Welcome to Gaia! ::

Because I didn't plan well enough xd

Here's the space for all the testimonials.

Link to original source


PLEASE DO NOT POST IN HERE!!!!

Testimonials:
-Username: Lizmutt
Member since: 2007
Why do I love gaia: I grew to love gaia as a way to keep in touch with my friends at school and play online games with them. What kept me on this site was the role-playing community, which has been seeming to be dwindling as people move to other sites that bring them less issues. I also get a rush out of making gold by collecting trash and selling while working on a goal avi. Plus I don't hate the cash system, I have used it in the past, and I love to see what type of items they will come up with next.
Anything else you wanna say: I agree with just about everything that Drakokatze said above. It kinda bothers me that when I joined I worked for a week or two to get 10k so I could buy a past monthly collectible and now that wont even buy you a really bad rig fail let alone a monthly collectible. It also bothers me how commercialized this site has become in the last several year, but I do understand with more people on the site the more work Gaia needs and work cost money, but we should feel like our money is actually doing some good to further the site and I don't feel like it.

"Create a better inventory system and don’t just mention that one is in the works." YES! YES!!! we need this and they have been taunting us with this for years. AND MORE GAMES!!!

-Username: gummie_sourball
Member since: february 2005
Why do I love gaia: i started gaia fairly early on. at first it was just somewhere for me to kill time when i was bored but when i discovered the forums and the community; it quickly became so much more. since that point i've had many fond memories of spending time on this site making friends, randomly chatting about anything from hobbies, participating in rp's, and just talking to people about my day. i also met my husband on here shortly after joining. it was a long and hard relationship (he lived in florida while i was in michigan) but being able to log onto gaia everyday made it easier and kept us going. since then; we've been married for seven years and have two small children. if gaia hadn't been here; i never would have met him.

i honestly don't go a day without logging on gaia if i have internet access in some form. (this includes sitting in mcdonald's on my 3ds.... or using my ps3's browser and using the controller to type when my laptop charger broke during the last holiday event) over the years i've had friends go on hiatus and even leave for good. it makes me sad to see them leave, but still i'm here. i'm not going to leave regardless of what happens, but please.....stop doing this to my site. i love it here. i really do.

each week i lurk in the ata and when i see the amount of unhappy users and threats to quit; i find it very disheartening. granted i don't spend as much cash as i "should" but i have been buying mc's almost every month since i started, i buy rigs when i can afford them and i buy the ei's when i can afford them. i buy them not only because i love the items; but i want to support you guys where i can; so i buy from the cs and not the mp. i've also stood up for you through a lot of this when talking to people that are complaining about the amount of cs and now cv items. but i just can't do it anymore, i can't come up with a reason why you would increase the demand to spend this much gaia cash in this short of a span of time.

you really do have a wonderful staff, but these actions are causing more and more users to direct anger and hate at them. this isn't fair on any accounts; nor was it fair that so many members have been cut due to "lack of budget" when all the users see money being poured into the site. we've helped you keep this site running for ten years, TEN. YEARS. i don't want to see it crash and burn over this. i've spent too much time, invested too many memories and made too many friends i would lose. please listen to us.

-Username: 2sarahgate
Member since: 2006
Why do i love gaia: my friends, and this. also art.
Anything else you wanna say: remember that hoarders and venders are also taking another hit because the items they hoard/vend could be released in a flash sale at any time. so there's no guarantee that even they can make gold anymore. nothing has value anymore.

-Username:FallenDevil
Member since:2003
Why do I love gaia: I love gaia for its community. Its as simple as that, I've been coming to the site for almost 10 years now for rps, events, and random shenanigans I have made close friends incredibly close, friendships that will last a life time.
Anything else you wanna say:So I've been coming to this site for 10 years now, Will be exactly 10 on november 30th, I've seen this website change. From its early roots of Go-gaia, to Gaiaonline, Going from an anime centered website to a more casual 'for the masses' type of website.(although this anime does still have heavy anime roots)
This said I've seen gaia change, and it has, back in the day, where the website was much more oriented to actually having to talk and barter with people to get what you wanted, the site has since changed to simple 'Swipe your credit card for anything you need' and then you decide to price everything ridiculously high (500 bucks for pixels bro?).

I'd like to see a change, and while I have spent quite the bit of money on this site, and will still do so, I do so with a bad taste in my mouth, because I want to support the site, and I do support the site, but sometimes, I feel like I'm giving an alcoholic more booze.

-Username: Striker the legend
Member since: August 9, 2008
Why do I love gaia: (My English is bad so don't harass me about it.)
For the pass 5 years, I made good friends here and I cherish that ya? But ever since that Flynn Booty Chest or whatever. It started to change alot of people including my friends on Gaia and now its all about money. I thought this will be like temporary but no the damage is so bad it changed alot of people. I went through threads and threads in the GCD and Site Feed Back to see everyone's reaction towards this Flynn's CI and it was very negative, guess its about money now geez. I love this website too much, hell I don't want to think of BigLankey gone from Gaia seriously.

Anything else you wanna say: Gaia's bridge is so broken, not even money can't fix that.

-Username: Retired Fisherman / Gorn1120 / Ito-Dai
Member since: 2013 / 2011 / 2006 (Respectively)
Why do I love gaia: Because the community is awesome; the incentive to have cool s**t and money is great, especially when you have loads of flash games themed with the site itself. The amount of loyal users is amazing.
Anything else you wanna say:
× I originally joined because my friends told me to. Now, I realized how nice it is to just chat here and occasionally switch up my outfit. If I cared about my wealth, I'd be complaining a lot more.

× Before, I wanted to get rich, like many others. I wanted the good items, of course! But not being around since the beginning required a lot of work to save up without donations. I had no job at the time, so I obviously cheated on my now banned account to get rich. Now, I have a job to help me have a "healthy" amount of wealth.

× I only bought gcash to get myself some cash; I'd love to regularly donate to support the site, but you're using GCash way too much. Being a former game moderator, forum moderator, and administrator - this is a clear sign of one of the two following situations:
-You've become greedy and know the site won't immediately die from over-promoting "donations"
-You're hurting for money to maintain the site at it's current standing; usually from previously loaning from others or the cost of servers/external website or game development/site or server protection.

× If I donate anymore, it will be to help others or just to get one monthly collectible. Otherwise, I'm slowly getting more and more tired of the gcash. It's too much of a business to you.

× I like when staff can flat out speak about their finances with their community.
-Where's it all go?
-Are there any major changes in expenses for Gaia?
-How does gaia interactive affect Gaia Online and vice-versa?

-Username: Sundri
Member since: 2005
Why do I love gaia: I love the community atmosphere, the ability to share thoughts and ideas, and to connect with people from around the world.

Anything else you wanna say:
1.) I love the amazing items, your artists are fantastic and inspired, but there are so many items now that it makes you almost want to just forget about them... amazing or not. How many people can handle sifting through a 10,000+ item inventory to create a new look? It LITERALLY takes an hour or more to do! Slow down! Not only can we not keep up/keep track, but you are burning us out on the concept. It is to the point that I see the weekly announcements and say 'new item, big deal' and ignore it. And the rigs? I don't even bother. 7/10ths of the time you get junk, and then you have wasted your time and hard earned gold on it... it's disheartening!

I actually joined back in '04 on a different account, gave up, and came back in '05 on this one to try things again. I can still remember back then 5,000gold was EXPENSIVE for an item and I worked so hard to save up so I could give out gold to people who were questing. Now, even newbies laugh at how cheap that is. You have inflated the market so much and so fast - in every social situation in the world where this has happened BAD THINGS FOLLOW!

LEARN from history & society outside of the digital realm! Even the blind can see that you CANNOT sustain this level of growth forever... and then what is there left to do but fall?

2.) I understand that Gaia needs to be lucrative in order for the CORPORATION it has become to stay functional - but if you drive away the users who have been dedicated to you for years you are eventually going to run out of steady people who are WILLING to pay big amounts for things because they have been here for the long run, and plan to stay around!

3.) I hate programs that you get used to using because you want them to work, and then instead of FIXING the BUGS the company just redoes the whole thing in a new version and changes everything. It's like a whole new program all over again. New program, new bugs. Process continues... and then I get fed up and refuse to buy the newer versions because they are just more of the same crap in a different wrapper.

The same goes for Gaia. As a user, if I have to adapt to a new mess every couple months, I am going to eventually get to the point that I say 'enough' and move to someplace more stable, with less pressure and advertising, and more of what I want the most: COMMUNITY.

-Username: King Awesomolocity
Member since: May 5th, 2009
Why do I love gaia: There's so many great people here. And I've actually learned about economics from here. (Recently, I've learned what not to do)
Anything else you wanna say: I can't bear to see the site go down like this. I know they keep saying that Gaia isn't going down or whatever, but...if they keep going like this, they'll cause irreparable damage. Hell, they've already damaged half of everything anyways. (They ruined the economy, ruined the Angelic Halo's status, ruined alchemy) But...I'll go down with the ship.

