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Aged Gaian

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So I joined Gaia over 10 years ago. For many years it was my online home, where I had tons of fun, many great friends and spurred multiple travels and meet-ups.

Now the site seems like a completely different place. None of my old friends are ever here. Hell, I only pop on for a minute ever week or so. I can no longer tell the difference between forums (GD, ED and CB used to have different content but now its all just spam).

Is there anyone else still active here that was a member from back in the early days? Does anyone else remember the site back before it became a flood of advertisements and pushy micro-transactions?

For you newer members, why are you here? What about the site excites you and keeps you coming back? Am I missing out on something new?

*sigh*

Flint Jakobs's Compadre

Feral Faun

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of course Gaia's changed. Stagnant site die if they don't adjust with the times.

Gaia's ad push made me feel less inclined to get items which is fine with me because stuff they're pushin is too pastel-girly-frilly and it's a coin flip on whether or not it works on the D tone.

That aside, I still am having fun with friends, in and out of the forums, and recently explored a new forum all together eek

While it sucks when old friends vanish, there's always a chance at making a fab new friend!

Demonic Lover

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It's funny because the people that want Gaia to still be like it was in 03/04/05/06/07 left Gaia around that time and just recently came back x ox; why?, was Gaia that good and that interesting that you left for how many years? I mean I think you are not coming back from a hiatus, but we get so many users that left the site for years and come back feeling appalled the site changed D:

I'm still here C: been here since 08 and never looked back~ a lot of the stuff the staff/other Gaians do infuriates me but I love the place, my friends, the people it lets me meet and my avatar. I wouldn't be here otherwise.

A site that doesn't change dies, as simple as that. I wish Gaia would change some things though, we all do, but I don't wish for Gaia to remain the same forever, there's always good and bad with change and I guess we just gotta learn to evolve with the website and to clearly express what we don't like in hopes there's enough of us for a change C:

Aged Gaian

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It's true, I left around the same time. I'm still in contact with many of my old friends from here, but everyone seemed to shift to Facebook. At some point I guess more personal, realistic interaction became more desired.

It seems that the majority (not all, mind you) of the people here are the ages we were back when we were here. Maybe Gaia is really designed for a specific age demographic and eventually "most" people grow out of it?

Shy Gawker

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I don't know if I qualify as a new or old member XD I've been here since 09', but I mostly came here because it's a very unique forum site. I don't run across sites like this (except for mmo's). But I mostly just come here to lurk in some of the forums and comment occasionally when the topic is good or controversial. and of course I like the avatar dress up.

Toothsome Elocutionist

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I was back here just months after it just started.

Yea it has changed, but after 10 years everything has changed except the MCDs burger that you left on your desk.

And honestly I still stick around the forums, sure chatterbox is all spam, but its chatterbox, the rest of it isn't quiet there yet.

Maybe the reason why you don't like it anymore is because it is different and the people who kept you here aren't here. That just means you need to grow away from the site, or find new friends.

Delicious Kupo Nut's Secret Admirer

Fluffy Partner

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Everything seems the same to me after 11 years.

Just the name from go-gaia to gaiaonline is different. emotion_awesome

Omnipresent Prophet

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I'm an 03er as well, older than the Halo to be exact (check out how low my account ID number is), and to say Gaia has changed in the past 10+ years is quite the understatement. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Does Gaia suck currently? In my opinion, quite so. I, too, am tired of being inundated with GC advertisements, and promised features falling to the wayside until they can be monetized; pretty much my complaints are the same as everyone else's who finds themselves displeased with the way Gaia's been running lately.

But it was worse back in "the good old days", when 2k for a DI was highway robbery. The items were terrible (in both construction and colors), gaining gold was as much of an impossible chore as it is now (GGs not withstanding), and the forums were still all filled with crap. But I will admit, back then, the plot was a lot more interesting and the events were... Well, I was going to say 'more fun', but then I remembered H2k3 and never again.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, Gaia has indeed changed, somewhat for the better, somewhat for the worst. But looking back at Go-Gaia won't do us any good, especially since it wasn't much better back then, either.

Devoted Heckler

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~Times they are a-changin'~

The youngest Gaians in 03 are now 24, in a few few years we'll have Gaialings who weren't even conceived before the site. The whole internet has changed during this time whether for better or worse.
The latest generation are statistically more wealth-obsessed, self-obsessed, fame-obsessed, entitled, and Gaia has to pander to that demographic. It cannot be fought, frankly we're lucky we still have proper forums instead of the Tentacl/Tumblr set-up.
They'll all be morbidly obese and dead in twenty years, if that cheers you up?

Rainbow Harvester

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well pretty much any site is going to change after 10 years, that's natural. C:

I'm an older user (Jan '05) and although I'm not really happy with how the site is being run these days and most of my old friends have left, I still enjoy the community and the avatar system which, in the end, are the two things that I'm really here for. I go on hiatus from time to time because of life, but I think I'll keep coming back until it's not fun anymore~

Alien Elder

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xd 09er here. I think everything under the heavens will change at one point or another.

I lost a lot of Gaia RP'mates throughout the years through changes in and out of the site.

I actually avoid Facebook like a plague because most of my loved ones are there and Gaia is one of my few private spots in the internet where almost all of them can't find me. I crave more privacy and less attention nowadays, Gaia served me pretty well on that one.

Agent

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I'm an 03'er myself - Joined in November 03.

The only things I don't like these days is the price of items and the fact they seem to want more of our money rather then the old 5 or so a month for a letter..My news feed is 10+ announcements a day.. They should just announce it all at once in one rather then 10+ a day.

Micherru's Significant Otter

Dulcet Wench

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I've been here since '04. I never left, although, I did spend a little less time for a while when I got hooked into Miss Bimbo's forums - because it was a smaller community so everyone was closer. I used to be a huge part of chatterbox, but now I just pretty much lurk in the community discussion section.

dancing_ice's Fangirl

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06er here.^^

While yes, all my friends and siblings left the site, I remain.
Frankly, I enjoy the multitude of items available to play with. I don't really use this site to socialize, so the items kept my interest.

People have been complaining about so many things ever since, that I'm not really fazed by anything here anymore.

McSourface wasn't born out of nothing you know. lol

One thing I did notice was the response to complaints was reworded from "Shut up and enjoy your free forums!" to "Don't want it? Leave."

I have to admit, the drama still entertains me sometimes.^^

Undead Deadeye

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Well of course it's changed in the past 10 years. What did you expect?

I've been here since '04 and I miss the events, and hate the constant push to purchase gc and the shitty economy, but I'm fairly happy with everything else.
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