Gather Slave Labor

My Gather experience has nothing at all to do with my own personal profit and I could care less about Gather's profit. I rarely post editorial. I read and comment on select posts and that's about it.

I've been here for a very long time and posted a great deal of editorial under another name and icon. I rarely post now. I'd rather post comments and interact on the comment side.

If you're here for profit maybe it isn't the right place?

I am here for many thing's. =) I how ever will not go under another name and Icon... I am me.

P.S. I also did not ask for your experience Jimmie, I just stated a fact that I for one see.

Is the funny hat a disguise, or is that really what you look like?

Stop flirting silly, either hop or get of my lilly pod =)

Cindy.  I think that you would be much happier if you worked more at your play.  When was the last time you even read an add on this site?  So who pays for the internet anyway?  What is wrong with one very large (like I mean gigormous) social network site?

If you can make it happen, you too will be rewarded.

Reward is in the eye of the beholder little frog =) I am alway's happy. I love the idea of a social network site. =)

Oh, I forgot to mention, the last time I read a add on this site was afew day's ago..Something about GASTAROL, I don't know, but I clicked it. I wrote a fart poem afterword's. I hope this anwser's all your Q's ? =)

If your Gather account was deleted because you insulted people with thin skin you'd have no choice but to go under another name, Carol, and I didn't ask for your opinion on another icon, just stated the facts, maam. I'm still me, regardless of what my icon looks like and an American flag isn't part of it. Are you supporting the troops or something?

I have never been deleted, WTF are you talking about? =D

This is 4th July Snoopy ? You get THAT? =)

Oh, silly me, I thought it was June 23rd. Musta been sumpthin I ate.

I checked out the Google Trends as was suggested, and most things I write about, just aren't that popular. So I guess I'm not going to be adding to the Gather coffers as much as they'd like.  Find something you love and write about it sounds good, but I guess I'm so unique in this world, what I love is not popular.  Oh well.  Nothing new here, lol.

You are popular to me Katie! I love your recipe's, and all of your tip's, gadgit's and so fourth. I even miss the town bird sneeking in and stealing your peache's, lol =D

Lol, thanks Cindy.  Our little Gather community is about the only place I can expect to 'feel the love'.  I'm glad you enjoy my silly stuff.

There a some people I would miss if they were gone from Gather. Katie and Cindy, y'all would be two of them. Cindy you know you just crack me up. And Katie, your recipes are just so delicious. You and Debra publish some awesome photo essay recipes. =) Sorry not to mention everyone that publishes great recipes. I wouldnt' want to fill up the comment board. lol~

Have a fantastic day~

Katie, when I saw Tom's article I was concerned that's the impression he was giving - to not bother with a passion if it isn't "popular".  I write what I feel like writing, what I'm inspired to or see a need for, and I don't worry about what Google Trends thinks about it.  It works all right for me.  In fact, I do better with the more obscure topics in my areas of interest than the popular ones, usually because the popular ones do have SO much competition.

I'd suggest that a better place for Gather members to start than Google trends would be to go to their own posts and change the view order to "most viewed" through the drop down menu.  See what's drawing search engine attention.  Then keep writing what you want, perhaps with more focus on what's working for you, but optimize what you do write.

Melanie, you're too sweet. Thank you for your lovely words and encouragement.

Lune, I tried using your techniques that you wrote about and we'll see what happens.  I'm still going to publish things that I always did, but it's discouraging when you have to compete with so many 'posts' going up quickly and yours take a lot of time to prepare.  I'm still going to do as I always did.

"Find something you love and write about it"    I thought that is what I was following all this time.  I love my family and that is generally what I write about.  Maybe that statement should have read "Find something you love that will also bring in more revenue for this site and write about that".  I don't plan to change the topics I write about.  I have to be true to myself.

I say ditto to what Melanie said~ and Linda T., I agree with you.  I don't plan on changing my topics and I sure as heck ain't linking my stuff here to other sites.  Why should I?  Facebook is where I keep in touch with my children and that's about  it.  This is ridiculous, I do believe this is the worst change that has come about for Gather. 

I have not changed a thing. I post, I view, I comment.

A fart poem. I see your a 21st Century intellectual too, but not terribly good with names, even when they're RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

Thankyou =)

Pfffft...

Doncha just hate it when you're trying to put someone down and you make some common stupid grammatical error?

Phoooie!

I was deleted. geez.

I didn't delete you, I don't even know how, never did that hefore. Show me? =)

Gather deleted me but you can too. Somewhere there's a delete comment button. I don't know where because I've never deleted a comment but my comments surely have been deleted so there HAS to be a delete button. It won't get rid of me, I'm like bad glue, but it'll get rid of my comment, until I post another and then you'll have to find that pesky little delete comment button again.

