Welcome to Gaia! ::

This isn't a case of "we want the items without spending money". This is a case of "for the love of god can they enact one new system or feature without us having to pay for it?".

I've already decided to pledge before this, but you can put my name on there. If they shut it down, I'll go back to RPing on Proboards sites.

Sign me up!

I've only been on Gaia for around 3 months, but I made my account last year.

The reason I made a Gaia account in the first place was because of how beautiful everything was, and how user-friendly the site was. After actually using Gaia, I made some life long friends and unforgettable memories.

Now, those friends are leaving because they can't stand the way Gaia is changing.

What am I supposed to do now?

Sure, I haven't spent here in a long time and don't intend to ever again.

I get that they're a business. I have no issues with them selling stuff. But I'm not going to use my dollars to tell them that shitty business practices are a-okay.

There's multiple methods to obtaining the almighty dollar, and I believe they've chosen the wrong path. I believe this is due to the new CEO who seems to have gained a reputation around attaching himself to places, pushing hard for sales that make him look good, then running off for another job before the long term effects of his methods reveal themselves.

The only winner here is him. My only regret are for the staff that are obligated to defend his actions and deal with the possible loss of their jobs due to him, while being completely aware that he has no ******** to give about their job security.

I've already been busily liquidating my inventory to buy art. May as well have something tangible to take away from this place before I mosey.

does anybody remember foopets.com? because i left there because they wouldn't listen to their users, and then randomly went, "oh we'll give you fd free on this wheel, nope nevermind, we're taking it off" a week later. when i came back to gaia around that time, i was AMAZED they talked to us. it was.... awesome.

now the only person i see posting here is uncle kenny, who really doesn't know much about what the ceo is doing, or handling. and it's for damage control.

I admit that I'm no where near the most knowledgeable when it comes to all of the financial aspects of Gaia. I do know that there is something really crappy happening and A LOT of people are starting to stand up and voice their opinions and yet NOTHING is being done to show that Gaia is even remotely interested in their users opinions.

What saddens me is to see so many members saying that they are going to leave. THAT pisses me off the most. I don't want to see all of the amazing people leave.

IT IS WRONG.

GAIA IS WRONG.

AND

THIS SUCKS.

I am not a Verge member, nor will I ever be but with the direction Gaia Online has been going lately being a former gaian who splurged $30-50 on RIG Bundles for the fun of story and getting possibly cool items....

It's changed.

It feels like all Gaia cares about now is money, money and money. They don't care about what we say and they don't care about what we even try to do at this point, there's a ridiculous amount of gold being pushed out into the economy now and it's too much for any gold sink to handle now. Gold is becoming worthless, especially since after they apparently made Flynn's Booty's odds lower they release this new chest that guarantees you winning a large sum of gold..

They released it once which was.. fine, but they keep constantly re-releasing it and it's almost like this is their plan to create hyper-inflation and then overcharge pixels in Verge and LV.

It's disgusting, but ever since they started doing this crap I stopped buying GC and will continue to never spend GC on this site again.

Just going to put what I said in another thread here, because I'm getting quite tired of repeating myself:

Basically, people who don't purchase Gaia Cash are completely screwed at this point. Flynn's Booty/Chest is essentially this; either purchase them and get millions, or get left behind.

That is the business model that Gaia keeps coming back to, also them not seeing a long term effect on inflation is complete BS. Someone has already won 150,000,000 from Flynn's Chest, not to mention a chest (worth $10) will net a person around 4-5 million on average. 4-5 million, per chest, per person. Now multiply that by the amount of people who actively purchase Flynn's Chests that are a member of Club Verge (around 10,000 members) and add the influx of gold also being given off by Flynn's Booty and it paints a completely dismal picture.

We're talking hundreds of billions of gold being pumped into the economy as I type this. Not only that, but does anyone know how long this sale lasts for? Five days. Five days of billions upon billions of gold pushing up the inflation. The sale does not end until 11:59pm on Monday. The damage this will cause on top of the already severely damaged economy shows a clear lack of care.

The amount of gold sinks it'll take to fix this is ridiculous. There's no way the Gaia economy will ever be the same again, and I don't see a way to fix it. I just feel incredibly sorry for those who don't have the ability to purchase GC and have no option but to see their quests become completely unreachable.

