Downside to partnerships with Facebook and other sites.

[Starshine]

I'm sure everyone is already aware that Blue Noodle has gone down recently, I saw a linked article that explained precisely why the company collapsed. Here's an extract from the article.

Quote:

The basic business plan was to help casual social game publishers monetize in-game advertising, and in 2009 decided to focus on games operating on the Facebook platform...

...All seemed okay until January, when Facebook announced that game publishers would be required to use Facebook Credits as their exclusive currency. "We had put most of our eggs into the Facebook basket, and that was like a shot through the heart," says a former Blue Noodle employee who requested anonymity. "There wasn't really a Plan B."

At around the same time, lender MMV Financial began to seriously flounder. As we reported last month, the firm ultimately would decide to close its U.S. offices and stop all new underwriting. The result was twofold: (1) MMV needed money to repay its own investors, and (2) MMV no longer felt compelled to maintain good relations with its VC firm partners.

By last month, Blue Noodle had defaulted on its debt. MMV took immediate controls of the assets, including the company's bank accounts, for the purpose of a sale.

Which made me think of Gaia's venture into FB games. I have to say that I'm really glad that Gaia isn't dependent on FB for revenue and the news that the new Gaia games would be available on Gaia first, without requiring a FB account is very heartening as well.

While FB may be very helpful in gaining revenue, it is ultimately someone else's backyard and plays by their rules. FB can casually make changes to their site that could render major investment by Gaia or other companies completely useless.

Another example is OMGPOP, when Zynga took over and removed the games from Gaia it's possible that those who love playing OMGPOP games now spends considerably less time on Gaia.

While Gaia isn't exactly a gaming site and it's something that you can tell just by looking at the selection they have to offer us, I think there is a vast area for improvement.

That said I wonder if Gaia could create an inhouse sponsorship program in the same vein as Blue Noodle. Instead of giving users one free item for watching a movie trailer, give users 1 GC instead.

On the subject of venture capitals, Gaia itself relies quite heavily on the venture capital raised from investment funds for their projects, around over 40mil was raised from ventures. Seeing how Blue Noodle ended up, I wonder if one day there might be a repeat, only with Gaia in it's place.

Discuss:

What are your thoughts on partnerships with other sites.
Are there any sites you'd like to see Gaia partnered with? (Keep in mind I'm not talking about sponsorships like FMA, rather other large sites like Twitter, photobucket, meebo, etc.)
What direction you'd like to see Gaia pour their funds into.

[Zefengel]

It's a pretty damn shame they took out OMGPOP.
I agree with you, this is not much of a gaming site, but they still have their own MMO which they haven't quite finished. I would like to see that game finished before they think about making another game. And if they DO make a new game I hope is not as silly as a puzzle or card game.

And about partnerships, well they give Gaia money for sponsoring. Weren't it for that, this site wouldn't be free. I would love to see some other gaming site partnership... but first... take zOMG out of Beta!

[fly high - icarus]

down side to partnering with other sites?
there are not many, unless the partner is an annoying social networking site that makes you drag in all of your friends into games if you want ANY chance of leveling/progressing in this or that game.
it's why i stopped playing monster hunter, and why i won't play any of the games that require facebook login.

some of us don't want to drag our friends into our mindless time wasters.
hell, some of us don't HAVE that many friends to help us out! or at least don't have friends that would WANT to play facebook games and be drowning in your feeds and cries for help.

bottom line; if gaia was partnering up with any other site i wouldn't really mind it. but it's lately partnering everything with facebook, and i find that very off-putting.

sure, there are large numbers of people who are all crazy about facebook and its games, and who don't mind the requirements that come along, but there are also many people like me- who dislike this whole thing. i just hope someone can find a middle ground about all of this, even though i feel it's very unlikely.

[Phoenix Goliathane]

I think, though, that it's less a problem with Facebook inherently (although FB does have its major problems) than Gaia's and Zynga's design. Zynga is notorious for spamming people - one of my friends recently got chewed out because he played Castleville a lot and it spammed his friends' newsfeeds with statuses about him needing s**t. Gaia hasn't been quite that bad...but then again, I've just dabbled on Gaia's FB games. And I'm the only Gaian I know IRL (although I have Gaians who know my real name on my Facebook).

The thing that puts me off from Gaia-FB partnership is that I kind of feel like I'm linking my Pogs identity to my RL deets. I'd rather keep the two separate (but then I'm old school) - and Facebook's ethos is, "Publicize ALL the activities!"

Or, as they like to call it, "frictionless sharing." (I would LIKE to read an article linked to on my news feed without announcing it to all my FB friends, thanks.) There needs to be at least a little bit of friction.

Anyway, partnerships. Something that could be interesting is a Tumblr app - or integration of journals with the newer blogging software about (Tumblr, Twitter, so on and so forth). For example, you can have a Tumblr or Twitter feed that shows a history of your avatars, or even a prompt to post.

