[BakedGewds]

Basically Gaia is under new management and this new management gives no shits about the users.

They have destroyed the Gaia economy in less than 2 weeks, and won't listen to anyone's pleas to stop. They are seriously money hungry atm, and a lot of the usuers are just fed up with it.

One thing that I noticed that made a LOT of people leave was the re-release of certain very rare items that they put into the cash shop. The people who had to work for those items felt cheated becuase now others could simply buy them.

[littl3chocobo]

dude, that was just the start. the stupid money rig and selling features people want to have as part of the site as a staple is what is riling up everyone

[Ashy]

yeah but people will complain for a little and then get used to the changes, its what happens most places

[Crystallyn Whisper]

As long as Gaia insists on pushing all the cash items in the faces of the users, there's going to be people complaining about it. Now they've gotten rid of Ask the Admin as well. That was every Monday when some devs/admins would answer questions from the users for about an hour or so. I can't even be angry anymore at this point. Just really disappointed.

Seriously though, what happened to the centering?

[littl3chocobo]

centering was a ploy, did you notice they filled it with even more advertising?

[Meizicht]

I was there when they pushed out that horrible horrible survey and claimed it was a "mistake in editing". I think, with the amount of 13 year olds ( and anyone else ) who were totally traumatized by it, that could have drawn the line for many. I'd imagine there were quite a few people who were probably deeply effected by that crap, and then they somehow thought it would be okay to rename the options and send it out again. For, what I apparently hear, is an 18+ sister site the new CEO is making. I guess sending out a survey with half naked people asking for what body type you're attracted to and what body type you are, is appropriate for a site that allows children on it. Righto. ( I'm not being a prude here, but I'm saying with society, that ain't gonna fly one bit. I'm surprised there hasn't been any lawsuit yet from a horrified parent with their traumatized teen that now has even worse body image issues and even lower self confidence after that. )
Everyone already knew what they had named the options as a "joke" before, as well. Everyone's seen it on 4chan - and when it's ripped from 4chan, you KNOW it's disgusting in some way - so that really just shot them in the leg a bit more.

But not even the $10 items bother me, it's the items that they think people will pay $50-$150 for EACH that miff me off. And they pelt people with those ads EVERY DAY while the gold shop MIGHT get a TEENY update every 3-4 months. Now there's "Club Verge". Heavy cash shoppers now have a haughty-taughty highclass club they can get into.. for an avi site. Who in this economy has that kind of money? Not even free to play MMORPGs do it THIS badly. They're cash-shopping the events now too. Cash shoppers have a major upper hand in it since they can buy all sorts of crap to boost them in the cash shop, while the gold shop has two potions - heal 5 energy. heal 5 health. Which cost 1k each.

No, gaia. No.

When it comes to the cash shop stuff, this is almost exactly how TinierMe was run, if not a little worse. And look what happened to them.

Unfortunately I have to use it because my guild has all my one-on-one rps in it, super-private and well organized. But that's all I use it for.

EDIT: For those that don't know about the survey table they flipped, there were two images in particular they snatched from 4chan describing different body types with words like "Skinnyfat" "fat as fatass" "whale" "anorexic", etc. One was for males, one for females, all of them half naked and shamed. And the options were typed in with the same insults. So their staff had actually went through and typed those things in, not just snatched the images without editing them. And then after renaming them as "1,2,3" and so on, they sent it back out, asking everyone what body type they were, and what they were attracted to.
Idk about anyone else but.. that's a bit personal.
I'm not even mentioning the fact that they stole fanart of catwoman without giving credit, and then claimed they had permission the second time they sent it out.

Edit again: Also, I honestly would not want the gaian community flooding over here. You know how many assholes and trolls are there" +shudder+ I don't want our close knit family to be destroyed D':

[Yokuutsu]

They have calmed down a bit on the GC advertising...still too much of it, but I guess it could be worse (but I have adblock and have blocked the sale on GC banner ad and all)

AtA...I don't miss it. The times I have been in there, I was completely ignored while stupid questions like what flavor of poptarts do you like were answered. I realized it was a farce then. At least they aren't pretending anymore.

Also, if some new people don't come, this website will die. I think at least. There's little to no activity except now there is an event. What if the activity dies when the event is over? You'll be wanting the Gaians then to make sure this website doesn't die due to not enough activity.

[Meizicht]

Not the type of Gaians I'm talking about. The ones who do nothing but make life on the site miserable for others, troll and put others down all the time; that would make all of the original users here leave immediately. And then you'd have a site with a bunch of trolls.
It would die then as well.
At least now we have a tight knit community with loyal users who aren't afraid to share their thoughts and lives with the other users who are just like them. It's a second home. Fill it up with trolls, and it becomes broken.
We need people, not numbers x__x;


Edit: I also didn't say that no more new people should come. I said the trolls from gaia ( because that's about 70% of the community now there ) should not come over here, lol.
Sorry if I wasn't clear.

[Yokuutsu]

I don't see it as tight knit as you, but -shrugs-

You'll get some trolls whether you like or not if Gaians come here, but that's the only website I've seen that is losing members at this point (other than a random few that just leave)

Also, I'm originally from Gaia (still go on there too)...I see more of General Discussions that are more chat rooms there than trolls.

[Meizicht]

Well, it's just my opinion; I'd be terrified if loads of people from gaia started flooding in, and I would feel less welcome to post anywhere. But I'm not a normal person, so my opinion really doesn't matter so much. And usually I know not a thing about what I'm saying, so I'm sorry xD;

[Yokuutsu]

I don't feel "welcomed" to post period. I just do it anyway and wait for someone to get angry because of how I worded something when I didn't mean it that way .-.

On Gaia, I feel perfectly fine in the Chatterbox XD It's more of a GD more than the GD is on Gaia now. And the GD is now more of a CB than the CB XD

And I don't mean thousands of Gaians, maybe 100 if they'll be active XD Max...if they're not very active, MOAR!

[Meizicht]

Bringing friends over is awesome and everything. I'd just jump back to my hole if I start seeing a lot of trolling and bullying here. OTL
I have zero spine, so these people effect me in terrible ways and "just ignore it" doesn't help me xD;
That's why I would absolutely hate a giant exodus of gaia users migrating over here unless they're friends of people here. @__@;

But I am only one person. It wouldn't matter if I left when I'm replaced with fifty or so people lol
So just ignore my nonsense xD

[HABIT]

Well, ParadoxicalIntentions is one that I suggested here, she's a person I respect a good deal, and I knew if one of my friends from gaia wanted a place to go when gaia became bad, that she would be one of many I'd want here.

[littl3chocobo]

well i am a gaian originally for what it is worth X''D

[HABIT]

Gaia was the first avatar site I found.

[Yokuutsu]

I've invited people here, but they don't stay long. It's because they're from Gaia and this place is dead, even with the event, compared to Gaia.

Note: Not saying it is good or bad, just saying that's how it is compared to Gaia.