I have never been clear as to what participation earns Gather points...when I signed on last Janurary, I wasn't even aware of points. After a few months I learned some info about them and noticed the number increase. I have never turned in my points,but plan to soon which will help me with Christmas presents for others.
I recently came across a discussion about what earns points and here is staffer, Pam Johnston's answers to member queries:
I'll try to answer your questions as directly as you asked them, but please keep in mind, the formula to points distribution is fluid and complicated... it's just not as simple as saying "this is how you earn points, do A, B, and C"... your activity on the site is linked together in a complicated manner. That's just the truth of it, so what I tried to do here is tell people what does and does not earn you points... and what violates our Terms of Service.
Question 1: Do you earn points (even a single point) for submitting content
(articles, images, and video) that does not end up getting a single comment (or only 1 or 2 comments)?
Yes. You do earn points by submitting content that only gets a few comments...but not many.
Question 2: Do I earn points if I leave a rating on another member's articles, images &/or videos?
No, you don't directly earn points by rating another members content... but you do earn points by reading and browsing that content.
Question 3: If I own a group, do I earn points each time a Gather member joins my group?
You don't earn points by having members join your group, but you do earn points if people within your group are active and engaged around the groups content.
Question 4: Do I earn points if I join another member's group?
No, you don't earn points by simply joining groups.
Question 5: Do I earn points when I click on Gather's advertiser's links? (I do not mean 'ad slamming', which is clearly and reasonably against
TOS rules.)
No, you don't earn points by clicking on Gather ad links.
Question 5a: Do I earn add'l points if I order something from the advertiser's after clicking on their link?
Nope, you don't earn points by clicking or buying from our advertisers or sponsors.
Hope that answers your questions.
Pam
You can read more of this discussion with Pam here:
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977137582
Something I am still not entirely clear about regards joining all of the "post anything" groups....I would like to reduce the number of groups I currently joined of this type because it takes too long to post to so many groups each time I publish...
Does anybody know if we do earn points by posting to these groups?...Pam says above that we do not earn points by joining a group, nor do we earn points for others joining our groups.
If any Guide or staff member is reading this, please provide a specific answer.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have that are not already addressed here.
Thanks for dropping by.....cheers,gayle
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 59
Thanks for sharing them!
You don't always have to post to all the groups your content can be posted to. No reason to leave the groups unless you simply will never contribute to them.
I have tried to experiment with only publishing to a few groups instead of posting to a lot, and I did see a difference in not getting a lot of comments and exposure, and therebv not getting a lot of points.
jr. > I think I get what you mean !
In short, when you go to FAQ, from the Help in top right of any page, I think these questions may be answered.
By participating in just a little bit of Gather or participating irregularly, one won't see the points go up much, but participating a lot and often in most endeavors, a person will probably see their points go up.
That is just my personal opinion.
If you post to a moderated group and you are certain of the posting rules, chances are you may be read, featured or commented upon.
I had 43 pages of groups a few months ago. I spent a couple of hours last month and reduced it to 25 pages. I will probably prune it even further, to reflect my posting interests.
If you're going to cash in points, do it soon. I recently cashed in some and the notice I got said it takes four to six weeks to receive the cards.
Sorry I can't help.
Anybody else wonder how the system knows if the rater "read and browsed" the content? Does it matter if we comprehend what we browse?
I will probably prune it even further, to reflect my posting interests.
I hope everyone will remember to post only to groups that share their interests also. For example, do not publish to review and critique groups if you do not accept review and critique, do not publish to a novel writing group if your publication is not part of a novel, and do not submit "guess how many points I have" discussions to "Writing Tips".
Sandra D. > thx for the tip as i was wondering how soon i should turn in my pts.!
Kathryn Esplin-Oleski > thx for your input...i have read the official Gather info and find it rather vague...i would like to know exactly what "reading and browsing", and "active and engaged around your group's content" means in relation to earning points....
appreciate everyone's input and hope we get more clarification here soon
cheers,gayle
cheers,gayle
I only chose not to accept "ratings" and welcome points! ;>
But, that brings up another question > if we opt not to allow ratings, do we forfeit points on our content?.....anyone?
