So about the state of the site

[Minerva LeventisMinerva Leventis]

cresceres

Gaia grew in the beginning because of its art community. I think it would be wise to tap back into that community, especially since... well... Just look at Twitter. But it'll take work to foster trust with that kind of community again.

You seem well informed, what are your ideas? I really wish I could contribute to the conversation but I have a vague notion of popular trends or what it is that makes social networks like Twitter perpetually popular and relevant. It has to do with individuals but also other referencing them so I think you are in the right track when you talk about the artistic community, content creation is the cause of exposure and relevancy and a way to achieve virality.

But I don't know much about Gaia tbh, I came after platinum and found some cool peeps so I stayed. So was the art community what made Gaia popular back in the day? did Gaia did something to foster the community that isn't doing anymore? oh and have you thought of effective marketing avenues in today's popular social media? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

[Hassli]

Eh. They'll have to pry Gaia from my lifeless pixel fingers.

[Minerva LeventisMinerva Leventis]

cresceres

Back in 2003, Gaia had more significant ties to the actual industry than it does now. Many artists would come here to chill, but also in a weird way network? Unintentionally, of course. In that way it was similar to Twitter-- it provided much needed exposure.

For example, Alex Ahad of Skull Girls fame got his start here. It's no coincidence that several old items have the Skull Girls art style, because he actually made those items. Jenzee was another artist, and now she's Super Giant's art director for Hades. VO (artist/dev) worked on Street Fighter comics. Another artist was Fayren Pickpocket, created popular items and characters like the Pale Marionette and Ringmaster Loyal, but now they're an animation director on Castlevania. And I think work on IDF's Transformers?

But... over time, there was a shift in direction, and Lanzer left thinking he was placing Gaia in good hands with an actual CEO. That CEO kind of... Promised too much to overseas investors that was not possible. Almost ruined the site. (Not to mention the politics at the time were hostile towards overseas investors.)

Lanzer returned a few years ago and purchased the site back, and that's when Gaia started getting its legs back. It's a slow process, and goodness knows the guy is trying. See: working with Ruffle and learning different programming languages.

However, trying to help the site he has made a few missteps with NFTs and AI. Thankfully, he actually listened to Gaia's user base and never implemented either of those.

That along with issues caused by the previous CEO, and another artist who plagiarized others (they are not on staff anymore), has made a majority of the art community rightfully cautious.

I think Gaia can start by offering actual tools to artists for portfolios-- like their own personal art gallery on their profile where artists can share outside of the forums. Or users who purchase art from others can display on their profile with links to those people. Place more focus on art contests again. Stuff like that.

I never imagined Gaia's background had some big names, eek in fact I thought you were referring to some users that went mainstream like Boxxy, (from whom I first learned of the site).

It's admirable what Lanzer has done/is doing. With the past CEO, according to the retellings of that period I have read, Gaia wouldn't exist or it would have been a pay-to-win.

Thank you for all the information I have just 2 questions. Do you know if besides dev logs and ATS's there is a recap or comprising information thread about the state of Gaia where returning users could learn about it? And are there other current issues (along with asking for support for the artists= we users could be more informed about so we can participate with suggestions on the ATS threads? Even if I'm not the most active, I'd like to contribute a little.

[ozmo azarath]

Virtuous Hexx

Is it possible at some point we will need to simply let go? I'm

the last who would want to do that as I'm a very very nostalgic person, but this slow burn into imminent death and obscurity is killing me at the core of my heart. I've been around since 2008 and i feel as though when I go in my certain hiatus, when I come back, something has changed significantly for the worst and I hate it. Idk if the devs have a grand scheme idea to bring back some functionality to worlds and hangouts like towns 1 or 2 and Zomg or otherwise, but it seems Text and forum based websites are losing out to things that have always had little function like 4chan, who never had thousands of items to customize chibi avatars or spaces to walk around and interact, or, Vrchat, which is really just an over bloated Gaia but with more features, player made content and more chances at social interaction, meeting new people and with new players every single day. I hate to say Gaia is dying and it really sucks there are so many heavy internet users that don't know it even exists. I feel at some point Gaia won't be able to sustain itself (if not already) and will need to either make a move to fix the site, rebrand into a new upgraded site altogether with some sort of marketing or pull the plug altogether. It's incredibly upsetting to see many players abandon it after the cold elimination of flash, but.. those players will likely never return because they already did yesterday, or a month ago or a year ago and Gaia is still in shambles. a shell of what it was. I hate to see this happen to a site that molded me as a person. I'll always be around, but one voice is not enough.

ummmm

we can make it whatever we want it to be
LANZER IS BACK Y'ALL.

my suggestions,
do the subscriptions if you can
and finance gaia

they don't have people buying items as much, sooooo
if you want it to stick around and not lose all your s**t
gotta put your money up

