Change #2 – Terminology
As many of you noticed and noted in Part 1 of this series, some of the language and terminology currently used on Gather will be updated to better reflect how people actually speak online. Here are the specific changes:
- Articles will become Posts
- Images will become Photos
- Publish will become Share
- Featured Content will become Gather Picks
Change #3 - Homepage
Gather's current homepage experience is also changing. As mentioned in Part 1 of this series; when you log into the site as a member you will be directed to your My Gather page. This will become your homepage on Gather. You will be able to share content from this page, send and receive Gather messages, check on your feeds, review your points, and access your original content.
Members who are not logged into the site and people who are not yet members will see this:
Gather's new homepage will feature a new look and feel that is aimed at simply describing what the site is all about. Its main focus is to give visitors a better understanding of what they can do on Gather and why they should become a member. Although this is a screen shot, the actual homepage will be animated and include photos that compliment the words (people, conversations, moments that matter). To see the new homepage for yourself, you'll have to log-off of Gather and then visit www.gather.com (after the upgrade, of course.)
The current, editorially driven homepage will be replaced by several dynamically changing landing pages that reflect what's happening and what's popular across the community at any given moment. You'll be able to find the most read, most discussed, and highest rated content on those landing pages, as well as selections entitled "Gather Picks". For a closer look at these landing pages, please review Part 1 of this series.
Next up, a closer look at the display changes you see on some of the content pages and a look at the updated functionality coming to Gather search. We'll also take a look at the changes made to simplify new member invitation and registration.
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Comments: 186
Cant wait!!
I posted a question on the last article that I guess was overlooked so I am going to repost it here..
"Pam I have one question. Is there any chance in the near future that we will be able to group our groups together to make things eaiser? For example. If I post a picture and want to post it to all of my picture groups. I would like to be able to post to them all at once instead of going down the long list. There are many groups that I would like to join but becasue of this I am trying to keep them at a low number. "
I won't hold my breath for this one :|
Awesome. .. so that means new people to the site will see "Name a word that starts with a letter" and "What's in your fridge" type "posts" instead of well written (Most of the time) articles?
Bravo :|
Pam's in a meeting so I thought I'd hop in and answer some of your questions.
If you are not a member and see the new homepage you can join by clicking on the "Getting Started" button.
You can also click on the People, Groups and Explore tabs and browse around the site just like a non-member can browse around the site today.
So.... are the Essentials going to be gone then?
On the Explore tab there will be a rotating module called "Gather Picks." This module will feature all types of content from across the site that Team Gather will call out as especially compelling, memorable, topical, informative, or fun. So you will still be introduced to new content and new members that you may not come across on your own.
Regarding your question about grouping groups. This is not part of this release, but it is duly noted and one we'd like to address in the near term.
Any time I consider posting an idea, I sit on my hands .... afraid if they know what I'd like to see they will make a note NOT to do it
My chances are better if I keep em all secret
The circles will be dynamic. The snap shot you see in the article above can't show that. There will be revolving images showing connections and significant life experiences.
We hope the tabs will be intuitive to visitors to click on.
Your own profile page will still be accessible from your MyGather page. Take a look at Part 1 of this Sneak Peek for a picture of Pam's MyGather page. You'll see the Profile link there.
now... about accessibility? I DO hope that that is something that has been considered with this ~upgrade~ ... i.e. not what the developers THINK = accessibility (they do not have those skills as Hawthorne clearly shows; sorry) ... but like the actual standards?
As examples:
"Highest Rated" content is not really reflective of the highest rating on the site. Currently, one rating of "9" can remove you from the listing, even if you still have the highest overall rating at the time.
"Most Discussed" people doesn't factor out comments a member has posted to their own content, or made within private groups, or other restricted areas.
There are similar weaknesses in other listings.
Have any of these ongoing problems been addressed as part of the update?
I think this is a mistake and it will lower your number of site browsers.
PS- I still miss all the "for me" tabs, LOL.
Thanks.
You will still be able to click on "articles/posts" and images/photos" etc and see all of them by date/time as we do now. Instead of each of the content types being separate tabs they will be part of the Explore tab.
Publishing - soon to be termed "Sharing" will also be located within the Explore tab.