In my opinion, if you publish to a "post anything" group that has say 1000 members, your chances of an article being viewed are greater of than that of a small group of less than 2 dozen. Now, that is not a guarantee that you WILL make more points by publishing to such a group but if you think about it, when you publish to a larger group, your chances of being seen and read are much higher than of a group of lesser members. And keeping in mind that some of the most active groups are not always the largest, the fact of the matter is, your points will differ as to the groups you are active on and those which others are most active on.
That is not to say that you should publish to any and every group that you can find. It is not the mere publishing that can garner you the most points. It is as Pam said, you do earn points by reading and browsing that content. simply said, taking the time to read another's post is what gives both parties points. In plain terms, participation onsite is what garners points, not sitting back and expecting members to post in your groups, waiting for the points to roll in. That is not to say that posting in your group will not earn you points, it will but to get the maximum benefit from the site, posting, reading and commenting are the way to do it.
And one last thing to think about. There are far more individuals each day who view your work than rate it or comment on it. There are individuals who for whatever reason it may be, do nothing but read the site and their favorite members every day. That, I suspect is where many of your points come from. People who have come to trust you and who make a point of reading or viewing your latest post.
I am not an authority by any shake of the imagination but I can tell you this. Being known and being active onsite are two of the keys to point earning. Those who care enough to leave comments and truly connect, I suspect are those who cash in their point more often and for larger amounts.
I hope I've shed some light on the subject, at least where my opinion is concerned. As I said, I don't know all there is about points. I'm not sure anyone does, as they are ever changing. But heres my opinion, use it or toss it at your discretion! I hope you have a great day!
No, you don't directly earn points by rating another members content... but you do earn points by reading and browsing that content.
Anybody else wonder how the system knows if the rater "read and browsed" the content? Does it matter if we comprehend what we browse?
I doubt there is any program that can read your mind and determine whether the reader has comprehended the material. IF there is such a program in existence, I would love to know about it. It would be a lifesaver for all educators out there in making sure class content is absorbed. And on top of that, it would make it much easier for educators to gear their classroom time towards helping kids to absorb that which they need to and move on from that which they already have knowledge of. Websites such as gather aren't the only places that would benefit from such programs.
And do I think some mistreat the system? I'm sure there are but in the whole scheme of things, those people are only hurting themselves in that their devious plans and scheming only get them so far before they fade into obscurity or burn out from overuse of scamming. To earn points the correct way will always be the easiest and less stressful for all involved.
Mr Bill, double-speak? yes much, much, much douboe speak was indeed doubly spoken in doubles.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977140720
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
(You're welcome for the .3 points!! :)
per your response to Sandy's "Does it matter if we comprehend what we browse?" comment, i may be wrong,but i read her statement as being rhetorical and facetious....
Sandy's first question, " Anybody else wonder how the system knows if the rater "read and browsed" the content?", is also what i am curious about...
If i am understanding correctly, just by reading and browsing content earns us points even if we don't leave a comment,or a rating?
Thx for stopping by...cheers,gayle
I can answer your question on whether having ratings turned on or off effects point earnings. If you have ratings turned off you don't directly forfeit points. However, your content will not show up on the highest rated lists, so indirectly you could have fewer members view your content.
cheers,gayle
And remember, my opinion is just that. My opinion. Just like the upcoming election, no one knows for sure until it is written down and set in stone. And at this point, I'm not sure gather is ready to mix the cement and start pouring.
In short, I think the thing to do is to read the informational articles put out by gather, listen to others and then form your own opinion. Until all the information is onsite, that is honestly all you can do. Except of course, enjoy your points. :-D
Ratings determine which content makes the Highest Rated lists, which some members browse when looking for interesting content. Ratings do not determine which content becomes featured. Featured content is chosen by the editorial team.
As far as contests are concerned, community ratings continue to be part of the criteria that allows entries to advance for most contests. However, each contest has it's own Official Rules, and the specifics for advancing varies. For the current First Chapter's Romance contest, only ratings of a 10 are counted. And in addition to those entries that advance based on member voting, there are also some editorial picks at each round, with the final round being determined by a judging panel.
Hope that helps!
i'm just glad to see my points go up...
I'll comment on yours if you comment on mine ;-)