As a relative newcomer to Gather I have been perusing many different groups and the Articles that are posted here and recently ran into a comment that has left me with some questions.
In his comments to a recent article jJack midnight stated the he was
"an official political writer for gather.com”
Then went on to state that so was one of the other people that commented on the article.
Which led me to wonder how they received that designation.
In all seriousness, whether I agree or disagree with the opinions expressed, I would honestly like to know.
Do you have to have specific qualifications or credentials? Are ‘official political writers ‘ expected to adhere to any standards of conduct or language usage? How does gather.com designate official political writers and who makes the decision?
I suspect that I am not the only person who would like to know.
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Comments: 34
In a way, the "official" status recalls Animal Farm: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." Baa!
I wonder if you'll get the answer here. You many have to send jJack an e-mail with your question, or ask Gather itself. If you do get a reply, I hope you share it.
Here's my condensation of American Pie: "Drove to the dry levee, most dreams are dead, so are some people, and music today sucks. America was better yesterday."
;-)
"Our reporting team is comprised of 16 Gatherers representing the political spectrum. Contributors include: George Corneliussen, Brian Cox, Laura Curtis, Nathan Dunn, Sean-Paul Kelley, Elizabeth L., David McGill, jJack Midnight, Bob Parks, Tim Pfeil, Diana Raabe, Andrew R., Troy S., Craig Sprout, Jay Stevens, and California Yankee."
But now you have peaked my curiosity and I will have to find out. There are times I just cannot lose that "Jessica Fletcher" glitch in my personality. :-)
I'd be even more interested in having one of the designated writers share with us what qualified them or why they desired the designation. jJack is not someone I read, but I have seen him as a commenter on many threads. I wonder who else is "official" as a political writer? Maybe there was a list somewhere?
I am surprised that I don't see Clark Kent on there.
Bongo is right: "official" and "fecal" are both spelled using letters.
You picked some of his more "social comments." He is simply an ideologue and not a very good one, at that. Still, I think the idea was to pick a spectrum of writers and the list is that. Now that the election is over, I assume the "honorific" is no longer valid.
Jackie:
LOLROF. Come here, boy, I've got a "special" job just for you!
Yes, the email seemed to indicate the "officialdom" flushed on 11/7
Gee, you know I was really hoping to get through Thanksgiving without some loser on the right calling me a bastard, but you had to ruin my dream.
So just for the record, would you like to compare records on charitable giving both in terms of amount of time per week or monetarial? I think you might be surprised by the fact that some of us LIVE our faith instead of talking about others that we don't know and never will.
But whatever I did to p.o. you so bad, please tell me what it is, I'll be sure to do it again at my earliest convenience.
lol . . . I think there may be more substance to the issue . . . since those are all English letters, and butt for a bit of effort, and a simple vowel movement, the latter can be derived from the former.
Your analysis is just offal.
:-D
Thanks, guys, for the best chuckle of the day. Read y'all sometime on Friday.
Kathleen has asked a serious and a sincere question. The answer has to come straight from the horse's mouth.
Granted, I present strong opinions, but I am always willing to consider others' viewpoints...that's what it's all about, right?
Thanks for the question about the writers. Gather felt that the writers for the "Election 2006" effort did a great job of rallying great conversation about the election. To continue the dialog, we asked our Correspondents to continue contributing their insights and local perspective in the re-christened "Politics on Gather" Group. As we move into 2007, we expect to have other opportunitie in several content areas for Gather members to contribute in this more deliberate manner, so stay tuned!
Regards,
David
Editor in Chief, Gather
david.gather.com
Yes, it's not the strength of the opinion that matters. It's the reasoning that sways the argument. Understanding is gained when those with good arguments meet. It's not about changing minds, that is called an election and are regularly scheduled over the years.
When you share you open yourself up for criticism which if considered on the basis of reason makes you and the writer who gave it better.
So don't worry about management or groups. Remember what Groucho Marx said when he finally invited to a posh (non-jewish) golf club: "But I could never be a member of a club that would have me as a member!"
Therefore, I'm Officially Handsome.
Guess the editorial staff thought Jay Jay met at least one of these.
So does Bob J. Wonder if he'll get to be an official something?
I can confirm, however, that Johnny is Officially Handsome. I have personal knowledge that his mother thinks he is very handsome (and brilliant and talented and funny and adorable, and... I'll stop now.)
"I once shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I'll never know"
My favorite Groucho line.
Barbara S. - I like the line about phillips-head screwdrivers...would that be right, or left-handed phillips-head screwdrivers?
personally I prefer 'official' witty sarcasm.
So sorry that your dream was ruined by an ignorant and uninformed fat guy telling you to "grow up" as he calls you a self-centered bastard.
It is typical of the logical contradictions that bounce around in his tiny head.
Does the Gather Editorial Team READ any of this trash?
(Peter's last one gets my vote.)