How many of you frequent the GCD?

[Endranse]

GCD: Gaia Community Discussion: A place where you can talk about Gaia, it's NPCs, events and story.

Now, I know that we're a small guild and that some of you probably joined Gaia recently, but what is this site to you? A place that has cute little avatars you can dress up? A place to 'hang out' in a certain forum? A place to role play? Think about these for a moment.

Now let's take a look at the reality of things. Did you know that there was a story to Gaia? A world where we interacted with NPCs, Admin, Devs, Artists and Mods? If you joined within the past few months or even year to a certain extent, then you didn't. 'Monthly Collectables' were called Donation Items. Halloween 2k4/2k5 went down in HISTORY!! Server crashes. Monthly Items with only one to 4 poses maximum. No cash shop. Maybe Fishing and the Slots were around.

I bet some of you didn't know that Gaia started out (as all good things do) as a group of four friends in a basement with a few servers. All anime/manga/roleplaying and noe of the orporate bullcrap. No crappy sponsors, no cash shop (which does admittedly have a few good items but seriously).

Okay, nice wall of text right? but what does it mean?.....well, have you wondered about what's goin on in the site? Why guilds look so different than the rest of it or maybe why the cash shop is updated more than the rest of the site? Well, so do I. and then I came across this in the GCD: Good reads about Gaia .

Read the first few posts. Good? Okay. What do you all think about what's hapening with our beloved site? your opinions please

En's two cents: Things keep on going this way, I'm leaving the spawn of neopets and myspace it will eventually become.  

[PC_Tabby]

This is a good subject to bring up. I've been on Gaia since 2005.. Back when it was a lot different. The changes they've made are pretty big. There didn't used to be so many people and it was a nice place to come to so you could get away and hang out with people of the same interests. But now it's kind of a hassle to have to deal with all the things this new Gaia proposes. I agree a lot with what foobarbazquux was saying about how the board cares about what we think, but they just need better understandings about what we want to happen with Gaia. If we give them ideas in how we want Gaia represented, then they will listen if you address them in a calm and mature fashion... but some people haven't done that. A lot of them have been too outraged, come at them in a rude mannor or just flat-out can't type. -_-... In any case, the resolution is simple, but the problem will continue if people don't plan to speak up and tell the board what they want to see. This is what happens when corporations get a hold of places like Gaia.. Just let them know. Express your opinion.  

[Endranse]

Yes...but the expression is where we're falling short...CEO Craig (aka Fin on the site) say's he addresses the issues we bring up and that Gaia is working on them, but do we really see it? One of the older members of the develpoment teams, Jakobo states essentially that communication needs to increase, whith users being eloquent in their requests and mature about things but that the big change needs to come from AniHQ. I don't need 'old' Gaia with server crashes every twenty minutes, or all of the white space, or the sporradic item updates...but I would like a manga plotline back that brought forth crazy speculations (not that vampire bullcrap that was predictable) or housing updates gosh when was the last one of those...? On yeah...and a logo that has a capital G plox.....  

[PC_Tabby]

Well, who would want back the old server.. The things I miss are the friendly people, NO cash shop, less sponsor bulls* and more involved Gaians. Sure, there's plenty of people who care, but most of them have either stopped trying or quit Gaia all-together.. And you're right, it eventually will become just another money and sponsor-driven site if things keep going this way. Basically, if things change for the worse, most (if not all) of the old-school Gaians will leave... The more people who leave, the better reason for Gaia to be shut down. This is a rediculous problem and I'm not looking forward to what may come. >.< This is happening to a lot of websites. It's just very sad..  