The Featured Content was a great way to advertise how Gather is heads above the others. Now....................no such thing.
Web 2.0 sites are trying to become Facespace and Mybook but end up ludicrous.
Always better just to be yourself than something you're not.
A TON of GREAT people are LEAVING. I mean, the most talented writers, artists and photographers.
I hate it already.
Kathryn - Gather is evolving in a direction from the snobby writers, which is great in my opinion. They are just trying to make gathering a pleasant experience for everyone.
I also liked it as I could see some content that was relevant to me that others in the community had published that I either was not aware of since we were not connected OR that I had missed.
I really wish you'd reconsider changing the editorially driven homepage, and that leads me to my final question and concern here.
Is Gather trying to be a fluff network site like Myspace *Shudder*? I liked that Gather was a place geared around writing and photos. Each update seems to brush this aside more and more.... and the reason I forst joined was because of just that - the focus on writing and photos.
After speaking with one of these connections, she's letting this update be the decision maker if she comes back here or not. Thankfully, for me, I have contact with her at other sites, but others we will lose contact with.
Gather seems to be breaking up the connections that it served to create... and worse yet, Gather doesn't much seem to care about that.
I won't be leaving, but I'm not sure how I really feel about all these updates when Gather was perfect and functioning and thriving well before them.
I know, I know, you have to compete with the similar (I don't think myspace is similar - that's why I'm here not there) sites. But, you know, I thought Gather was light years better than they were before most of these upgrades went through.
The updates shouldn't change or tear apart the community, but rather better it. I think some see it as this, but those that think this is NOT bettering the community are not hesitant in leaving the site for good.
Those of us that will remain despite the cosmetic surgeries that are being applied seem to be experiencing a shell of Gather's former self when these connections leave.
It's this homepage change that's really leaving me wondering right now.
the terminology part seems pretty cut and dry, not as professional sounding but understandable
I think I'll just plan my vacation for the first few days of this upgrade...It got pretty ugly around here last time.
I Understand that. But how about conscripting help, instead?
I take back the previous posts with my dislike for the page. I do think that new members won't click those tabs to explore the site unless there's something written on the front page that invites them to do just that.
thanks for sharing
This is why I haven't been around much.
In the end gather will do what gather will do, regardless of what its members wish.
Will gather listen to its members and implement changes that the community has been wanting, such as a redesign to the ratings system, something done about the random flaggings, dollars and cents for cash members? I am sure many many more things that most members would be willing to give you feedback on, if only we felt someone was listening.
It is so helpful to get these sneak peeks. I think it's excellent that one doesn't have to wake up and come across the revamped site without having been notified or given the opportunity to chat with the team.
The site appears to be evolving into a cross between a blogging site and a networking site; it's interesting!
From the planned changes it looks like gather is still in an endless loop to try to compete in a race that has already been won by myspace, youtube, and facebook. Why not let those sites cater to the lowest common demoninator? Didn't gather begin as a gathering palce for people who listened to public radio? That means gather's audience is not the lowest common demoninator.
Instead of chasing a losing idea that others have already done better and more successfully, instead, why doesn't gather try to create it's own new category that others can compete with instead of trying to compete in a race that's already been won?
Why must gather be dumbed down even more? What a waste of time and money.
My sense is that since hawthorne, it takes SO long for new people to make enough connections that they get read (because we all are no longer making the effort to read people we don't know because it's more work and time consuming enough to try to keep up with the connections we already have) - they soon lose interest
Take care.
Here's a few questions for you. I don't expect answers to each of them, thereis some redundancy and overlap, but I hope to get an actual discussion of where Gather is headed.
What will your ideal new user who joins because of the upgrade be like? Yes, I know you hope they will join and share great content with their friends here, but can we get more specific?
We all know that these sorts of changes are not done in a marketing vacuum - who are you marketing to? Marketing gurus are advising companies to think specifically - not "we want more users" but "we want more users like Susie and Joe, but we don't care about Matilda" - and that only after all those people have been defined...So who is your Susie and Joe? And who is Matilda?
What do you think Gather is missing that these changes will add?
What does management see Gather looking like in a year? Five years?
