[Gaians Against Corporate] - Now with 80% more Dev opinion!

All those unhappy with the corporate style Gaia, please let the CEO know.

Dear CEO and all others at GHQ in power: I am unhappy with the way Gaia has been. Please read on to fully understand.	74.5%	[ 1086 ]
Dear CEO and all others at GHQ in power: I am one of the people who doesn't care either way.	25.5%	[ 372 ]
Total Votes:			[ 1458 ]

[Digitized]

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Digi Gab

If you hang around in the GCD for a week or so you'll see the same things: Troll thread, repeat threads, recycled threads, speculation threads. We have nothing to work with because, oh I don't know, Gaia really hasn't done anything exciting to show us. Can we really just make up plots? No, I don't think we can.

It's something I'm so amused by. Gaians always complaining about the community, "it doesn't feel like a community" and other such comments. Have we lost the ability to identify that we are the community, not Gaia. Gaia is just where we are. The GCD is our little suburb. Yes we have the people in charge who make rules, but I don't need them to get along with others in my area. That's what I mean when I ask if you need Big Daddy to help you.

But since I'm a bit of a writer, I can't answer that "Can we really just make up plots?" question. Since I do that every bloody day, so it seems kind of silly to ask.

Sorry all, my computer bugged out x.o

I'm a writer too, I didn't mean make up in that sense. I mean make up in the sense that we can't integrate it into the story and make it real

amirenes - So new 'fun' Gaia wants to throw out the members that cared and catered for it all these years like a douche boyfriend throwing away a loving girlfriend? Yeah, real nice.

[Digitized]

Gallows and Guillotines

AlexDitto

Fuxty

Digi Gab

Fuxty

rolleyes
Who said I was giving up, I love Gaia, but I don't think this is a battle we can win.

.

... If you say that we can't win, then thats pretty much giving up right there xD

I went to the washroom and my sister sent the first half of the message. xD
But theres always the possibility. Of course it may be slim but there is alway the possibility that we could possibly get the CEO or the big wigs attention but how would we be able to do so?

Let's set something on fire.

No, no wait. They want us to be mischief makers, and essentially advertise the site for them. I've got a better idea. Do you think it would be possible to spread the word about the huge threat to Gaia? There are thousands of other users who never set foot in the GCD. Would it be possible to spread the word to them? To make them aware of the threat?

I think we can be reasonable without resorting to things like "advertise the site for them". This thread isn't about that.

@amirenes: if this thread and the people in it annoys you so much, why don't you go to the other forums and hang out with people who agree with you? If we're so stupid, why don't you just shake your head, sigh, and click Community to go back to a different forum? I don't understand, you've made your point and you and the people you're arguing with obviously aren't going to agree. I don't want this discussion to escalate into a flamefest and I bet everyone in this thread can agree on that, at least.

Thank you VERY VERY MUCH for saying as such. I would of, but it would have come out rude and nasty.

If you don't like the opinions, leave the thread. You've been preaching the same stuff to us the last few pages with your 'if you don't like it leave' opinion~

[Duuffie]

Quote:

don't take it out on Lanzer; direct your feedback to those who control our project list: the board, the CEO, the product managers, the art director, marketing, and sales. Most of them have accounts on Gaia, read the forums (esp. Site Feedback) and do mean well; they just need help understanding the community.

QTF

[AlexDitto]

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AlexDitto

This is the stupidest thing I've seen in this thread yet.

When was the last time you saw a fanbase run itself for more than five years with as little plot and as little character development as they've given us? Never, that's when. We don't have books, or video games with hours of gametime, or movies with complex cinematics. We've got a few pages of a manga. That's it. I'd say asking for more is reasonable.

rofl Since when is GCD all of Gaia? Oh Noes, we didn't get a plot update, what ever shall we do with out lives? crying

I admit they are lacking and I'd like to see more, but I hardly see it ruining anything for me. I'm still enjoying myself on gaia. I guess I'm just able to figure out how to do that without the big bosses giving it to me on a silver platter.

I didn't say the GCD is all of Gaia. Don't put words in my mouth.

I'm glad you're still enjoying Gaia. That's fine. You don't have to post in this thread. Some of us can see a little further ahead than you can, and are frustrated with the knowledge that we soon won't be enjoying it, and want to prevent that future from happening.

Why do you call plot updates getting enjoyment "on a silver platter?" Do you suggest we fight for it, search through some grizzled tumult to extract its shattered pieces? Do you suggest we be forced to mine it, like some precious ore from the ground? What source do we have for canon but the devs themselves? None.

And the plot is but part of the problem. This thread is about the multitude of problems, the shift in the website's focus, away from users and toward the generation of revenue. Plot updates are but a symptom of the ills that woe this website, seething beneath the surface.

If devs are leaving, something's wrong with the way things are being run.

[Digitized]

AlexDitto

If devs are leaving, something's wrong with the way things are being run.