I SIGN!
I have been on Gaia for the past 3 and a half years. It used to be so great. It got me through some depression and I have met some amazing people. Now, of course, a lot of them are leaving.
I'll admit that I've dropped $10 on Gaia here and there but really it hasn't even helped me because oh look what's happening with the market. We all know.
People are wasting money on theses pixels that will ultimately go down as all the other items keep sky-rocketing in price. $75 for some stupid item? Uh no thanks, I'll go buy some ******** candy and leave this site to the dust.
I won't be spending a real dime on Gaia cash ever again, or until they get their act together. Pissing off their staff? Yeah, pissing off the people who make this place strive, the people who get on everyday looking for an escape.

I sign!

I've been here since 2003 although this is my 2004 account (I was young and stupid, lost my 2003 account ages ago) and Gaia has taken a turn for the worst. Back when I started I quit Neopets because it became too much about the cash and nothing to do with the community.

Now I'm considering leaving Gaia too and moving to Subeta because I cannot stand idly by and watch this website crash and burn. I'll try and go down with the ship, but right now the lifeboats are looking very tempting.

Gaia used to be about the community, now it's about the cash.

"Getting annoyed with the lack of items for Alchemy? Just BUY your way to the top. Want lots and lots of gold? here, now you can BUY your way into the millions. Didn't manage to get that monthly collectible that we said we would NEVER rerelease? Well we lied, just BUY one! It's only $50! It's ok you don't need to eat or pay your rent!"

I'm sick of this attitude. OCCUPY GAIA ALL THE WAY

Add me in.
I've done cash offers so that I can finish up my art quest on Gaia.. but that's been it.. It's not to support the website at all... It's because without buying GC, it's hard to get around- especially if you don't already have time and gold to vend with (or even know how to vend).
I came back to Gaia in 2007, when I became most active... I remember when donating to Gaia meant something.. but now? It means nothing but a horrible increase of profit, with no care for the users.
Yes, Gaia is a company. Yes, they are in the mists of a sister site. It makes me fear where the money is going- because if a website is having issues, you DO NOT go and try to start another one for certain users (18+). The CEO, this year alone, has ruined everything I knew that Gaia was. Within me leaving in late 2012 and coming back in early 2013... I really didn't hope that it would be leaning towards pay for premium, especially after they started doing the 'Hey, pay us to remove ads! Get freebies from us for not using adblock!'..
The fact they are centering the website to add more ads, and that many users don't like it (no word on opting out, either) really took me back..
There is a lack of the company seeking to make it's users happy. We are nothing but open wallets to them now.
I will not be a part of it, which is why (sad to say) I am quitting at the end of this year.

I sign!
This has become ridiculous.
I'm so pissed, they try to feed us lies saying they've had experts look into this who say it will have NO impact on the MP?

LOOK AT THE INFLATION!

Oh, it's total coincidence that prices are shooting up for 100,000 to between 400,000 and 1,000,000?
BULLSHIT!

I think of new people who are just starting out, people who make a dream avatar only to find it'll cost them 80billion gold or something cause of this inflation. It hurts your current free users who are willing to stay here and play on this site and who even occasionally pitched in for a monthly collectible in the old days. It hurts people just coming in. More and more place are falling victim to this money grubbing attitude and it makes me... well... miffed.

Also, I added a link to this petition in my new thread, hope you don't mind :3
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/site-feedback/this-is-bs-and-an-over-used-joke-of-a-title/t.88158669/

Sign me up. I literally can't take it anymore with this inflation and constant money in your face, spend more...Flynn's Booty just takes the cake. I know that Gaia is a business and all but that gives them no right to treat the community like this. I've been here for almost 6 years and it's never ever been this bad. Gaia just makes it easier and easier to leave. I'm just really disappointed. I really thought that in some way that Gaia cared about its users, but I guess not. Thank you Gaia. for making me feel like a fly you just flicked off your shoulder, thanks a lot.

