Ya... I noticed that the first day of the event. I thought that was pretty dumb. I wouldn't have even known I had a prize to collect if it weren't for the noise it makes. Why the heck did they change it to a dumb statue, it makes no sense D; Oysters give pearls, so it kinda made sense for them to make the stretch to a clam... but a statue?

I just didn't really get it...I mean, they didn't exactly explain WHY the overseer had changed to a statue of the mermaid guy from the Venus garden...

Ha, it is kind of cute though.

I guess, but it's not as easy to register it's open for a reward

I think it has to do with the fact that the big epic battle of epicness between BOO and SIN released the overseer from his clam form....so statue man is the new guy on the job.

I had thought about that, but you'd think they'd say that in an announcement :/ But I suppose that is asking a bit too much of Gaia. Half the time these days they don't announce things, they just do them.

So is that guy what the overseer looks like? Or is he just taking over the giving out daily aquarium prizes until the event's over? o:

Dunno. I imagine it's just a temporary replacement... at least I hope. I liked the clam XP

Me too. Nice, simple, and you know when it's open or when it's closed. XD

I've got a Gaia account and I'm proud of it. My sister got me hooked on it years ago, and I ended up laying claim to her mule and the screename that goes with it. I think a lot of aspects of Gaia are much better organized than here on Mene *cough*stores*coughcough* and that Menewsha could take one or two tips from the predecessor that everyone seems content to mostly just bitch about, but mostly that's because I'm still getting used to things here. Mostly. Please tell me that someday Menewsha's stores will have tabs like Gaia's do. Please? Pretty please? I would like Menewsha a thousand times more if the stores were easier to get around in!

And yeah, I noticed the switch of the Overseer, too. It's just a continuity thing. I don't mind it so much. He looks kinda funny in my outer-space themed tank is all.

I would really love if you could sort and page the stores here in Menewsha like you can on gaia, too.

It's my personal hope that if I bring it up as much as humanly possible, perhaps other people will decide they like it enough that eventually it will get done...

We only have Insomniac to do code here, though.

He has a busy job elsewhere. *Wonders if it is motorcycle racing.*

He does the events and a bunch of amazing little touches for menewsha, but they are saving for a dedicated coder.

Someday they will have more coding done, I'm sure.

I sure hope so. Actually, all I've seen on Menewsha aside from Gaia bashing in terms of site discussion is "Well, you may like it but we don't have the manpower for it, and here's why." It makes me wonder what they think they'll do here when Mene grows as a community. Far to many of the Gaia-bashers have issues with Gaia being 'greedy' and obviously don't stop to consider how much a site like that costs to run every month. I've looked into it- it's over a million dollars. I just read an announcement that Menewsha gained over six hundred new members yesterday. They're going to be in a bad spot if they think they can keep doing things like they are now on such a small staff and low income if the numbers keep climbing like that...

Yes. Gaia takes at least a million and a half a month to run. People don't realize that gaia lays off people they can't pay, and menewsha is running a loss.

Menewsha needed some growth. They were getting six or so members a day last year. Hopefully, the new members will include people who donate for the monthly items. Menewsha is also planing a cash shop with (permanent?) items to donate for. That should increase their income, too. They do need it for the future so they can last.

But you watch, the second they try to sustain themselves people are going to bitch and complain, and then join new sites just to whine about how Menewsha has turned into Gaia. People do not understand what it takes to run a web community once it gets larger!

I suppose there will be complaints that menewsha is becoming like gaia when the cash shop comes along. There were those kind of complaints when they added the donation currency.

It's not that we don't realize how much money it takes, it's that they're going all money and no free. The site is supposed to be a fun site that is mostly free with other items on tit that would help it earn money, but they've gone almost 100% cash at this point. You also have to realize a lot of us who are peeved at Gaia have been on it for ages - I've been a member of Gaia since 2003 - we know how pleasant the site used to be. The site has become a royal pain in the ass far beyond just the cash shop, but that is something users who have joined since 07 wouldn't know anything about. You just all came in when the cash shop was taking a strong hold.

And just so you know, when the cash shop first came out most people didn't care, we were actually kind of excited about it, but these days nearly every single item update is soley based in there. And items that do (eventually, after months and months and months) get in the regular shop tend to be either unappealing or hyper expensive.

See, I love how certain people assume they're the only ones who've been on Gaia since '03. *amused* They never stop to think of how many other veterans are THANKFUL for the cash items because it means they can support the site. Gaia, all cash? Not my Gaia, thanks. I find tons to do without having to pay for it. You should try just a little harder.

*rolls eyes* I never said all oldies now did I. I know a crud load of oldies on Gaia alone, never mind this site. Most people I know who are old users (and like I said that's a lot of them) are angry with Gaia and have either quit or rarely go on. A love how some people just assume things from words.

I didn't assume a thing, actually. I'm just rather sarcastic when I've gone all night unable to sleep. I was amused by the fact that whenever people talk about being veteran users, they do it as though they're speaking for all of them, not just a few. Think about the statement you made, ne? The way you worded it made it sound like everyone reminisces about the good old days.

Sarcasm seldom words over the internet.

Um, have you ever realized a great many do? Partially every event an 03-er or 04-er makes at least one thread about the olden days of Gaia and you find a crud load of them in there. I've seen many of said threads getting rather huge. I tend to lurk on Gaia events so I never post.

A great many do, yeah, and I know just as many who look at them and go 'what is WRONG with you?' and avoid those threads entirely. And yeah, I'm not always good at expressing myself online. Or offline. Hence why I put the note about amusement in there, I thought it would get the point across without doing anything too rude. Note to self, that does not work...

No, actually putting notes like that make it seem worse, not better XP

Gaia has adopted a lot of horrible habits, but they do do some things well. It's just their horrible traits stick out more. For anything the bad does. And when it's compared to what was once known and loved people stop to wonder what the hell they're doing. For me the bad has been outweighing the good over there. I haven't all out left because it hasn't hit the final switch for me, but going corporate as they did seems to have made them more problematic than anything, but that is very very typical of anything that goes to the corporate phase. They either need to find a balance or they won't exist in a few more years. As a mod on here said at one point, Gaia is losing a great many of it's older members because they're either getting fed up with all the issues or they're getting banned for false reason (can't tell you how many people I know were accused of hacking/scamming when they weren't - some of them I even know personally) and it's generally the older guys (in age and account) that give the site money.

She may have directed her comments to me, Eve. I joined gaia in the summer of '07, and menewsha that fall. I remember what it was like before the cash shop. The monthly items were the highlight of the month. Now it is the evolving item report. Maybe it is even switched to the monthly RIGged box announcement already.

The complaints about donation currency I was talking about was the ones on menewsha when menes were added. It felt odd to add it since menewsha did not have it from the start. It is useful, though.

If you must know, I will be perfectly blunt- I was trying to find an acceptable alternative to rolling my eyes, which seems to me to be incredibly rude as opposed to just slightly sarcastic.

It's funny, none of the '03 vets I know have had any issues with false bannings. Not even one. And a lot of them are very patient with the issues because they love the new features. I wonder if this has more to do with the nature of our respective social circles than anything else. Hmmm.