It's probably no secret that some Gather members don't like "articles" with little or no material value. Apparently, they want intellectual discussions and serious writing without having to sort out the "fluff".
Perhaps there should be a way for them to experience such an environment on Gather.
Okay, this is not to be taken, in any way, to indicate the Gather staff has been contemplating the change being presented here. This is just a thought that came to my mind.
The concept is to have a checkbox, similar to the ones currently existing for the "Intended for Mature Audiences" section, to be selected if the article is without real substance, like Gather games, chit-chat, jokes, etc. A Gather member not wanting to see such content would be able to opt out.
Of course, this would rely upon the author caring enough to click on the checkbox, but it has the potential to help out.
So, this is totally hypothetical, but how does everyone feel about this? Am I being absurd or is there actually some merit here?
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Comments: 11
How would it work in this case...
www.ronnierayjenkins.com
Where points are outlawed.
I think that this idea does have some merit, but I really don't think it would be practical or used properly, leading to many problems. You are dealing with two sets of opinions...the opinion of the author, and the opinion of the community at large as to what is serious writing, or not. The answer is as varied as the content on Gather, and I think it would prove ineffective over time (and probably very quickly).
It is better to use effective tags. If you are publishing a game, then using a proper tag identifying your content as such will allow members to easily locate it. However, this is also subject to abuse, and finding a tag to denote 'quality writing' would also be problematic.
Personally I have no difficulty finding the content I enjoy on Gather, including great writing.
My two cents...
However--If I were the king and got to choose, I would like to be able to read some people's work and comment without having to see all the others commenting on them. Or to be able to block a few members, the entire view of them anywhere on this site. They are not enemies, I don't even know them. But seeing them comment puts me off of the person I am reading. Now THAT, is asking for too much!
People would get blasted if they forgot to mark their article as fluff and someone stumbled upon it in error.