if its for geeks, then why did you make an account? doesn't that mean you are one?

I think some of us are okay with being 'geeks' :3

Does being a staff member on the site make you even more of a geek? xD

Hm~

I use ^_^ a lot, but I do not say Desu, Kawaii, whatever whatever. I remember when Inuyasha came on Cartoon-network/adult swim ... and people became Inu-tards (like Narutards and so on so forth) people just used the word "Kawaii" alllllllllllllllll thhhhheeeeeee time.... "INUYASHA SO KAWAIIII" for an example...

I like anime, I can watch it when I have time, I love reading, I can read manga... but I'm not like someone who watches it all day of my life.... and know everything about everything. So I don't consider myself 'wapanese'

Someone said on here, (I apologize I have forgotten who did) that it's okay for the Japanese to say byebye, and we can't - this is true for many things not just Japanese people versus Americans/English speakers.... which is confusing, and... perhaps a tad unfair...

I'm not embarrassed to be here at all, I will tell my friends I am here - but it would be weird for them to find my posts and read them ... then talk to me about it the next day personally. That might feel funky... :x

(Sorry random, but there's my 2cents!) :3

I'm not embarrassed at all for loving sites like this. I started at Neopets to Gaia to here like some other people here and I've never been afraid to admit I love it. I love roleplaying, creating stories, and designing avi's (I'm a tektek junkie). :p

I use emotes to express emotions or feelings that I don't feel like describing. I guess I am considered a geek in most of the world's definition but I'm proud of that fact, especially since it took me awhile to understand that I'm different. These sites let me meet people like me which is another plus. xD

As far as me being a wanapese, which I've only heard of just now, I guess so? I've loved anime/manga since I was 6 and when I was 11 I fell in love with name meanings so it made me curious to look up character names in the animes/mangas I watched/read. I then fell in love with the culture itself and parts of Shintoism and for the longest time wanted to become a Japanese translator/interpreter, course now I want to be a Forensic Psychologist but that's another story. xD So to answer the question if I'm a wapanese it's up to you, I'm still learning the language so I'm not really sure. Not that I care either way, I'm not going to stop what I love doing just because I fall into some stereotype especially since technically everyone falls into some stereotype one way or another. :/

well......some people don't have the proper programs so they can actually write in hiragana, katakana, and kanji...I know I don't. So romaji is sometimes the only way they can actually do it.

@TheYaoiButterfly: Actually, I'm willing to bet that most people are totally capable of typing Japanese on their computer. Most newer computers come equipped with the ability, it's just a matter of enabling the toolbar. The problem is that a lot of people don't understand the written alphabets of Japanese, so they will end up using the wrong symbols.

Yeah, my laptop came with the ability to type Japanese...but for some reason, only Katakana. :sweat: I can't type Hiragana or Kanji at all. (or, I can type in 'Kanji', but not with the Japanese typing program that came with my laptop. I make do with the Chinese typing program instead...:XD)

I'd like to think of it as a geek team leader.

I am NOT a GEEK and I HATE Anime. You will NEVER find me watching or reading anything anime because it is just not for me and I actually stay away from it. I love these sites because of the great people in them and that is all.

I really like anime, but I don't go around speaking..."Wapanese". Most of the anime I like isn't very mainstream, but I still like the mainstream stuff as well. I don't let the "Wapanese" deter me from watching popular anime like FMA or Deathnote, even though they embarrass me and give me a bad name on the count of all the improper, unnecessary, japanese they use. Every time I tell somebody I like anime, they think I'm one of those people who go around shouting "KAWAII DESU KA!" in Wallgreens.

Can I be a geek too?!
:D

I never considered myself wapanese just because I use XD
I don't like anime/manga that much...I like the drawing style....and I hate InuYasha. Except for Shippo.
I never tell anyone I have a gaia or something because they never ask...and they all have stupid myspace. That site bores me to death.

I love this site, I would never have classed myself as a geek, I mean this is just like any other social networking site, but with the added fun of little avatars. I have no problems letting my friends know that I go on here.
But if it makes me a geekk then I guess I'm a geek xD

This popped my avatar cherry.
 

