It seems like lately people have been debating on who should be allowed to post here on Gather. No site is ever going to make everyone in the world happy. That's just life! You can't please everyone! There are many people here, who write both "Serious" and "Fun" articles. That's what makes this site enjoyable.
Why is it that so many members lately have been publicly attacking other members who like to have fun from time to time? There is no need for that type of behavior. We are all adults here, so let's try to act like it and avoid the ridiculous public attacks.
For me, I write for many different sites and publications. I tend to publish my work to the place where I will make the most money. Most of the time, gather isn't one of those sites. However, I do publish some of my "serious" pieces here.
Why is it that so many members lately have been publicly attacking other members who like to have fun from time to time? There is no need for that type of behavior. We are all adults here, so let's try to act like it and avoid the ridiculous public attacks.
For me, I write for many different sites and publications. I tend to publish my work to the place where I will make the most money. Most of the time, gather isn't one of those sites. However, I do publish some of my "serious" pieces here.
I've personally met a lot of great people and started some great friendships here on gather, and without this site, I probably wouldn't have met those people. Most people do like to read serious articles from time to time, and then have fun from time to time. I see nothing wrong with that.
Then, you have the members who publicly display their hatred and disgust for the people they call PW's. They show their disgust and frustration and display it in dramatic articles or emails every month or two claiming they will abandon gather forever because of this PW thing. This is by far, the most ridiculous thing I've seen in my time on gather. Every time I've seen someone say they're "leaving forever" they magically stay right here, on the site they claim to be fed up with. Not only that, but in their rants they manage to drum up tons of comments from other members begging them not to go. Isn't this just their own sad form of Point Whoring?
Then, you have the members who publicly display their hatred and disgust for the people they call PW's. They show their disgust and frustration and display it in dramatic articles or emails every month or two claiming they will abandon gather forever because of this PW thing. This is by far, the most ridiculous thing I've seen in my time on gather. Every time I've seen someone say they're "leaving forever" they magically stay right here, on the site they claim to be fed up with. Not only that, but in their rants they manage to drum up tons of comments from other members begging them not to go. Isn't this just their own sad form of Point Whoring?
There is nothing forcing anyone to click on or read articles that they aren't interested in. No one sticks a gun to your head and makes you read an article. If you don't want to read a particular article, then simply pass it by. It's really very simple! For those people who claim that they are overwhelmed by the amount of articles that they don't want to read, there is another simple solution: Disconnect with the people or groups who publish the articles you hate. Then, you will only see the articles you like, making it easier for you to navigate the site and find the things you'd like to read.
Also, there have been some comments from people saying they HATE the points and don't want anything to do with them. They just want to be serious writers. So, for those people who have no use for the points they accumulate, please know that there are a few charitable organizations that you can donate your points to. That way, you can be a philanthropist, and a writer.
I've read some great short stories here, some great poetry, and some informative articles. I've also read a lot of fun stories, played a few games, and seen some great family photos.
I see Gather as a place for everyone, and many other people share the same view. If you truly don't like Gather anymore and you are frustrated with the site, then by all means abandon ship and feel free to start a site more to your liking. But please, stop all the dramatic emails and articles that you write telling everyone how much you hate the site, and trying to make people feel sorry for you and beg you not to go. If you want to leave, then just go. And, don't let the door hit you on the way out.
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Comments: 63
Well said!!
If you like true stories, check out the high school Diaries
u gottit
You can email me with the site names: paulkim2004@msn.com or email here.
Thanks for the article! Looking forward to more.
My shameless self promotion for my humorous true stories now seems pretty lame.
I've always just suggested people copy and paste to their browser bar and click go.
Such as "Dogs and other Critters" then I show the link for pasting;
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977121110
(tic)
I try to enjoy places for what they are rather than what I wish they were. Things change, nothing's static, eventually something's season ends and it's time to move on. I've seen some people I enjoy reading leave over this. I've seen some I can't recall if I've ever read behave abominably over this. Generally it's better to put our energy into something positive rather than negative, and going around taking venom out on people who aren't breaking gather's rules just because we're upset, is negative. Time would be better spent changing gather's mind or building a presence elsewhere. Ultimately it's gather's house, not ours, and gather will do what they like with it.
FWIW, this has been going on since I came to Gather last August. They were all in an uproar about Bzz Agent referrals, then it was Fox News advertising, the First Chapters contest, and so on and so forth. Plus some other various complaints in between, lol.
Some people need to b*tch in order to feel vindicated. Some other people simply need to put others down in order to feel good about themselves. And some people simply leave. Nothing you write will make them stop their behavior or low drive by ratings. In fact, all acknowleging them does, is make them do it more.
Plus, what is the point of some people to go around leaving db1's on other peoples stuff for. I think that is just rude... What do they get from it anyways..
They can't even show their face and say they are the ones who left a low score or for what reason, they just simply hide behind the fact that we can't see who rates us...
It has happened to me on most of my published photos and articles..
Vicky, I agree, a balance would be great! Personally, I've had a lot of connections who've written only articles about very specific topics that simply don't interest me. I've also had connections that only post games. I usually just navigate through the things that don't interest me, until I find a post that does. It's really not difficult to sort through things here.
