Talk:Gaia Online/Archive 1

message: Since the last time I've been to this page, it's been cut down to its mere bones. I feel that a lot more could be added without it being too cruft-y. My question is, however, when adding on to an article such as this, how exactly are we supposed to cite sources? Since Gaia is an online site that isn't very well known, there are no papers written on it or anything. The only hard, straight information to be gotten is just a few things from the site itself. How can information be added to this article that will be acceptable? Hollerama 21:48, 21 August 2006
Hope I helped a bit. I noticed that there was no reference at all to the Sniper or what Ian was charged with. O_O I fixed that, so someone who's never been to Gaia won't get more confused than need be! (I hope...)
--192.114.44.158 13:33, 24 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Research? 

message: I have added a new secton; Latest Feature.
I feel that it is importent to put in wikipedia.
If not; feel free to rid of it... --65.54.154.13 20:08, 16 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: New Section

message: "Gaia revolves around three things: the avatar system, economy, and plot."
Hardly, the community is far more important than the plot. The plot is little more than an a backstory to mass public events such as Halloween or Easter gift giveaways. Community is far more potent. Literally hundreds of thousands of people form guilds, cliques, mass movements, pick up and adopt each other's slang lightning-quick, IM and PM each other, live chat each other...I didn't edit anything in the article but as a long-term (ex-)Gaia user, there's a lot of clumsy stilted unfamiliarity with the real Gaia Online community here. Valwen 10:14, 10 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Last time there was a section on community it was naught more than a cruft filled list of cliques (just those of the GD forum, actually). I'd suggest, if you want a section on community, write one that isn't a list of examples, and show your research.131.7.52.17 15:39, 11 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I also think the the community is very important. If you want to use a more specific word for it, you'd say the "forums" are important. I would even say that the forums are much more important than the plot by a lot. Hollerama 21:43 21 August 2006
I will take a stab at revising and updating, time permitting. And I will not highlight any particular guild or clique, in fact doing so would be self-defeating. They all fall apart fairly quickly. The main point should be that the Gaia site permits and nurtures these communities with their tools. And community is what makes Gaia so successful -- along with their niche market: teenagers. --Valwen 01:10, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Missing a major point 

message: I'm not really comfortable updating the actual article,  but for anyone who is, Gaia just secured $8.93 million in venture capital funding.  More at: http://mashable.com/2006/06/19/gaia-online-gets-893m-for-anime-community/
Yes this is true, thus the whole revision of the site. Though it has been reported that Gaia will never sell out, but only make teams with other sites, like Photobucket. Photobucket will play a big role in Gaia here pretty quick. (When the new profile system comes out.)--Sinnen 02:24, 7 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Funding 

message: A bit redundant, I'm thinking.  I'll remove it tomorrow, if there're no objections, but I'm thinking a plot summary alone is just fine. Shem 20:23, 14 May 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: List of NPCs. 

message: *Ian — Ian comes from a family of merchants whose selling gimmick is having a talking cat in their store. He ran the Barton Boutique with his cat Rufus in Barton Town, which sells all kinds of basic clothes and costumes at the cheapest prices on Gaia. Though he may look like a ladies man, Ian is very socially awkward guy; his friends describe him as "spastic.".
*Rufus — Ian's talking cat. Rufus helps manage the Barton Boutique. For some odd reason, instead of meowing, he barks like a dog.  Since Ian's arrest, then shooting, he has been running the Barton Boutique.
*Agatha — Owner of Barton Jewelers, located in Barton town.  Has been romantically linked formerly with Logan from the Ole' Fishing Hole.  
*Rina — Runs the Barton Flower Shoppe.  Is also the unofficial guide to Gaia Online.
*Moira — Runs the Durem Depot. Has been romantically linked with Liam from Crate and Apparel.  
*Old Man Logan — Runs the Ole' Fishing Hole.
    
*Leon — Runs the Gaia Guilds Building, and serves as Captain of the Captain's Guild.
*Vanessa — Runs the Durem Salon.  She can do anything with anyone's hair.  Has been romantically linked to Liam from Crate and Apparel.   
*Edmund — Runs H.R. Wesley, a fancy clothes store. He has a peculiar scar on his chest, which was seen during the New years Ball... this has left everyone wondering what happened to him in his past.  
    
*Liam — Runs the Crate & Apparel store.  A bit of a ladies' man, has been seen with both Moira from the Durem Depot and Vanessa, the stylist at the Durem Salon.
*Sasha — Runs the Gambino Outfitters store, has been romantically linked to Gino Gambino, also known as "The Masque". As of now, she is starting to fall for Ian.    
*Johnny K. Gambino — Was once the richest man of Gaia, he was once thought dead, but appeared in the April Fool's Day 2K6 event, exactly one year after his presumed death. He was a big star on Gaia's storylines, famous for monstrous guffaws as well as boisterous speak.   
*Gino Gambino — The son of Johnny Gambino. Known to have been "The Masque" and is in love with Sasha. Recently turned into the likeness of Johnny K. Gambino.
*Ruby — Runs the Gambino Hat Rack store.   
*Peyo — Ruby's son who helps her in the Gambino Hat Rack and runs the trash exchange.   
*The Von Helson Sisters — Anna Corinne and Marie Von Helson, the self proclaimed "most powerful women in Gaia", tried to gain influence in Gaia from their mansion in Durem. They were killed April 1st 2k5. At FanimeCon 2k6 the admins confirmed that they would not come back.
*Josie — The tenant of the Aekea Housing Commission.
*Bildeau, Bludeau and Ribateau — The three bots in charge of the Faktori, a shop where you can buy housing items. Apparently, these bots are the only robots in Gaia at the moment. It also seems Ribateau is always planning something evil, whether you see him doing it or not.
*Lex — Runs the lobby of "Gold Mountain."
*Becky — Runs Prize & Joy of "Gold Mountain."
*Ace, Jinx, and Cardbot — Opponents in the card game at "Gold Mountain."
*LabTechs — Worked for Gambino and created the G-Virus, the Grunny, and, inadvertantly, zombies.
*Santa Claus — The Christmas NPC. A small elf his whole life, he had taken to wearing a mecha suit by the time he first appeared.
*ElfTechs — Worked for Santa and are under the rule of Mrs. Claus. All one by one died in an attack on Santa's lair.
*Easter Bunny — The Easter NPC. As a child he was attacked by Jack for being a bully to Santa, now he is a cyborg.
*Jack — The Halloween NPC. He cultivates a scary image. He fought Santa twice; Jack almost killed him the first time and was interrupted the second.
*Meredith— Runs The Bank Of Gaia, located on Isle de Gambino. Has made one very small appearance in the plot, but nothing else.
This information was pulled to discussion until it can be cited. Thanks. Ste4k 15:49, 4 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Gaian [[Non-player character|NPC]] Characters

message: The official Gaia Plot is presented in a manga-styled form, and is updated several times throughout the year, mostly at special holidays like Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. At many events the users are able to interact in the storyline by entering specially created Event Forums - for this they often are granted special items, though their interactions will rarely be included in the comic.
Past plot updates have included:
* Halloween 2004- A Resident Evil parody where human users had the option of shooting zombies, and Zombie users had the option of biting and infecting human users.
* April Fools Day 2005- Showed the apparent death of the Gambino family, as well as their rivals, the Von Helson sisters, due to Gambino being shot by the mysterious Sniper.
* The Return of Gino Gambino, The prelude to Halloween 2005.
* Halloween 2005- a direct sequel to the previous Halloween, users captured zombified rabbits (Grunnies) until they became zombies themselves. The Gambino mansion burned down in the middle of the "festivities".
* Christmas 2005- A feud between Jack, the spirit of Halloween, and Santa Claus.
* New Years 2005- A Masquerade ball at which Gino kissed Sasha at midnight and Ian was arrested for arson at the Gambino mansion at Halloween.
* The Trial of Ian- A courtroom drama giving backstory on the shopkeeper NPC on trial. It ended in Ian being judged not guilty and shot (but not killed) by the Sniper.
* April Fools 2006- The Return of Johnny K. Gambino.
* We Are not Alone, Prelude to Halloween 2006- while the NPC's survived the events of the last update, they unknowingly alerted aliens to their presence.
* Halloween 2006- All users were able to transform into aliens by drinking Zurg (parody of Monster), and changing back into humans with Red Bino (parody of Red Bull) and, depending on their race, zap alien users, probe human users, and tip & probe cows.  Gambino's mansion was rebuilt, and only the roof was destroyed.
*Zurg Crisis/Alien 09 Attacked; Prelude to Christmas 2006- All users are able to help crack the code of a page mostly in the Zurg language .
===NPCs===
Gaia players on rare occasions may be included in the plot comic, but for the most part only the following characters appear.
* Johnny K. Gambino, The "Most Powerful Man in Gaia". Brought back to life once. Famous for entering a Casino with one token, coming out and buying the Island. Creater of Red Bino.
* Gino Gambino, the heir to the Gambino fortune. Is referred to as a prince, despite the fact his father has no official political power. He is in love with Sasha.
* The Sniper. Not an NPC to speak of, as s/he lacks an account, but definitely a main character. A mysterious, black-caped assassin who fires from the top of the Durem clock tower at noon, s/he has shot Gambino and Ian, but killed nobody yet. Reasons are unknown.
* Ian, Formerly The Shopkeeper of the first Shop in Gaia, Barton Boutique. He is also in love with Sasha, and was the Easter Bunny one year.
* Rufus, Ian's talking cat. Currently looking after the Barton Boutique while Ian is away.
* Sasha, the shopkeeper of Gambino Outfitters, a ditzy island girl. She's caught in a love triangle with Gino and Ian. During Halloween 2006, she went out with Liam, before discovering that he was already going out with Moira and Vanessa.
* Moira, Sasha's best friend, and owner of the Durem Depot shop. One of Liam's girlfriends until Halloween 2006. Caused Mothership to come crashing down by pulling down the beam along with Sasha and the haircut lady, Vanessa.
* Cindy Donovinh, Gaia's only news reporter. HQ in Barton Town.
* Edmund, the bad-tempered shopkeeper of HR Wesley, who seems to be a friend of Gambino's, but may only be trying to use him as a ladder to power. One of the more suspect NPCs for being the Sniper, as he seems to have a military background. Part of the "G-Team".
* Liam, the clerk for Crate and Apparel. He is an engineer and a flirt. Has/had multiple girlfriends, including Vanessa, Moira, and Sasha. 
* Labtech, an organization made up of researchers working for Gambino. All known are deceased.
* Ron Bruise, a take on Tom Cruise. Appears to like the number 19. Supposed actor and all-round oddball. Been spotted talking to 09.
* Mothership, the leader of the Zurgian Invaders. Seller of the energy drink Zurg.
* UFOs. 13 NPCs role played by the staff of Gaia Interactive. UFO 09 had a love affair with a Gaian. He has been missing since just before the Halloween 2006 event. His disappearance is most likely due to the hostility of his brothers/sisters, UFOs 06 and 11, and the Mothership's secret plans. He might be the NPC, Alien Flarn . UFO numbers 10 and 11, named Oomph and Sorn, respectively, have also gone missing since the release of the manga.
Minor characters include other NPCs, used mostly for depth and comic relief.
On occasion, NPCs may show up in actual forum discussions, such as Ron Bruise, a Tom Cruise parody, and chat with users. In a recent plot, multiple UFO NPCs appeared to scan and chat with users in the Towns game.</blockquote>
DroEsperanto 21:38, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Plot

message: Gaia players on rare occasions may be included in the plot comic, but for the most part only the following characters appear.
* Johnny K. Gambino, The "Most Powerful Man in Gaia". Brought back to life once. Famous for entering a Casino with one token, coming out and buying the Island. Creater of Red Bino.
* Gino Gambino, the heir to the Gambino fortune. Is referred to as a prince, despite the fact his father has no official political power. He is in love with Sasha.
* The Sniper. Not an NPC to speak of, as s/he lacks an account, but definitely a main character. A mysterious, black-caped assassin who fires from the top of the Durem clock tower at noon, s/he has shot Gambino and Ian, but killed nobody yet. Reasons are unknown.
* Ian, Formerly The Shopkeeper of the first Shop in Gaia, Barton Boutique. He is also in love with Sasha, and was the Easter Bunny one year.
* Rufus, Ian's talking cat. Currently looking after the Barton Boutique while Ian is away.
* Sasha, the shopkeeper of Gambino Outfitters, a ditzy island girl. She's caught in a love triangle with Gino and Ian. During Halloween 2006, she went out with Liam, before discovering that he was already going out with Moira and Vanessa.
* Moira, Sasha's best friend, and owner of the Durem Depot shop. One of Liam's girlfriends until Halloween 2006. Caused Mothership to come crashing down by pulling down the beam along with Sasha and the haircut lady, Vanessa.
* Cindy Donovinh, Gaia's only news reporter. HQ in Barton Town.
* