Gather.com....Not Just Another Online Blogging Community!

Hear BLOG these days and most people think of the tried and true sites on the web which offer little interaction between the members other than comments on individual pages. These BLOGS are well and good, don't get me wrong, but they are sorely lacking in one thing....they are oftentimes impossible to find a true person to connect with behind the wisdom, humor or just plain good common sense found within.

You say you want a place where you can download pictures of the kids on vacation, an article expressing the trouble you are experiencing with your teen, comment on other's work and find that individual later with no problem what so ever, keep up on the latest news AND connect with famous writers, artists and musicians from all around the world!

Well, look no more! There is a fantastic site out there right now that offers all of that but more. It is http://www.gather.com and it is your one stop shop for BLOGS, images, information and just plain fun! AND virtually overnight, they have added the ability not only to publish articles and images but to add video to the mix as well!

With an easily navigable homepage, Gather.com offers sections on the featured article of the day, tabs that lead you to articles on books, music, politics, food, health, money, movies, news and travel. With a section to the left of the page you will find a listing of some of the current promotions offered, Five Mom's campaign; a group devoted to the dangers of cough syrup addiction by teens, Harry Potter Gazette, Healthy Living, Menopause talk, Support Veterans and Today on Gather.

So, with a literal glance around the homepage, visitors to this site can locate the topic they are interested, click and read the featured articles of the day. And if that isn't enough, there is offered, medical advice and information by Harvard's school of medicine, interviews with authors and performers and AARP as well. Also offered by this site are numerous contests including the very successful "First Chapters" contest where all unpublished authors are given the chance to submit chapters for a chance at winning a publishing contract with Simon and Schuster Publishing Company. Other contests onsite, which have been offered have been trips, items such as an autographed guitar, personal phone calls, and books galore. Moralis Mystery has offered hundreds of books to members free of charge to read and later discuss within gather's pages.

Gather also offers something other sites usually do not. They offer a point system which rewards the user with points for each and every article, image, video, and comment they contribute to the site. The points are generous and add up fairly quickly which can then be exchanged for gift cards at BORDERS and HOME DEPOT as well as many more merchants. Getting paid for your opinion just doesn't get much easier than GATHER. And if you prefer the cash option as opposed to gift cards, that is also available if you meet certain publishing standards.

And if you are a newbie on the site and need assistance you only need go to http://gatherguides.gather.com/ to find a group of eight individuals called "the Gather Guides" who are there primarily for the purpose of helping you find your way around this awesome sight as well as answer your questions as to posting, commenting and just general "how do I?...." queries that we all have on a new site!

Located in Boston, this website for "like minded individuals" to share their views on everything from politics to kids and all that comes in between is a fantastic change from the BLOGS of today which offer individual pages but virtually no interaction between participants. And on gather you "connect" with other members, making finding their work later, or even being alerted to new content a "no brainer".

I could highly recommend http://www.gather.com for interaction, intelligent discussion, a joke or two and some of the best photography and video on the internet today. Stop in and see if you agree that GATHER offers more of a community setting within a site that is just plain fun to interact with. Have fun! And look me up when you get to gather...I'm pretty easy to find.....just look for the lady with the big smile! That would be me....unless of course, it's one of the over 350,000 members who these days call gather "home".