Healthy Relationships With Gaia--do YOU have one?

[egos and lies]

NOTE: This isn't intended to be snarky so please don't take things the wrong way.

This recent mini-event with Diedrich has exposed a quite worrisome trend of people strongly reacting to minor Gaia changes. Now don't get me wrong--there has always been people reacting when Gaia changes things, but it seems that things are escalating somehow. With people leaving over character appearances and going into page-long rants over the font and size of text in the marketplace, it just seems like people are taking things even more seriously nowadays.

I guess I'm asking this because all the reactions remind me of myself. I used to be like this--having a strong emotional reaction to when things changed on Gaia. I ranted when Gaia changed small things like a button on the layout or when a new feature was introduced or rescinded. It eventually caused something bad to happen in my personal life. I'm not going to get into my life story on this thread, but the story is in my journal.

Things changed when I started taking long breaks from the site. It put many things in perspective and I now have a better relationship with Gaia. It's nice not pitching an online fit every time something miniscule or major changes, haha.

So what I'm asking is:

+ What is your relationship with Gaia like? Do you strongly react when things change or things don't go your way?

+ Do you think your relationship with Gaia is a healthy one? If not, what do you think you need to do to change it? If your relationship has changed (for the better), what made things change for you?

+ Do you think a long break from the site could be beneficial to you or someone who is developing an unhealthy relationship with the site?

+ What advice would you have for someone who strongly reacts to site changes?

[Voat]

lol i posted this song in my status yesterday. i heard it in the car yesterday morn and thought it'd be perfect to lyric post to Gaia staff next ATA.
I think this should be the theme song for a lot of the complaints that do not really seem to have substance in the scheme of life.


Am I just paranoid, am I just stoned?

When Gaia made the Buy Now price red/bold some people complained that it hurt their eyes and gave them headaches. After life moved on now no one even cares anymore and I haven't heard the complaint renewed since.

Some people just like complaining. Even I enjoy complaining but at least I can see it as insignificant rage in the scheme of life and not really get upset about it beyond the screen/website/Gaia.

If something, for some reason, makes someone upset though, quitting could be the best answer for their life, because they know something is wrong if they hang around something that they ultimately decide irritates them. Quitting is not always bad. biggrin Emotions tell us things...they tell us things ninja ninja ninja ninja ninja ninja ninja

[J 4 C K]

If you don't like something it makes more sense to distance yourself from it rather than "dealing with it", like some would say you should.

All I have to say is that it's all relative. One person's reaction is another's overreaction, and nobody has a real right to judge that.

That being said, there are definitely things I dislike here, but I do so in a gaming aspect. I make the hate fun.

[Mikaino]

What is your relationship with Gaia like? Do you strongly react when things change or things don't go your way?
Ehh.. I go with the flow. XD Gaia's going to change to appeal to new users, it always has and will continue to do so. If I strongly dislike something, I'll just.. not worry about it. It's a website, ja?

Do you think your relationship with Gaia is a healthy one? If not, what do you think you need to do to change it? If your relationship has changed (for the better), what made things change for you?
I used to get pretty butthurt about small things, like the homepage changing. But they honestly feel it's an upgrade, so that's good right? They're feeling good about their work, so what's wrong with congratulating that? I realized I was pretty wrong about it, so I changed my view pretty fast. :3 Plus, why should I bother stressing about a website?

Do you think a long break from the site could be beneficial to you or someone who is developing an unhealthy relationship with the site?
YES. YES YES YES. One of my RL friends, who is a doll, got REALLY addicted when she found out you can get cash by your phone bill. Her mother was still paying her bills a while back, saw that the bill was ridonkulous. (It was a few hundred dollars in charges. I think $200?) rofl Needless to say, her mother got rid of her phone, and made her hiatus on Gaia.

What advice would you have for someone who strongly reacts to site changes?
To just calm down.. Stressing about a website isn't good for you, and if it just stresses you out so bad, you should take a mini-hiatus, or if your anger is THAT strong, just leave. You shouldn't stress yourself, and on a bad day cause health issues, because of a site.