[Endranse]

Indeed it is happening to many good sites however it can be blamed on the few exceptions where this crap has made people rich...the internet is a vast and changing medium....friendly people are missed indubitably and many of the sponsors are just random/are craptastic but not all (god I miss those Tsubasa ones) and the cash shoppe is annoying, with its consistant updates, however it is a neccessary evil because of the rate at which the site has progressed, however what is what really bothers me is the attitude that the corporate higher-ups at HQ have taken to the site...I believe that a quote from Harry Potter is in order at this point: Progress for progress' sake is no progress at all or it went something like that  

[PC_Tabby]

It happened to IMVU, to name one. These sites are becoming pretty damn money-hungry and it's getting really annoying. Annoying enough to the point that people aren't going to want to put up with it anymore. Yep, pretty much everything you're saying is true, En. I don't think it's going to stop in the near future unless the High-rankers fear that people will stop signing up to gaia and buying crap off of them. The thing I'm worried about is them closing Gaia down for stupid reasons like that.. We should go down with a boom at least! crying  

[Sylabus]

Yeah, but I don't see it happenin' any time soon. ^_^ I mean, fin's starting to come out of his shell! yay! Talking to the GCD (proud lurker here) and the SF and he's even started a journal in which he talks about Gaia's inner workings (like Pinball cost 'bout 100k!). It's gonna take a while for Gaia to become super-corporate. I mean, what other place has 'corporate wednesdays where they dress up like most other people at similar jobs would? xp I'm for the communication though like both the GAC and GPC tho ^.^ oh and En, do I sense some humor in you posts a bit? Mr. Emo's starting to come outta his shell just like CEO Craig/fin! whee  

[Harujiro]

Endranse

Indeed it is happening to many good sites however it can be blamed on the few exceptions where this crap has made people rich...the internet is a vast and changing medium....friendly people are missed indubitably and many of the sponsors are just random/are craptastic but not all (god I miss those Tsubasa ones) and the cash shoppe is annoying, with its consistant updates, however it is a neccessary evil because of the rate at which the site has progressed, however what is what really bothers me is the attitude that the corporate higher-ups at HQ have taken to the site...I believe that a quote from Harry Potter is in order at this point: Progress for progress' sake is no progress at all or it went something like that

you know the world's gone to hell when people start to quote Umbridge, and I don't mean in a funny way.
I don't know much about the subject, but lemme just say this--
if this place become Myspace with avatars, you'll be hearing about several thousand murders in the Kentucky area.
and that's not including all the people that mispronounce 'Versailles'.
oh no!
I gave away my position!
these aren't the droids you're looking for!  

[Endranse]

heh...you should stay away from the GCD at all costs then...all they do is speculate as to how it is/isn't myspace or a money grubbing corporation now...but I must admit, all the uproar over the newly released 'Bags of Win' is hilarious  

[Sylabus]

XD I saw that.man, those guys are funny  

[Harujiro]

my friend got 25 of those.
he's freakin' rich now.
how the hell do you think I got the 4 horsemen item?
I need to get a cash card.
I can understand the cash cards, by the way.
the admins need to eat, don't they?  

[Sylabus]

yeah, and pay for gas! but the people who're making it big offa the item are the ones spending 25+ bucks on the things. Oh, and 4 horsemen is what, 10k? I could get that in one weekend if I sat down and gaia's all day hardcore cool but I'm lazy hehe and what's the fun in getting rich quick? I mean, yeah, you can get all the items you want really quick and stuff but it's not as fufilling as questing your a** off to get it. I mean, it too me two years to get the 90,000 ticket Phantom Death Masque from the prize and joy. If I could just buy it outright, it wouldn't be as fun! I know En'll back me up on this, seeing as the kiki was a gift from a random person who he became friends with and insists on paying the price it was when it was given to him wink  

[Harujiro]

actually, I believe it's 8k.
now I'm saving up for the Frostbite Blade!
hell, I've got Twin Blade and Flick Reaper, I just need Blade Brandier.
how the hell else am I supposed to be an Adept Rogue?!  

[Sylabus]

In your case: Ookami armor! The Black one to add a lil sumthinsumthin to your avi wink jk  

[Harujiro]

a third form Haseo cosplayer could probably use that though...