With all this Money grabbing Gaia. . . . . .
And I see why they cant re-hire back some Old devs. To help zOMG (and if HoC and MoGA was Still up then help that) or maybe go find someone who knows zomg game code.

emotion_eyebrow

Now with all this GC pushed items. I feel as though Sales aren't special anymore. I used to be so excited for new RIGs and or items. Not it's just Meh.
I dont feel like supporting or spending GC anymore.
Let alone the MP is super inflated with all these %++ items. Im thinking what the hell. All the Quests are becoming longer and longer the more Booty chests are being opened. But. I know the MP always has the INnlate and deflate.

I sign because I want Gaia to slow down a bit with all this GC pushed items.

I SIGN.

I've never bought GC before but i certainly don't intend to now.
It was ok at first to release special treat items and have an alternative way of acquiring them, but now it's just ridiculous.

I've been on Gaia since '04 over several accounts and back in the day there was definitely a sense of community and being a little family. Now all there ever seems to be is constant Announcement after Announcement trying to get us to spend our money. It feels like the site staff are just grabbing for our wallets than actually focusing on making the site a fun and entertaining place to be.

Not only can some people afford to do this, but because it's screwed up the Gaian Economy so much, it's made it practically impossible for people who don't buy GC to acquire items they've been saving for.

I've never seen so much anger, upset and loss of faith on here before, and if it continues, I can only see more people leaving.

Sign me up, please.

I realize that Gaia needs money to stay afloat like every other large site on the internet. And I personally had no issues in the past with donating my money to Gaia when I could spare money, or when I simply felt like it. But I refuse to spend a cent on this site forever more.

I will admit that I bought Gaia Cash in August, for the CI bundle. I wanted to test the "improved odd" which ended up being total bullshit. And for shits and giggles, I spent the $5 to get those 25 Flynn's Booty just so I could laugh at how much gold I made. And I feel ashamed for it. I am disgusted with myself for spending money on this bullshit.

But enough is enough, and I am officially calling it quits. Gaia is no longer a site deserving of my money. I will invest elsewhere, where my money is better put to use, where I am treated like a valuable member and not a cash cow. Gaia has made it clear that they do not care anymore what makes the users happy. As long as even a small fraction of the users are willing to pay their ridiculous prices, they will continue to do what they are doing. The rest of us no longer matter. They learn nothing from their mistakes, and they care naught for our feedback.

A company that will not listen to my complaints or hear my suggestions is unworthy of my money or even my presence. I do not support Gaia re-releasing MCs into the cash shop for nearly $1000. I do not support them allowing people an easy work-around to get the Alchemy Back wings. Those back wings were meant to require time and effort to obtain, not bought out the easy way. I also dislike how they have chosen to re-release Agape for $25 and the -originally- charity items for higher prices just to make a quick buck. Those charity items originally were meant for a good cause. Re-releasing them without giving the proceeds to charity is greedy and rude.

I hate that Gaia released Flynn's Booty the first time, let alone that they keep bringing it back. And it is not like I do not see what they are trying to do. And it will not work. The more they inflate the items, thus making gold useless so that users will turn to cash, I will push myself further and further away from Gaia Cash entirely in my own silent protest. I will continue to earn my items with gold, and gold alone, even if it takes me years to do it (or I quit because I have had enough of this site and the bullshit of the people running it).

As someone pointed out, Gaia could be making more money if they had chosen to keep releasing items at smaller prices more affordable to everyone. Sure, they might be raking in hundreds of dollars with one purchase, but from how many people? They are being so stupid about their methods of obtaining cash right now that I cannot even seriously view them as a legitimate business. And this new CEO is supposed to specialize in bringing in revenue? What a laugh. The only thing he specializes in is shitting all over everything that once had value and pissing people off. And the community continues to grow more and more divided every day with these issues. It was bad enough when users were calling others names over the Verge outrage, but the survey caused an even bigger rift, and I saw users saying things that were completely sickening.

If this continues to keep up the pace it is going, and things continue to grow worse and worse, I may have no choice but to leave for good. My absence may go unnoticed, but at least I will know that I am one less person putting up with Gaia's bullshit. I cannot turn a blind eye and pretend like nothing has changed, or pretend that Gaia is doing nothing wrong. I will not "stfu" if I do not like what is going on, and I will not "gtfo" just because someone feels threatened that I have complaints about this site. Nothing will get done if everyone bites their tongue. Nothing.

