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Thanks Poet. I just can't find my original hair color again now that I tried the new ones. -sad-
Yep, just two days difference. |
Hmm... yeah it really screwed me up for a while :lol: I think just a few minutes ago I finally got happy with it after the hair color randomly switched.
I noticed it makes the hair look better if you incorporate two different shades of the same color... :lol: gonna drive newbs crazy I'm sure at first |
Mine seems to look better with just the one.
But I have to go to bed now. I have been up far too late as it is. I look forward to reading more posts in the morning. |
Maybe someone will have that epic advice mene needs =3
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Cora is still planning to make herself real life menewsha items lol, she has been for awhile. They aren't the most amazing creations in fact rather silly, but if people want them I'd be willing to sell them cheep and give all the money to mene.
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Avatar sites.
I knew it was expensive to run an avatar site, but I didn't know things were that bad off. I always kind of wanted to start my own if my boyfriend ever learned how to code well enough, I figured with him coding and myself and my friend doing pixeling we'd only have to pay for a server. But there are so many avatar sites out there I feel that the market is flooded for sites like these. I belong to so many of them myself I have trouble keeping up with them all.
It's true about the users, I joined Gaia when I was seventeen and now I'll be twenty four next month. I used to donate to Gaia and a few other sites I joined later, but I haven't donated to any sites in quite a while now, for several reasons. Age is part of it, the older I get, the more I want to save my money. I'd like to buy my own house at some point, preferably before I'm thirty. I'm tired of living with my parents, and my boyfriend lives with me now, and we need our space. My job doesn't pay very well so I save as much as possible and donating for pixels just isn't a priority for me at this point in time. Doesn't mean I won't ever do it again though. But it also doesn't help that a year ago my boyfriend was banned from Gaia. He and I joined the site only a day apart back in April 2004 and had been loyal members ever since, and both of us had donated on quite a few occasions to Gaia. It really opened my eyes to see that all of these things we spent money could be taken away from us in an instant if the staff decided we did something wrong. I really can't stand the idea of flushing money down the toilet, and that is basically what it is. So I am extremely picky now about who I donate to and for what reason. I admit I've never donated to this site since I've heard of a few instances where people seemed to be banned a bit harshly. Again, doesn't mean I won't ever donate to this site though, but I will have to think long and hard about donating to any sites I'm on. I also nearly lost everything I had donated for on another site when it shut down due to bankruptcy. It finally reopened, more than a year later, and my account and items were still intact, but it was another situation that made me think about this kind of thing and almost regret donating. As for the whole anime thing dying out, I always predicated that the day would come that anime would not longer be a popular thing. I don't think that that day has come quite yet, but it is definitely coming. I still see a decent number of people who talk about anime on these sites, but it isn't as much as it used to be. I myself was never really into anime that much. It was huge when I was a teenager and right before and after I joined Gaia, and admittedly sometimes I found myself annoyed at the people who obsessed over it. Funny enough, my boyfriend is into anime (but not annoyingly so). I've only ever dabbled in such things randomly and casually, I've watched a few anime series and read a few mangas and some bored me, and I loved others, but it just wasn't a huge huge thing for me, and yet I love these sites anyway. I suppose I just find dressing avatars up and being creative with them fun, and on the forums you can discuss many different things. Gaia is no longer an anime site in my opinion. The design of their avatars and a couple of forums dedicated to anime and manga are the only remnants of their days as an anime based site. They seem to have moved on to a general social networking, hangout place. Which isn't a necessarily bad thing, but I feel that the crowds they are attracting now are in many ways not the kind of people who make decent conversation. I hate that all the old users have been either banned or chased off by their changes. The few left hide in guilds, and i do the same. I venture into some of the virtual world areas with my friends though, like towns, and the only people there are annoying, rude kids who complain about people in their twenties being on the site, never mind that we were their age when we joined. Now I have no idea what the state of Gaia's finances are, so this is all just speculation on my part. I doubt they are suffering, or if they are, that it's nowhere near the extent of the smaller