Lanzer's back!

[Vishkah]

Ebania

You are so sweet!



But yeah -- you definitely weren't alone. I think that a lot of us were in that state. I genuinely hope that, under this new leadership, Gaia can return to a place where powerful sponsorships are a thing, where things function, where the community is vibrant and happy, where newbies come and actually stay, where growth is possible. I believe it can happen!

Hah! Well there's nothing so contagious as hope, and that sounds... wonderful, frankly. There's something about hearing it from you that puts me at more ease.

I keep re-reading Lanzer's journal entries and posts, and the more I do, the more I catch on to everyone's joy. I'd even dare to say that I hope we get our old community spirit back. He's been very transparent and directly talked about our major concerns without deflecting or normalizing what has happened over these past few years (While I understand it, that's something that has always pained me), so I'm starting to come around to the idea that this might come true.

I know precisely the "lot of us" you're likely referring to - this is something of a random observation, but it's often true from my experience that the people who have been holding on and contributing most to the site during this period are the ones who are already invested in established relationships, who have a determination to make this site better. It's common sense, really - inflation that disproportionately impacts newbies and a lack of community spirit wouldn't give new users much opportunity to engage with this site or form relationships. I mostly see pre-established friendships that started during Gaia's best years with very few newcomers, and even then, old users are dropping off and newbies aren't as engaged as they once were. It's almost a requirement that you're somehow invested in this site in order to stick around.

In any event, we need a revival, and I hope it happens. I know a number of people who are going out of their way to create events and communal experiences on their own, but we need the site itself to change and re-engage with us. I'm a little amazed at how quickly Lanzer is working. He's even responding to feedback for his new features almost immediately. Good gracious

 

[Vishkah]

Okay, I don't know which one of Lanzer's posts made me happiest, but something about this one cheered me up immensely.

Actually, the third one on that page did, too.

 

[Ebania]

I said "yes" out loud several times while reading through this post -- particularly the third paragraph. It feels as though the majority of active members -- even in the NSTG! -- are oldbies and established community members: the newbies often keep to themselves or take one look at the Marketplace and say "nope." This is what I mean when I say that a "class war" resulted from massive inflation and unyielding Cash pushes: only those with healthy or solid investments see any benefit in staying. If you're new and have no real-life Cash to spend, or no special talents (art, graphics, whatever), or perhaps English isn't your primary language: you've itchin' for a quittin'. This place is not friendly to newbies.

Lanzer has only been around for... what, a month? I'm already feeling the boost in morale among the site, and what makes this site truly special is its community, so I feel like we're on the road to recovery.

I absolutely loved that post you quoted; I tipped it when he first made it, I think. I love the breath of fresh air: the room for honesty, inquiry, and dialogue that's forming here.


Vishkah
Hah! Well there's nothing so contagious as hope, and that sounds... wonderful, frankly. There's something about hearing it from you that puts me at more ease.

I keep re-reading Lanzer's journal entries and posts, and the more I do, the more I catch on to everyone's joy. I'd even dare to say that I hope we get our old community spirit back. He's been very transparent and directly talked about our major concerns without deflecting or normalizing what has happened over these past few years (While I understand it, that's something that has always pained me), so I'm starting to come around to the idea that this might come true.

I know precisely the "lot of us" you're likely referring to - this is something of a random observation, but it's often true from my experience that the people who have been holding on and contributing most to the site during this period are the ones who are already invested in established relationships, who have a determination to make this site better. It's common sense, really - inflation that disproportionately impacts newbies and a lack of community spirit wouldn't give new users much opportunity to engage with this site or form relationships. I mostly see pre-established friendships that started during Gaia's best years with very few newcomers, and even then, old users are dropping off and newbies aren't as engaged as they once were. It's almost a requirement that you're somehow invested in this site in order to stick around.

In any event, we need a revival, and I hope it happens. I know a number of people who are going out of their way to create events and communal experiences on their own, but we need the site itself to change and re-engage with us. I'm a little amazed at how quickly Lanzer is working. He's even responding to feedback for his new features almost immediately. Good gracious

 

[Morrigan Skylar]

Yes I'm glad 2 Lanzer back...  

[natsumi_bianca]

Ebania

Have you tried contacting Lanzer? From what I've heard, he's helped a few people who's posted in Site Feedback or asked in Ask the Admin. 3nodding


natsumi_bianca
Also, I hope they start working on their tickets coz my trading pass is still disabled.

No I have not tried that. Do you know anyone who got their pass back by contacting him?  

[Ebania]

I don't know anyone personally, but I have seen it happen around Site Feedback and for people who post about their problems in Ask the Staff. 3nodding


natsumi_bianca
No I have not tried that. Do you know anyone who got their pass back by contacting him?

 

[natsumi_bianca]

Ebania

I don't know anyone personally, but I have seen it happen around Site Feedback and for people who post about their problems in Ask the Staff. 3nodding


natsumi_bianca
No I have not tried that. Do you know anyone who got their pass back by contacting him?

I spoke to a girl who contacted him...but apparently there are a lot of tickets and the ticketing system is down. They are trying to fix the ticketing system as of now sweatdrop . When I click on Contact us>> My Tickets, I get the following error:
Insufficient Account Information
refID is empty!  

