What Is Happening Today ON Gather - Monday May 31, 2010

I do hope each of you had a great Memorial Day weekend.  I was surprised to find that gas prices had not gone up.  I imagined they would go up as a result of the Gulf Oil spill. Then  holidays seem to always make gas prices rise.

How are you going to celebrate Memorial Day?

Once again  I am doing  something a bit different when it comes to spotlights. I want to spotlight Individual members by linking to their post page.  I found these members to be very talented in one way or another.Let me know what you think of this new style of spotlight.   I hope you enjoy the spotlights:

 

  

1.  Jim Ross

2.  Virginia M.

3.  Michelle C

4.  Linda B

5. Terry M

6. Flit

7.  Diane Huizenga

8. Alison H.

9.  MrsRoadRunner

10. Kady L.

11.  Lisa "Queen Wombat" F.

12.  Pat S.

 

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WIN FREE BOOKS

You have been missing some wonderful chats with Gather Authors. These authors are very popular in the "real world".  They have published books and many are giving them away to members who attend the live chats.  There were two chats this week.  Were you there?  Did you win free books? Here are the transcripst in case you missed them.

 

 

Transcript Of Live Chat With Author Aaron Lazar

Transcript Of Live Chat With Author Timothy Louis Baker

You can still read all the transcripts of past chats as well:

Schedule Of Live Author Chats & Links To Transcripts Of Previous Chats

 

I understand the time changes within the Gather community can become confusing. I hope the following chart will help you with the time changes. I know you can easily figure out the correct time I am hoping this makes it simpler. I will try to post this in each Today on Gather post for your convenience.

If a chat is scheduled for 9PM ET then the chat will begin at the following time for you in various time zones:
 

9 PM Eastern Time

8 PM Central Time

7 PM Mountain Time

6 PM Pacific Time

 

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The Gather Home & Garden group is really busy with the Home Farming promosion going on.  There are some amazing posts being added each day.  These posts are filled with great information and photos of the Gather members farm photos. I thought I would spotlight a few for your viewing pleasure:

 

 

1.  My Home Farming Photo Essay - Fifth Post

2.  May Garden Update - Mangoes, Pineapple, Avocados and More

3.  Our Organic Edible Garden

4.  Addition To Home Farming Post Number 4 - Making Your Own Hot Bed Planter

5. Garden Mystery Solved!

6. Sassy Cat's Garden ~ Planting the Vegetables

7.  Kat's Garden: Home Farming Photo Essay Part Three

8.  Home Farming Photos Part 3

9.  Garden Update-Bad Weather Hampers Growth

10.  Happy Little Balcony Garden II

 

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Mark your calendars for Thursday nights.  The "Living With Diabetes" Group will be hosting a live chat.

 

 

 

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 French toast casseroles: Are you sweet or savory?

The Incredible  group on gather is not very active these days. However the owner, Howard Helmer does still submit posts.  This particular post has a link to another blog with a recipe on it.  The reason I am adding it to the Today post is that it also asks a question.  It is this question that interests me.  I know we have lots of cooks on Gather.  I would love to read your answers to the question in the post comment area. 

 

 

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Win A Free Book! Creepy-crawlies, Worms, and Slugs – Oh My!

 

 I just love these DK posts.  This particular post has an experiment to try out with your kids. Would make a great family project for Family Night. You can never spend too much time with your family. These are the times kids remember when they are grown.

Tell Gather what you found when you tried this experiment or share other great nature activities and you can win a copy of DK’s Nature Explorer. Comments must be posted in the above post by Monday, May 31st. 

 

 

 

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Memorial Day 2010 Recipes - Easy recipes too! Plus, you could win a $20 Target gift card!

 

Comment on each and every review in the following list for your chance to win a $20 Target gift card!