If you post something, you can change your mind and delete it by clicking on the area under your icon.   So if you need to edit what you have written, you can create a new reply and then delete the previous post.

If you plan this properly, you can get people to give some pretty bizzar answers to the wrong questions.

I meant the Snoopy icon could delete my comments. I know how to delete my own comments. Press the Snoopy button!

Knock it off Rebel! That tickles =p

It's supposed too damnit. Or is that damn nit?

Make me laugh John boy.

Tony, I agree with you except for the part about, "running a site of this type is very very expensive." It was perhaps to start the site but at this point the expenses aren't that high and the ad revenue more than covers it. Have you any idea who owns Gather? I do. They make a great deal of money and have invested millions. It's a cash cow.

Milk me =)

Lift your shirt there Snoopy...

ditto on the shirt Snoop~

Are you a girl dog or a boy dog? It makes a difference ya know.

They have worked for it and after several years and a large group of investors and strong and consistent ad revenue my guess is the profits are starting to pile up nicely. I owned a large publishing company which I sold. I can't speak to the tech side but the ad revenue side, from my observations, looks pretty sizeable. Crystal Light with a banner ad on a web site with Gathers industry rep. Yup, Tom's sitting pretty.

*It is more important now to run out and join other site's. Link them to your gather site.*

I don't know, it's starting to sound like some kind of cult or religious order.  Like knocking on doors with Watchtowers, or other religious pamphlets,lol.

Seriously, they drew people in here with the 'rewards' advertising and now it's totally turning around to this. And if you dare say something about not getting enough points now, you get comments like the ones above. 

You go girl!

What's wrong with the comments above Kim. Lost your sense of humor? Or did you ever have one at all?

Knock, knock, knocking on gather's door...

Where's my gift card's and ...Well yah..You get the idea! =)

Oh you little Rebel you! You be good now or I just might have to drop your pant's and spank your little butt blue =)

We worked for them before. Now we are free lance advertiser's.

We just don't get paid........

No, they haven't Tony...Idid better with view's. =(

I'm simply here to make sure Cindy, Cathy, Snoopy, whoever she is, gets a lot of points. I'm the point man. Making comments where they're least appreciated. Milking single women with a single bound. Faster than a speeding keyboard. More powerful than a local motive.

I am CindyB. The Snoopy Queen! =)

Hey dude!  Careful who you call Cathi!  There's only one Cathi here and that's ME!  lol

He's a dipshit, pure and unadulterated

Super hero stuff. Things you wouldn't know about.

John, tell the truth! You know you're nothing but a washed up powerless comic book hero.

Still being sold in certain areas though!

John, Joe, play nice!

Believe me, if I wanted to mind my manners you're the last person I'd take lessons from you old bag.

Be nice!  Miss Manners has been around!  And boy, do I mean she's been around!

Funny, real funny! What do you know?

What train did you fall off of anyway? Besides, I was here first.

With any luck you won't be here last =)

Wanna bet?

They are trying to attract people who don't use Gather... why is that a problem?

I don't know, come back in on another computer and low ball me so you can ask again =)

I agree with Savo and Tony!

AMEN

I think Gather is having an identy crisis.   Is it a writers site or is it a social site? 

Let's look at where they have spend most of their marking money, underwriting NPR/public radio broadcasts.  Gather has always been focused on NPR and public radio. 

I am having an identy crisis! Good Grief! I am wearing a top hat! =p

Gather probaly found you with some sort of heat seeking server seeking missile aparatus.

Tony, that is my point.  Many people here now found out about Gather through Bzz Agent and other reward sites that Gather advertised with to increase membership so that had to move away from being only a writers site.  Yet they continue to underwrite the same programming that brings in views for the writers.

At this point in time Gather hasn't figured out what they want to do.  It needs membership to bring in ads like Crystal Light yet the site is promoted on public radio.  Very Yin and Yang.

You can not ask people to come here, promise them reward's, and then say..Oh, by the way, work for me now for free..Go out and get me people to see my site.ect.ect.ect. =D

Yes they are... =p

If Cindy says they are then they are!

Excuse me, Mr. Rebel, does your mother know you've been here all night?

Shut up you old bag. Climb back under the rock you climbed out from.

Do you always talk to people like that or is this just some rare form I'm being honored with.

It's you, you wrinkled old prune. You bring out the worst in me. Take a hike, I'm tryin' ta make it with the Snoopy lookin broad. She has dripping wet ta ta's.

Yikes! As Snoopy would say....

You guys cut it out, damn it!  Cindy says they are, so they are!  End of story!  lol

Amen Cindy

Are you in a prayerful mood mary bryant?

if you haven't been reading my comments as of late Cindy.....we must be mind-linked then......

or maybe the mutual mutation of minds raised breathing the air in Iowa,,,,,,

they did get rid of two of the people at Gather HQ though...one of their jobs was getting new members ? ? ?

just letting you know I was here and read your article.