sites. Ever since the introduction of the cash shop, Gaia's main focus seems to be churning out as many cash items as they can come up with. And the prices for some of these things are more than any pixalated picture should ever cost. For every old user that the site has chased away, there are probably one hundred new users to take their place. And the new users are all younger, and have less gold, and want these shiny new items so they can be accepted by the other users. So of course these new users are going to buy these cash items, and the creation of cash cards in stores makes it very easy for any thirteen year old kid to spend their allowance on pixels. No longer do you need to use a credit card, so I doubt Gaia is hurting without all their adult members they used to have. They are also a huge corporate business now, I'm sure they have the financial backing necessary for everything that they do. In addition to all the people buying their items, they have commercial sponsors paying them bucks to advertise whatever new movie or candy is coming out. As for myself, I think Gaia is one site that I won't consider donating to ever again, after all the things they have done to displease me. Sorry for the long rant that probably no one will read, LOL. |
Vickicat- I actually read it and found it intriguing. You are right about everything with anime and avatar sites. I myself am interested in anime, but found myself watching more Japanese dramas as of late than anything animated. I hadn't been around on gaia as long as you have. I was there since June 2006, and here since 2007. But for sure I know there are some people who have to really think about where they are putting their money, especially in concerns to avatar sites and games and whatnot. I know that my brother spends all of his allowance money on Maplestory, and he saves the cards he gets from RiteAid or 7-Eleven and whatnot. Counting now, he has spent a few hundred dollars on in game pixels which in fact each expire in 90 days unless it is something like a hair coupon which just changes the style of your hair. Personally, I think donating to Menewsha is a lot more noble a cause. There is a lot less fuss and a lot more positive action. The users are very open with each other in the sense that it is harder to find spammers, trolls, and flamers. Yeah, people get in bad moods sometimes or are just plain hyper, but there are rules and out of respect and good nature it has been my observed experience that menewshans do pretty good with that. (: So ya honestly I haven't spent anything donating to Menewsha. I donated a few bucks to Gaia when it was actually decent. And a few bucks to Maplestory when I was into it too. Right now I am saving up for so many things but considering what the cause is, it's not to me about getting the pixels. It's about supporting a community that needs me. And it needs you. And plenty of the rest of us. That can be in many different ways. I am planning to chip in a bit to get things going, and it is undecided at this point how much I can really keep pouring in, but don't be too scared about it, ok? (: If you decide you really can't afford to spend 5-10 bucks instead of getting a coffee and a donut or something... well that is your choice. It shows where your interests are at. But if you want my opinion, it is worth it to chip in. (:
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I have been reading all of the comments too.
I joined this site because I like dressing up my avies. I did not even know it was anime inspired until this thread. I feel it is worth supporting the community to donate at least $5 a month. I do not drink coffee, so I do not waste any money on that. I too am living with my parents, but I am married with twin girls. I am also going to college, though I do not have to worry about those expenses until after I graduate. |
I feel like one of the "Old gaia members." I joined when I was about 13 or 14 and abandoned it for the most part when I got fed up and found Mene. I'm now 21 one years old. Gaia doesn't interest me as it used to and generally the internet period doesn't interest me as it used to. Anime and manga don't interest me like it used to. When I was in about 7th grade I got into anime. I joined Gaia about that time. I was obsessed as were all my best friends. But now...the only anime or manga I read are those that I watched before and used to love: Yu Yu Hakusho, Gundam Seed, and Gundam Seed Destiny. And even then, that is only very occasional. I haven't watched a "new" anime show since Gundam 00 came out. When I was young I thought I would never get tired of anime and manga. I loved it. But as I grow older, it no longer satisfies me anymore except for a select few. I spent so much money on anime and manga that it makes me said that I don't read or watch what I own anymore partially because I "outgrew" it and partially because I don't have the time to do so. When I was younger, anime was the most amazing thing. I was determined to hate western comics because I thought anime was so much better. But it's funny, I've turned a 180...I now go to the comic book store (when I have the time...one a month if even that) to read batman and ironman but I no longer go to the store to read manga.
