Gather Values

words are pretty, that it, they have shown me much more by their actions... which for the most part has been positive

My opinion? Those aims, in my opinion , have nothing to do with the upgrade.
They are the sort of words a boss will tell his people when he feels like doing alittle motivating.
I see noting in the G or A or T or H or E or R that has anything to do with the main issue.

What I care about ii that I continlly have to refresh and sign in and sign repetitively just o make one comment or post one article.

My own comments have dropped to about a third of what they once were. Maybe it's my fault because I was off line....but why was I off line? I couldn't get on. That's why.

Six weeks ago everything worked like a charm.

I think that it's time that we got results. I do have a peaceful Gather but it's FAR too preaceful. I want a functional Gather.

no improvements yet..nice words in the Tom speech..I agree with Fred Hose..
I don't much care for the 'upgrade' or Gather at this point..
thanks for this article..

I did not even know that is what it stood for. I like it.

Wow, Fred, you are having a tough time. I haven't had that kind of trouble. That would have made me leave, truthfully. Most of everything I can do just fine. I have made a couple of my own shortcuts and taken others that have been given to me.

As the 'values' while I appreciate that they have shared that with us, I think that is something that would have been better done when they built this company. However, if Tom follows through with things that he says they will do, then I am all for it.

Laura, I always have considered you and Austin friends. ;o) I am not mad at anyone over the 'upgrade' although I am really tired of seeing people on both sides of this issue talking trash to the other side.

I don't like that kind of thing in RL and I sure don't want to spend my leisure time looking at it on here.

I hope we can all just let it go and get on with it. I am looking to being much more active on here and bettering my writing exponetially.

To me that is more or less definining the culture for a company. It only reflects the upgrade in the sense that core values are always applied to all things done within/by an organization.

I'm impressed and pleased that the principles have been established. I'm even more impressed and pleased that Tom has shared them with us as well as his commitment to honor them.

I think they're doing a great job. They took alot of abuse over this, and they're still trying to please us.

I'm not hard to please.

Thanks!

Values = Everything I was suppose to learn in Kindergarten.

Establishing values is something that almost every organization goes through, until they finally come to the realization that it is a waste of time. If you need to document values to help you define who you are as a company, or person, then you are in more trouble than you may think.

Instead, identify the touch-points for your 'customer', 'supplier', 'advertiser' and everyone you deal with in the course of doing business. Then refine these to reflect the experience or level of service to set you apart from others.

THEN, you will be accomplishing something. Until then, writing values in an acrostic is just an exercise to make you believe that you are truly accomplishing something great and transcendent.

It was a great motivational speech to get them all back on track. I like values and I like the plan to make additional changes; changes us the user wants. We shall see if it comes to pass. I like to live on the more positive side too..

You should hear some of the stuff my company comes up with to try and motivate employees

I think they just made a misstep, and are sincere in the efforts to fix things. Either that or Tom has a fondness for acronyms.

I'm not upset with the upgrade - some things I find annoying, but others might find them very useful.
But I really like the principles. Nicely done.

thank you!

Yeah. Sorry, but I'm just not very impressed with those common sense values as a solution to so many people being upset and begging for real answers.

It does seem a bit condescending to tell adults they need to play nice with everyone in an acrostic. I don't know how much longer I can take all this sickly drama and these weird communication problems.

I was just looking for a place to write... :(

I'm with Kevin's evaluation.
Other than that - I do see a bit of compromise and a change in tone, which I am happy about.

I hope I can make it all work just fine for me and that the next changes will be a fabulous upgrade that will make most of us happy. Like Marianne said in her post this morning we just want to be able to find and connect and comment along with our friends - that's all.
So all that social interaction - well, in my opinion - it was interrupted, instead of further facilitated as Tom envisioned.

A possible shopping site mixed with my space layout is apparently the new ideal - maybe I can do fine with that - maybe not - an alternative here and a compromise there would surely make me happy.

