Gather Review
Site: Gather
Members: ???
Features: Gather is focused on the over 30 crowd with the features build around good discussion not around picking people up. Users have a profile, can message, upload photos, videos, and posts. There are also groups that are built around topical content.
Gather also uses a points system that rewards users for their participation on the site. There are multiple ways to stumble across content through random generation or even popular ratings.
Review: I am not sure how effective this is in rewarding user engagement, I think it works on some level on message boards as a some sort of social capitol but on social networks I really doubt it as a motivating factor.
The layout was well designed and it was easy to use. There was a lot of content on the site and discussions were occurring. Some of the most popular blogs posts had 50-100 comments.
Check out my semi complete list of niche social networks
I have used Gather, and it can be a very fun site to participate in. While there are some there strictly to gather points in exchange for prizes, many of the people are there to Gather, and show off their passions. You share writing, photos, music, etc. The group leaders are very good at getting their members to participate in activities.
It is very participate and socialize with each other oriented site. Commenting and voting on each contributions.
The problem I found with Gather, is it is very click oriented, and some people and groups of people there can be very vicious to others. I encountered a lot of people with hurt feelings, due to uncalled for maliciousness. I left for that reason. Although I was never involved on either end, it was too much drama for my comfort.
The site has cut down on the points. It used to be that you could get gift cards with your points in the range of $50-$200 a month. I spent a lot of time on the site and, in that 10 months, I managed to get $35 worth of gift cards. Given many of my posts gardnered 100-200 views (one receieved over 500 views and 50 comments), it wasn’t lack of interest in what I wrote.
I was actually terminated because of that clique (more of a mob than a clique.) Whereas they hide thier distain for anyone who dared to complain about the way they harass people by making up inane stories and “poems,” even reported, they had no consequences to their actions. I reported one post that viciously mocked a few people (one for a disability) in disguise, and, although one of the employees of the site asked for more information, the post was allowed to stay up. I also told the owner and a couple of employees about many other posts where they baited people they didn’t like, but those were completely ignored.
Ultimately, I ended up being terminated, for “baiting” these same people. Considering the poltical and religious arguments are usually baiting others, baiting is a common tactic for the mob, and “baiting” is not mentioned in their TOS (Terms of Service), I asked what TOS I really violated. I was told they didn’t need to answer that.
The truth was, I had simply told my story of what happens on the site, and, since it was in answer to many comments on another article (that was yanked off view because of what that same group had done to it – not the article itself), I PMed all commenters with questions about my article to read my response to their questions. “Baiting?” Half the people I wrote to weren’t even in that mob. I had simply told all the commenters that I had written a series of articles to answer their questions/remarks. Given it is supposedly a community, you’d think telling people that I wrote articles addressing their comments wouldn’t have been a big deal.
Through that, I’ve learned some things about how the site really works. Users are given the ability to write PMs (Private Messages), but the employees read them when they feel like it. TOS is changed and recreated to fit a mood, without ever actually changing the TOS itself. The “clique” (I still prefer “mob” since their actions are closer to mobbing syndrome then just sticking to themselves, like a clique usually does) has full control, over the site and Gather, the company. Yes, they are nasty, and drive many people off the site. Worse yet, management condones their actions. They even put them in charge of one of their company created groups – a writing group – giving them reigns as editors three days a week. (That didn’t turn out well, but they weren’t fired, even when their actions were brought into light. One of them just plain created new rules to fit her whim, and was not fired. They did quit a few weeks later, suddenly stating how worthless that froup was. Also, nothing happened with that.)
Many, many nice people on that site. Unfortunately, as is the profile of cyberstalkers, bullies, and mobbing syndrome, that mob tends to appear friendly. They actually are friendly, in a stand off kind of way, as long as you never disagree with how they put down others so easily. (You can only become a true member of their mob, when you put down enough others.)
Despite all this, it is a good site – as long as you stay away from the eyes of the company and the mob, and, as long as you don’t dare to defend anyone being attacked by the mob. I was told, when terminated, that I simply didn’t fit into their site. I agree. I care too much about others. If you want the community to be superficial, then it is a very good community.