-Username:Shamantra
Member since: October 2008
Why do I love gaia:Mostly the people I've met, the Aquarium community, booty grab, cool items
Anything else you wanna say: I want so badly for the Aquarium community to stop being ignored, and treated like mushrooms. I've loved my tank since before booty grab, but have seen so many of my people leave gaia, or all but quit because of so much crap we've been dealt, starting with the big mistake that GAIA made with the dolphins.

-Username: Spinz96
Member since: August 2008
Why do I love gaia: I love the idea of meeting new friends online with the same interest as you, and I love the fact that your able to do so much on Gaia (forums, zOMG, ect.)
Anything else you wanna say: The recent cash sales that have been going on has really put a bad view on Gaia. It all started out in the summer sale when they re-released the Halo, when they said they will never re-release an MC, hence thats why they are MCs...They tried to play it off by saying how there is only a low quantity, but thats the point! Its so rare that players should strive for it, but they shouldnt be able to technically get it by just paying. With the new admins of Gaia, they seem to be money hungry and only care about themselves instead of the rest of the Gaians, they'll screw with the people who helped them get to where they are now and will screw with the people who have been with them since 03'. Now they are just coming up with random things to try and make money off the Gaia cash sales, inflating the economy, and ignoring other things such as Aquarium and zOMG. Gaia's losing more players than it is gaining, and I can't wait until their plans to make money falls apart and they have to shut down the company.

-Username: YamiTyger
Member since: 2008
Why do I love gaia: I love Gaia because of all the amazing people I meet, on a near daily basis. A lot of people are more about caring for others, than pixels on the whole. And I've made a great many friends, that I call friends.
Anything else you wanna say: With all these rereleases and whatnot.....Im not finding it easier to come on here. C'mon Gaia, stop with the cash sales on a daily basis. You're sucking the life out of your group.

-Username: Madame lee
Member since: 2005
Why do I love gaia: I have met many friends and have learned various ways to rp as well as to open up.
Anything else you wanna say: Just because people have found easier ways to get Gaia cash doesn't mean you can have sale after sale after sale. not all of us can drop life on a dime to go and buy pixels. Gaia should be about relaxing and having fun. not making people scream over and or kill people over getting fantasy rich.

-Username: Elymnesis
Member since: Roughly 2006
Why do I love gaia: I have never found another community as loving, giving, warm, and open as crowd here on Gaia. My friends on Gaia have been with me through the lonely years of junior high when I had no other friends. They comforted me through my parent's difficult divorce. They have kept me from throwing away my life on more than one occasion just by their mere presence. Children have been born, friends and parents have died, there have been difficult breakups and joyful marriages. But they have always been there. Please don't take this away. This website has a heart and a soul. We are not just wallets to be milked. We are people who are eager to support and to love.
Anything else you wanna say: This is a lean time for everyone. And the age bracket this website is targeted at is one of the most hardest hit. In my area, the unemployment rate for ages 16-24 is more than 20%, and more than 40% for blacks of the same age. We understand. The money is tight. Believe me, we understand. But if your foundation is shaking, you need to consider building a smaller house. Don't just lay the burden on us. We respect this site immensely, and we want to feel respected in return.

-Username: A Deathly Affair (I have also gone more known by as Queen Kianra or Princess Kianra)
Member since: 2004
Why do I love gaia: I USED to love Gaia because it was a safe haven to make friends and have fun in my free time.... now I can't stand it.
Anything else you wanna say: Gaia is too money hungry, and they never work on actually FIXING the site I once loved..... I have been looking for another online community to join for two years now, to no avail. I am basically on a semi-hiatus on here these days. I'm sure my friends have all forgotten me too, seeing as they never hear from me.

-Username: Cinibunny
Member since: 2004 on other acc
Why do I love gaia: Loved it not so much right now.....Avatars, community, art ect.
Anything else you wanna say: I miss the old gaia iv NEVER seen a game or site push so many cash items at you than right now its ridiculous.

-Username: CyCyDark
Member since: 2008
Why do I love gaia: I am a lurker at heart. I won't deny that the main reason I visit Gaia as frequently as I do is mainly because the other 2 forum sites I used to visit have both shut down since I joined here. However, the reason I have stuck around for so long rather than simply find another site to visit is because I have made some great friends here and I also enjoy running my little art shop and drawing the unique outfits that Gaian Avatars can create. I also feel like I can't just up and leave any more, since I don't want these past few years of quests and investments to have all been in vain.

When GCash became readily available internationally, I eagerly bought some so I could feel like I was able to better support the community I had grown to love (bearing in mind I spend more than the listed price after going through the exchange rate from NZD to USD). However, I am now finding it difficult to continue supporting this site with GCash when it appears to be becoming more and more exploited as the months go by, what with the absurdly high price tags and ever increasing number of 'sales' coming out.

Anything else you wanna say:Honestly, I wouldn't mind the prices or the sales as much if they were handled more tactfully. If Gaia expects people to spend hundreds of dollars on virtual items, then the sales advertising those items should last longer than one weekend. That way more people have time to earn and gather the funds necessary to purchase the items directly, which would boost the overall profit Gaia makes from selling that item, no? I understand that having a short sale time can increase the sense of urgency surrounding it, prompting more impulse buys, but that tactic only works if the sales are spaced further apart, since the novelty starts to wear thin after a while.
Less is more, wouldn't you say?

-Username: Albruna
Member since: 2007
Why do I love gaia:
Throughout the years I met many new friends on Gaia which have by now left but I am still in contact with them. Through these friends I met even more people which I now consider my closest 'online' friends. I was never awfully active on the forums but I did play zOMG! a lot and that was a really good time.

Anything else you wanna say:
I admit to liking pretty pixels but as of now it is getting out of hand. The last month has been showing a pretty greedy site of Gaia. I am part of Club Verge as a loyal customer in Gaias words - a cash cow to be milked further in my words and that is just a kick in the fact.
I can afford donating money to a website or a good cause simply because I want to support and help. But Gaia lately just makes me want to not spend any more money on them.

-Username: Yorugami
Member since: 2004
Why do I love gaia:
Mainly the art community here. I learned how to draw and improve on Gaia and on the way I met some wonderful friends who have supported and chatted with me through the years. Some of my best memories were made on Gaia and I hope I would continue to do so. The Crosstitch Contest as well has been really kind to me. So I want Gaia to live another 100 years if that is even possible.

Anything else you wanna say:
Now to the crux of the problem: from what I hear and read from other members posting about Gaia. They don't stay on Gaia mainly to play games. They don't stay on Gaia just to dress up their avatars. They are on Gaia to be with a COMMUNITY! But being a part of that community means you can chat (ye olden but removed Meebo or Towns or forums) and while chatting you might feel like dressing up to impress (avatar) or when no one is online to entertain you, you skip on over to the games. So basically one is on Gaia for the community and everything else is added on perks with which Gaia lives on. (i.e. earns cash from)

So when Gaia is prioritizing all these perks WAY MORE than the COMMUNITY it should be bolstering. The average Gaian would wonder why they need to buy these items especially at ridiculous prices like 500-1000$ when there will soon be no one to show off their wealth to?--Because Gaia, with the aggressive sales push and badgering with cash you have been doing lately....a lot of people don't want to stay anymore. Many successful sites and companies make their mark by having non-obtrusive ways of earning cash.

Here are some words from one of the most successful CEOs in business lately the CEO of Amazon.com Jeff Bezos:

"If there’s one reason we have done better than of our peers in the Internet space over the last six years, it is because we have focused like a laser on customer experience, and that really does matter, I think, in any business. It certainly matters online, where word of mouth is so very, very powerful."

"If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful."

"We have so many customers who treat us so well, and we have the right kind of culture that obsesses over the customer."

"We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It’s our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better."

"We watch our competitors, learn from them, see the things that they were doing for customers and copy those things as much as we can."

"You have to use your judgment. In cases like that, we say, ‘Let’s be simpleminded. We know this is a feature that’s good for customers. Let’s do it.’"

"I love people counting on me, and so, you know, today it’s so easy to be motivated, because we have millions of customers counting on us at Amazon.com. That’s fun."

"You can do the math 15 different ways, and every time the math tells you that you shouldn’t lower prices because you’re going to make less money. That’s undoubtedly true in the current quarter, in the current year. But it’s probably not true over a 10-year period, when the benefit is going to increase the frequency with which your customers shop with you, the fraction of their purchases they do with you as opposed to other places. Their overall satisfaction is going to go up."

"You know, if you make a customer unhappy they won't tell five friends, they'll tell 5,000 friends. So we are at a point now where we have all of the things we need to build an important and lasting company, and if we don't, it will be shame on us."

"If you think about the long term then you can really make good life decisions that you won’t regret later."

Please Gaia.
We love you.
Don't force us to leave for better pastures.
We really don't want to. : /
But we will if the environs of Gaia become so hostile
that the user experience is just not worth it anymore.

-Username: Fatallity
Member since: 2007
Why do I love gaia: ******** Nostalgia. I love what Gaia used to be. What it was before the Cash shop. Now... I'm only here to RP. I don't give a s**t about anything else on the site. And that's what makes me sad.

-Username: Metal Kumo
Member since: 07'
Why do I love gaia: i love gaia for the company of all the great people i meet on here. i also love gaia for being able to express my creativity through avatars.
Anything else you wanna say: it's very sad what has been happening lately on this site. it's been nice to be around to see the changes gaia has made over the years but the changes it has made this year has impacted it a lot and not in a good way sadly.

-Username: TH3_G1ITCH_
Member since: '08
Why do I love gaia: I've made a few friends, but they're all very precious to me!
I enjoy coming online to chat with them, and others!
I enjoy zOMG, and am truly grateful of when DMS came out for the players who had beat the game.
That game me hope that it hadn't been forgotten.
I also enjoy creating these avatars and admiring the items that are brought out.
In short: It's a fun place to be!

Anything else you wanna say: Please don't become like what TinierMe had utimatly become.

-Username: Bluegeam
Member since: 2007
Why do I love gaia: I grew up with this site. I was but 12 when first introduces to this site by my cousin. In the beginning I was abit hesitant, still new to the whole world of the internet. But over time I became more comfortable, meet people, and joined many roleplays. I have Gaia to thank for the person I am today. Being that socially awkward girl who didn't have many friends because I moved around allot, Gaia gave me a chance to keep in touch with people. I became more outspoken and was able to make friends quicker in real life. I learned what and what not to do, how to be dedicated, and learned how to write. Oh how I learned to write! Thanks to Gaia I was the best in my class when it came to writing. I could think of essays on a dime and they were able to help me with my exams. I love Gaia and the people in it, but I am not happy with it today.

Too often I see people drop out because they find no interest in the site anymore. Many turning to becoming hermits with in their inbox's and not wanting to take part in the gold markets. Before, I would collect everything. All the special events, played all the games. It was the cake at the end of the journey for me. But lately, I feel as if it is all a lie. No longer are the story lines interesting. No longer are you pushing people to do things as so they can earn something great and worthwhile. I was disappointed with the fluff in truth. While I myself did not like hem, others did. His why when they were pulled completely I saw an air of gloom come over this site. Zomg has been left to rot, pinball has never changed, towns are never decorated anymore, and the things like 'Grunnys', 'vampire wars', and 'the overseers' all but unknown to the new members. Bring back the classics, push more stories as to interest people. STOP WITH ALL THE ITEM ANNOUNCEMENTS. It seems everytime I get on here, I have three new ones promoting an item. And now were going to have random pop ups? Yeah, because the internet wasn't annoying enough. Take a break from the items, focus on a new game or perhaps think of ways to improve the site? This place could really use some.
Anything else you wanna say: What ever happened to the rallies? I remember I would always go in and race a few friends just for giggles. The cars haven't been updated in YEARS. Please, we all love this site. The people on here are like my family. If this place goes, then I don't know where I would go.

-Username: BellaMuerte1
Member since:January 2004
Why do I love gaia: Since being here in 2004 I've seen gaia before it went crazy with cash shops. Before everything exploded into what it is now. I loved the fact that gaia for me was like a get away from life for a bit, to make new friends and just have fun and interact. The community then was fantastic and welcoming.
Anything else you wanna say: I feel like gaia is going downhill with how much cash items they keep spewing out. This site was never focused on the money. Don't stray away from what gaia used to be and stood for. Your just going to loose users, and piss more people off at the rate your going.

-Username: NightSymphony
Member since: 2004
Why do I love gaia: I have made so many wonderful friends here, friends that I believe will always be there for me and loved. This place was here for me when I was going through a very difficult time in my life and I know that if I am ever feeling sad I can come here and my friends will cheer me up.
Anything else you wanna say: Ever since I lost my job in 2010, I have been unable to spend money on this sight. I was able to donate every month for a long time and am now no longer able to. It is depressing seeing items on my wishlist always going on sale for real money that I do not have. Everything has gotten so insanely expensive in the last few years. It's almost impossible to quest for things these days. There was a time where I was on Gaia all day everyday, just bumping threads like mad and I would make so much money that way...not anymore. Posting doesn't give as much money as it used to. And I used to get random boxes and pink links almost every week..now I'm lucky if I see one every three months or so. And they used to be worth a lot more too. It just seems like lately, Gaia cares more about making money than making their users happy.

-Username: Nidorous
Member since: ( First account was made in 05 )
Why do I love gaia: I enjoy Gaia because of the people on the site. The USERS make Gaia what it is. And I have fun with them.

Anything else you wanna say: I have plenty I could be saying, but rather than writing it all up:
A thread I had made.

-Username: BatChic
Member since: 2006

When I joined Gaia in the autumn of 2006, I found it to be a place to explore ideas, get involved in creative guilds, make friends, and have fun dressing my avatar~ especially for thematic events and forum parties. Somewhere along the way there seemed to be a lack of emphasis on all of the above for users on Gaia, to, instead, concentrate on having Gaians participate with Gaia Online commerce -- empty our pockets to pay with real money for virtual items.

As an artist in real life, I value creating and appreciating imagery. But the idea of spending outrageous cash amounts on virtual items to enhance online game-play, is beyond my comprehension. In the end, each of us, on Gaia, must make the decision whether to justify paying for a limited-edition pixelated image, or for paying for the groceries, school textbooks, or the rent.

I am saddened with the current marketing pressure by Gaia for its users to spend more, want to buy more, and let Gaia suck the life out of its community during this process. As NightSymphony has said, "It just seems like lately, Gaia cares more about making money than making their users happy." ★ Kudos, Batty

-Username: UU O L F, previously known as oOSkyeWolfOo/GhostMiester.
Gaia age: 984 days.
Why do I love Gaia: I just love doing art for people, talking, going on forums, and I especially love creating many different avatars.
Anything else you want to say: It's becoming increasingly difficult for me to want to stay on this site, however. This massive economy crash is pulling everything and everyone into a downwards spiral. Many artists are increasing their prices, items are becoming increasingly expensive every day. To make it even worse, you're adding to this chaos by putting up all these sales and pop-up's. People are getting tired of it.
Soon you'll have to make a choice.
What are we to you?
Walking cash machines, or people?

-Username: Ninina
Member since: 2003
Why do I love gaia: It's a great community, with lots of creative, fun people and it's been my home for 10 years now.
Anything else you wanna say: I have been here for a long time and I've seen Gaia grow. We all want to see Gaia thrive and prosper. We also would like it to continue being a community where everyone can enjoy themselves regardless of how much money they spend on the site. That's what we have experienced as the most important of Gaia's core values. Gaia's focus has always been to provide a fun and safe place for people to interact for free and, not surprisingly, that's why people voluntarily started to send Gaia money, in the first place, back when it started. Times have changed, but I feel this core value is one of the reasons we enjoy this site so much. Users will always support Gaia monetarily, but Gaia should not waver in its commitment to put user experience first. Treating users merely as sources of revenue, compromises the user experience. Alienating users who do not spend significant amounts of cash, compromises the user experience. Negatively affecting the site's virtual economy (via sanctioned gold generators or otherwise), compromises the user experience.
Gaia is not just another internet site. It's our community. We have lore, tradition, customs, an economy and unique, beautiful avatars to reimagine and reinvent ourselves everyday. As Gaians, we agree and disagree, but ultimately, we love this place passionately. We have helped shape the site and with our support it's become, hopefully, bigger and better. Hear our voices, respect us as customers but also as citizens of this fantastic place. Let us continue to have a say in the future of our community.

-Username: momo-ai13
Member since: 2007
Why do I love Gaia: I love it because it's the one place that has been stable for me over the past 6, going on 7 years. It's like a home to me and I have met some pretty amazing people on here. Gaia is my virtual home and has been here for me when I felt like things couldn't get much worse.
Anything else you wanna say: I recently bought gcash using my own money for the first time ($10 worth). Despite buying it, I feel like I'm getting left behind because of all these cash sales and offers lately. I cannot keep up and I don't feel welcome anymore on Gaia because I cannot afford the "premium" items. 99% of my gcash is obtained by offers from the tree, it's not enough anymore. On a side note, I find it funny "premium" items aren't that premium anymore, they're actually regular.

-Username: Ourania Mei
Member since: 2012 Oct
Why do I love gaia: I love Gaia cause of people and items.
Anything else you wanna say: I will not be buying more cash until I see some changes.

-Username: Sweet Sugarness Cupcake
Member since: 2005
Why do I love gaia: I've been a member here for eight years (not entirely no this account). I could easily go on and on about the many different reasons why I love Gaia. I love to roleplay. It's one of my go to things when I've been having a bad day, or things are really stressful. I've made friends here. I met new people, and I feel accepted here.
Anything else you wanna say: I don't have a lot of money. I could explain my situation, but I feel that it too personal to have to share. The bottom line is that I'm not exactly the richest person here. I don't have the extra money it takes to get Cash and buy really nice expensive item, or buy ones that I can sell for the Gold I would need for items in the market place. It took me nearly three years to get the dream avi I wanted because one of the items was 3.4mil in the market place. Sure, me and some friend started playing zomg to get gold, but that quickly got boring, especially with a limit placed on it. So I started playing Heralds of Chaos. It also had a limit, but it was higher than zomg. I was making 50k a day! For me, that was pretty exciting! Then I moved, wasn't able to play for a while, finally got a chance and you know what happened? The game isn't there any more! The one game I liked that I could easily make gold on, and it's not even there! There's a game there that, the only way to make gold is my spending Cash that I don't actually have and can't afford. I could watch the little video clips to get Cash, but that only gives you maybe 3 at a time! You know what else happened from me not being able to log on for three days while we were getting our internet fix? The daily chance got screwed over. I've been logging on almost very single day for the passed few years, and I miss a couple days and suddenly the daily chance is only giving me 5-10g and garbage. As well as crappy items that no one wants and don't even sell. It's been two weeks and it still says I've only logged on 6 out of the last 7 days. What the hell?! And don't even get me started on the ungodly high prices in the market place. It's outrageous. I love this site dearly, but there are some issues that need to be figured out.

-Username: Candycane Scartissue
Member since: April 27th, 2005 on this account, my original account was created December 8th, 2003 (I still sign into that regularly for Daily Chance items and for events)
Why do I love gaia: I love Gaia because it is a fun and unique place for people to meet other people and talk about their interests. I have made amazing friends through this website who are irreplaceable to me. The added bonuses such as avatars, items, and games have made this website that much more enjoyable, of course, which means more fun and more incentive to stay.
Anything else you wanna say: I really hope that Gaia takes some time to appreciate their users who have gotten them so far and reward that kind of dedication by easing the cash sales and focusing more on site-wide activities and things that benefit all of the users rather than just the ones who can afford it.

-Username: yohabroha
Member since: 2006
Why do I love gaia: Gaia has given me a second home and a second set of people I am able to look forward and talk to and basically my own little world with the gaian community.
Anything else you wanna say: Ive seen how the site has switched from caring about the community of gaia to caring about the money that comes into gaia. I understand it is a business however we are the people paying for the business.
I personally have invested hundred of dollars and I feel like it goes unnotice (The Club Verge is just a way to get someone to spend more money, not a reward).
Instead of doing monthly collectibles every month that everyone had a chance to look forward to, you have the next big sale, or the 2 new ei's released every week. I feel like the efforts you put out there or too strenuous and a little ridiculous. If a person wants to come on and spend 500 dollars on mc's in a month to get rich, fine. But as a member who has been with you almost since the beginning I dont think its fair to allow someone to join and spend a little bit of money to surpass myself or any other member who has spent long hours to get where they are in this game.

-Username: Aureaule
Member since: 2007
Why do I love gaia: The people & customizing outfits

-Username: SkyVespa
Member since: 2006
Why I love Gaia: Well thats because I've been a part of it for a long time, made many many friends on here. And I'd like to see it around for a long time. But the way things are going now, it will absolutely require that you spend oodles and oodles of money just to do anything on this site.

-Username: Kiro_Shinigami
Member since: 2003
Why do I love gaia: I could feel free and escape my life on here
Anything else you wanna say: I want the old gaia back.....Gaia was not broken it never needed this kind of fixing!! Im sad to see the greed is in everyone's eyes now and all I loved lots is gonna be a thing of the past sometime soon.....Gaia became a monster....I cannot love a monster..

-Username: Ceeshnia
Member since: October 13th of 2007
Why do I love gaia: This is where I go to wind down and play games with friends. I came on here because I heard good things about this site from a friend of mine, so I thought I would check it out. I was getting burned out by Neopets, so why not? Here I have made some wonderful friends that I will keep close to my heart. The avatars are a form of expression, and I love it dearly. I also use them as muses to kick my butt into drawing something so I don't go all chicken-scratch again. I love the well planned events and zOMG. My sister, friends and I will go around zOMG together, sometimes with matching avatars, and hang out. Sometimes we just hang out and don't do much for hunting, but it's a lot of fun. One of my best memories of this place is my friend and I playing zOMG when it first came out. She got stuck on something, but it was fun nonetheless. I live in a charity where we are a family and have been for years with new members coming and going.
Anything else you wanna say: Please do not be like Neopets. They started pushing cash down our throats akin to what is now becoming reality here on Gaia. I was young, I didn't have cash to spend virtually. We were also poor. Now that I am older and have a job, I'm happy to spend money on here to keep the site going. To keep the site free for users who don't have any money. To have an open community for those who move around and can't stay near to their friends. This has always been my sanity money expense, but with this feeling that gold is worthless I cannot bring myself to spend any more cash on this site until that monster of greed is slain. I understand you need money, you have many good members willing to help out. Until you start treating us like money cows to be milked bone dry. Trust us, and please, please stop suffocating us!

-Asian Sins Asians
I joined back in 2007. I have seen many good changes. Though there have also been too many changes people don't like. And, these do outweigh the good ones. I would definitely like to see this site stick around for at least another 10 years if not more. So, please, Gaia change your ways before it is too late. Or, it will be the death of you. The death of us all...

-Username: minaki c h i i
Member since: late november of 06.
Why do I love gaia: i love gaia because i grew up with it in my pre-teen and teenager years. i've seen it grow and change, and sometimes i absolutely hate the changes they have made. especially the changes gaia has made in the last year and a half. i have gained so many friends from role playing on this site, and from zOMG!. the only reason i have stayed on here for so long is because of my friends and some of the games. otherwise, i would have quit by now.
Anything else you wanna say: gaia, fix your s**t before you get a bunch of hate mail, if you don't already.

-Username: Nikko Roseus
Member since: 2003
Why do I love gaia: Friggin' fun and I love customizing my avatar with pretty items.
Anything else you wanna say: I just have a nice warm soft spot for this site, plus I met my bf of almost 4 years now from here. heart

-Username: Sillanod
Member since: August 2010
Why do I love gaia: It was my first roleplaying site, and it will always hold a special place in my heart for that, as well as for the friends I've made here.
Anything else you wanna say: It gets really old having all this advertising flung in my face.

-Username: Nurvy
Member since: August 06
Why do I love gaia: Hahaha... I've had some really good memories on this site, and also met the guy of my dreams here, and plenty of close friends. It's really taught me also how people are, whether they live near you, or far. It taught me that doing stuff online isn't going to hurt you, and it's a great way to make friends online.
Anything else you wanna say:
Honestly, in the recent years of being on this site, I've noticed a lot of change in the ways Gaia is trying to advertise itself, and seen a lot of supportive people leave because of the choices the owner has made for the site. To me, it isn't about money. I mean, gosh. Even if I have a steady paying job, the first thing Id worry about is myself, and with the extra cash I have, possibly put it into this site, but with the way things are working, I'd rather not.
I have put over 500 hundred dollars into this site, and to be honest, I regret it. You get the occasional "gift" or "rare item" for helping out, but the thing isn't close to what you've invested. It's time for Gaia, as the website, to just focus on what they have now. You have people who care about the site enough to still stick around, But, so many of the older folks have moved away for the same reason people are complaining.
Simply, all I have to say is, bring back the old Gaia. .u.

-Username: Rhys Renau
Member since: August 2005
Why do I love gaia: I formed many friendships on here and I, like many others using this site, started when I was a young teenager. It was a great, safe site to explore and I developed my writing skills for my English classes by roleplaying on here. Some of the friends I made are still on here, and others are not (one of which I regret to relay quit because of what has been going on with Gaia this past year, ie. severe inflation from all of the flashy "get it quick" cash sales). Some of the friendships I have made on here have been as long lasting as those I made with my highschool friends. It is a place to express my creative side with writing, and I appreciate that.
Anything else you wanna say: Even though I appreciate the outlet for writing creatively, I can find other sites with which to do so that don't have a focus on spending your hard earned money on pixels in order to dress your avatar properly. I am really disappointed with this new focus of greed, and if it continues, you will lose more than just me as a member.

-Username: Koska_Arcus
Member since: my gaia age is 1718 days
Why do I love gaia: I enjoy gaia for the sheer fun of it all, dressing up! making friends, and the B/C shops! I love the events, The trade, its just all fun!
Anything else you wanna say: I am tired of Gaia making me feel like a lesser person because I can't affourd thier RETARDED prices on things! I nor anyone should feel that way. its turnign into a franchise on a level that makes me sick! and now they ahve made a club where you can only get these items if you have spent over a specific amount of RL money to even get these items? THATS NOT FAIR!

-Username: Leonaenae
Member since: 01/18/2006
Why do I love gaia: The People I have met here!
Anything else you wanna say: I tried to quit last year. Donated EVERYTHING, I was worth...before this inflation lmao over 100mil. I gave it all away because Gaia just pissed me off so much. But I deeply missed my friends. And found myself back on gaia starting from scratch.

-Username: DjAngelicHentai
Member since: 2008
Why do I love gaia: It is a place that i can express my creativity and meet people.
Anything else you wanna say: Me and my wife have used this site since about 2008 or so. we used to buy gaia cash every week, this is when alruna's rose was still evolving. As of late i have grown to dislike the site in general due to the constant cramming of Gcash down our throats. When you released the '03 recolors i actually thought to buy some gaia cash to reward you guys for making me happy. then, very soon after, you released the chests. do you guys even realize what the chests have done to this website. booty was fine, although quite frustrating, but the chests are quite scummy. the site has evolved into a place where you can just exchange cash for currency (in high amounts i might add)

-Username: BinaryVolts
Member since: 2009
Why do I love gaia: I love the community, I love the people, I love that it allows me to be creative. I interpreted my avatar as an OC and I love to draw her and my friends' avatars interacting. Together we've created an entire series and every virtual item helps add to their ongoing story.
Anything else you wanna say: I respect Gaia needs to make money and I wholeheartedly support that. I want to see this site last for years, but I feel like the worst sting of all these sales lately is that you're inadvertently turning Gaians against each other, separating them between the have's and the have-not's. Not everyone has money to spend on the website, but those people do contribute to the site by keeping it active and giving each other a reason to return. Not many of my friends have the means to spend money on the site, but they keep me coming back every single day. Besides the impossible-to-win contests you release every so often, there's no way for loyal Gaians to make money without GCash. Guilds are dying, threads are dwindling, the marketplace is in ruin, and every time I visit Ask the Admin I do not get satisfactory responses, if any at all. And I see many other Gaians getting put off as well regarding valid concerns to the site's usage, activity, and overall longevity. In closing, I feel that all these recent sales are actually hurting what you've built more than you realize. I'm happy you're making money, but please put it to good use now that you have it. Give us something we need now, something we don't have to buy in order to receive. Guild help, inventory arranger, better security! Why tempt us with expensive things if you're not going to protect us properly? Please Gaia, I don't want to lose faith in you.

-Username: Aircutter
Member since: 01/09/2007
Why do I love gaia: I love Gaia because there are so many memories I have made, so many great friends, and the roleplay communities are just my kind of place. ^^
Anything else you wanna say: Gaia has been my home away from home for almost seven years... I have made so many friends and memories in my time here, and the possibility of this place going down....it breaks my heart. I hope that Gaia turns back around soon. Despite many others, including many good friends of mine, I will not leave Gaia until it goes down, or I go down.

Not sure if this petition will help, but....I definitely will try. Gaia means too much to me for me to sit still and stay silent.

-Username: Broken Logic BHP
Member since: Like, 3 years ago, maybe 4?
Why do I love gaia: I've met many friends on this site, including my boyfriend; this is the only site I can role play on, because it's the only one I like.
Anything else you wanna say: I hate how Gaia is making itself look like it only cares about money now, I don't mind new items, or sales like this, but so constantly, and enough that it ruined the Gaian marketplace? A site called Tinerme or, something like that, died from bankruptcy for doing the same exact thing Gaia is doing now, and I'd hate to see that happen to Gaia, there are a few friends on here that I can only talk to on here, and I can only RP on here, so I can't quite Gaia like I've seen many others doing, and I don't want to, but I really hope Gaia finds a way to improve soon and start caring about it's users again.
( EDIT ) Also! My boyfriend just reminded me, I'd also like to see the Guilds codings and stuff updated. They were saying they couldn't because it costs money and not enough people use the guilds, but that's poop, because I know a lot of people use guilds, I'm in several active ones, 2 of which that have over 1000 active users. With all this money they're getting, that is not an acceptable excuse at all.

-Username: SooperNoobie
Member since: Some time in early 2012
Why do I love gaia: I rarely ever visit outside of roleplays with my girlfriend, but I have met plenty of people in my time here, just like a lot of other people here. I can easily understand how so many people grow such an attachment to this place, since it's practically a home away from home - an escape - for so many people, even if a lot of these things don't affect me, it's still sad to see it affect the rest of the community.
Anything else you wanna say: Everything mentioned in the OP is accurate, in regards to the improvements I'd like to see, but I'd also like to add that I'd like to see improvements to the guilds as well, seeing as I spend a lot of time in my own with my girlfriend (Who I met on here, by the way; another reason I can say I love Gaia). I don't exactly spend money here, but it would certainly be nice to see the funding Gaia receives to go into improving the site rather than devising more sales to throw out. By maintaining the base website, Gaia stands to actually keep and maybe even regain its former userbase, and that has a much brighter outlook than the current way things stand now.

-Username: Ravagraid
Registered: 01/26/2005

That's a long time gaia.
But honestly, I have lingering attachment to this site.
I remember when the monthly items were called Donation Items
I remember when gaia fishing was "omg, this is awesome"
when we were happy just talking to eachother and making neat avi's with the stuff we could buy in the gold shops.

Hell, you'd share, you'd roleplay and have fun.
The npc's, were awesome, they involved people in the story, you had world that was far more vibrant then this.

Especially when I saw the notice about the halloween event today.
Jack's, asking people for their money?
The evil, ridiculously powerfull god of halloween, that punched the ******** out of the Easter bunny?
That badass that menaced around towns...

Jack used to be like "I have an announcement for you all,that something will be happening soon. something grand you see, you'll be scared, and you'll be busy.."

And you had a hint to what might be the plotline.

Jack now, is basically scumbag steve
"Hey, uh, I'm throwing a party for you guys, but I'm gonna need your money to do it."

Things like those kinda make me sad.

How can you still have affinity for these fourth wall breaking characters, that only just seem to advertise for sales and the likes?

"Rufus is promoting a sale"

yeah, cause..Rufus, isn't part of a certain gold shop, and ofcourse he's going to advertise for the cash shop...err, wait, what,? "

...I have people here I like.
Thank god, Thank god, I never cared too much about items
I've never quested, but I managed to get some nice items back in the day because I posted a lot.
Actively roleplaying even.
I had a post average of several hundreds a day.

But, it's not just gaia that's changed, the world has aswell.
..Gaia is gone, this place is still a chatboard, but, nobody seems to realise that.


I remember the first really big layout change, the background colour, going to rather white, hurt the ******** out of my eyes, it was horrible, the easygoing manga like gaia had slowly taken a step to looking more modern and corporate.

Now, several years later, I come back after a break, and see that gaia is..one, gigantic, money-hungry company.

Thankfully for gaia, people are retarded as ********.
Cause, if you're willing to pay five-hundred bucks for a pair of digital wings, you're either really damn loaded, or dumb as ********.

I'm going to take a bite of my pizza now.
It's as cold as gaia feels.

But I've been around so long, that the lingering affection with never leave.
I'll see this ship go down.

-Username: R u r i D u r i
Member since: The first year after Gaia was started.
Why do I love gaia: Gaia has been like a family to me, and I love all my friends here. My favorite part has to be dressing up my avi, and the new items that are released time to time.
Anything else you wanna say: Please fix your attitude about us spending money. We know that you need to make a profit as well, and I understand that. But there are so many things that need to be improved, starting with the trainwreck of an inflation. I am not happy with the way things are going in the economy, and I demand that you stop making gold sink events and make a real change about the rich and poor classes that are starting to appear in Gaia.

-Username: ii Q u e e n P a n d a
Member since: June 2008
Why do I love gaia: i met so much awesome ppl here. i enjoy spending time here, especially zomg and exchange and guilds.. but its been a really pain past weeks and months.. i spend some cash and made good money with that. but now you cant spend some cash.. you need spend a huge amount. and i dont have that much money. hard to achieve any goal here.
Anything else you wanna say:eh nothing else ^.^
just a huge Thank you to the owner of the thread for putting exactly my thoughts in words ^.^

-Username: August Star Of Heaven
Member since: 2009 (my first account, this is an alt that became my main)
Why do I love gaia: The site is my safe haven from rl
Anything else you wanna say: I know you guys are now acting more like a business now more than ever. But a business cannot succeed without its customers. We Gaians are your customers. Either cash user or not we do deserve a fair treatment when it comes to account problems. It's understood some are privileged enough to get into Verge and many of us non cash users will not enjoy the service the shop offers. But basic customer care service is a right of every user. A number of friends and acquaintances have left the site out of sheer disgust of not being acted upon on something as simple as unlocking a disabled trading pass which some have waited for months.

NO ONE SHOULD BE FORCED TO BEG FOR THEIR BASIC RIGHTS, EVEN FROM ADMINS.

-Username: Rune Shine
Member since: 09/08/2005
Why do I love gaia: It's always been fun. Or it used to be... I've always enjoyed dressing up my avi!
Anything else you wanna say: Gaia has been becoming more and more ridiculous! We can only take so much more of their greed and I think a site like this would have been better off promoting someone who's been working for them since day one than bringing an outsider in who may or may not have an agenda of his own that involves destroying the site...

-username: E.Beth
Things I love:the games and the people, having actual conversations with them and getting advice when needed

Somethings I'd like to add:
I loved the games back when people played them. zOMG and Booty Grab are fun and I wish they could get more love. Same with so many of the other games. Heck, just hold a contest for jigsaw again where a user's image gets turned into a puzzle again this year please!
Update the Manga again. Try to include some of the other NPCs that have been around for a while. New ones are nice but the players that have been around for a while miss them, just look in the petitions for a few of the specific NPCs.
I don't use Gaia Cash much; I am poor and just get the free cash you get for activities. I hoard that for the chance items. Having popups telling me this item is on sale for 5000 cash is pointless. Being able to turn that off would be nice.

I know that it is hard to run a website but some simple changes could really boost moral for those who use the site. Things like referencing ongoing storyline instead of leaving them hanging, using parts of the site (shopkeeper NPCs) instead of just forgetting about them, fixing bugs, saving games instead of letting them rot, etc. Not just turning the site into a money pit.

-Username: KelsoTheGreat
Member since: 2006
Why do I love gaia: Because it has been a wonderful community of people and characters.
I have been a dedicated user for years. It has been a wonderful source of entertainment.
I originally joined because it was FREE.
Anything else you wanna say:
This period has been an unprecedented one. Never before have we seen sales of these kinds, demands for us to spend REAL money most of us don't have, inflated prices or devalued currencies. In these times of Economic crisis we must do what we can to stay together.
I am willing to stick it out through there tough times, but others may not...
If these recent changes are permanent and are only going to get worse then you may not see us around here much longer.

-Username: tables_turned
Member since: December 2006
Why do I love gaia: I was brought to Gaia kicking and screaming by a good friend and artist who I adore, she has since moved on and rarely logs in more than once a month. Since then I have met many good people, some are still here others have moved on. I have almost 5000 items and I dearly love each and everyone of them. I change my avatar at least once a week and have over 42,000 forum posts (granted most are bumps for booty grab or guild posts). Speaking of guilds I have joined twenty one over the years, everything from sports guilds to booty grab guilds. I've played games, chatted in forums, profile hopped, lurked, role played literately and not so literately, changed my avatar, changed my profile, participated in the avatar arena, picked up trash in towns, decorated a Gaian home that I love. I have participated in every event/mini event possible since 2006. My latest obsession are the aquariums and achievements. I collect, I quest, I play, I rejoice, I support this site monthly with GC purchases and MC purchases with my 'in real life' money. I don't regret this because I love this site but maybe you are taking it a bit too far Gaia, it is starting to feel cold here. Please Gaia bring the community feel back, show us you care about us as people, as individuals, not just wallets. Update old features, fix glitches and slow the rate at which GC items offered.
Anything else you wanna say:
sugar ain't poison
but sugar will kill you
too much of a good thing
maybe not so sweet

-okaasan_aibu
I am also a Club Verge member and would buy tons more IF I felt I was getting value for my money, as stated things have gotten SOOO expensive. Also, there is little chance for me to buy later if I see something will work with my current inventory AND it was a good value, but I can no longer afford it.

I mean saying that something is 70% off and it is 5000 GC means that it was 16666 GC before - I don't think so! I have never seen anything in the shop for that amount and think that selling things like the October Mythrill bundle for 55,000 GC (or $550.00) is really outrageous for 13 year olds to afford, much less adults. I don't know too many folks who can afford to spend that kind of $$$ on pixels; lord love them if they can, but I'd rather pay the light bill and have a night out with friends for $550 I can do both.

I am not a wallet, I am a person and would love to continue supporting this very cool site ( member for a bunch of years now) but I remember when 5000 GG was high for a monthly collectable envelope, now - - well check out the pre-sale for the October sealed, it hit over 500,000 GC for awhile that's a hundred fold increase in just a few years, if all expenses in life multiplied in cost like that NONE of us would could afford much of anything. HELP!

Love Gaia, hate high costs!

-Username: Maid of the Evening Storm
Member since: 2008
Why do I love gaia: Because its the place where I first started roleplaying and trying to improve my writing skills. Plus I have a lot of friends on this website that I can say I'm closer to than some of the people I know in real life.
Anything else you wanna say: Gaia now makes me feel poor if I have under a million gold on hand. I'm not against Gaia having a cash shop and such since I know that the site needs money to run, HOWEVER, it would help if we didn't feel like we were being gouged. I would love to spend money on this site if I had some extra, but I just can't justify spending so much as $25 or more on one bundle of pixels. If gaia would at least make the items cheaper, I think more people could justify spending a little on the website every now and then and it wouldn't hurt them.

If gaia just did these two simple things, I think we as a community would all be more accepting of things (spoiler'd because long):

1. Price most cash shop items cheaper - Because not everyone can justify spending a ton of money on one item, lowering them so that they are more affordable to the average Gaian would prove beneficial. It would also add more quantity into the market and lower prices, making things more affordable to the average Gaian who can't obtain an item otherwise. Monthly Collectibles are perfectly priced at $2.50 and always have been, however, Gaia now comes out with items that have as many or even less poses than the MCs, and are of relatively the same quality in design, and yet they charge us more (I'm mainly citing the items that they come out with in those various themed bundles). I believe that Gaia should base the price around the item in question an its quality/poses against MCs. Also, Evolving Items should keep all their poses as they evolve like their Rapid counterparts. Personally, I would rather wait until an item is fully evolved and buy it in the marketplace than sit around with this gamble of an item waiting for a pose I like, and then losing the previous poses if I happened to like them until the thing's finished evolving. When gaia rereleases older REIs and other items that it once sold in the cash shop, they should not be priced more expensive than they were before. The fact that Gaia was selling Dark Heart for 1000 cash instead of 499 like all REIs are priced personally made me rage. And lastly, they should have a limit to how high one can price things. I mean, $500 for a set of wings? Who are they kidding? Sure, some people might want them, but that is just the most ridiculous price ever. That's how much my apartment rent costs.

2. Make gold-exclusive "flash sales" - If Gaia put out some really good recolors of older items, even for a butt load of gold, I'm sure those who had the money would invest. This will help allow some new items to enter the scene as well as work as a gold sink. If not this, then I would like to see maybe a gold-exclusive version of MCs, only around for a month and maybe they are priced at 250k so its similar to a real MCs price, but it would still work as both a gold sink and a nice way to get cool items out. Brennivin's shop is a good idea for a place to put these things, and I've always just generally thought his store was a good idea, just not when everything is at least one million gold an item.

-Username: Singing Seraph
Member since: November 2007
Why do I love gaia: I've made excellent friends here, people I've even met in person and remained friends with. I've lost friends, gained friends, made memories. Incredible memories that I will never ever forget. The fun I've had on this site with my real life friends and Gaia buddies cannot be expressed in words. This is my home. This was always more than just a site to talk to friends on. It was a community of creativity, fun, and friendship.
Anything else you wanna say: I'm very disappointed in what Gaia has become these last few months. This is the first time I've genuinely considered quitting. I'm just tired of feeling like I have to sift through advertisements just to talk to people I care about. Back in the day, beggars on Gaia were seen as noobs or major annoyances and were generally scolded or avoided by the other Gaians. Now Gaia itself sounds like a beggar. "BUY MY STUFF. PLEASE BUY MY STUFF. PLEASE. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE."
I used to coach newbies and tell them the most important thing to remember when they wanted to make gold: "The more you ask for something, the less people want to give it to you."

-Username: Missibug
Member since: Originally 2005
Why do I love gaia:
Because I can meet people from all walks of life who all have a common interest. And the avi's are fun :3
Anything else you wanna say:
I think Gaia needs to start focusing on why people are drawn to this site rather that how much money they can make. Stop creating such expensive things no one can afford or cares to try and afford. Thanks. Your loving member, Missi

-Username: BankisH
The should have use some forum or something with regards the actual trend. I mean wats with the costumer support ? If they cant support or satisfy the costumers need. Its over with this cash shop, theres no balance here. Also they made club verge but then they do some flynn booty that is unnecessarily.

-Username: catt725
Member since: 2007
Why do I love gaia: I can meet people with similar interests in a fun, colorful and artistic environment, play games with people I know, and the avis are pretty interesting.
Anything else you wanna say: I agree that the original games have always been a main draw, and that their maintenance and updates should be priority over the new games. I also agree that these constant item releases could be a total turn-off to new members, who don't have much money. I remember being in middle school, and I couldn't afford to buy any fun rl items sold, no matter how much I wanted them. When Gaia Cash became I think, I held back for awhile, but eventually spent a bit, but felt that it didn't go as far as I would've liked.

-Username: Elyria Stone
Member since: 2012
Why do I love gaia: I have met so many people, played so many games, joined Guilds, booty grabbed and just had a wonderful time exploring my creative side in RP's and such
Anything else you wanna say: I feel Gaia is getting too expensive - I'll pick up a $10 gift card every week - sometime more, but items selling for $50 and $100 seems crazy when they are only virtual..it makes me question the values that are changing in just the short time I've been a member - even charging gold and cash during events was a negative in my opinion. I love Gaia and I hate to see what it's becoming. Tone down the money making and concentrate on the community!

-Username: HardLinesAndKevlar
Member since: 2009
Why do I love gaia: I've met some really nice people here; enjoyed Booty Grab much (before Gaia destroyed it); enjoyed the various special events (especially Halloween and Christmas); and have always liked 'playing dress-up'.
Anything else you wanna say: The money grubbing attitude Gaia is pushing is appalling. It only makes me more disgusted with them that they so obviously truly wish to cater only to their paying 'clients' who fork over way too much REAL money. They're just another greedy, self-serving corporation, now. So sad.


Member since: 2006
Why do I love gaia: chatting with friends in the forums. The old Gaia Online Safety Videos are so silly. Thanks Safety Marshall!
Anything else you wanna say: I'm trying to make Gaia fun again buy ignoring the cash shop aspect. I don't want to be focused on my inventory's worth.
Before the cash shop, there was an option to buy store credit. Essentially, paying money to buy items in the gold shops. Since gold was much harder to earn, this was very tempting. Then my friend pointed out that buying the sealed letters and selling them for gold was a better deal.
I used to spend a lot of money buying letters. There are lots of items on Gaia that I would buy with money but they are way out of my price range. I think they forgot the decimal. $25, $50, $75? That should be $2.50, $5.00 & $7.50. I'm sure the people that can afford to spend $25 would be glad to buy a $2.50 x 10

-Username: Eli the Sun Princess
Member since: 01/18/2009
Why do I love gaia: I love Gaia for many reasons. It gives me activities to do in my free time or when I'm bored. You can basically design your very own anime character. You can meet new people and hang out with friends. BUT! It's much more that. Here, we can express ourselves and find other people like us. We can trade art and find entertainment in each other. There's too much to say here to list it all in a timely manner.

Anything else you wanna say: When I first got on gaia, you could buy a monthly collectible off someone for 20,40,or 60K gold before it'll increase. Now that number starts at 200k. People try to match up 1000 gold for every 1 cash, thus the price being 499GC to 499,000 GG. That's the problem. People feels it's the only way to turn a profit with that high GC rate.

*I had to resubmit this for some reason

-Username: this is my name XD
Member since: 2007
Why do I love gaia: I've been on this site since I was in middle school and I still hop on every day.
Anything else you wanna say: All this mess with Flynn's Booty/Chest is disheartening. The Gaia Gods need to get their heads on straight. This is pushing loyal users who come on every day- which is just as important as the ones who have a bunch of money to dump here- away in a mass exodus. I know I've contemplated leaving. With prices for everything in the market so high it would take ten lifetimes to get enough gold to buy them. And not every item people want is still in the Cash Shop. (If they have money for it.)
Now don't get me wrong, I've given my few dollars on an item or two- so I have supported Gaia in that way- but I see no reason to continue doing so if you're going to just trample on us like this.

-Username: floralsnow
Member since: 2006
Why do I love gaia: I love gaia because of three reasons. First, I've met a lot of people who are very friendly and are willing to help you in anyway that they can, and listen to your problems. Second, Gaia is like a place for me to escape reality, even for just a short time. Because of this, I manage to forget some of my stress and problems and smile. Lastly, the concept of avatar has really entice me ever since I've joined gaia. I really like customize it and I'm very willing to buy items that would really look good with it. Please continue to keep gaia a place where everyone can have fun and a loving community.
Anything else you wanna say: As I've mentioned from above, I really want to buy new items, but the current inflation in the marketplace discourages me from doing so. A lot of my wishlist items have multiplied their values into a very unreasonable and unattainable amount for me. As of the moment, I don't have the means to buy GC and my only way to gain gold is through selling and booty grab. But the amount I get from booty grab is not enough for me to buy an item, or a fish for my aquarium, and I don't have much item to sell with in the first place. I do understand that gaia needs real money to continue its operations, but please don't force us to USE real money because not all of us can do that.

-Username: cutester
Member since: 2005
Why do I love gaia: It's my home away from home. I love zomg and its a world I can escape to and get rid of my stress. I love dressing up my avi. She has more clothes than I do!

-Username: MadHatterzMouse
Member since: 2005
Why do I love gaia: My friends are here and it's lots of fun talking to and helping new people here.
Anything else you wanna say: While the whole GC thing doesn't bother me the constant flash sales are annoying. Maybe do things a little differently? The Black Friday sale and Summer Sales are okay, but maybe stick with big sales like that twice a year or such instead of the constant flash sales we have currently. If these flash sales must continue, can we just maybe have 1 a month or 1 around the holiday events? It's a bit much to expect to be able to buy items back to back to back like this, it should be spaced out a bit better.

Another thing, if you introduce a REI (rapid evolving item) for a original price of 499GC, when you re-release it don't raise the price by double. What happened to the 1299GC bundles that used to be released with various EI or REI that had come out recently.

Please put more into the games systems and inventory system, they do need a update/overhaul. Also, I was disappointed to see the removal of Heralds of Chaos, it had a lot of potential and was a great way to play PVP here. It was a little difficult to get the hang of but was a good game overall. I don't appreciate Smashbox in the least, that game more or less requires you to play using GC so that you have a chance at the jackpot. This goes back to the Cash to Gold thing we don't appreciate.

-Username: Kara Madora
Member since: uh.. 05 I think
Why do I love gaia: I love the outfits and th friends I have made on here. I like the games, and zOMG especially. I like the community
Anything else you wanna say: Dude, Gaia, Are you in SERIOUS financial trouble, and is that why you have been shoving so much GC stuff at us? Becuase I'd understand if THAT were the case, but really... Long time members shouldnt get pop ups. We shoulnt get pop ups ANYWAY. And lately your prices have gotten really expensive, for a poor college student. I still want those Club Verge wings, eventually, but I cant SAVE UP. Youve been throwing new GC items at us almost 3 times a week, and I think you really need to calm down and focus on some of th other things Users have been asking for, instead fo "NEW ITEM FOR GC'
And it used to be that you could buy MOST Gcash items the GC you'd get from a $25 card.
Go back to that.
$400 for a single pose pixel item leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If it going to be that costly, it's got to be WORTH IT.
Put more Gold Shop items out. We'll pay you cash, but dont let the Cash items overwhelm the gold items.

-Username: Ariele Thibodeaux
Member since: 2008
Why do I love gaia: When I lost my mom in 2008, I was very sad and depressed. I found this game online. For once I was not sad, I found people who were just like me. I love this sight because I have made real friends on here, who care when Im sad and dont judge me on my looks, class, size or status. I like the fact that there are people all over the world who come here. I enjoy learning about people not on what color they are or nationality. Not many sights can boast of allowing people to be themselves.
Anything else you wanna say: Unfortunately due to the rise in prices and the limits on booty grabbing and making money from games. I no longer feel like I can afford anything. I would love to be able to get the new items but it is like bam one sale after another. I dont think gaia cares for us as long as our wallets are empty. I used to love booty grabbing and playing the games but dang I cant do it all day just for a measly crumb of 150k when items are 3 mil or up on most stuff that a month ago was 150k. I hope Gaia realizes we are not all rich, we all dont have mommy and daddy's money to pay for stuff. With the economy and such I think the prices are absolutely ridiculous.

-Username: Sugar Shy Studios
Member since: 2004
Why do I love gaia: it's my home away from home, and I love the art and the community it once had. I love the roleplayers I've found on here, and all in all it was a great site....

-Username: EbeleRoderick
Member since: 2006 (on another account)
Why do I love gaia: I love Gaia because of its unique avatar system, the fact that I've made friends here, how much inspiration its given me to create art, and brought development to my original characters. It has a special place in my heart that other avatar sites didn't achieve when I first joined their community.

Anything else you wanna say: Despite that though, I strongly feel that Gaia is going down. When I read that people are jumping ship for other avatar sites for better customer service, that says something about this site in how they treat their users and how they operate as a business. I have been disappointed in the constant cash atmosphere that has been forced upon us through announcements, the staff alerts, our personal PMs, and now through pop-ups while the site's features are left to collect cobwebs. Its infuriating how Gaia allowed that one survey to slip by with hurtful comments and blatant art theft and then made their apology invalid through failing to properly revise their survey again. They can't even give their customers actual rewards to spending money on their site. Feedback and suggestions are being ignored and it makes me wonder why the Site Feedback even exists at all. Gold shops have been skimpy - how are any new users going to adjust if there isn't more variety besides having to pay real money to achieve the looks they want?

As a freemium site, Gaia can do a much better job than they are now. They must listen to the feedback that the community gives them in regards to the things we care about enough to bother posting with in the forums. The community isn't upset for no reason - we're like this because we still care.

-Username: Aliareana
I've been here since January 2004 and I've watched this site grow so much. It's truly amazing and the reason I have stuck around. I met my husband on Gaia. It was seriously the only thing online that we have ever had in common. I would not have met him if it wasn't for this site.

I am sick of the constant cash sales thrown in my face. I'm sick of the high prices, too. 1,000 gcash for one item was always hard to choke down, and so I quit spending money on Gaia. I can't even imagine how people can really afford these "sales." Good for those who can and are willing, but I am not one of them. Also, I'm pretty upset by smashblox giving so much gold. What was the point of nerfing booty grab if you're going to just dump all that gold into the system?

-Username: Lucifernium
Member since: 2004
Why do I love gaia: the people mainly, and it is a chance for me to escape the chains of reality
Anything else you wanna say: , I'm also trying to do Alchemy and the price increase is really stunting my progress, I miss the once a month sales, and now black friday was suposed to be something to look foreward to, now it's oh, just another sale

-Username: Sabishisa (used to be Yokuutsu on another account)
Member since: 04 on Yokuutsu
Why do I love gaia: I'm not sure anymore because it doesn't really look like Gaia anymore.
Anything else you wanna say:
One suggestion: Gaia needs to encourage communication between it's workers considering the Flynn's Twerking came back right after a gold sink started. That's piss poor communication (which shows that Gaia is falling heavily) or them not caring at all (which is even worse)

-Username: FaithBlack
Member since: 2003 (with various accounts)
When I first signed up, I loved that I got an avatar, & that there were so many things I could do to change it to express myself in ways that I couldn't before. Have you seen how awesome avatars have gotten in the last 10 years? The community here was pretty awesome, too. I met some really nice people, many of them I started offline relationships with - & this was when I was 13!
Since then, we got games, & much, much more stuff for your avi. Some of it was crap, but most of it wasn't. I was really excited when Fishing came out, then Cards, & I have friends that quickly got addicted. I still have yet to find a site that offers puzzles as awesome as the ones that Gaia has to offer.
After a very, very long waiting period, we finally got the MMO that we were promised, & it was EPIC. zOMG! was so much more than I imagined it to be... Until I got to the end of the storyline... Which didn't take me long, & not just because I'm a rather serious gamer... Am I the only one that notices that the game still says "BETA" on it, there's no talk of a new one, & all the devs working on it were fired? It's in perpetual BETA mode!
Then came items that you could buy with real money, aside from the monthly collectibles. I remember a time when the idea of buying an MC was some distant dream that I might have had one day, because they were so far out of my price range. I finally got a real job of my own, & started giving some of my money to Gaia. For about 2 years, Gaia got a chunk of my monthly checks - At least $5 a month because I just had to have those MC's... Then the MC's started to suck... Royally... Like, nobody was buying them... The ones I'm thinking of are still pretty damn cheap on the marketplace & they're 3 to 4 years old... So I started signing petitions for better MC's, & instead, we got a whole shop full of cash only items that were just as bad, but more expensive... After a while, I finally stopped coming to Gaia. I gave up. I moved to MySpace, Neopets, & other sites.
Last November was the first time I had gotten on Gaia & played it seriously in almost 3 years, & I was sickened by what I saw. Sure, you expanded on zOMG!, but all that did was make players even more Elitist than they already were. And shortly after that, you fired everyone that ran zOMG!. Rumor has it that Gaia has a new CEO, who hasn't even glanced at the site since taking over & has a bad reputation for running businesses into the ground. If I'm wrong, please prove it - The rumors about him are nuts & make me want to cry over what I know he will do to Gaia.
I looked back at some of the petitions I signed before I left Gaia, especially this one (made in 2008, last post in 2011), & I found that the majority of the complaints in it are still extremely valid, despite the fact that the creator of the petition no longer uses Gaia.

Complaints from 2008:
- Fix the numerous, annoying glitches around the site. This is still valid because there are lots of problems related to the new centered site, which, by the way, we all told you we didn't want.
- Update the free parts of the site that those of us that can't buy cash want to play.
"Those of us that can't buy cash are left to enjoy only the free aspects of the site while we struggle (very hard) to buy cash items with gold. But how can we do that when the free things are left to deteriorate? Update Towns, Homes, Guilds, Forums, and more, so that those of us that can't get cash can be happy here as well."
This is still completely valid, to me. "Towns 2" is not an update to the original towns, & none of the other things listed has received much of an update, if any, since 2008.
- Lower the cash shop prices and make cash items more fair. Make cash more accessible.
"$10 for an evolving item is much. $2.00 for a fish that will die in two weeks is too much. $.25 is too much for a Null Fragment when you consider the fact that you will need over 40 just to make two plushies. People overseas still cannot get cash unless they have a Paypal account, and yet, you're advertising and trying to appeal to teenagers, who most likely won't have a Paypal account or even a good source of income. Cash shop items are released at a rate at which users cannot keep up with, whether with gold or with cash. Make buying cash items more worth our time and money."
I don't know whether or not overseas users can now buy Gaia Cash, but if they can, good for you, you now have a wider audience to take money from. Cash shop items are still released at a rate that your customers simply can't keep up with, which is just plain bad strategy on your part (seriously, many of us would be happy to give you a certain amount a month, but we give up when it becomes clear that we should save our money because if you had it your way, our checks would all go directly into your bank account. Greed is not sexy). We were complaining back then about an Evolving Item being worth $10 & yet I see several items listed for $50! WTF? I will, however, state that I like the fact that we can earn cash now, & we weren't able to before. I also like that these are optional ads that earn you money, presumably to upkeep the site, but I don't like that you must have a smart phone in order to earn enough cash to be able to keep up with just the MC's (which are damn near worthless now, compared to the other, more coveted items you have in the cash shop). You are still appealing to teenagers, so that part is still valid as well, but rather than focusing on improving this site, you're talking about opening another, to target adults... Who have fatter wallets & who you hope to get even more money from, right? Yeah, we're on to you.
- Get more moderators.
Instead, you've been firing them, from what I hear!
- Be more professional.
"Cut and paste responses to hundreds of users that were unfairly banned, losing hundreds of dollars in the process, is not professional."
This is still EXTREMELY valid, considering that you recently released a poll that offended thousands of your users (an extremely unprofessional poll, mind you), & gave the fakest apology I've ever read in my life! You're supposed to be a business/corporation, & yet you somehow allowed something like that poll to be released to the public? As if you didn't have enough people upset with you as it was. Cut & paste responses are NEVER welcome, & even your apology was copy/pasted several times. We're not that stupid, but thanks so much for showing us just how much you care about what we think.

The petition that I linked to had over 4000 signatures before the creator left Gaia. How many more signatures do you need than that to make these petitions effective? Who do they need to be delivered to?

-Username: Mallori_Cantare
Member since: '08 on lizzy395
Why do I love gaia: I learnt about gaia through an advert and clicked on it and I was blown away by the nice community and all the items they had. People didn't care about the forums as much for the group I was in used to just ZOMG and play tiles and all those flash games. I've met so many nice people on the site and met up with a few people in my city. I loved to help people with donations and so many people were online back then which made me stay on the site up till the present.
Anything else you wanna say: Just some constructive feedback; Can gaia please fix the majority of areas that do need help such as that inflation (SERIOUSLY HOW MUCH BOOTY's HAVE BEEN RELEASED) like towns and the gaia app, add more content to the zomg because there are still loyal players out there. More updates are needed for gold items as well (more detailed too.)

-Username: Whispering Embers
Member since: 2005
Why do I love gaia: The people. I've made some great friends here. Ones I hope I can keep. Gaia used to be such a community center site. Instead of being mad, I'm just so disappointed in the staf of gaia. What has happened to this site?
Anything else you wanna say: Admins you have always been there for us. Why turn your back on us now? You have so many loyal gaians and such a big user base now. Do not all of us count? What happened? Such a shame.