Precisely. I mean, how hard do you think people work to become devs in the first place? If they're leaving then there is, exactly how Alex put it, something wrong with the way things are run.

[Qiam]

Digi Gab

Gallows and Guillotines

I think we can be reasonable without resorting to things like "advertise the site for them". This thread isn't about that.

@amirenes: if this thread and the people in it annoys you so much, why don't you go to the other forums and hang out with people who agree with you? If we're so stupid, why don't you just shake your head, sigh, and click Community to go back to a different forum? I don't understand, you've made your point and you and the people you're arguing with obviously aren't going to agree. I don't want this discussion to escalate into a flamefest and I bet everyone in this thread can agree on that, at least.

Thank you VERY VERY MUCH for saying as such. I would of, but it would have come out rude and nasty.

If you don't like the opinions, leave the thread. You've been preaching the same stuff to us the last few pages with your 'if you don't like it leave' opinion~

Well, that's not what I meant. I didn't mean "if you don't like it leave" because that never solves anything. I meant that this discussion is going a bit too far and if it continues on the way it is then we'll definitely become frustrated and we'll say things we don't mean. She's welcome to stay, but that's only if she wants to and she's made it kind of clear that this thread is annoying.

[Cid High-Wind]

amirenes

the only thing killing the community is you guys
thats the funniest part of it all

Why? Because we complain about what we don't want?

I give Gaia money so they can provide what we DO want, and so far that hasn't been happening. The users who both give Gaia their own money AND have to deal with what Gaia hands them should be the ones who have a lot of say in what happens.

There was A LOT of user hate when MTV came out and yet they continue to leave the Sunset Couture right where it's at. Sponsorship features get attention before Gaia features do, and that's not what I pay for.

[Tasuba1]

such a sad journal gonk

[Digitized]

Gallows and Guillotines

Digi Gab

Gallows and Guillotines

I think we can be reasonable without resorting to things like "advertise the site for them". This thread isn't about that.

@amirenes: if this thread and the people in it annoys you so much, why don't you go to the other forums and hang out with people who agree with you? If we're so stupid, why don't you just shake your head, sigh, and click Community to go back to a different forum? I don't understand, you've made your point and you and the people you're arguing with obviously aren't going to agree. I don't want this discussion to escalate into a flamefest and I bet everyone in this thread can agree on that, at least.

Thank you VERY VERY MUCH for saying as such. I would of, but it would have come out rude and nasty.

If you don't like the opinions, leave the thread. You've been preaching the same stuff to us the last few pages with your 'if you don't like it leave' opinion~

Well, that's not what I meant. I didn't mean "if you don't like it leave" because that never solves anything. I meant that this discussion is going a bit too far and if it continues on the way it is then we'll definitely become frustrated and we'll say things we don't mean. She's welcome to stay, but that's only if she wants to and she's made it kind of clear that this thread is annoying.

I know you didn't mean that, I was adding my own two cents to the end, trying not to sound incredibly rude xD;

[Kaenai]

I'm so glad you made this thread.

The infiltration of the corporate heads at Gaia HQ has gotten to a point where it's barely tolerable. They need to know that treating the users and employees this way is going to eventually ruin them. Gaia relies on a sense of community to keep it going, and that's why it's lasted as long as it has. Each forum has users that make that forum their home. The mods are chosen to moderate a given forum because that forum contains something they love and are knowledgeable about. Each user has something they love about Gaia, and many users love Gaia as a whole. The ones that complain about certain things (not all, some just like to complain) do so because they know what Gaia has been in the community sense, and that it isn't just about features, and bright colors. If they make decisions that push that sense of community out, then they are going to lose the one factor that made Gaia stand out from the rest, that made the users want to be here.

I hope someone is reading this that is really paying attention. The more users you have that make the same decision, the less money you are going to have, because frankly, the ones who are leaving are the long-time users, and the ones with full-time jobs and the ability to pay for the Cash Shop, the MCs, and the other items. You wonder why you're losing money? You're building features we don't need for users who don't want them, and the developers that make them have no say in how it's done. You're inviting (not just accepting) sponsors that have nothing to do with what Gaia was built upon, and ignoring the will and desires of the average Gaian in favor of the call of your own wallets. Think about it, Mr. Sherman; Gaia worked well until certain changes were made. Consider why it worked. Consider what was different, and think about how you can bring it back. You said you'd found a place you enjoyed; well, I hope you've noticed from your corner office that Gaia has already hit a major decline, and if it keeps up, it's headed for a fall. You're forcing out the people in your own offices, whether purposely or unintentionally, who really love what they do, who love the site they work on, and who love everything about it, in favor of people who had never heard of Gaia until they started their job searches. You will end up with people who build things that work, but that don't integrate well. You will end up with users who don't care about the site, and whose account life will be shorter and show less use, and who spend less money. You will end up, eventually, with nothing.