Things need to change, and whatever it takes for that change to happen needs to be done.
If it means shutting Gaia completely out of my life, not just my wallet, so be it.
This user has had enough.

While I won't sign, I will say this:

As a member of Gaia for about ten-ish years, practically since I had access to the internet, the site's become gradually more and more about money and avatars and less and less about community and events. I remember my distaste most of all when the awesome events of old were replaced with chance items. I remember when getting a PM from an NPC was a huge goddamn deal and not adverts! Hell, I remember when NPCs posted in forums and story events happened in the headers / forums themselves.

Not to sound like a grouchy old man, but what happened to community events that changed the site and the plot? Do you guys remember the insanity that was the tower of Gambino? Those AWESOME events that made you feel included?

I mean

Who even uses or looks at the world map anymore?

I'm signing. Gaia won't see another penny from me until they shape up.

I have been a loyal user of Gaia since March of 2004. I remember saving $5 of my lunch money in high school for a Donation Letter because Gaia was worth it. I have only taken one hiatus from Gaia my whole time being a member and that was for personal reasons. So, I have seen Gaia evolve into what it is today. And I must say, it's not pretty.

Back when Gaia Cash was introduced, people were a little upset that some cool items were only available using Cash unless you went to the MP. But Gaia was still worth it! The items were cool and there were few updates for Cash items. It was a novel idea that didn't put a dent in our wallets.

Now? Well, I hate to say it but it seems that the higher ups want us to pay real money to get gold. With the Flynn's Booty coming again, there will be so much inflation. I had already put my quest on hold so I could start saving up for my traditional Anon gifts for December, yet I have doubts if I will do this because of the inflation Gaia has caused. If they really wanted to help combat inflation, they would re-release more items and not more Flynn's Booty. They have been doing this, but not to the extent that they pump more gold into the system. Not to mention having us to pay real money to get a chance to get gold in Smashblocks? That's just wrong.

Keep this up Gaia, and you are going to lose a loyal user. I hate to do that as this site has gotten me through some tough times because of the friends I have made here. And the year started off so well because it seemed you were actually listening to users. Now you gone and did this.

Ball is in your court, Gaia. What are you going to do?

I just spent 20$ to support Gaia, as with this release of flynn's booty that is bringing out 25million or more a pop I am deciding to just call it a end. I am hanging up my hat, and believing it is best I leave Gaia. Sad it had to end like this, as now I just believe it isn't worth it anymore. I won't be spending anymore cash, ever again. I'm holding on very weakly to staying with Gaia. But with this chest it seems pointless now, my horns are now 22mill... my face is 14million. I don't care if I am rich or whatever I am, I am thinking about the new users. Who have to save up for this s**t, if I joined this site, and saw items priced so high. I think I would just log in and soon never log in again. It seems pointless, I guess I joined before the hump. If Gaia is as it is now years ago, I don't believe I would even be active and a member. Coming from a poorer family, I don't have the money to buy Gaia cash. I remember when my mom agreed in buying me a 10$ cash card when I was 14, I was so happy. I bought a evolving item and held on to it! I believe I still have it, yet it seems pointless. 10$ is nothing now on Gaia. Even today I have worked for all the money I have, and now I believe 20$ is nothing it is still something to me and my family. Not everyone comes from a rich, and decent income family... The users who have less money, won't be staying for the long run is what I believe. IF it feels like you have to spend real money, to get somewhere on the site. Item's are skyrocketing, gold is becoming less and less valued everyday. I don't care if anyone reads this, it's just my thoughts. Sadly, I don't believe I want to be apart of Gaia anymore is what I am feeling. What is the use when you can quickly earn 5- 1000mill using just 10$? That verge crap is bullcrap, if you spend 50$ you get a bundle of the chests. So if you get 5mill from each chest you have easily just made 30mill. Gold has no value anymore, I just don't see the point anymore.

So, I don't have a long rant or moving speech, but I have already decided to not buy any more GC until I feel like it's going to fund a reputable, reasonable, understanding, and caring site. I had not spent any GC before these past couple months, and I came here in 07, mainly because I didn't feel like I needed it to have a good time here.