[Raina da Meems]

I've only been back about a month or so, (after a few years away this time) and the changes are MANY.
But, honestly, most of the changes are for the better.
In my humble opinion.
I absolutely LOVE that the Market now has an offer option.
And I can "organize" my inventory with at least a few sorting options.
I've been here a looooooooooong time so being able to sort my inventory is a BIG bonus for me. (Yes. I have entirely too much sh*t.)
I'm not impressed with the re-releases every single day.
That feels like a bit much to me. I would prefer the flow of items of the early years.
A couple of monthly items, an RIG every month and a couple of LQIs, and it seems the EI releases have stopped entirely? But we have LONG begged for recolor options for items and wings. And WOW...
Gaia has delivered on those things and then some.
It's all about perspective.
I do get bored, but that's mostly due to none of my old friends being here anymore.
I do keep peeking at them though to see if anyone has logged on. lol
That is entirely my own fault. I could stalk the forums, make a new thread, or whatever to meet new people but I just haven't had the time to invest in keeping up with an active thread.
They will pry my Gaia from my cold, dead hands. I LOVE Gaia.
Have since I first joined more than 17 years ago.
I'm currently debating cleaning up my inventory to buy more art. heart
I've printed most of the art I've collected over the years and have them framed here and there in my home. ^~^
Don't give up on Gaia just yet.
Many amazing and creative Gaians that I've met over the years have come & gone, but Gaia remains.... there is a loyal user base that will do all we can to keep Gaia afloat.

[Ancient Fizz]

How much does it cost to advertise on Google lmao
That would help with an updated app

[Veiyu]

It honestly doesn't even have to be as complicated as revamping the flash spaces or improving the site's current functions, although those certainly would help in terms of QoL and accessibility. On a very basic level, in the time I've been here, I've watched people quit or stop logging on frequently because they tried to meet people with the same or similar interests, but couldn't really find anyone.

I've had friends or talked to people on here who were looking for people with specific hobbies (bodybuilding, handcrafts, outdoor activities, etc.), but couldn't find another active user or community of people just as passionate as them. On the role-playing side, I've met users who had specific visions in mind. I've even told some that I'd be willing to help them if they started a role-play on here. (One user drafted their ideas in their journal and shared them with me, but they never got them off the ground. Another made their role-play, but it didn't capture attention. In both cases, the users left.) Furthermore, I've had seen and talked to people with general friend search threads, or made 1x1 role-play search threads, but didn't achieve too much success with them or ended up with ditch-happy partners, so they moved elsewhere.

These are all pretty typical situations that inevitably have occurred in every era of this website, but with an increasingly declining population, it really is felt much more, sadly. There still isn't really anything that encourages people to form interest groups and truly socialize in that way anymore, which was what made Gaia a popular site back in the day. Most forum topics feel pretty general or are just somebody's thoughts on something. Discussion threads that receive actual traction hardly exist and even the hosts don't really entertain them. Events where users get together to do more than the generic attack/heal or tree decorating are at the bare minimum.

A lot of the interest-based content on this site fell off with the fall of guilds and megathreads centered around specific topics (e.g. certain lifestyles, anime/manga weekly discussion threads, specific video games/franchises, etc.).

Meanwhile, pitching something in the most moving forum, Chatterbox, can be a hit or miss. I know I once made a search thread there to find people to play a game with me years ago. It quickly spiraled off-topic, meaning there was no luck with it.

For some (myself included), meeting new people and having good conversations on here was one of Gaia's focal points. In the distant past, it wasn't hard to find this, but in the last several years, it somehow grew harder. I kinda thought it'd improve with the 2020 COVID lockdown and people returning because of that, but the problem then became retaining the users who did return; most didn't stick around.

Unless the site improves in these aspects at the very least (assuming no decent QoL, accessibility, new features, improved mobile app, etc.), then this place is just always gonna suffer. I know I've personally reached the point where I log on once a week just to see if there's a response in one of my threads or PMs. That's really it. I'm honestly fine with placing this site far on the back-burner as well; I'm looking for a job and my life is likely to change with that anyway.

[anisopteran]

idk, doomer posts like this always feel like those two sided scales or something to me. but in particular, especially as of right now, i think it's not as relatable anymore especially for people returning or new. lanzer is back and putting in so much amazing work. at this point, if you have / are just the "one voice", use it to get people on here! make a discord server, have your friends make accounts, let people know even though there's so much, this website has it's niche corners and it's great! i feel like it's heavily a two way street. just the same way tumblr is alive and thriving despite many loud loud claims otherwise, it's up to the userbase as well to keep things going if the devs are trying, too. which in gaia's case, the devs absolutely are.

i've been on (and off) gaia since 2010. but i for sure will never actually leave. may take breaks if something else catches my interest more, but what keeps me coming back is knowing gaia is and always has been about dedication. from its user, to its (actually) dedicated devs. and the still-unbeatable avatar creation tools.

idk. doom post all you want or grieve for the long last internet days of old, but i wouldn't act like it's time to throw in the towel, especially when the devs are showing otherwise. be eager for what's to come! be happy it's still around and making strives to be more interactive with its userbase! ask questions and make suggestions!

