(Okay, I'll admit it right up front - I'm going to hell for this, but I just can't help myself. Over my time here at Gather I've read postings from some very talented writers, in genres that range anywhere from poetry to high intensity-type thrillers. It's always special whenever you happen across a really good piece of work, I always enjoy them immensely and usually read the piece at least a couple of times to get an even better appreciation of it. Unfortunately, truth be told, those efforts are like the raisins in a Denny's bowl of oatmeal, there's just enough in there so that it can honestly be said that there are some raisins available. And for every literary raisin I find here at Gather, there's a bunch of posts that go something like this.....)
hi. fred and me woke up this morning tiered after stayeng up late to watchCoatman O'Brien. He was real funny, fred tooted in his draws from laughing so much at him. Anyway we stayed up later, then freds ribs started hurteng. I rubbed Vick's salve on him and then that made hismuscle of pashun tense, so that had two be took care of. Sleep was late coming for us.
.fer right after breekfast today, I had to checkFred's toe, the one I wrote about yeserday with the fungus onit. The green toenail. It looks better than yesturday, when it reelly flamed up, I think its cause I soaked in it gasoline. Gasodine kills most enyting, so I figgered it ought to kill this fungus. It didn't. Fred hoollered his ace off, he culled me names, and I told him he was nut gonna git a good write-up about it today here on gather tooday. Then he cussedsome more and turned on truck boggin classicks on the TV.
We air having a hard time makin' ends meat. Mebbe a bout $150.43 cents will get uss right with the cable folks. Can enyone help me with this? Points or cash is neeeded, so I am posting many teams today!!!! All my frens here will hep, I no, and it is always apereciated. Wait untell you see my artacle later twoday about how fred wuz after he et the all you can eat taco specshul at Pedro's Taco Mountain last weak. And even moore is comink after that. Payun et fourward!
.some people here is so mean. One pierson even wroteme to say that peeple don't give a fit about fred or his tow or anyother part of him.How can that BE? A man's toe ain't impertant? I would tell him und gather to kiss my ace if I dident know that so meny of you dew care about fred, his toe, his fungus, and his recent spell wid puss on his kiddneys. Its dat love from each of you that keeps me goin, good bless you!!!!!
.fred is hoollering, so I must go four now. Either his toe herts or its that damn britches tenseness again which must be tooken care of les fred acts like a screaming beech all day. I gess two our eight chirrens need to be fed some morre to. So I will go for now, but I will write moore later. I know ewe wants too see what comes next!
Good buy four now.
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Comments: 138 ( 1 removed by Ed Williams )
I miss the way it was when I joined and so many of the people who left.
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Good humour. I usually bypass posts like that.
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I have nothing against this site leaning toward a more social mindset but is it necessary to be set up in such a way to force me to constantly duck the flying debris so often?
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Example
Hey guys, I read a really interesting article on dog poop.
www.dogpoop.com
I remember when gather was more focused on writing...now, not so much. I don't even post any of my serious writing here anymore, nobody ever read it.
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One exception: once I read a post from someone in a jobs group complaining that he wasn't getting interviewed for any job he applied for. It was full of misspellings (possibly typos) and poor sentence structure. I guess it might have been a joke, but several people had already commented, and all of them took it seriously. Worse, they actually sympathized with this idiot.
I say "idiot" because every job applicant for any type of job should know that he should proofread his submission and at least correct spelling errors. Yet no one but me commented on this post's horrid spelling and sentence structure.
By now that person's unemployment benefits must have run out. I wonder what he's doing.
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Ever since then, I drive by the company a day or two before the interview. Heck, I even check out where I'll park.
At least I know my cover letters are well written.
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I have found photographers and writers I like and those I view with pleasure
I'll check out maria
"Britney Spears is back on tour. What do U think?"
And that's it! Yup, nowadays it's all about the points.
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I don't expect everything to be perfect here, or equal.
Sometimes you win, sometimes not.
apereciated is speled apursheated
ewe is speled U
dont u got no spelcheker?! u hillbillee
u r ruening gathur
It took me awhile after I got the invitation to join Gather because I'm not a writer. Finally I joined and thought I'd just sneak around reading things by others, never posting. I do find things I enjoy reading, but I have to search sometimes. Since I have a pretty eclectic friends list, I do find quite a bit of good articles to choose from when that feed comes up. Of course I always read you first, Ed (flutter, flutter, I'm batting my green eyes at you).
I still don't understand the points and free stuff - I can't be bothered with that, but I agree with Rob, a lot of people are here for that and post absolute tripe, which I think is a waste of time and band width, but what are you going to do. Its not like Gather has a Sh*t-O-Meter, and it wouldn't be fair if it did. On that note, both of our cats are in heat and driving us crazy howling, should I made a video and post?
Seriously though, perhaps there is a budding writer out there who can learn from some people here, like you, Ed. This is a fun place, I enjoy it immensely, but I can see your point. Sometimes its tough to find the 'things we are looking for'. (I'm trying to be diplomatic). I'm positive that there are some really good writers here who's posts aren't getting read, but the crap (less than stellar literary quality) is getting read. I guess we just need to have more diligence in searching and seeking. Too bad, though, a Sh*t-O-Meter is a good idea.
I'm not a literary expert but it does grind my nerves when some people point out the faults of others while displaying their own faults.
Some people honestly don't know the difference between their, there, and they're.
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Dame Ruth and her group of humorists are keeping us in stitches every Monday of the week.
