Just a Penny For Your Thoughts

Gather has a big problem in their hands. If they are not careful, the labor laws will work against them. So Gather does not want to make competition to the prison labor rates which are at twelve pennies an hour on the high side, or to the sweat shops around the world when they work for a penny a week!

One thing is sure, if they did not have this silly point system, we would see some real interesting stuff on Gather...

I guess its not fair for me to want to be paid for deleting all the points posts I receive, Crin.

We are not employees getting paid, so I doubt the labor laws apply to us. We are getting "rewards."

I got news for you Ann. As long as you are receiving "rewards" for whatever service you are performing, you are considered to derive taxable income if it goes over a certain limit.

You may not consider yourself employee, however you may fit as an "independent contractor", unless you are volunteering your time, and you are making it clear... Your moderators who are taking an assignment of half an hour a week, establish a relationship with Gather, and technically if they receive any reward for that half an hour, they are taxable...

Of course this is just a technicality for those who love technicalities.

Actually, if you are part of the Ad Sense program, you have to supply your social security number for a 1099 at the end of the year...

I think that Gather is sailing in muddy waters right now, because we are at the beginning of a new era, but it will be a time, when people will make money from these venues routinely... Unless there is a provision that excludes on line income in the tax code, you owe money for whatever you make.

I did not make the rules, I had to read them...

Ha, ha, ha, get with the future Ann...

Interesting thoughts!

Just random firings at the synapses, Darin

My synapses have fired in concert with yours, Richard.

This is so funny, Richard, and so true. I rarely look at my points. In fact, I believe I make less than you do a day. Were it not for Gather, I would never have met you and the other talented writers we have and I wouldn't have gone the the trouble of putting together Twisted Shorties. So, I suppose points or not, Gather has great value to me.

And, of course, to me also, pam.

Well personally since I started gather I really haven't made that much in the way of points. Almost three years and I still haven't hit 3000 once. So the likelihood that I will cash out out before I retire is highly unlikely. I pretty much am here to share my art and look at the stories and photos. And i've met quite a few interesting and neat people here.

I could not agree more

Gather points are useful for giving out as small gifts, but certainly don't qualify as "income," unless you're a Skywriter.

Thanks for sharing with Gather's Luminous Writers and Artists. Featured.

I would go even a little further. I would prefer if Gather changed the format as far as the "gifts" are offered.

The only reason for which I stuck here is that Gather has a similar format, technically speaking, as My Space did at one time. I suppose they use the same engine.

However the organization sucks... What is worse is the points and the conversion to some form of financial compensation.

My Space did not offer any sort of financial compensation. The only thing they offered were kudos, one per person per posting. And they offered the opportunity to have private groups in which members could be isolated from the rest of the community. I had friends that I enjoyed reading, although I did not care of some of their memberships in some groups, so I opted out and I was only reading what I wanted.

What I liked was the fact that you could pick up your friends and the postings, although they were done on different classes of interest. My Space was not so clique oriented: Gather Luminous Writers and Artists, Triple Name Club, Writing Essentials and so forth.

The connections were base on the relationship with the members, either friends or not. So, if a friend of mine posted something, I would get notification of his or her posting, did not matter what category it was, politics, writing, etc.

They had a ranking in each category, first place second place, so forth, based on the numbers of views and kudos. Even there, there were those who had to win all the time the top ranking and they used all sorts of means to score views... I suppose some have big egos, but it seemed that the atmosphere was much more relaxed.

What really bothers me here is this "I see you so that you will see me bit". Unfortunately this is the way the points are won and there is a lot of bandwidth wasted in the process...

I signed on a few months ago. I am not member of any group. I read only those people who are worth reading, and at times, some of those who are not worth reading, however they are amusing... So far I have 470 points. Some time I get a lot, some times I don't get any in a week. I couldn't figure out what drives them, because it seems that the most I get is when I am not posting too often... Maybe this is a subtle message about me posting...

But this is part of the game. I know that there are some who are interested in making some money here. I wish there was a way that we can transfer points to other members!

What I like about Gather is that you can meet good people, you can meet low lifers and anything in between.

I wish it were more conducive of artistic creations, and people will show more honesty when you are looking for a sincere advice, as far as creativity goes...

But no place is perfect...

I joined Gather when it was juuuust about to stop being "a writer's site," and I have noticed a few interesting and sad trends over the last year or so.

One is this -- I set my posts to show "most discussed" over on the right, and it slays me that I often see my own posts on the list... with, say, 14 comments, half of them mine. Srsly. That's the MOST discussed? On a site which claims to have, what, half a million members?

But no one understands the point thing. No one. Not even Tom Gerace. Remember him? Remember when Gather Adminia actually showed up on Gather from time to time?

Never mind. 'Nother issue. Moving on now.

Move on but don't move away, I enjoy your writing

I don't read many post, I joined as a place to share my photos. When gather started allowing people to post 40 photos at a time, the quality went down, many of the good photographers left, and the points became as slow as molasses. One thing has remained constant though, gather has more problems with its system then many of the larger social networks.

There are some good writers, and good photographers here, and many who are getting better. I like it as a place to try out your craft, and watch the progression of others. A quirky site, no doubt, but filled with some pretty nice people.

I've been back and forth~ and forth and back~ tra la la la la! =)~

I have a serious love/hate relationship with Gather for several valid reasons~ but the creme de la creme people keep drawing me back~

Thanks for sharing in the Triple Name Club.

My level of contribution varies, but I remain for the same reasons. Salary is not too good, (LOL) but the fringe benefits often make me smile, laugh, and sometimes even say "WOW" to a well written piece.

Points? Who needs those stinkin points? Not those of us who actually look for interesting writes...which is why you always find me at your page, coming back for more.

Thanks, Michelle. Much appreciated

Laughing out loud at your ending! A penny a day exceeds my gather income by an order of magnitude. Does that mean I'm doing something right or something wrong? And yes, it's not about the points.