Introduction To My Gather Groups

I recently started a new group on Gather and it occurred to me that it's been a while since I've posted about the other groups I moderate. They cover a reasonably wide range on interest, so I thought it might be helpful to summarize my groups in this article for anyone who might like to join one of them.

I currently moderate five groups:

Geek Travel (geektravel.gather.com): I go to quite a few admittedly geeky/nerdy events every year, from science fiction, comic book, and gaming conventions to museums and historical sites. I set this group up so that my fellow geeks could share their tales and photos from the road. I have a very broad definition of what's "geeky". I certainly welcome reports from conventions and the like, but I will accept just about any travel photo-essay or article for the group. Same goes for individual photos, as long as the location is clearly named in the caption. When I choose articles to feature, I tend to stick to the more specifically geeky fare such as reports from SF conventions, although a particularly well-done photoessay on some other type of location or event. This is my most popular group, and it's one that many Gather members will find they have something they can contribute to.

Read 50 Books In One Year (read50books.gather.com): This is my newest group. Originally, my plan to read 50 books in 2008 was something I'd set out as a personal challenge, but several friends on Gather and elsewhere expressed an interest of setting a similar goal for themselves, and so I went ahead and got a group started. Although the focus is on the 50-book challenge, I will accept any and all book reviews. I'll also consider most book-related articles. Articles relating directly to the challenge of 50 books in one year are particularly sought, as are articles with advice and encouragement to help other group members who take up the challenge. You're welcome to join whether you're going for 50 in a year or not. Articles will only be featured if they directly reference the 50 book challenge.

Wildlife Identifications (wildlifeids.gather.com): This is my most restrictive group in terms of what it will accept. It's a nature photography group with a twist: I only accept original photos of wildlife in which the species has been identified and the scientific name (genus and species) is given in the caption. This is for the naturalist who is looking for a challenge beyond simply getting the shot. I know that there are some awesome nature photographers out there on Gather, so I'd love to see this group grow in membership. This is primarily a photo group, but in the future I may feature some articles on resources available to help identify different organisms.

Magic The Gathering Players (mtgplayers.gather.com): This group is dedicated the the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, published by Wizards of the Coast. Only material directly related to the game (decklists, strategy, tournament reports, reviews, etc) is accepted.

Panel Discussion: Comic Book Reviews (paneldiscussion.gather.com): "Panel Discussion" is a name I came up a few years ago for a colum featuring short capsule reviews of comic books, with each issue rated on a 1-10 scale. The column has appeared in a couple of different zines and wbesite that I've been involved in. This Gather group is open to any Gather member who would like to submit their own comic book reviews. I ask that reviewers also use a 1-10 rating so that I can combine their statistics with my own over time. Although reviews and ratings are the focus, I am willing to accept any article on comic books, comic strips, webcomics, graphic novels, or manga for the group. Featured articles will be reviews using a 1-10 scale rating.

As you can see from reading the list, all my groups are moderated. I guess I'm a little bit of a control freak when it comes to Gather groups, but I have seen how good groups can be ruined by a flood of off-topic posts, chain games, and posts lacking any original content. I'd like my groups to keep their focus and to retain the interest of their memberships.

I've also noticed that for the last few months, Gather's email notifications have been almost entirely lacking when it comes to letting me know when new content is posted to my groups. I try to check on a daily basis, but please don't hesitate to message me if you post to one of my groups and your article or image isn't showing up.