But in these past couple months, I've definitely felt alienated because all the rich gaians were becoming incredibly rich, and me, a middle class gaian, was becoming poor. So I bought a RIG, and got some not-so-nice items, and I bought a Flynn's Booty Bundle the second time it came out, then I also got the $5 GC for 25 Flynn's Booties when that came out. And in that time frame, the sales were increasing ten fold, (and the old sales would sometimes get on people's nerves, but these sales drove people to quit) and everything got out of hand.

But what really drove me to decide to not buy any more GC was the fact that they're not listening to us. Sure, some admins comment on our posts in ATA, but then they go back on what they've told us. We've been stating quite plainly for a very long time now that we want the sales to stop, and we're okay with GC, but we don't want Gaia pushing and shoving and trying everything they can to force us into buying it. Making a few mistakes is fine, natural, and to be expected (I mean, who remembers the smoking ban a few years ago?) but when you refuse to listen to reason and resolve those issues, then that's going too far.

I suppose I did have a long rant...

Anyway, I sign.

But I would have done this with or without signing the petition, so it doesn't make much difference to me.

I am still considered "new" eventhough i joined in 2010 and went on hiatus in the same year. Returned in mid 2012, so a total of 1 year in gaia.

Not long and involved enough to actually say anything other haven't said already.

I who hasn't involved much felt the effect of all this flash sales and flynn's booty through the rise of marketplace. it's getting harder and harder to get the item i wanted. normally i would gather gold eventhough it's slow to get by. nerfed booty grab, removal of HoC, the recent unappealing smashblox that give no gold unless you paid. I don't get it why would you make it harder for us students and kids who has no work or job to enjoy this site. Look at your community Gaia, look at chatterbox full of thread about sex. is this what you wanted this site to become? look at artificial inflater case, user who take advantage of your action and worsen it. When all the sensible and good Gaian left, people tired of only buying and buying more item to pretty themselves up.

I care about this site, i don't want it to die out. The number of people writing feedback is prove that we are trying to help this site, telling you what's wrong and how we feel.

I do buy GC every month as support for MC or occasional EI/REI. But i no longer buy any since the last time. I am tired to buy items, to dress up my avatar. when most item is getting harder to get. i thought, what's the point of questing when what i quested for go double and double again the price. out of my reach. enough is enough, i have life which is more important than buying pixel and sitting in front of computer to get fake gold.

The rerelease of flynn's booty show the CEO doesn't listen to our plea and is destroying us. That is how i see it. That's not it? if this is what you say, then explain to us why? show some care with action,not just word and don't go back on that.

I saw some thread from happy gaia about this sales and flynn's booty. but that's for those with real money to blow and burn. they don't know the effect of that to the community or simply don't care. we who care will protest because of our concern to gaia's community and continuation.

Oh, i do understand Gaia need money, they need profit. but there is better way than this. Definitely not angering your community. What is your selling point Gaia? what makes you unique than other out there? Why we want to stay? the caring community, the developer and staff that actually come out and join in to talk with us. That is what will make Gaia succesful.

Now it's full of anger,of gaia /appearing/ as greedy and only care to milk us dry.

I cannot say it's a-okay to screw up the marketplace
so much that it becomes impossible for average Gaians to get
something that once was priced at 200k and is now priced, some of
them, at 800k.

It is pumping more gold into the marketplace when we needed
gold pumped OUT not in. They said Flynn's Booty was a one-time
deal. Then it came out, what, 2-3 more times now? How the bloody
hell do they expect the MP to stabilize?
Maybe they don't, and I would hate for that to be reality. They know
how poorly it will place the MP into. They knew this, they said they
had someone say that it this item happened once it would not make
a long-term problem. Well, due to it constantly being re-released, it
has.

I'm fine with supporting the site. I'm not fine with supporting them
if they are going to destroy it.

I came back to the site in 07 after I came home from surviving a brutal car accident and spending two months in the hospital.

This place provided the catharsis and escape that I needed. I had met a lot of awesome people at the time. Many of whom are now gone for their various reasons.

The only reason I log on anymore is because it is something to do. The love and thrill I got out of exploring Gaia and meeting new people is gone now. I just log on to talk to the people I know who are still left and that number is dwindling.

