My Gather Experience ~ A Survey

I shamelessly took this survey from Rob Appell and Mary G.  I don't know who came up with the original questions, but the answers below are all mine.

1. Do you write more than you comment or do you comment more than you write?

I tend to comment more than I write.  I've never been on any type of regular schedule as to posting articles or what have you.  Some weeks I won't even post one item and other weeks I'll post a couple.  I always planned to do more writing than I have, but my brain seems to lack stimulation and I can never seem to get myself to sit down and write. I do post more photos than I do actual writing stuff.  I keep telling myself to get back to writing, yet it never happens.  Maybe I'll eventually flip it so that I'll write more than I comment.  Maybe, maybe not. I bought myself a writer's block book not long ago as a nudge to get myself some prompts to use to spark my creativity… well, that book sits unread on my counter.  Perhaps one day I'll open it up and use something from it.

2. What would you do if the GATHER site were, for some reason, to shut down?

I'd miss it.  Even when I don't post much, I always love to come to Gather and see what everyone else is posting.  I love looking at photos and reading articles and stories.  There's so much to look at and read that I never get bored when I'm visiting Gather.  If this site were to go bye-bye, I don't think there'd be any other site that would hold my attention as much or as long as Gather has.

3. What was the highest amount you cashed out for on GATHER?

I got a $100 PayPal payment once.  Usually I get $50 gift cards, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could be patient enough to wait for the $100 limit just once.  I did it!  And now I probably will never do it again, but it was really cool.

4. What do you think about GATHER now compared to when you first got here?

I've definitely seen many changes in the almost 3-years that I've been here.  At first I was so overwhelmed and felt that I might not have a place on Gather.  There were (and still are!) so many talented writers and artists on the site that I figured I'd be way out of my league.  I often still feel out of my league when I read the posts of some writers or view pictures of some amazing photographers, but I think it helps me to push myself to do better. Not that I'll ever compare, but it's always good to push yourself to learn and grow.  I pretty much continue to feel the same about Gather now that I did back then, just in a more comfortable way.  Does that make sense? 

5. When do you think is the worst time to post on GATHER?

Summer… seems to get pretty quiet when people are outside enjoying good weather.  Also in the middle of the night isn't the best time to post either.  Things tend to get pushed aside or forgotten when there's no one around to see it right away.

6. Have you ever thought about quitting GATHER?

Nope.  I'm never around enough to get really into any drama or other cause that would make me consider leaving.  I would at most take a step back and take a few days away, but I'd never think about leaving "for good".  I'm here to stay.  I tend to fly under the radar so hopefully there’s no one out there wishing for me to go.  Ha ha.  

7. Did you ever rate an article lower than '10'?

I don’t think so.  Maybe back in the beginning, but I can’t recall doing so recently.  If I think something isn’t deserving of a 10,  I don't bother to rate it at all.  

8. How do you think GATHER could improve its site?

One feature that I'd like to see is in regard to marking things read or rated or commented on.  So like if I went to a friend's page I could click an option to see just his or her posts or photos that I haven't already commented on.  It would be easier to find stuff that I haven't viewed and make sure I do view it.  

9. Have you ever flagged an article?

Never flagged an article, but did flag a photo once ages ago.  It was a tasteless photo of a man's privates and not something I cared to see.  I have nothing against tastefully photographed nudes or whatnot, but there's a line that was crossed with the one photo that I flagged.  Now I'd probably not even bother flagging it.  Someone else would always get it and I just ignore stuff that I don't want to see.

10. What is your response if you see something you don't like?

If I don’t like it, I ignore it.  It's easy to just turn away and find something I do like.  Time's too short to put much thought into things that irk me or that I dislike.  I'd much rather spend my time on Gather seeing things that I enjoy.  Of course this doesn’t mean that I'm not up for a friendly debate and I often read articles that are contrary to my own opinions to learn more points of view.  I like those, so they don't count in what I'd classify as a "dislike".  A dislike would be more like articles on silly celebrities or shows that I don't like.  I can see in the topic line that it's not for me and I just move along to something else.

11. What is the thing you dislike the most about GATHER?

The difficulty of navigating through multiple pages of photos/posts/etc.  Instead of just previous and next, it would be nice if you could jump to page 5 or any random page number.  Or like I mentioned above, having an option to click and only see things that I haven't previously viewed already.  I also dislike that the photos get uploaded and posted before the subject and tags are added.  

12. Is your aim on GATHER to get all the points you can?

Obviously not.  If I was going for all the points I could, I would be posting at least daily and I definitely don't do that.  Of course I do enjoy the points greatly and appreciate all that I've received for them, but it's not in me to post anything and everything just for the sake of points.  There's nothing wrong with that if someone else wants to do it, but it just isn't for me.

13. Did you ever meet anyone from GATHER?

Only the people that I knew from before Gather.  I haven't met any Gather folks in person that I didn't know before.  

14. Would you like to meet, in person, more people on GATHER?

I would love to meet people in person from Gather.  I just live in an inconvenient spot that no one ever wants to visit.  Haha.  But if you find yourself in the mountains of NJ, give me a shout.  

15. What do you think you ought to spend more time doing on GATHER?

I should spend more time writing, since that is why I joined Gather in the first place.  I need a kick in the butt to get myself really doing that.

16. How do you get the ideas for your articles?

Unfortunately I don't get many ideas for articles and that's why I'm resorting to doing this survey.  Haha.  I wish I could get my brain to come up with some interesting topics to write about, but so far I haven't had much luck on that front.  I once wanted to review every book I read or every movie I watch, but we see how well I've done with that.  

17. Do you think one day you'll be discovered and be an overnight sensation when your work is published?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!  No.  I doubt I'll ever have anything published, but in the off chance that dream comes true, I'm sure it wouldn't be a sensation of any type, let alone an overnight one.

18. Do you think others here have a chance of being professional writers if they aren't already?

Yes.  I have read many writers on Gather that have more than just a "chance" at being professionals.  Some already are published too.  There's a lot of talent around here.  

19. Has GATHER changed your life?

I don't know about it being life changing, but it sure makes my life more interesting and keeps me amused.  Plus the points and gift cards don't hurt.  I've been able to buy some things that I wouldn't have been able to afford without Gather.  I've also "met" some really great folks on here, people that I'd love to keep in touch with for years to come.

20. Was it your life dream to become a writer?

I used to have that dream, but it's long since been lost in the far reaches of my mind.  Now my dream is to just find a job that pays okay.  I've had too many people in my life tell me that I should be a writer and so I’ve forgotten whether that''s something that *I* really want to do or if I'm just hearing everyone else's wishes for me.  I guess I also feel that my writing is never very good.  When others compliment it, I haven't yet learned to believe that they're being honest.  I'm sure my writing skills, such as they were, have deteriorated in the many months that I haven’t bothered to actually write.  I need to challenge myself to put fingers to keyboard more often and produce something, anything, just to see if I can still do it.