[ManateeMan]

Corporate Fat Cats don't know an a** from an elbow- we need to do something about them

[[- DB -]]

Digi Gab

Sorry all, my computer bugged out x.o

I'm a writer too, I didn't mean make up in that sense. I mean make up in the sense that we can't integrate it into the story and make it real

That's half the fun of writing it I think. You don't have to make it work for it to be interesting. But you can make it fill in holes and sink into thoughts, Gaia left plenty of holes in their stories for writers to have a field day. Or you can just make up something completely out of the blue that makes people scratch their heads. You guys have been doing it for so long even when plots were coming. Has the pen become stale?

AlexDitto - Do forgive, but you make it seem like the Plot update is the most important thing to making a community, which it obviously isn't. I'll step down from that arguement as both sides grasp at straws with it.

I'm not asking for people to have to fight for an update to the plot, who is putting words in who's mouth now? I want you guys to fight to make gaia better, but your problem isn't that you fight, it's the way you fight. The masses seem to try to counter and put a stop to everything. Why fight against the corperation that is out to make sure the site makes money, when you can fight in a new way, in a way that makes the corperation sit up and actually take notice that they can make money from this, and not just listen to pointless bitching.

An example of what I'm trying to say is, such as at my job. I hate that the company I work for didn't want us having a bunch of empty containers sitting out on the floor (waiting to be switched with full ones) They thought it was too cluttered and made a mess. I showed them a way that I can place the empty containers that they were both out of the way, and made my job more efficient which helps them profit in the end.

[Digitized]

[- DB -]

Digi Gab

Sorry all, my computer bugged out x.o

I'm a writer too, I didn't mean make up in that sense. I mean make up in the sense that we can't integrate it into the story and make it real

That's half the fun of writing it I think. You don't have to make it work for it to be interesting. But you can make it fill in holes and sink into thoughts, Gaia left plenty of holes in their stories for writers to have a field day. Or you can just make up something completely out of the blue that makes people scratch their heads. You guys have been doing it for so long even when plots were coming. Has the pen become stale?

AlexDitto - Do forgive, but you make it seem like the Plot update is the most important thing to making a community, which it obviously isn't. I'll step down from that arguement as both sides grasp at straws with it.

I'm not asking for people to have to fight for an update to the plot, who is putting words in who's mouth now? I want you guys to fight to make gaia better, but your problem isn't that you fight, it's the way you fight. The masses seem to try to counter and put a stop to everything. Why fight against the corperation that is out to make sure the site makes money, when you can fight in a new way, in a way that makes the corperation sit up and actually take notice that they can make money from this, and not just listen to pointless bitching.

An example of what I'm trying to say is, such as at my job. I hate that the company I work for didn't want us having a bunch of empty containers sitting out on the floor (waiting to be switched with full ones) They thought it was too cluttered and made a mess. I showed them a way that I can place the empty containers that they were both out of the way, and made my job more efficient which helps them profit in the end.

Sorry if I'd rather right original stories than simple fanfics that may become totally wrong when we do receive a plot update discussing such.

I'd much rather Gaia tell us and we have an update, a comic, maybe even an event to make my time on the site more enjoyable. Then comes the good speculation that happens after an update, the kind that is excited.

[AlexDitto]

I also think this may be a problem of scale: yes, I understand that Gaia uses lots of servers now, which means high costs. But that doesn't mean you need a huge office building and lots of overhead to run them. If you're putting devs on developing huge projects for sponsors, and those projects are eventually going to get tossed by the wayside as soon as they're no longer profitable, you're not making wise use of your money. Maybe, if Gaia costs 25 million dollars to maintain, instead of trying to grow to be able to make that much money in revenue, you should consider how to cut that number down. Somehow, I doubt 25 million dollars goes toward servers. Somehow, I'd guess that it doesn't cost 25 million dollars to hire the people who really make Gaia tick: the artists and the devs who have their hearts in this.

It's this stupid misconception that is destroying thousands of industries today: growth isn't a good qualifier for how "good" a company is doing. A company can be growing by leaps and bounds, and suddenly, their bubble pops: look at all the tech companies. If you're founded on nothing, if you produce nothing, it doesn't matter how much revenue you bring in or how many fancy sponsorships you have. The bubble's going to pop eventually. You need to reach stable equilibrium, not participate in constant growth.

What happens to a plant that grows too big for its container? It dies. What happens to a lotus that, as the water rises, lengthens its stem to keep above water? What happens when the water goes back down? It dies.

[Reichiru Tomoe]

It makes me sad to see how much Corporate Gaia has bastardized Lanzer's Gaia.

All I can really think to say is, Neopets went down the corporate road... and I'm sure if you ask around, a ton of us here are refugees from that site having left when it became one big advertisement. I hope they don't take this so far that we have to leave here too.

-edit- And totally random... why do they keep pushing this toward a younger user base? Shouldn't they stop pissing off users with CREDIT CARDS?