When I came back I spent as much as I could on monthly letters. I wanted the gold and I liked the idea of it. Something special to show that you supported the site. Plus the gold wasn't bad. I spent more than I should have. Especially when the cash shop first showed up. It was advertised as something that you could buy items from with the change you found in your couch. I remember the uproar that people had when the first 10 dollar EI came out. People were livid but we were mollified and let it go.

Each time there was an uproar everyone talked about how we needed to support the site. That if we didn't like it we didn't have to buy into it. The cash shop has now come to dominate everything about Gaia. It isn't about the community, it isn't about the monthly letters (which anymore I forget they exist until they are revealed on the 15th), and it isn't about the events. It's about the cash shop.

When we complained about the rate of updates initially it was the same song and dance as when complaints were filed about the growing cost of items. I sadly admit I was part of the group that fed the monster in its early stages. I have come to regret every dollar that I have spent on Gaia. I gain no joy from seeing the site flourish because it doesn't. The site has become stale and stagnant. There are so many things that need to be addressed and fixed. Frankly I am tired of being told that I am over-reacting to all of these things. I am tired of all of these things not being fixed while they continue to crank out all of these items and cash based things.

I used to spend my money on Gaia because it made me feel welcome and gave me an internet home. I used to spend money on Gaia because features were being fixed and fun and new interesting things were being produced. Now. All my money is doing is supporting the cash shop. I can't support it anymore.

I have quit questing and closed my quest thread. I opened that thread back in 2008. I can't keep up with this. I am liquidating my inventory and I don't know what I am going to do once the final nail hits and Gaia bores me. I hope to see a glimmer of hope between that point and now. I do not expect to see it. I am saddened things have come to this point and I know not enough people will slow down to stop it. I can still hope. I hope you change for the better Gaia though I know you will break my heart again. I miss what this site was but I won't miss it when it finally drives me away.

Know this. Gaia you only have yourselves to blame if this all comes crashing down around your ears. Yes we the users are partly to blame but that doesn't mean that you had to go down the path that you did.

I am Guilty as charged of spending money on gaia, Guilty as charged being part of Verge BUT Its my hobby....Its not a thing I MUST HAVE I will have it when I desire it to be mine.

THO Let me make things so clear all of you will agree.

- Gaia has been grabbing for our wallets with flash sales more and more now devaluing their own rare products making things worth nothing after they are bought with GC.

- They promised us nothing would change in the MP and now prices have doubled tripled and even quadrupled for some items and mainly ALCHEMY! Its taking a massive s**t on those things as now buying caches is near on impossible. It makes Alchemy a job for the elite rich ruling out the people that just started and this is UNFAIR!! This Equality has gone down the drain faster than my wee down a blocked toilet in a restroom XD

- To my fellow Vergians: Where we not promised gaian avatar art from an artist of our choice if we spent 150$ in August? Have some not spent that just for that chance? Have we not been promised discounts and items native to Verge only in those words? WHERE ARE THEY!! Where are the loyalty rewards for those that do spend their life on gaia cash and DO want to be rewarded for this hardship? If anything dear gaia we and ME keep you alive in a way cause we spend. Cant we be a little more respected? This is from my Verge point of view.

- Recolors of old items ergo Purple devil tail golden DJ studio headphones and pastel pink angelic scarves. OK GAIA if you need a gold sink Dernier Cri is perfect! STILL to make those sacred items into a recolored commodity I am shocked! (( Good for you if you have em tho <3 ))

- Flynns a** and rack =3= Gaia really gaia? You shitting on my head right now and asking me to love u after you did poopoo on my face?! NO MORE FLYNNS BUTT AND BOOBS PLEASE!! Kiro wants gaia back to the stages it was before all this inflation....People are questing people are wishing for items people are crying cause what USED to be free now isnt....If people wanna live gaia as free they have to either draw art to gain gold. Be able to make something to trade for gold services like making profiles OR simply be lucky!!! This is UNFAIR once more its making new people not wanna stay and old people are leaving.

Gaia is a place I met the guy I am falling for hard, I made life long friends here....I even made a well flowing RP thread that would love more gaians to join in and I always came here for my peace and offtime.

BUT now its caused me stress, I want all the pretty items but like hell will I pay 150$ for em and then in the MP they are worth crap...Or they shoot up to 60Mill overnight cause people are greedier now than ever.