[natsumi_bianca]

Ebania

I don't know anyone personally, but I have seen it happen around Site Feedback and for people who post about their problems in Ask the Staff. 3nodding


natsumi_bianca
No I have not tried that. Do you know anyone who got their pass back by contacting him?

I Pmed Lanzer! I hope I hear back from him. ~fingers crossed  

[Ebania]

I hope it works, friend! Good luck! emotion_brofist


natsumi_bianca
I Pmed Lanzer! I hope I hear back from him. ~fingers crossed

 

[natsumi_bianca]

Ebania

I hope it works, friend! Good luck! emotion_brofist


natsumi_bianca
I Pmed Lanzer! I hope I hear back from him. ~fingers crossed

Thank you ^_^  

[natsumi_bianca]

Ebania

I hope it works, friend! Good luck! emotion_brofist


natsumi_bianca
I Pmed Lanzer! I hope I hear back from him. ~fingers crossed

I got a reply from Lanzer!!!
Hello Natsumi,

Your account seem to be involved in a case that was more complicated, so it's taking a bit more time to resolve. Sorry for the wait! I know that moderators had been lacking before my return and I'll be working hard to ramp up the workforce to handle tickets more efficiently. Thank you for being patient with us! sweatdrop  

[Ebania]

So...

During yesterday evening's Ask the Staff, Lanzer posted this:


I happen to just mentioned it, but I do wish to make a global gold granting system that manages gold grant across all features, and would automatically adjust for inflation. This way no matter if you're into LK, posting in the forums, or playing other games, you would still be earning a good amount of gold. That system would inherently have a soft cap. Meanwhile, anti botting measures will always be there for individual games.

I'm still working out the details, and I won't have time to work on it until later this month, but it's one of the higher priority projects on my list.

Y'all, this is so exciting. How amazing would it be if people could earn gold doing the things on Gaia that interest them most---but that haven't gotten attention or updates in years? Y'all might actually catch me in Gold Mountain again...

 

[Vishkah]

Ebania, if you're there, I'm there. I am here for games where we can chat with our fellow users and interact. I know that some people have come to linking to offsite things like Cards Against Humanity, but all that shows is a severe lack of that type of game (that has both a mildly diverting game and the chance to chat with your fellow players) on the site - plus, because it tends to be based on existing bonds, these can tend towards being a bit clique-y in nature. At least, I'm never sure whether to join a random CB-ers game room!

Gah, brilliant. I hope this comes to pass. There's very much a reason playing Lake Kindred a lot is called "Grinding". It's truly to the site's detriment that we have zero interaction in the only game where you can make a reasonable income. Too many things on this site have become redundant, and it's just plain spirited having people playing various games and running around in Flash Spaces. Anything that boosts the relevance of existing site features will help keep Newbies here.

Ebania

So...

During yesterday evening's Ask the Staff, Lanzer posted this:


I happen to just mentioned it, but I do wish to make a global gold granting system that manages gold grant across all features, and would automatically adjust for inflation. This way no matter if you're into LK, posting in the forums, or playing other games, you would still be earning a good amount of gold. That system would inherently have a soft cap. Meanwhile, anti botting measures will always be there for individual games.

I'm still working out the details, and I won't have time to work on it until later this month, but it's one of the higher priority projects on my list.

Y'all, this is so exciting. How amazing would it be if people could earn gold doing the things on Gaia that interest them most---but that haven't gotten attention or updates in years? Y'all might actually catch me in Gold Mountain again...

 

[Ebania]

As someone who used to---we need to bring this back---play Cards Against Humanity online with NSTG Crewmembers rather than, say, Fishing or Slots or Pinball, I could not agree more. Lake Kindred is profitable, but lonely and tedious, and because the other games on Gaia offer very little monetary incentive for somewhat lackluster game-play, it becomes a better use of one's time to play communal games off of Gaia that are more enjoyable. I also completely agree that this way of thinking, unfortunately, doesn't allow us to make new friends or try new games; we get stuck in what's comfortable and with what makes sense.

You hit the nail on the head about keeping newbies here. If there are many ways to achieve wealth, make friends, and build community as opposed to a few---not everyone has money, or tons of time to grind, or a marketable skill---then newbies will be a lot more likely to find the magic on Gaia that us oldbies came and stayed for.


Vishkah

Ebania, if you're there, I'm there. I am here for games where we can chat with our fellow users and interact. I know that some people have come to linking to offsite things like Cards Against Humanity, but all that shows is a severe lack of that type of game (that has both a mildly diverting game and the chance to chat with your fellow players) on the site - plus, because it tends to be based on existing bonds, these can tend towards being a bit clique-y in nature. At least, I'm never sure whether to join a random CB-ers game room!

Gah, brilliant. I hope this comes to pass. There's very much a reason playing Lake Kindred a lot is called "Grinding". It's truly to the site's detriment that we have zero interaction in the only game where you can make a reasonable income. Too many things on this site have become redundant, and it's just plain spirited having people playing various games and running around in Flash Spaces. Anything that boosts the relevance of existing site features will help keep Newbies here.