articles and you will see who many of the oldies are here.
John - Aside from the very occassional accident, I am potty trained ;-P
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Congratulations, Monica!