Then there's the new group sprouting under the leadership of St. Joy under the auspices of the WE Saturday Workshops
Try them for a start... follow the links in their articles and you'll find some gems. You'd be pleasantly surprised.
God, I hope I speelled all that kerrectly!
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Being in Canada, I receive no financial benefit from posting nor commenting on gather. I can't help but wonder what would happen if no-one got such incentives: if the benefit of posting was solely to get others' comments and suggestions.
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The story I'm referring to in the post above.
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The best writers on Gather could join and help us beginners learn to write something decent. One of the things I appreciate about Gather is the interaction, teaching and learning. I've improved because of it, and I'm not about to drive to any facility and dish out the money for lessons!
For those who aren't interested in learning, making fun of them doesn't encourage them. Nor does pointing out their shortcomings. Some people are, and have been since grade school, intimidated by their lack of ability to grasp language skills, but they excelled in other areas that would blow you away. I know men who are wealthy beyond my comprehension, who attended good colleges, and still can't write well. (that's why they hire secretaries)
As for what's going on here within the Gather pages, I blame our education system for giving them a passing grade and not teaching them a damn thing! Laziness has been promoted over academic perfection. Now text messaging is the means for communication, and all those short cuts are becoming mainstream. I have a difficult time deciphering most of it.
My real frustration is with the stuff that's obviously put up to get the points, especially horribly written or plagiarized stuff.
That's been an issue for years here. Why bother caring what others are doing to gain points for money? There's no criteria for earning it, except to view and comment on pages. If you have a group of friends who are loyal to you by commenting, their comments only count ONCE within a conversation that could consist of numerous comments.
It's not worth fretting over. This is a diverse community, not unlike the world we live in, unless you live in an exclusive gated community, and never leave it because you consider yourself too good to be seen with those you consider "less than".
Just do your own thing, and maybe... just maybe you'll be a positive influence on someone without even trying.
This post, to me, isn't much different than the anonymous email you received, omitting the blatant abuse suggesting paralysis of the hands. That email basically stated you weren't special in comparison to other writers.
And Ed, this post is, in my opinion, nothing more than dredging up old BS in an effort to get attention and gain points. Anything controversial, no matter how old it is, will do that for you. What are you here for? Points? Attention? or just good writing?
I have no time for the blathering of the non-writers who, for some reason, believe that a keyboard stroke appearing on the screen is worthy of attention. I have chosen to accept all āfriend requestsā and be loyal to the talent I find. After a month or so of reading the titles of some 'friends' posts I focus on that which interest and stimulates my reading experience which makes it easy to leave what ever is left unread.
There are times when I feel bold and post something important to me yet; there are those who surface to smack you down just for the exercise making no contribution other than a personal rant.
The world of Gather is in need of tighter regulations for posting and comments.
Example: you cannot comment to a group if you are not a member.
Posts must conform to your membership, i.e., if your membership is writers and literature (any genre) you cannot post a āwhat I did with ___on spring brakeā, or poop bags on-line where to find. You get the idea. Nothing will change for serious talent until Gather listens to what we are saying.
you write hillbilly quite well :)
There was one yesterday about I must be nutz and a lier cause my hole 300+ friends are not commenting on my crappy pleas for comments and points UGG!
But what kills me more than anything there are a few writers (not you) that bust anyone butt that is truly trying to write and that is why a lot of people also left this site. I would not try to post any writing on this site due to them.
What am I here for? You might repeat that question in a mirror....
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And I've made a lot of enemies who rallied together to gain points, pick on others and write articles such as this one.
You just dug up a can of worms that was buried long ago, and should have stayed buried, and I'm observing who it calls forth (again). That war was vehemently fought, and lost. We are just now coming back in an attempt to move on, heal and start fresh, with an attempt to bring gather together, not divide it with bad attitudes.
Those who can't write, can read. The quickest way to lose readership is to satirize other member's inabilities.
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Smoochies,
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Correct me, Ed, if I'm wrong about my take on what I think what you meant. This is only my opinion. There is a lot of writing on Gather, some great, some good and some.....not so good. Sometimes we have to really search to find something we like. Because Gather started the whole points and free stuff program, a lot of people are here only for that and therefore posting every gas pain and gall stone in their lives to get said points.
Then there's the new group, WE Saturday Workshops
sprouting under the auspices of St. Joy... not the other way around.
1. Every one of you has read something like the above.
2. Every one of you knows there is more of that than anything else.
3. Every one of you knows most of it goes up for points.
If that's controversial, I'll have to accept that. And frankly, every one of you ladies who's apparently upset expresses yourselves quite well via the written word, why this would bother y'all I haven't a clue. I've respected and conversed back and forth with some of y'all for months now, would I do that with someone I thought couldn't express themselves well or wasn't interesting to talk to?
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I likes ur cent of hummur.
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I think it's just a cause of needing to remove a few IQ points so we fit in better.
Oh did I say that ?
I notice that you belong to a few "post it all groups" . Its been my experience that you find a very wide variety of different kinds of post through these groups. It might help you if you pare down some of the groups that are the" post it all kind" . Its like visiting a garden and than complaining that there are to many flowers. I'm sure you can find groups that are for writing professionals or serious writing. Duckey 1 has some very good ideas.
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Thanks for posting to my group, Anythingwriting
Want a laugh? Two people have already asked me about doing another article in character as the "lady" who wrote this one, one detailing her further adventures with Fred - LOL!
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