Where? When? How?

By the way, I was an integral part of assisting this post to 83 comments and want recognition Gatherwide.

While you're probably off boffing Peanuts

Boiled peanuts?

Boffing! Waddaya think I have a spelling problem Cathi?

And hey, did you show your invitation at the door? I don't think so.

I think people who truly enjoy the site don't mind sharing / recommending it to others.  I also think that even though the changes are making a lot of people mad - the people who are here for the right reasons will stay - the people who aren't will leave - ULTIMATELY it is THEIR site they can do what they want with it.  I like the site and will remain regardless - there are a lot of neat and talented people on here that I enjoy following.  That is just my opinion.

wow...you got people going on this one, Cindy! lol  I think I'll just keep doing what I was doing before, only less of it. I can't spend hours for points. So, I'll do what I have time for and let it be at that. In the meantime I'm researching other money-earning sites...

I am out of the loop what are you guys talking about?

Now that they have you here... they want to make you part of their new marketing plan, mold you into a new SEO tool. Conform Cindy! LOL.... yeah right.

Take care... ;-)

Holy cow, this is one heated discussion!  Well, linking is a way to get more traffic to your site, and more traffic means more page hits, which means more pennies into the bank account from the google ads on the RH side of your screen.  i can't fault Gather for wanting to pay their mortgage and put food on the table.

I agree

Wow - you're almost to 100 comments so I have to add one. I just wish everyone would play nice and not use apostrophes when they aren't warranted.....

"Take this '''' and this ''''  and this '''''''  !!!!! "

Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!

You know I'm not sure what you have against apostrophes but that's surely Alphabet Discrimination and could even be Grammar Discrimination. I'm going to check. I think it's a hate crime. The punishment is severe.

It absolutely is a hate crime. I just hate when people don't use proper punctuation - it's just plain laziness...

And besides, overuse of apostrophes could cause them to wind up on the endangered species list... then we wouldn't be able to use them at all... I'm just trying to protect the poor little things....

Ok, well, I hadn't actually considered the ramifications of overuse, actually running out of them and the potential hazards, or mothers milk and its effect on the long term health of children.

And you could have been more comment generous and added two ya' know.''''

I had a feeling you'd take care of that....

I did.

This whole post, comments and all is baaaaaaad. Sorry, that was the sheep in me trying to come out.

I'm still trying to find the courage to post the poem I wrote that was inspired by your fart poem. LOL

Okay - we're over 100 comments now.....

I've received Gather Points™ before and expect to get them in the future.  I'm not fond of the SEO posts that have clogged the site for the past year or so.  It's not mandatory to do that.

No Nippy you are wrong you have to join other site's and then you will get point's for view's and it is slave labor so the Gather fat cat's can get rich and stuff their pocket's full of money made off our back's didn't you read the article's that Tom wrote?

I read the article.  Yup.  I read your comment too.

This is the only site on which my real name is used, and I want it to stay that way.  Linking to other sites isn't my choice, at all!

I link to articles by people I enjoy - you wouldn' thave to say the post was yours if you didn't want to - you could just say "Go check this out I saw it and really enjoyed it...." or something of that nature

Good suggestion!

Thanks - LOL I just posted a link on twitter and on facebook to Jack Zimmer's latest photo caption contest on here - he is hilarious!  I think this linking thing will work out better for people then they think - I love the feature - it brings my non Gather friends in to look at things I am enjoying without making them have to sign up for the site unless they decide they want to.

Who wouldn't want to be linked into an article and comment thread like this?!?  What better way to spend their precious time on earth?  And points to boot!

Somewhere, your fourth grade English teacher is in tears.

What gets me they want you to link to other sites your posts for views.  When those people decide to join Gather which helps them you get nothing for getting them more people. 

With all this said I agree with you Cindy.

What's wrong with the comments above Kim. Lost your sense of humor? Or did you ever have one at all~~~~~~~~~

 Ouch!  Hey Johnny Rebel, who the F are you?  Yea, I got a sense of humor, also have a sense of smell,  P.U.~  getting to deep in here for  me~ blow it out your ear

Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.

And Kim, it's all yours baby!

huh??????????

Hey Lori, not what I'd expect from you but hey, I've been wrong before.

And what did you expect from me John?

Shit I don't know, you're usually so intellectual! Anyone can type question marks.

wow cindy you have quite a post going here... just letting you know i was by here and read everything

Thrilled

Wow~ look at those numbers =)

Well, you too could learn to pump gasoline...

Thanks for sharing!

Yeah, since I have nothing clever or witty to add and only 4 working neurons and a closed synapse, "thanks for sharing!"