An outside opinion on Gaia itself.

[DarkElf27]

Quote:

They are obsessed with pixel items and gaining Gaian gold.
Many have poor grammar and even worse spelling, tending to use internet slang/net speak (aside from the Grammar Nazis, who will attack anyone with incorrect grammar) [based on the fact that most of the users frequent the Chatterbox: a spamming forum].
They are prone to starting flame wars.
They will excessively use the provided graphical emoticons.

Typical Posts

In Gaia Online, there are many different forums and sub-forums. Each of these may have a slightly different subculture - in that they may all use common slang / jokes that usually only the regular members of that particular forum would understand. They may also share similar annoyances - such as topics created:
Asking for a boyfriend or girlfriend (normally referred to as BF/GF)
Asking for a friend (Acceptable in the Friends Chat forum.)
Asking a question which has been answered many times, and is included in a sticky at the top of the forum
Asking for Neopets points
Asking for charity (This is acceptable in the Charity forum)
Asking for pornography (This may be more common then most users are aware, but these topics are often deleted quickly)
Asking to "cyber" with someone (though such may be considered an offense, seeing actual solliciting for such is illegal on the site)

The above is a description of Gaians from wikipedia. Agree, disagree, state your reasoning, and wonder how it came to be that Gaia was looked at in this way by outsiders.  

[-No Artificial Flavoring-]

I agree with some of it. But, the same could be said for many, many other sites out there. It's not as if Gaia is the only site that is illiterate or has members that ask for a boyfriend/girlfriend, beg, and just act plain idiotic. In fact, I'd say that the most of Gaia is actually more literate and mature then other chatting websites. It's just something the internet does to a person, if, their will power is not strong enough.  

[Ame Yuki Kaze]

Keh, I agree. Why do I agree? I've seen it. I tend to avoid the Chatterbox unless I want to poll whore for some fast gold. I've experienced all the "lol wanna cyber?" and "cn i plz hav sum gold?" s**t. I've also seen the grammar nazis who flame the n00bs for their spelling.

While I agree with what the grammar nazis want to do, I strongly disagree with how they do it. Nagging and flaming won't get us a more literate Gaia. Indeed it'll have the opposite effect. Trying to force people always makes them act the opposite way, ie Prohibition made alcohol a worse problem and the War on Drugs makes more people want to use drugs. I'd rather lead by example than flame at the n00bs.

And yes there is a lot of obssession with gold and items, but that's to expected and was probably one of the intents of this site. It creates a little microcosm of the world society. We have an economy, practically a stock market and indeed a functioning society. If Gaia is mad with materialism, it's because the whole modern world also is.  

[DarkElf27]

Personally, I think that definition is a wee bit extreme.  

[Ame Yuki Kaze]

Well to me it seems like Gaia went from a small intimate tribe to a large impersonal metropolis. I've only been here for about two years now, but it's grown exponentially. As wave after wave of new people come in, the personal touch is bound to be lost. Now the mods have to be stricter about the rules than they were before when everyone pretty much knew everyone else. People are ruder and pushier. Just like in the real world. But that's just my .02 on it. smile  

[x-ImperfectPrincess-x]

Wow. That definition is a bit harsh... I have been in the chatterbox many a time and I find it kind of pathetic. But the definition seems kind of... over the top. I agree with much of it though. But they don't seem to acknowlage the better things about GaiaOnline. I am pretty new, but what I have discovered during my time here on Gaia is that as long as you avoid the n00b filled areas such as the chatterbox, it isn't that bad. My friend warned me about some of the threads but she made it seem much worse than it is. Though it is still very irritating. Well at least Gaia is better than most chatsites and such. GaiaOnline is not as bad as that reveiw makes it seem.  

[Andreis]

HAH! Hahaha!(cursed drow..)
I very much agree. I also find it funny.
Though harsh of it all, I must agree.
I agree and at the sametime I say:

"With everything, there are exceptions."  

[DarkElf27]

Andreis

HAH! lol
I very much agree. I also find it funny.
Though harsh of it all, I must agree.
I agree and at the sametime I say:

"With everything, there are exceptions."

Gah! The forbidden acronym! BURN HIM!!!!  

[Shidobu Cloud]

Here's my two cents, some of it will be repetitive, but just bear with me. I think that the definition is extreme, but it is for the most part true about some parts of Gaia. I look at it this way: it's not where you hang out, it's who you hang out with. If you only hang out with the n00bs in the chatterbox then of course that will be your view of Gaia, however if you hang out in a guild like this one then you realize that there indeed are several intelligent people here who don't match the desctiption at all. I haven't been browsing in the CB for a LONG time other than out of pure boredom, and each time I do go there out of boredom I am reminded why I don't visit it regularly and decide to stick to my guilds and RPs. I admit there are maybe one or two threads in the CB that I go to more than infrequently, but that's because the people there are not lazy/stupid/n00bs. Bottom line: spend time with people that you don't want to destroy physically, cyberly (if that's even a word, who knows, in the future it might end up as a word...), or mentally every time they submit a post.  

[DarkElf27]

Agreed. Frankly, I make very few posts outside of guilds.  

[Shidobu Cloud]

DarkElf27

Agreed. Frankly, I make very few posts outside of guilds.

Same here... People wonder how I can manage having 13 guilds, I just tell them that there are only maybe 3 threads outside of the guilds that I visit on a weekly basis. Other than that, guilds are my gaian life.  

[DarkElf27]

Own 2 (Very successful ones, I might add), Vice Admin 2 (One of which I had owned previously, and passed on), mod 1. I used to mod more, but they all, well, died.  

[Andreis]

Oh silence yourself dark elf, the forbidden acronym has been removed for courtesy's sake! xd

On another note, I own, good day.  

[DarkElf27]

You own, what, exactly?

And I do believe this topic is being sidetracked...  

[Andreis]

Oh common, no it hasn't! -sarcasmed!!!-
Haha!
Ahem, yea. That's why I said goodday, cause I don't help at all in one tracked-ness