It's really very easy - shake it up enough - the real writers and photographers will leave and all those who remain will be very happy - just a thought.

Forget it, I'm tired of talking about this issue, it's Tom's headache to fix - so good luck with it Tom, I don't envy you:) - now I need some chocolate.

I think those were all great words, but I'm still not sure that Gather handled the upgrade the correct way or even listened to what most people were saying.

Thanks for posting this to Kevin's Fan Club Group.

I hate all this conflict.

I apologize for anyone I may have insulted with my opinions on the matter

thanks for taking the time to say this Laura. you never offended me, but hopefully others on here will take the time to consider this and maybe make apologies of their own.

as much as some people would like everyone to get along, i don't think that is a realistic goal as there are those that live to annoy others.

so, any new music we should be aware of ms. music correspondent?

I found the values acrostic disturbing on many levels.

Even more disturbing was Tom's admission that many staff members had never thought about values before being asked to at work.

I'm hoping that Gather will be able to correct the problems with the implementation of the new UI. It was rushed into production and had it's share of bugs and was short on features.

I'm worried that none of the management written articles and comments addressed the concern I saw many members express that the new UI design is contrary to what they saw as the spirit of the site. Many of the people who expressed their displeasure were long time members who had never taken sides in site politics before.

Maybe it's just cos I'm 'old world' and cynical - but I think that sort of thing gives me the dry heaves...
We called something like that a 'weasel' when I was involved in marketing products.

Personally, I think the trust and hear part need some work. I think far more questions are avoided than answered in any way myself. Having been here over two years myself, I don't see anything different in these talks from before. In fact I often have the feeling they are squeezed into a schedule, more than a prepared for two-way conversation creating any real value for them, or us the users.
Peace.

Miranda,

I've got a new column I'm working on for this week - an interview with an interesting lady named Terami Hirsch!

--L

I'm sorry the Gather leaders had to go through such a disappointing response. Their BIG DAY crashed! Sorry guys and gals (or gugals as we call them on another sit:) I know it's been bad.
I'm happy with the changes they're making on the feed. That was the worse thing for me. Other than that, I'm happy. Thanks to all for letting your complaints be known and to Gather for hearing them.

I have to be honest, I am used to changes with my job and I haven't really had any problems in the time I have been on here which I am sure is not as great as everyone's but I do have to question maybe if you are so unhappy and are having that much problem, maybe this site is not for you or maybe you are spending too much time on Gather. Just a thought.

I think the chat showed that they have listened and are interested in Gather user experience. I'm glad they are responsive, and look forward to maybe having a release that is easier to navigate in. :-)

I had difficulty figuring out where Tom was going with that chat.

In an office setting those values might be put up as a reminder of what is expected.

In our online community we have TOS, and guide lines to follow with an "or else" your account will be deleted. We live in a world where "values" are individual and not everyone will practice them.

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Hi Laura ~ The concerns of the members of Gather are more than just a question of . . . "Are you ready to extend the olive branch and get back to having a peaceful Gather?"

You know that I personally enjoy your content and having you as a "friend", just the same as I like and enjoy all of the "friends" I have met here in the Gather Community.

Many of the members of the Gather Community are Artists, Authors, Innovators and people who are Adults, not children. And, while I like to have fun as much as the next person, I am also very serious in terms of my time and having questions answered when I experience problems.

I do not want flippant answers or no response at all, and I do not want to see that happen concerning anyone else.

One of the responses during Tom's Talk made me want to weep, and I do hope that Judi's questions were answered and she was helped in some beneficial way. Because there are many members here in the Gather Community just like Judi with the same concerns. I sincerely hope that her concerns were addressed immediately.

In addition, I do believe the International Member concerns should be addressed, even though I am not an International Member. They have asked many times, and I SEE no ACTION taking place.

The problems in relation to the changes made at Gather are worthy of addressing in a realistic and straight forward manner, unless of course, Gather just really does not care about the quality of what has to date been built.