[Knight Yoshi]

cresceres

Minerva Leventis

cresceres

Gaia grew in the beginning because of its art community. I think it would be wise to tap back into that community, especially since... well... Just look at Twitter. But it'll take work to foster trust with that kind of community again.

You seem well informed, what are your ideas? I really wish I could contribute to the conversation but I have a vague notion of popular trends or what it is that makes social networks like Twitter perpetually popular and relevant. It has to do with individuals but also other referencing them so I think you are in the right track when you talk about the artistic community, content creation is the cause of exposure and relevancy and a way to achieve virality.

But I don't know much about Gaia tbh, I came after platinum and found some cool peeps so I stayed. So was the art community what made Gaia popular back in the day? did Gaia did something to foster the community that isn't doing anymore? oh and have you thought of effective marketing avenues in today's popular social media? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

Back in 2003, Gaia had more significant ties to the actual industry than it does now. Many artists would come here to chill, but also in a weird way network? Unintentionally, of course. In that way it was similar to Twitter-- it provided much needed exposure.

For example, Alex Ahad of Skull Girls fame got his start here. It's no coincidence that several old items have the Skull Girls art style, because he actually made those items. Jenzee was another artist, and now she's Super Giant's art director for Hades. VO (artist/dev) worked on Street Fighter comics. Another artist was Fayren Pickpocket, created popular items and characters like the Pale Marionette and Ringmaster Loyal, but now they're an animation director on Castlevania. And I think work on IDF's Transformers?

But... over time, there was a shift in direction, and Lanzer left thinking he was placing Gaia in good hands with an actual CEO. That CEO kind of... Promised too much to overseas investors that was not possible. Almost ruined the site. (Not to mention the politics at the time were hostile towards overseas investors.)

Lanzer returned a few years ago and purchased the site back, and that's when Gaia started getting its legs back. It's a slow process, and goodness knows the guy is trying. See: working with Ruffle and learning different programming languages.

However, trying to help the site he has made a few missteps with NFTs and AI. Thankfully, he actually listened to Gaia's user base and never implemented either of those.

That along with issues caused by the previous CEO, and another artist who plagiarized others (they are not on staff anymore), has made a majority of the art community rightfully cautious.

I think Gaia can start by offering actual tools to artists for portfolios-- like their own personal art gallery on their profile where artists can share outside of the forums. Or users who purchase art from others can display on their profile with links to those people. Place more focus on art contests again. Stuff like that.

Even before Lanzer's return 7-8yrs ago (Dec 2016), he has never been the sole owner or CEO of Gaia. It's always been other people, starting with James Cao (https://www.crunchbase.com/person/james-cao-8b14, from 2004-2009), who is again the current CEO. Then they had the FB/games guy after that until 2013 with Gary & Co. Lanzer left, I believe in 2014 IIRC.

I disagree, don't think creating portfolio features should be a focus. There are plenty of other services for that. There are so many more aspects to focus on to improve the overall health of the platform without bolting on something new that's going to be relatively niche even within the Gaia community.

[aAttack]

While Gaia will never die, since we have some silent whales that actually drop thousands of dollars, I believe the site will be perpetually on life support mode. Basic features, tickets, & improvements take years to release. A while back I had a ticket that was open for almost 3 years.

Doesn't really help how the staff has always been super secret about how they operate internally. Not even companies that are x100 bigger are this secretive.

Personally, while they can keep asking for money to "support" and releasing items for people to swipe for, it'd also be beneficial to be more upfront and maybe somehow invite contributors to improve the site (Coding, UI, Art, etc.)...however that will never happen.

[darth acheron]

cresceres

Gaia Staff: We are actively working with a company that made an Adobe emulation plugin to bring back popular features many of our users like. Profits from user tickets, flairs, and items are allowing us more freedom for projects we know our users like.
People: THE SKY IS FALLING

lol this! gaia_up These doom posters must not follow the Staff Alerts or Lanzer’s work journal. He has been fixing tons of stuff.

[poyo]

Reading the comments...wow the Gaia apologists have always been an amazement, anyways I agree but at the same time what can we do? I'll let it slowly burn because just as someone else said: Gaia offers dress up that no other medium even really comes close to, incomparable and easy
despite gaia not even being very "colorful", like you can't freely make any kind of furry or beat or monster stuff
a lot of masc items don't exist, you can't even really be a chubby character here
but still the amount of customization and how relatively easy it is, a lot doesn't come close