For starters, understand if you're standing within 5' of a gate, you're instantly a gate agent....

While waiting at the gate with the rest of my crew, a woman comes up and asks, "Is this the gate for flight 3833 to Pensacola?" I turn around, look at the big screen that says "Gate B15: AA 3833 - PENSACOLA, FL" in 6" high BOLD letters, and say, "Uh, yes ma'am, it is." Then she asks, "Oh ok have we began boarding yet?" I (in a very obvious manner) look at the closed jet bridge door beneath the "B15" sign, look outside at the empty ramp, look at the other 46 or so passengers patiently waiting, and say, "No, ma'am, but we will start shortly after the plane arrives." "Ok thank you!"

If this doesn't happen 3 times a week it happens a hundred.