Greed reaps greed gaia...Please think about this before becoming the company in the bad papers for costing to much.

that same 150$ on IMVU is like a fortune and you can last for MONTHS with that...Be more like that gaia....revert to what you was when we built u up and made u glow this way.....Have we created a monster spending our money?

I love you gaia...but dont break my heart any further...

Hey guys I just want to leave this for anyone to read.
It's something Gaia should really learn and take heart.
Quotes from the awesome Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezo:

"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."

Source: HERE

You can be a successful business but at the same time be both cheap and efficient.
Because right now...Gaia is everything but.

I cheer you guys on! T___T
I would sign but I haven't actually spent any cash because of RL reasons..
just don't have the capability to.

Hello. Where do I sign?

I registered back in 2006. I'm a foreginer so back then I couldn't even afford paying for MC items, had to save gold from posts and poll voting to buy an MC. For example it took me and two of my friends to save 20k to buy my sister a Gwee dragon for her birthday.
I have never obtained Gaia Cash by using real money, the only way for me to get is is to complete some of the offers- like watching a free video. To say it simply I'd be loosing money by changing my own currency into U.S dollars to obtain Gaia Cash and in the end paying more than a person from the U.S and I refuse to do so just because I'm not American.
The existence of Gaia Cash pains me because it's a constant reminder that I'm poor and less valuable user than U.S citizen with a credit card.
Another example - every time I try to save gold for buying item on a Marketplace it gets insanely expensive in a matter of days, sometimes hours. Dazzling Platinum Halo was at 3 millions yesterday. Today it's 5 millions and I'm sure nex week the price will be twice as high. It's impossible to earn such amount of gold without buying items for Gaia Cash and selling them for the highest price. You cannot win with the Gaians who use real money and the difference between those who can do that and those who cannot is vast.

Just this past week I got fed up (yet again--bad year) and started looking for another online home. I joined 2 sites and had a good look around and gave each of them a fighting chance. I met LOADS of fellow Gaians who were doing the exact same thing I was.

But there's one little problem: these sites are NOT Gaia in any way, shape or form. They (like so many others out there) stick to the same tired and boring way of making site currency and that is by (yawn) posting in forums. Over and over and over again.
I personally am uncomfortable with posting in forums and I love the fact that Gaia has so many different ways to earn your gold here.

I have made up my mind once and for all to stick it out and stay with Gaia to the very end. This is my home and I'm going to fight hard to see it returned to the Gaia I fell in love with years ago.
If this is not possible and Gaia sinks, I sink with it--no other site compares and BELIEVE ME I have really shopped around this past year!

Gaia, you'll get no irl money from me until you show us users you care about putting our happiness first. Listen to what the majority says and then carry it out respectfully--it really is that simple.

When I joined in 2004, a friend introduced me to the site and I was like this is cute.
I never once thought about money.
I was a kid, so why did I have to?
I used to roleplay on the 4kids forums.
(Oh God why?)
When they shut down and reset, everything was pretty much lost for me.
So I remembered Gaia.
And I came in for real in 2007.
And I was so excited.
It was a fresh start.
The avatars and the community were better.
Everyone was a little more mature.
I started roleplaying in Barton.
My first RP was 300 pages and went to 2009.
I then started a new roleplay that has been slowly trotting forward ever since.

I made friends on Gaia.
Real friends.
I started to get interested in the avatars.
I liked the art.
I thought that the Cash Shop was interesting when it was introduced.
Ten dollars to get really cool items! A bunch of them!
I actually asked for Cash Cards so I could have my Gaia and my little sister could have her Club Penguin.
I snickered at how the latter practically needed a membership card.

But that's kind of what Gaia has become.
I used to buy a card to use some money,
but now I have much better things to spend it on.

Recently, I was so excited to crack a million gold.
Then it felt hollow.
I thought there'd be so much I could get with it.
But it's like I'm sitting on feathers, looking up at a huge sky.
Everything is still beyond my reach.

Sainte Ciels were one of the last things I bought.
And they both sky rocketed.
When Redemption came out I was so excited.
And now I can't even get it because of the ridiculous inflation.

I introduced friends here recently and they thought I had a lot of gold.
I laughed.