[Liber Chronicarum]

I should say that my relationship with Gaia is extremely cool and composed , which means that instead of bitching every little change or getting all annoyed by one NPC , I will just laugh at the stupidity and join the craziness . Or I am just plain indifferent when I don 't think I will have fun . The ONLY things that could really get me mad is if they touched my own Gaia ' space ' . For example, if they were ever get rid or change too much my favorite forums (the WG , the GCD and the AT ) , there are many chances that I will feel completely lost , without any home -base .ANd thus angry. After all, I am mainly here not because of the NPCs , but because I have met many interesting people with whom I share many things .And for the moment , I haven 't seen yet any penalizing major changes . Everything seems to be running smoothly to me.So yes , I think that my relationship with Gaia is quite healthy .
As for unhealthy relationships with Gaia , I think that when people get too touched by its changes means that they need to find something else (in rl ) that passionates and directs their emotions towards it , be it love , work , or any artistic activities .It doesn ' t mean they should quit or go on super long hiatuses ,though. Gaia being a break from the real world , we should take it as such . A break , a sort of oasis . Not a place to be all worked on about .And for people who really, really reacts strongly to the changes , I would advise them to read . Not only comics (you can get diverted by the beautiful art =w=b ). Read a lot and get mad at the characters and what happens to them. But not to Louie or Diedrich . They are no work of arts like Heathcliff or Oliver . They have a commercial goal , and as such , are made to please the majority which alas doesn t always counts you....Same for the site changes , it it seems horrible to you, it will look super wonderful to 10 other Gaians .
Well, that is what I humbly think anyway .

[sometimesalways]

I'd like to think I have a decent relationship with the site. Sure there are things that Gaia does that bug the s**t out of me but in the end this site is supposed to be fun. If I ever reach a point where things are making me angry I know it's time to step away from the computer.

When I heard about someone quitting over a mini event or something else very trivial I wonder what else is going on. I hope they are okay in Real Life. If something like this gets you upset I'd hate to see what would happen if something truly bad happened.

[OptisaurusPRIME]

I've been on Gaia since 04 and there were times where I would be on for hours after school, or I wouldn't go to school so I could play. The one thing I never did was freak out about new changes to the site. Now my relationship with Gaia is strictly friends with benefits. It's fun to be on, but I wouldn't care if anything happened to it. It's always a good idea to take a break from Gaia once in a while.

[Bibaxt]

♫♫ As far as my relationship with Gaia it's pretty healthy I guess.I enjoy logging in and chatting/relaxing for a bit each day but it never comes in the way of my social,school, and work life. The things on Gaia you'll see me rant about are really just a momentary annoyance I don't really think about them too much afterwards.

[emi desu]

I cried when Neopets changed their layout, but change on Gaia has never really bothered me. My relationship with Gaia is one of an accepting friend I suppose. 3nodding

[Videogame World]

I have a very good relationship with Gaia. I don't take things that seriously here. It's a site. There're bound to be changes sooner or later. People need to understand that. Some are not good, but it's nothing we can't get accustomed to. I never even got angry with the cig ban. Haha.

[egos and lies]

Keep the replies coming, you guys! I'm really enjoying the responses.

@ J 4 C K: That is quite true. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as a bit judgemental because it isn't what I'm trying to do.

@ Mikaino: Wow, a $200 bill? D: That's intense. I remember when I dropped around $100 on the site within a week. That was a HUGE sign that I needed to take a break...

[Nikunya]

I do visit everyday and I enjoy my time on here but I'm not THAT addicted. sweatdrop

I roll with the changes. I get great amusement from people throwin' a fit on Gaia. emotion_dowant It's just pixels maaan.....just a pixel doll forum website.
I have enough s**t goin' on in RL to stress about. emotion_donotwant

[Catena Carswell]

Gaia is a capricious, abusive lover. I'm pretty sure I stick around because of Stockholm Syndrome.

And, what some people don't seem to understand, is that many of us have a lot of fun complaining and taking the piss out of things. Why the ******** do you think MST3K got so popular?

Most of the time, no, I'm not taking things 'too seriously', and anybody who tells someone that they are taking something on the internet too seriously is in the same category as people who stop you on the street when you're having a bad day and tell you you dropped your smile. Basically; go jump off a bridge.

My reaction when things are actively shitting me to distraction is quite different. It's usually along the lines of this:

[Esper]

Mine is a cycle, it goes
New month what will the lovely items be?!?
GOD THE AC OUT bust BUYYYY!!!!!
AC Weaken lets start a TREAD!
MC out TOMORROW cant sleep! QQ
Well thats all nice now lets wait for the rest of the month to get a shop updata...

Rince and Repeat... occasional add event when things start getting boring.

[little bunnies]

I have a healthy relationship with this site except that I am on it more than I should be. sweatdrop