Matt
I also think it's a difference between people who'd like to see Gather succeed and people looking for a handout every month rather than Point Whores and Attention Whores.
Anywho.
I don't mind games. I really prefer those that require more than one brain cell. There was one yesterday involving people you admire. You had to name something tiny you'd like to breathe in or touch, for example a speck of dust from one of Shakespeare's notebooks. The name words that begin with [letter goes here] games exist only to generate points.
I don't want to read about philosophy or mathematical logic all the time or even hardly any of the time. I enjoy anecdotes from people's lives. I like cat stories. I like silliness. I'd rather read things that are written well. I don't mean Shakespeare. I mean coherent sentences and a beginning, middle, and end. I like a personal point of view. I like to be able to understand what a person is saying.
I posted a sarcastic piece last week showing the first page of the most discussed list. It was all things like "Words that begin with" or "Male Singers.." Wouldn't it be nice to see something like "The Day the Cat Got Caught in the Heating Duct," a character study of an interesting family member, a how to article, one of the many fascinating photo essays I've seen...There's all sorts of interesting stuff here and it's getting buried.
I know people who consistently produce interesting things and I'm sure most people who've commented on this article do to. Wouldn't it be nice if the interesting things were easier to find?
I'd like that a lot.
That said, I do think that it doesn't feel fair that an article's ability to generate comments and conversation is not necessarily related to the amount of effort put into it. The columns I spend two hours working on seem to generate a number of comments roughly equal to the games and activities I write in about five minutes, or sometimes even just random thoughts about my day that I typed out without really thinking too hard about it. It doesn't seem fair sometimes -- but it continues because people are commenting. The best solution, I've found, is to write a wide range of articles - some serious, some mellow. It gives people a more diverse pool of things to comment on, and it makes me happy.
I was once accused of PW, by people who disagreed with me. It seemed that they thought that since I posted something they disagreed with, somehow I had forced them to leave comments on my article. I smiled and wished them well, since I could not understand their logic, much less argue with it.
Points are awarded on the basis of ad revenue. The more ad revenue, the more points are available to give out. Ad revenue depends in part on search engine ranking. Search engines throw out things like the Name a Letter games. This lowers Gather's search engine ranking and lowers the price Gather can get for ad space.
Thanks to Frightening Icon for the information. You can read her concise explanation here
I agree with a lot of what's been said here. I am one of those who will write and read memoir pieces as well as more serious discussion-starting pieces. As a stay at home mother of a toddler, I feel the need to stretch my mind a little.
However, I do like to post and play games. While I enjoy playing all these games, I try to make my games have some sort of theme instead of a "words starting with whatever letter."
If spamdexing is becoming a problem for Gather, then I'm sure Gather will find a way to take care of it.
I enjoy all I do on Gather - viewing wonderful photography, reading informative, thought-provoking, and/or funny articles. I've met some interesting people from all over the world.
Thank you again Jill for writing this article and starting a great discussion.
I never get my way though. *sigh*
WHO is the person with too much time on their hands here? It's absurd what some people here will do to other members. Let's just be nice and get along. Everyone doesn't have to agree, but there's no need to stoop to such a level.
If you don't like what goes on - don't go there!
And when I write serious articles and poems, they don't get the attention that I think they deserve! And of course the HATERS never comment on those articles.
I'm here for fun, others may not be. That's fine because we are all here for different reasons!
point whoring,we all do it,not one person can deny that ,if they do,there liars...
thats a fact..
but if your not interested in a certain post,why do the haters(or whatever you wanna call it) go and see it and rate and comment?
ill tell you why,to start trouble,they dont have a life and they haveta do online what they cant do offline..just my opinion
on the same token however,if someone is gonna post something fun or serious,they haveta expect a certain amount of criticism..though some people cant handle it and that is another reason they whine,lol
ty for commenting on my article Jill
I'm curious, how many people enjoy naming things that begin with a given letter? I might find out that I'm in the minority.
BTW, critical comments and low ratings could be the result of some members feeling that an article isn't very good. One thing I'm sure of is that one of the cornerstones of Gather is the freedom to comment on others' work according to one's opinion. Any time anyone posts something in a public forum he/she should be willing to take the risk that some people may disapprove of it and say so. Expecting everyone to be polite is a guarantee of disappointment. I try to be civil but I'm a realist about how some others will behave.
Taking criticism, even rudely phrased criticism, personally makes a person's world smaller.
thats a fact.."
I guess it's a fact that I am a liar.
As would most intelligent people, which is why there is no balance.
"point whoring,we all do it,not one person can deny that ,if they do,there liars...
thats a fact.."
This is what a guilty person does to try and rationalize her actions. It is not honest to claim that everyone does something because you do. (That's the closest I can come to controlling my urge to return your insult where it belongs.)
The thing that bothers me is that it seems like people don't hear that little conscience on their shoulder and they take things to the extreme, from both sides. Once again, I do support and enjoy aspects from both sides here and keep hoping that one day we can find that happy medium. I know that sounds so "sugar clouds and care bears" to think that way, but they're MY thoughts, so I'm making them as sweet as possible right now.