The values that Gather should value are the concerns of their membership in a very SERIOUS and FOCUSED way.

Tom needed additional help with the Talk that he conducted. And, more importantly, people from the Gather Team who were concerned with providing concrete responses to the many serious questions and concerns that were mentioned.

I have to agree with Fred, Kevin, Wendy, Rose, Sarah, Npp Ktz, and John. I also agree with a comment that was made by Tanya P. during Tom's Talk.

I am a very positive person, and I do not hold things against anyone. It is always alright to disagree. It is never alright to ignore the populous when you are talking about having a viable business entity.

You never make rash moves when you have not tested the community. Business Sense always keeps the boat afloat.

While your working for Gather makes a difference in how you view the "GATHER Values" in terms of your JOB, those who do not work for GATHER have other VALUES here. Such as . . .

GROW as an individual and as a community in the spirit of honesty in all that you do.

ACT as a responsible Leader. Take initiative to solve problems that affect your audience and your connections by taking ownership & responsibility for where you place your content.

TRUST & be TRUSTworthy. Be honest & transparent.

HEAR others. Listen actively, with patience & an open mind expecting a resolution within a reasonable timeframe.

ENCOURAGE intellectual curiosity, creativity & playfulness while being SERIOUS about who you are addressing.

RESPECT yourself and your feelings as well as others and their feelings within reason which results in WIN-WIN outcomes.

Since this was placed in the Snippets Gather Group Laura, here is my Snippets response . . .

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE A COMMUNITY-BASED BUSINESS?

A pefect "5" INTRO . . .

Building a COMMUNITY
Means CARING . . .
______

LISTENing and ANSWERing concerns
Responding with sensitivity
Having only Team Members
worthy of your philosophy

Be INNOVATIVE
But, Fix problems
IMMEDIATELY without hesitation.
If you can't do it, get HELP.

{A perfect "30" ADVICE Style Snippets}
by Rene

Toot toot....thanks for sharing~

Good article Laura. We know that everyone isn't going to adopt these values. It's just not in them. I think the values makes sense. I will admit I'll never be completely transparent on gather. I am honest and I post truthful articles and comments. But I want to preserve my privacy to some degree.

I love this site...I thank my friend Michael P. for telling me about it. I love to read the articles and see the pics...everyone is so different. I wasn't sure about posting my stuff because I have never thought it very good, but have gotten some positive feed back on it and it makes me want to write again. Thanks to all and I love all of the new friends I am making here...love to read everything and I do try to.

Fred, don't you have the keep me signed option?

That is true..thanks for sharing.

a peaceful gather is an awesome gather, have a beautiful day!

I like it and will hang around no matter what!

I am not hard to please, but I would also like afunctioning Gather.
With the upgrade it is just too hard to post articles to different groups.
My computer has a long freeze when each individual group is selecting.
(most often completely & I have to sign off)
Submitting, or trying to submit articles has been just as hard. When I try to submit, the pc freezes where it never did before. (most often completely, losing the whole article before it can even be saved as a draft)
As a result, I have been on gather less. I am not mad at Gather, or the upgrade, but I will be online more when it is fixed. (None of this happened before the upgrades)

THANKS

Thanks for the kind, encouraging words. Keep up the good work!

I like gather. I like the friends that I have made here. The changes have been difficult for some to deal with. Especially that there is a glitch in the java that isn't allowing images to be loaded with articles. I agree with Rene' she basically said it all in her comments.

My other complaint would be that I have been getting all my mail at my email address that I registered with. I have a gather mail. I do not want the mail going to my registered email account. What is the purpose of having gather mail if the mail doesn't go there? I am beat trying to clean thousands of emails in a few day's time.

Thanks for listening
Karen W.

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I am new here, but the thing I would like to see in a future upgrade would be a function to sort your groups into 2 or three types, kind of like the option to sort your friends into family and colleagues. For example, having one sort for post all groups would lessen the error of posting a miscellanous post to a group with specific guidelines as to what is posted there.