Mastering Gather: The SiteWizard™ for Friday, 03/14
March 14, 2008 05:04 PM EDT
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The SiteWizard for March 14, 2008 »
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 | Adding Roll-Over Text to Links Can you spot the difference between the two links below? The Poetry Express Group The Poetry Express Group Each link appears to be identical. However, they behave differently when you place your mouse cursor over them. The link on the right has been enhanced with roll-over text, which displays a message each time a member touches the link with their mouse cursor. Adding roll-over text is quite simple, and can be an effective and fun tool for marketing your group or content on Gather. Here's How: This is how a standard link to the Gather home page is written in HTML:
<a href="http://gather.com">Gather Home Page</a>
To make an 'enhanced' link (which displays a short text message when the mouse hovers over the link), you must add a simple HTML command, called a title.
For example, to display "Gather Rocks!" when hovering over the link, your link HTML must define your message as a 'title', like this:
<a href="http://gather.com" title="Gather Rocks!">Gather Home Page</a>
This is how your link will appear in comments, articles, captions or mail messages on Gather:
Gather Home Page
roll your mouse cursor over the link above
Note: Internet browsers treat long titles in different ways. Internet Explorer will add line breaks and format your title better than Firefox, as Firefox will display the title in one contiguous line of text.
Tomorrow's Tip: Customized article content borders! |  |
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 | "I have heard recently that we don't get any points for commenting. Is this true?" Yes...and No. In the strictest technical sense, you receive no points for posting a comment. The member receiving your comment also receives no points. However, that doesn't mean that all comments are 'pointless'. In fact, commenting is a vital part of point accrual and readership in the community. Reading this article, as well as any content on Gather, earns you points. Also, the member publishing the content earns points for your visit...even if you don't leave a comment or rate their content. Thus, posting a comment does not directly influence points...but your comment is still an important aspect of community earnings. When a member comments in the community it appears in far more places than on just the content itself. Your comments will appear on your namespace as well as on the "Recent Comments" listing and the "My Gather" page for every person on your 'friends' list. Plus, members that subscribe to your comments will be notified, and directed to the content where your comment was made. Consequently, the potential for more members to view YOUR content is greatly enhanced when members comment on your work. In addition, the person commenting benefits by increasing their exposure in the community, leading to increased readership and ultimately an increase in Gather Point earnings. | |
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More by Kevin (''The SiteWizard'') V.
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Comments: 31
Welcome to the SiteWizard's "Mastering Gather: Book of Secrets"!
Your source for tips, tricks and other helpful information for maximizing your Gather experience.
In addition to the daily Book of Secrets, the SiteWizard content series includes live comment chat capability, regular tutorials, advice
...and a categorized help index to ALL community resources!
Looking for something specific?
Can't figure out how something works, or why it doesn't?
Visit the HelpCenter™ or ask the SiteWizard™!
Leave a question below, or click any SiteWizard™ link to chat LIVE!
I will actually be publishing each tip as a separate article with a clear, descriptive title. Plus, I will be adding each article to a HelpIndex, which is a categorized index to all helpful content, groups and other resources in the community. Then, you can find tutorials to anything by subject or question. Look for that very soon.
Have a great weekend!
Good question, and I'm really not sure ... except to say that I wish there was a way to reward time and energy. I don't think it's fair that a request to chat, or a game with two lines of explanation to "name an item in your bedroom starting with the letter B", earns the same reward as a brilliant poem, an indepth, or clever article, or a heartfelt story that someone spent weeks writing and editing.
Same with pictures and videos. Why should someone's copy of something they saw on the web get the same points as Jessie's beautiful, carefully shot photography, or George C.'s well-crafted cartoons.
Look, I'm not saying I don't like the lighter stuff, because there are times I don't want to read anything too long or heavy. But I also think those types of things should be assessed differently.
I recently published a brief posting with a link to something really touching I saw on U-Tube, and I actually felt guilty for doing so. I opted not to receive ratings, as it was not my creation, just something of interest that I saw and wanted to share. But not everyone will do that.
I know there is no way to place a so-called "value" on a piece. But it would be nice if we COULD reward hard work , creativity and ingenuity !
Maybe I'm off base here Kevin, but it would be interesting to know... DOES Does the current reward system know and assess differently a posting like a "chat request", versus something which is also short but much more difficult to write, like a haiku poem, or a 50 word story?
The Sitewizard
I have a question about Wednesday's tip to group owners.
When I add my groups to /groupinvite.jsp what happens them.
I intend to do it ASAP but how does the average gatherite find the link to find the groups?
creativepeopleon.gather.com
Note: Your group username URL cannot be edited or changed.
Help! Please...
I have two tips regarding the group invite function. Are you referring to the custom 'promotion page' for your group, or creating a link to allow members to join more than one group at the same time?
It can be fun to play around with. I have used it to provide information to members as they scrolled over images in an article. This allows them to learn more without having to click the image or link, or taking up extra space in the article.
You have raised some good points, and asked great questions. I'll be back as soon as I can to respond with my views. :-)
Also since you mentioned it, I would like to know if there is a way for members to join more than one group at a time.
This started with a question to group owners this morning on my Best Original Photos, Art and writing for 2008 group. I will send the person who asked the question to you but I haven't accepted the article yet, hoping I could give her an answer...
Once you create the URL (link) to this promotional page for your group, you then use that link URL anytime you are directing prospective members to the group to join. For example, you might create promotional links for each of your groups. Then publish an article asking members to join using the special links.
You can also use this outside of Gather...like in an email signature line. It will appear at the bottom of all of your emails, allowing others to join Gather and your group.
Plus, you can include it at the bottom of your Gather mail messages.
There are many possibilities!
I'll post a link below to the tip for joining multiple groups...
Here is the SiteWizard article that explains how to create a link to allow members to join multiple groups all at one time!
Let me know if you have any questions!
During Gather's last update some members apparently had their email notification options changed (an oversight I suspect, perhaps when Gather did away with subscriptions for connections).
I recommend that you visit your email notifications page and look through the list of your friends. It is possible that the checkbox for being notified of their publishing is not selected. Check the boxes you want and then save your settings. That should turn them on again. If not, stop back her or the daily help article (link below) and I'll give you a few more tips.
I was offline for most of the day yesterday and unable to return here to respond to your comment. I will do so this morning however, as you have made some very good points that I would like to address. Thanks for your patience!