I've donated a couple times to Mene, but unfortunatly I'm a college student without a lot of spare change to donate to Mene despite the fact that I love it. Mene was like...a step up in maturity from gaia. I felt like once I got to Menewsha, everyone was nicer, everyone had conversations, everyone liked to TALK to each other. ANd I love that. Menewsha also has the best events of any avatar site I've ever been on. I hope that the economy can improve, we bring in more donating members, and keep this site going! |
It's so weird all these people saying "Yeah I used to love anime and manga but now that I'm older I don't care for it anymore", and here I am 21 years old >.>" and I still love anime :lol: like I missed some sort of secret code
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I'm 23 and I still love anime Poet....you are not alone!
I also thought of an idea.....what if....like 1 time a month, you re-released an old item into the contribute store.....but made it worth like 20 dollars or something like that, and put a cap of like 10-20 of them and once they where gone they where gone......it would help with inflation but it wouldn't completely kill the worth of them either.....it would also help bring in a bit of revenue as you are bound to have people who are willing to pay for the old items. |
Hmm that idea isn't so bad... because some older members leave and it seems that some of them are taking the older items with them... though it would also irritate a lot of people who really want them but have no money who would feel it's unfair
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They can still quest for them though, and it would slightly higher the chance of making the item alittle more obtainable.
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This is a very interesting announcement. Very honest.
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I am also 21 and still love anime and manga.
@ Cora - Yeah, I like that idea A LOT also. |
me too, but there would have to be a cap, AND they would have to be priced high or this would piss alot of users off.
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That isn't a new idea...
Maybe it'll help the site out, but a lot of old users would leave. Those who bought the o7 rares with a LOT of gold and items would feel somewhat cheated. |
I also love anime and manga, and am over the age of twenty. I really don't think it's a "phase" in my case. xD
And I don't use forums to talk about anime/manga. Well, okay, I do discuss it, but I can talk about lots of other things to. For me, it's about connecting with other people in an environment I'm comfortable in. And the avatar dressup features are a bonus. ^^ I've always had a thing for dressup games. |
I joined gaia when most would say that I am way to old for avatar sites, well past 20 years old. I had always loved manga and anime, but I was not overly crazy about them. I joined cause I thought it looked like a fun place for me and my sister to talk in, cause she was no longer at home , and we both loved dressing things up and making characters for stories. We thought of these places as a way to bring the characters in our heads to life. I still love anime and read manga for relaxation. a mix of these and the real lief drama and what i like now
I spend most of my time at these sites talking about real life stuff. family , friends , etc, etc. ... I do not donate every month and not to every site I am on. cause that would be way to much for me, financially. But I do donate, usually it is a few times out the year. I can't see Gaia, being in that much trouble, with all that advertising and huge cash shop items coming out all the time. |
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I think if it where controlled and careful it COULD work....but again....they would have to be priced really high....like 20 bucks for 1.....and it would have to have a cap. .....oooh like 10-20....which would really keep it low enough and worth enough to keep the old users happy. Maybe even pull these items from the old accounts. Its a tough thing to use correctly, but it can work if done correctly.....and mene....is like the only site I would even come close to suggesting it too....because they keep there users and economy in check fairly well in compare. |
@ Cora - And to add to that, a limit of one each per user buying it. No mules if possible too.
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Good Point *nodds*
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Yeah, otherwise someone would buy them and sell them for lots of profit.
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I don't want to see Menewsha die out; I love the forums here because of the care and attention that the administrators and mods give to the community. Part of the reason why I prefer Menewsha to other forums, even fandom specific forums, is because of how they cut down on spam, enforce the rules and make this a great place to hangout.
That being said I'm not sure what we can as a community to change the flow of the tide. I'm sorry I can't be of more help but when someone comes up with a viable idea I pledge to support that idea and the changes the administrators feel are necessary. |
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