What is a lot of gold these days?
Real money?
I still love Gaia.
But now all I see are complaints instead of interest in the story.


So is it any wonder I want to sign on with this?
May I?
I want to save a community I grew up with.

I sign.

I've been a member of this site nearly since the beginning, when it was first created (if anyone remembers the Go Gaia days...you have a special place in my heart).
However, I've gotten to see it go down the drain first hand. The only thing that keeps me coming back are the few good friends I've made on here & having an outlet for my creative writing. Otherwise, feh.

I personally had no issue with he GC items when first introduced. There were the monthly collectibles which made sense, which aren't expensive, & the first few evolving items. It was fine. However, as a graduate student, I will not spend money on items that are $10 or above since I feel that is...a bit asinine for pixels. That's all it is at the end of the day. Especially since I need that money to, oh, I don't know...eat or get a tank of gas. Yet I'm older, & I understand the worth of a dollar. I feel badly that there are younger kids on the site that perhaps get pandered to with these items, or the allure of club verge, or being an internet millionaire when really...it doesn't matter one single bit. I also have a big problem with those ads for 'free gaia cash.' Some of the offers actually require that you sign up for things, such as a satellite tv package (dish or something of that nature), & I think that it can cause issues for children or young teens who sign up for things without their parent's consent. Let's not all act as if that can't happen, or as if it hasn't, since I'm positive there are parents who see charges for random things on the internet on their credit card & have no earthly idea what Gaia is.

The monthly collectibles have been around for quite some time & are almost something that is rather endearing, something I would say is & was their signature. They shouldn't let go of that. However, these insane bundle packages & things costing upwards of $50 or $100 is just insane. I'm sure there are people who have spent money on it, & that's fine, but let's not make it the central focus. I truly feel as if the gold shops have been sorely neglected. When is the last time there has been a gold shop update that didn't have almost pathetic items for sale? Or a hair shop update? Now all of the hair is within the premium items or evolving items (trust me, I know, since I adore the hair changes but sadly they are not as readily available in the gold shop). I just play bootygrab for the bulk of my gold & will only buy monthly collectibles. I feel as if my $5 month should suffice. With as many users as they have, it obviously adds up, & I think greed has simply entered into the picture. It has become nothing of what it once was. My partner has already left the site since he hated the changes, & I know a lot of loyal people who have been there from the beginning have as well. The inflation is terrible, the focus is on money & not on the user, & I can only hope that they put some stock into what we are saying, if they truly do want our feedback.

I'm done buying Gaia Cash. It's only offers from now on. I've been here since late 2004. Bought Donation Item letters, participated in their events over the years, and watched a few great ideas come and go (Gaia Theaters, and no, not the anime one, the original). I've bought Gaia Cash before here and there, managed to get into Club Verge without trying. But now, there's just too much s**t. They don't care anymore. They've changed or moved on (they being the original creators and any staff that actually cared about their user base). I've moved on back to World of Warcraft. I would NEVER spend over $15 worth of Gaia Cash for ONE item. You people are on something strong. Step back, walk away, and clear your heads and remember what you used to be.

I've been told by a moderator or forum assistant in another thread that if I were to make an item (I want an item with a crap ton of different shoe style poses) that I don't value my imaginary item enough because I said that I would only charge 250 Gaia Cash - 499 Gaia Cash for it. You know what? It's PIXELS that DO NOT MOVE. Mass produced pixels at that. Cheaper it is, the more people can purchase it, the more I make for that mass produced set of pixels. Hell, I'm only paying $15 a month for World of Warcraft pixels that are of MUCH better quality and THEY MOVE!!!! OMGOSH!!!! They move all over! How the HELL are you guys pricing your Verge items the way you are? Ridiculous.

What happened to you, Gaia? You really want to leave this kind of legacy? You had / have the ears of thousands of people, some of us long-term Gaians. People that look / looked up to you and admired you. And you want to take greed over making thousands of people love you? Don't you miss that warm, fuzzy feeling you'd get when your user base fawned over you and all your efforts? I hope you once had that feeling at least. I used to revere you guys. You've been breaking my heart and destroyed something from my childhood from your recent actions. It's like, a little kid FINALLY meeting their hero, just to find out their hero is the exact opposite and cares nothing about those that love them.