Redesigns are fun and all, but it is not clear what the point is so it looks like change for the sake of change. Not so much fun.
This all looks so deja vu. Management says the same things every upgrade, followed by members (who are also *your* 'friends') voicing the same concerns again. In case it is not clear, little that matters to the existing user-base has been changed for the better in the recent releases. Group management to streamline posting, for example, has been at the top of the request list for YEARS and we are still hearing that you will get to it 'soon'. I don't think that word means what you think it means.
Seriously, is the fact that KEO is the first to don a black icon lost on you all? I mean, KEO for crying out loud. She's usually a total Gather-booster and you've gotten to her.
Too much concept
Lacking common sense.
Gather absolutely listens to members when deciding on product direction, upgrades, and features. There is a product board here at Gather that determines what enhancements will be added to the site and when. When members suggest improvements directly to a member of Team Gather or at improve.gather.com - those enhancements are logged and brought before the product board.
The suggested upgrades/enhancements/features are then discussed, business needs are determined, scope and complexity is considered. It's an important and ongoing part of the internal business process here at Gather.
I understand that the system can be frustrating to some because your "top" need or suggestion might be passed over for other upgrades. But many, many member suggestions are presented to the product board for consideration.
KM asked some excellent questions. I'd love to hear the answers.
It seems like to me, and to others, Gather just wants to compete with myspace and facebook. It ain't happening Gather. Why not embrace what makes this site unique instead of being a generic knock off of the "big guys" (of whom Most of us who are upset over these changes, do not frequent).
Well, I often refer to people's submissions and my own as posts when they aren't articles, but this sounds as if you are encouraging posts rather than articles. I suppose if it sounds like that, it's meant to sound like that, so I guess that's what this upgrade is all about. Anyone who LANDS on Gather will now very easily be directed to the many posts of nothings and the only people who will want to join are others who are going to be posting more nothings. That sounds like a plan!
Sad.
Use of the word product tells me that end user/member concerns aren't a very high priority item here in the orange place.
I'm heading back to Part 1 now to see if anything brought up by members was responded to.
Gather's ultimate vision is to become the leading social network connecting people and ideas. The upgrades, features, and enhancements you've seen over the last year have all been in an effort to reach that vision. We have conducted extensive research with visitors to the site who did not become members and people who have left Gather. The main reason they left or chose not to return was very clear and simple... the site was too confusing. A lot of that had to do with the 20-plus tabs that appear in the double navigation at the top of the page. Therefore, this upgrade is aimed at simplifying the navigation, and the overall Gather experience.
Gather firmly believes that what makes this site special, compelling, and interesting is the content and conversation being shared by members everyday. This upgrade is aimed at bringing that content and conversation to the forefront of the experience.
In the new Gather experience - the community will determine what content is compelling. What's wrong with that? Why is that dumbing down the experience? I don't understand. Other than the homepage, all the pages that currently exist on Gather will still be here. It will just be easier to find the day's most popular content. And the search will get better too... so if there's a topic you're interested in... search for it! You'll get great results and find all kinds of new content and contributors.
As far as demographics go - Gather is catering and marketing to an "adult" demographic... specifically 30 years old and up. We're certainly not trying to be MySpace or Facebook. This is a social network aimed directly at grown-up's... sharing and discussing topics that matter specifically to them.
I will do what I have been doing since the last upgrade / dismissal. . . I will be hanging on on Boomertowne, on ChaCha and on other sites that will listen to the membership.
Have you looked at the most "discussed" page recently? I Haven't today, but I am willing to wager that the top "articles" are games with five to seven people replying over and over and over with one word "answers"
Is this how you want gather to be seen? I would think by age 30 (your chosen demographic) you would be able to know at least few words that start with "B" without asking your friends to post them all.
Now, if you are going to start counting unique user comments as criteria to get into the most discussed. .. well that may change my mind just a tiny bit.
Not me. I'm not interested in Facebook OR 69 million people on a site. I'm interested in the photography and writing angle Gather offered and offers.
Facebook, twitter, Gather and the others will never grow beyond what they are now.
twitter is the fastest growingweb 2.0 site. I am on twitter, too.
Gather has had very few new members join in the last year.