Smaddy
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- Posted: Sat, 27 Sep 2008 02:02:45 +0000
pirula
Hello,
So yes, the title worked. I read the first 5 pages of the thread and want to respond to a couple of things (will try to go back and read the rest after I post this)
First off, it is true that Gaia wants to make money. We need to make money to stay in business. Its a line you have heard before and you are sick of it. But its still true.
Now, I am gonna assume that most people are OK with Gaia staying in business, but the negativity and anger comes from the *way* we make money. You feel like we are trying to squeeze you dry, and "selling out" by changing the community to get more sponsors.
The fact is, while a lot of users DO support Gaia regularly with MCs, EIs, etc., the MAJORITY (that is greater than 50%) do not buy at all. One thing the aquarium is trying to do is to get new people to purchase by providing items that are not just avi items, but other kinds of stuff. Now, I realize all the people who are already supporting Gaia feel like you can't be asked to spend that much more, which I totally understand. We know we can't ask you to spend more and more forever; that is why our focus is on getting more of the users who *can* purchase to actually buy stuff. If you have any ideas on how to do this, I am all ears.
Another valid point is that not all of our users have paypal/credit cards or access to cash cards. We know that, and we rely on the marketplace to let people buy anything they want with gold. We have a 'gold price' in mind for the fish that the market should settle into - we are watching that closely. The market prices started out high because everything was new, but it should settle down in a few days and we will put more freebies in daily chance if needed to make sure the gold prices in the market are fair.
Finally, I want to address the big concern about Gaia staying free-to-play. Gaia is not "an aquarium site", Gaia is mostly about forums, games, and avatars (which are and will stay free). We want Gaia to stay a place where you can have a lot of fun without spending any money, and the core parts of Gaia will always remain free. Cash features are all optional things -- yes they are cool and appealing (otherwise who would buy them?) but the overall philosophy is that cash items provide a 'bonus' on top of an already enjoyable site.
will try to write more later...some other urgent issues going on as you can see
So yes, the title worked. I read the first 5 pages of the thread and want to respond to a couple of things (will try to go back and read the rest after I post this)
First off, it is true that Gaia wants to make money. We need to make money to stay in business. Its a line you have heard before and you are sick of it. But its still true.
Now, I am gonna assume that most people are OK with Gaia staying in business, but the negativity and anger comes from the *way* we make money. You feel like we are trying to squeeze you dry, and "selling out" by changing the community to get more sponsors.
The fact is, while a lot of users DO support Gaia regularly with MCs, EIs, etc., the MAJORITY (that is greater than 50%) do not buy at all. One thing the aquarium is trying to do is to get new people to purchase by providing items that are not just avi items, but other kinds of stuff. Now, I realize all the people who are already supporting Gaia feel like you can't be asked to spend that much more, which I totally understand. We know we can't ask you to spend more and more forever; that is why our focus is on getting more of the users who *can* purchase to actually buy stuff. If you have any ideas on how to do this, I am all ears.
Another valid point is that not all of our users have paypal/credit cards or access to cash cards. We know that, and we rely on the marketplace to let people buy anything they want with gold. We have a 'gold price' in mind for the fish that the market should settle into - we are watching that closely. The market prices started out high because everything was new, but it should settle down in a few days and we will put more freebies in daily chance if needed to make sure the gold prices in the market are fair.
Finally, I want to address the big concern about Gaia staying free-to-play. Gaia is not "an aquarium site", Gaia is mostly about forums, games, and avatars (which are and will stay free). We want Gaia to stay a place where you can have a lot of fun without spending any money, and the core parts of Gaia will always remain free. Cash features are all optional things -- yes they are cool and appealing (otherwise who would buy them?) but the overall philosophy is that cash items provide a 'bonus' on top of an already enjoyable site.
will try to write more later...some other urgent issues going on as you can see
Thank you for reading our concerns and replying.
My main concern is, I don't mind paying for some items (as an alternative or option or enchancement), I don't mind paying a few dollars for an item, and I also don't mind paying to support a site which puts out features I like.
- Items as alternatives-- MCs, EIs, and Cash Shop items are all optional. If you like 'em, you buy them, if not then you can easily opt out. But you don't need a Kiki or a Hermes Moon to do anything on the site or participate in games, forums, etc. To be able to play on Aquariums you must use real money. Don't tell me about the DC. We don't earn enough items to sustain an Aquarium through that, nor can we rely on it to give us items to keep the Aquarium happy, fed, etc. Don't tell me about the MP, because to set up an Aquarium you need something like 50k. I'm not paying out the a** at the mercy and whim of the seller.
- I don't mind paying a few dollars for an item-- $2.50 for a MC (if it's good) is great! $3.99-$5.99 EI's is slightly high-end but if it's a good enough item I might buy it. Many Cash Shop items are affordable. Someone did the math and figured out that it would cost $15-20+ to start up a fishtank (and then there would be additional cost to keep it stocked). That's ridiculous for a feature that's supposed to just be here for fun. If I want to invest that kind of money in a fishtank, I'd buy one IRL.
- The main thing is, I don't mind paying to support a site which puts out good features that I enjoy. -- Why should I feel like supporting a site that puts out nonsense like Labeler, VJ, Celebrity Snare, Aquariums, etc which I don't use and I don't care about? Meanwhile, things that have LONG been broken, glitched, or just in desperate need of updating/streamlining are just sitting around: Inventory, Homes, Towns, Guilds, Journals, especially, and then other things that need attention: Marketplace, Games/Item Exchanges, etc. We keep getting told "it's being worked on" but that gets harder and harder to believe as the MONTHS and YEARS roll past, and 100s of dumb new useless features come out.
It's sad, I used to defend the site against criticism like this, and now I totally agree that this site has gone downhill.
I'll continue to not spend one cent of my real money until things improve. I'm not supporting this mess.
