suishohatake
Ladies and Gents...
And in case mods decide to remove that too...
tl;dr: if a lot of us mail letters stating our displeasure with Gaia, it may have an effect.
And in case mods decide to remove that too...
My original plan had been that Gaians make an effort to spend one week or so logged off of Gaia in protest. Now I have a new plan. A better plan. Letters.
Allow me to explain
I am encouraging Gaians who are concerned with the direction the company is headed to write letters to Gaia HQ and express their distress. Specifically I'm discussing the constant announcements begging us to buy GC (In the time it took me to write this post, I had two new announcements about GC items and sales) and the re-re-re-re(etc) releases of gold generators that serve only to ruin the economy. I understand that Gaia is a business and it takes money to run this website, but this is not the way to do it. Many Gaians have already taken to boycotting GC until this issue is resolved. There are a number of petitions and threads full of people who are upset by these business practices. Unfortunately, those are easily laughed or shrugged off by Gaia staff. We need to do more to be heard.
Why letters? What's wrong with email?
Can't someone else do it?
If you don't like Gaia the way it is, why not just quit?
What if I'm not a strong writer?
Will my account be affected if I participate?
What should I include in my letter?
How do I spread the word?
This is the most important part! Please, if you think you know someone that is upset over Gaia's recent practices tell them about this campaign! PM your friends. Post about it in other threads and on other forums. Feel free to link back to this post. Anything you can do to get the word out. Obviously don't spam people - that's the exact opposite of what we're trying to do. If someone wants to make a banner for people to put in their sig that would be amazing - I have no skills with that sort of thing.
Most importantly we want everyone to REALLY be heard by Gaia HQ. We have dealt with these growing problems long enough. And if it doesn't work at least we can say we tried, and that's the very least anyone can ask for.
Send letters to:
Gaia Online
P.O. Box 612680
San Jose, CA 95161-2680
USA
Source
Let's do this.
If for any reason you are unable to write a letter (too expensive to send overseas, etc.), its a curse has graciously offered to send them for you! You can type it up, then PM it to her, and she will send it!
Do not have her send them because you are lazy. That's not a legitimate excuse.
Allow me to explain
I am encouraging Gaians who are concerned with the direction the company is headed to write letters to Gaia HQ and express their distress. Specifically I'm discussing the constant announcements begging us to buy GC (In the time it took me to write this post, I had two new announcements about GC items and sales) and the re-re-re-re(etc) releases of gold generators that serve only to ruin the economy. I understand that Gaia is a business and it takes money to run this website, but this is not the way to do it. Many Gaians have already taken to boycotting GC until this issue is resolved. There are a number of petitions and threads full of people who are upset by these business practices. Unfortunately, those are easily laughed or shrugged off by Gaia staff. We need to do more to be heard.
Why letters? What's wrong with email?
Emails are too easily ignored and deleted. Real, tangible letters will show Gaia HQ that we really do care what happens to this site. Few people who will put out the efforts to write a letter will do so if the issue is not important to them. A sincere, heartfelt letter does not take long to write, but has a big impact. Also, with letter writing on the decline, that will make our message that much more powerful. People at Gaia HQ will take notice.
Can't someone else do it?
No. For this to work, we need lots of people on board. If Gaia only receives 100 letters on the issue, they can easily dismiss us as a minority. If they receive 1000 letters, however, we have a better chance of our voice being heard. Gaia staff counts on us being lazy, apathetic, and complacent. You need to step up.
If you don't like Gaia the way it is, why not just quit?
Many of us have toyed with the idea. However, we have also been members of this website for several years, and know just how good it can be when everyone has the same goal in mind. I realize that there are countless other "free" avatar-based websites, but Gaia is our home. A good home is not to be abandoned in times of trouble.
What if I'm not a strong writer?
That's fine! One of the things that makes the Gaia community so great is the diversity of talent and creativity. If you feel as though you could better express your concerns through another format (such as artwork, manga, video, song, poem, etc.), please do so! I only suggest that you might not send USB drives or discs meant to be played in the computer. I know that if I received something like that in the mail I would throw it straight in the trash for fear of hackers/viruses. Feel free to send music CDs or DVDs, though!
I am also considering creating a "stock letter" that you could just copy/paste into your favourite word processing program and edit to fit your situation. You need to tell your personal story.
I am also considering creating a "stock letter" that you could just copy/paste into your favourite word processing program and edit to fit your situation. You need to tell your personal story.
Will my account be affected if I participate?
NO. I have spoken to mods and distributing Gaia's mailing address is NOT a violation of the Rules or the ToS. If you wish to remain anonymous, please do so. I am not asking that you include your username in your letter (though you can if you want).
What should I include in my letter?
Your story is the most important thing here. Write about why Gaia is so important to you. Include how long you've been a member of the site. Write about how what they are doing is affecting the quality of the site and your experience. Include helpful suggestions for them about how to improve.
DO NOT blame or insult any member of staff. Do not suggest that anyone be fired or reprimanded. Laying blame is not the point, here.
DO NOT be rude. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. It's important to be respectful and calm. No one wants to listen to a raving lunatic.
DO NOT use inflammatory speech (cursing, name-calling, etc.). Again, this is a surefire way to negatively affect the cause.
Please write in an intelligible manner. Use your computer's spell check. It's hard to be taken seriously when you can't even form a sentence properly.
Feel free to send multiple letters, possibly even to multiple people. You can try to write specific staff members' names/usernames on the envelope underneath "Gaia Online."
DO NOT blame or insult any member of staff. Do not suggest that anyone be fired or reprimanded. Laying blame is not the point, here.
DO NOT be rude. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. It's important to be respectful and calm. No one wants to listen to a raving lunatic.
DO NOT use inflammatory speech (cursing, name-calling, etc.). Again, this is a surefire way to negatively affect the cause.
Please write in an intelligible manner. Use your computer's spell check. It's hard to be taken seriously when you can't even form a sentence properly.
Feel free to send multiple letters, possibly even to multiple people. You can try to write specific staff members' names/usernames on the envelope underneath "Gaia Online."
How do I spread the word?
This is the most important part! Please, if you think you know someone that is upset over Gaia's recent practices tell them about this campaign! PM your friends. Post about it in other threads and on other forums. Feel free to link back to this post. Anything you can do to get the word out. Obviously don't spam people - that's the exact opposite of what we're trying to do. If someone wants to make a banner for people to put in their sig that would be amazing - I have no skills with that sort of thing.
Most importantly we want everyone to REALLY be heard by Gaia HQ. We have dealt with these growing problems long enough. And if it doesn't work at least we can say we tried, and that's the very least anyone can ask for.
Send letters to:
Gaia Online
P.O. Box 612680
San Jose, CA 95161-2680
USA
Source
Let's do this.
If for any reason you are unable to write a letter (too expensive to send overseas, etc.), its a curse has graciously offered to send them for you! You can type it up, then PM it to her, and she will send it!
Do not have her send them because you are lazy. That's not a legitimate excuse.
tl;dr: if a lot of us mail letters stating our displeasure with Gaia, it may have an effect.
Positively brilliant sushi. I love it. I'll be writing letters now.