Avatar sites are something brand new to me. I have tried forums here and there, but can never stick with it. Got really lazy in the past few months with typing. Playing wow really sucks that out of you ; )

**One important note: Facebook is advertising this site as a what would you look like as an anime character (or something like that).** So for people to automatically assume that you are an an anime lover, geek, otaku, and what have you is kind of a given. Also, most people in the general public don't pay attention to critical thinking. When they negatively identify personally with an idea or brand , automatic rejection is bound to occur. Why care about it if I don't that I take part in it? 'Oh it looks like anime. Not interested,' or, 'No Thanks. It's manga, not a book.' If they are not willing to try it out because it's 'different' just means they don't deserve this type of cultural that we have all collectivly

Most people now a days are biased and there is not much we can do about it. If anything take it as a compliment. Someone told me the other day that I looked Jewish and I thank them. Some people would take it into offense, but why identify with things that leave a bad taste in you mouth.

Have to shut down comp. Couldn't finish thought. Boyfriend commands it!

I'm sorry, but you make Gaia seem like a place for annoyances! Gaia has many nice and intelligent users! It's also a place to make friends!

Anyways:
Many people consider these Geeky websites from first glance because of the "dress up dolls" and the fact that there are many literate people who hate it when people typ3 l1k3 th1s.

Uhm... Personally, I don't share it much because I hardly find anyone in the day-to-day world (that lives near me) that evens knows what an avatar forum site is. Just the other day, I found out my roommate (heh heh) likes avatar sites too! I wasn't expecting that, so of course I gushed about their coolness. She gushed in likeness and proceeded to join Menewsha. :) So yeah, not so much as I'm embarrassed or anything... Just, why bring it up if it's not pertinent to the conversation? I don't really spout about these sites everyday, anyway. I just like to use them all the time. xD

I'm a geek? ;_; Wow. Does that mean I'm supa skilled? 8D I've never really associated the two before. But I guess it's the 'alter-ego' thing that many people assume that makes it seem "geek-like".

I wouldn't say all, but it is definitely something that people expect of avatar sites. As you mentioned, the avatars are made after a psuedo-Japanese chibi style so... it's associated with Japanese animation. I personally consider avatar sites to have a cool mash of various people that share some of my same interests. Okay, okay, I like Japanese stuff and anime or whatever, but not as much as I used to about... 6 years ago. xD But I can trust that avatar sites are a nice gathering place for that because well.. I don't know why. xD

Uhm, if a stereotypical word, phrase, or emote shows up, peeps are considered wapanese. =_=() Of course everyone who uses those things isn't wapanese. I do, however, think there's a link between anime stuff and those phrases. Why, I was introduced to emotes and phrases through anime sites and stuff, so many seem to stem from that. Unfortunately, although the phrases are in use by a lot of different people (even anime non-likers), being wapanese is usually considered to be the cause of that.

Same answer as above. :)

I'm not really afraid to publicize the fact that I like sites like this, but often I'll find people who I turn onto these sorts of things can just tend to take it too far, and end up annoying me about it to the point I don't want to log in just so I don't have to deal with them. (that sounds bad, eek.)
What i mean is the sort of people who feel the need to say "I'm a geek!" five times a day to everyone they know, when they're really kind of not by any stretch of imagination. (that still sounds bad, huh? T^T)

i've never heard the phrase wapanese before....I think it could be useful though.

Oh please tell me that you dont let this stuff get to you!

It doesnt matter what other people think hon!! Only thing that matters is what YOU think and how you feel about it. If you are having fun here, then continue to have fun!

People concentrate on public images too much. You only get one life to live, live it to have fun, not to look good to everyone else.

I Am Always Embarressed To Let Someone See Me On Gaia, etc. Because They're Going (Or They Already Do) think I'm a geek. Even though I am not. My brother calls me awkward names for going on this site. But yeah.

I have to agree with you Clock. Writing it out is important. There are three different writing systems in Japanese, and learning all of those well enough to write is very difficult. If a person can write in Romaji then they can speak, and that alone is admirable.

I've been studying Japanese for years, have passed several of the JLPT exams, and still do not have a full working knowledge of Kanji. Literally, there are thousands of them. Honestly, romaji is the first step to getting Japanese down and I don't see anything wrong with it. Learning a language doesn't come in a week or even a year, Romaji is one step toward proficiency.

Just my opinion.

And what's her point?