 

Memorial Day 2010 Recipe Inspiration Product Reviews:

 

 

McCormick Recipe Inspirations Review: Apple & Sage Pork Chops

Apple and Sage Pork Chops McCormick Inspirations Recipe Review

McCormick Recipe Inspirations Challenge ~~ Week 2 ~~ Apple & Sage Pork Chops

Shrimp & Pasta Primavera - McCormick Recipe Inspirations

McCormick Recipe Inspirations Review: Garlic Lime Fajitas

Recipe Inspirations Review: Garlic Lime Chicken Fajitas

McCormick Recipe Inspirations: Quesadilla Casserole --- Review

Promotion ends Monday, May 31st o share your comments by then!

 

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Win A DVD! - "My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story."

 

Gather is giving away five (5) copies of the DVD, My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story.

For you chance to win a copy of My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story, answer the following question in the comment field of the above link; What is your favorite dog breed? Comments must be posted by June 8th, 2010.

 

 

 

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Friday Freebie - Win a $50 Target gift card for your home!

 

 For this week's Friday Freebies, Gather is  giving away two (2) $50 Target gift cards. 

Comment in the above post  with your answer to this week’s question: What's your favorite Memorial Day activity?

You must comment by 12pm EST Tuesday, June 1st to be eligible

Gather will draw three members to win.

Check out post for all the details.

 

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Things to do for Memorial Day 2010. Win a $25 Crate and Barrel gift card! Join the weekend chat and share your plans!

Gather will  leave this chat open all weekend so make sure you visit it often and update us on your big weekend plans. Tell us what you're doing each and every day and you could win a $25 Crate and Barrel gift card! Gather will  randomly give away four (4)  gift cads to chat participants.  Plus, 20 members will receive 15 Gather Points! Here's what you can discuss:

• What are your plans for the weekend? Beach? Cookout? Travel?
• What are you cooking for the weekend? Tell us your grilling schedule, what are you making each day, etc.
• Who are you seeing this weekend?
• What's your favorite thing to do on Memorial Day?
• And more!

Every time you comment, it enters you again for a chance to win one of the gift cards so keep commenting. You'll share your ideas and probably pick up a new one from other Gather members.

 

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Win A Summer Fun Prize Pack From Fuse! Beyonce, Mariah Carey, & Lady Gaga CD's!

Gather is giving away a Summer Fun Prize Pack from Fuse. The prize includes:

3 CDS

 Mariah Carey: Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel

Lady Gaga: The Fame Monster [Deluxe Edition]

Beyonce:I Am...Sasha Fierce

You will also receive:
Fuse speakers, a backpack, water bottle, and blanket

 For your chance to win the Summer Fun Prize Pack from Fuse answer the following question in the comment field of the above post: Rank the three pop goddesses in your favorite order:  Beyonce, Mariah Carey, and Lady Gaga. Comments must be posted by Thursday, June 3rd.

  

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If you have time, you may want to check out this post by gather partner: Gather Survey Reveals Big Changes in Online News Consumption.  The results of the study are interesting.  It seems that age has a lot to do with the way we communicate and get our news online.

 

 

  

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Win A Pair of Tickets to See Mary Chapin Carpenter & Madeleine Peyroux Perform in Boston, MA!

Gather is giving away 2 pairs of tickets to see Grammy Award-winners Mary Chapin Carpenter and Madeleine Peyroux present a very special evening of quintessential American music.

Here's what you need to know:

136 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA 02115

Note - You must either live in the Boston/Greater Boston area or be able to get to Boston for the concert.

 

 

 

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 ENDS TODAY

MAY BOOK GIVEAWAY.....MAY 31, 2010

Love from Darlene! will be having book giveaways all year throughout 2010.

 

• Leave a comment in the designated book post. 
• Be willing to send Darlene a mailing address to send the book to.
• This giveaway will run the New Year 2010! Submit comments until midnight (12:00 a.m. EST), the last Day of each month. The gather member chosen will be announced in the designated post soon after.
• Multiple comments increases your chances of being chosen.
• One gather member  will be chosen by random drawing.

Darlene will be giving away the following books this month. Check out the main post by clicking on the link above. You must scroll down past the april contest to see the current May contest.

1. A Return to Love (Reflections on the Principals of a Course in Miracles by Marianne Williamson  
2. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
3. Bridget Jones's Diary a novel by Helen Fielding 
4. Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding
5. Enchanted Love (The Mystical Power of Intimate Relationships) by Marianne Williamson 
6. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult     
7. Mercy by Jodi Picoult                      
8. The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks      The Shack - Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity by Wm Paul Young 
9. The Company of Strangers a novel by Robert Wilson 
10. Rocking the Babies a novel by Linda Raymond  
11. Never Lose Heart - Encouragement for the Journey by Joyce Meyer 
12. Don't Worry, Make Money by Richard Carlson Ph.D. (1961-2006) 

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Share Your Home Farming Photo Essays for the Chance to Win Gather Pointsâ„¢ and Prizes!

Share your personal progress in a home farming photo essay in the Home & Garden Channelfor a chance to win Gather Pointsâ„¢ and Prizes!

Here’s how it works:

• Become a member of the Home & Garden Channel
• Post new photos of your personal garden every two (2) weeks to the group
• You can  submit photos  from today through Wednesday, June 23^rd
• Please tag your photos “homefarmingphotos”

Gather has constructed three levels of prizing you can win for participating! You can even win more than one prize. Here’s what we’ll be giving away and how:

• Weekly Prize: Gather will randomly select 2 members each week to receive 250 Gather Pointsâ„¢
• Monthly Prize: Gather will randomly draw one member per month to receive a Home Farming Prize Pack
• Grand Prize Winner: Gather will randomly choose one member to receive a $100 AMEX gift card to purchase more home farming supplies.

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 CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS

 

 

 

 

 

 Congratulations to Renee (Pres of Baby James Foundation) ~.for winning the DK book "Everyday Easy: 30-Minute Dinners".

 

 

 Congratulations to the winners of the autographed books in the chat with Aaron Lazar is:  JoAnn C.  and  Dawn (fly on the wall)

 

Congratulations to the winner of the autographed book in the chat with Timothy Louis Baker is:  Marilyn is looking for whatever there is. N.

 

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WELCOME TO THE GATHER COMMUNITY

 

 

 

 

Do You want To Make More Points On Gather

 One of the questions members frequently ask the Support team is for tips on how to get more views to their content so they can earn more points. An easy way to do this is by checking to see what is being searched for on the major search engines and to pick a topic that interests you from the list of top searched trends to write about.

The Google trends list is updated very regularly throughout the day.  MaryAnne be publishing this list daily to the Earn More Points and SEO groups. Feel free to check out these posts for ideas. If you write about one of the items on the hot trends list, and use the keywords that are being searched on, your content will be one of the items returned in the search engines and you’ll draw more viewers to your content.

 

 

Tom Gerace, CEO and Founder of Gather has submitted some great posts to help you with your Gather experience:

 Amplifying Your Voice (or, If a tree falls in the forest, and only 1.3 million people hear it…)

Step 1: Find Something that You Love to Do

Step 2: Evaluate the Appeal of Your Topic

Step 3: Consider the Competition (and Learn from Them)

Step 4: Creating a Consistent Experience

Step 5: Using Gather Groups: Create, Curate or Both?

Step 6: Check the box, expand your reach

 

 

Are You New To Gather?

 Welcome! I think you will find the Gather community a great source of information on just about anything. There are groups for food, music, writing, frugal living, couponing and everything in between. The Welcome To Gather group is a great place to start. It is a place where you can meet other new member on the site as well as seasoned members. The Welcome To Gather group goal is to help you learn your way around Gather and let you find friends who share your interests. Welcome!

 

The Today on Gather post is posted each weekday to keep the community informed of all the happenings in the community.  You can find the post in the Today group as well as my profile page