[Meshes of the Afternoon]

Zefengel

It's a pretty damn shame they took out OMGPOP.
I agree with you, this is not much of a gaming site, but they still have their own MMO which they haven't quite finished. I would like to see that game finished before they think about making another game. And if they DO make a new game I hope is not as silly as a puzzle or card game.

And about partnerships, well they give Gaia money for sponsoring. Weren't it for that, this site wouldn't be free. I would love to see some other gaming site partnership... but first... take zOMG out of Beta!

this, gonna miss that addicting s**t <3 And Zynga of all companies, whee -_-

[Miss-dark8607]

more reason for Gaia to focus more on its own site and stop depending on others. I really don't feel bad.

[meep12345]

What are your thoughts on partnerships with other sites.

Social Networking is, simply put, the next Dot-com bubble... On the verge of bursting at the worst possible moment... When the World's Late Capitalist Global Economy is already tanking... cat_lol

Are there any sites you'd like to see Gaia partnered with?

Meebo, Photobucket, Wix, Youtube, etc, are fine, because they serve a functional, cost-lowering purpose in many ways for Gaia, whereas Twitter, Facebook, etc, do not... In fact, they're part of the Social Networking bubble and, sadly, Gaia will pay dearly for their connections with them... cat_stare

What direction you'd like to see Gaia pour their funds into?

First, and foremost, Gaia Online itself (increasing the # of Pixel Artists, Programmers, story writers, etc). Second, zOMG (and regular zOMG expansions and site related incorporation). Third, Towns/Rally/etc (especially for purposes of gap bridging between the various things already on Gaia)... Finally, Sponsorships/Marketing/Advertising (a realm I don't think Gaia puts much into, IMHO...) cat_rolleyes

[Rinn Lothron]

Hmm. Well gaia's on-site money-grubbing sure is annoying, but that's a far cry from the facebook gaming nonsense.

Never cared much for monster galaxy myself....but aww sheet, the new FB game looks cute. And fun. *pout*

Anywho, I don't see Monster Galaxy going much of anywhere by way of development, that premise has pretty much been bled dry. Gaia's version only served to sate the few late-coming Pokemon appetites.

Nothing against the game, mind. But it's boring.


So, there is consistent logic in a fresh new Gaia game that can be played on FB, and such a noble endeavor to appease our hunger for Gaia-built interactions based on petty imaginary pixels in another audience's genre made the little girl in me go "Squee!"

As for Gaia funds and moneys and whatnot, any more of my money will give you a stomach-ache. stare


In any case, I'm always highly doubtful when Gaia rings other sites into the mix. But then, social net-working has social-networking sites networking with other social net-working sites which will eventually network into a great mass of beautimous co-functioning as transparent as it is mind-blowing. So, damned if I know. I may as well be high.

Let's just say, if you invite them to share your room, be prepared to either wake up with a pillow over your face forcing the breath out of you, or walk softly and carry a large bat.

So, yes. Shutting up and back to my mind-dribbling games. razz

[Yeata Zi]

Eh.

Will Gaia get money so they can make this site better?

yes?

Then this is a positive development.

[Lazarus Larkin]

Yeata Zi

Eh.

Will Gaia get money so they can make this site better?

yes?

Then this is a positive development.

Um, pretty sure the point of this thread is that the OP isn't so sure they will.

[Yeata Zi]

Lazarus Larkin

Yeata Zi

Eh.

Will Gaia get money so they can make this site better?

yes?

Then this is a positive development.

Um, pretty sure the point of this thread is that the OP isn't so sure they will.

And if they don't, I'm certain they will abandon it like everything else. <3

[PedaI]

Whenever I see anyone complaining around about FaceBook I just instantly think, "This person's a hipster, and someone I should avoid."
Yeah games on FaceBook are annoying as Hell, which is why I don't use those features.

I do wish Gaia would keep some games once they've been added to the site though. Why can't we get more Gaia-made games?
There's no way to make an income from the ones we currently have. I LOVE Word Bump and Tiles, but the first pays out abysmally and the latter is tickets only, there should be a gold option at least.

[asedc]

myspace 8D

but in all seriousness. If gaia were to maybe team up with twitter where you could get gold for updating twitter that would be awesome or maybe have a twitter feed on your my gaia instead of that horrible status tab.

[Chibi Halo]

I'd love to see them do something in conjunction with the boys downstairs, or upstairs because I'm not certain who's above who, from DA in the form of some kind of art contest. Since they rent in the same building, from what I recall, it wouldn't be too difficult for them to get together and work out something.

[Lazarus Larkin]

Chibi Halo

I'd love to see them do something in conjunction with the boys downstairs, or upstairs because I'm not certain who's above who, from DA in the form of some kind of art contest. Since they rent in the same building, from what I recall, it wouldn't be too difficult for them to get together and work out something.

LOL I thought you wanted a Dragon Age cosponsor there for a minute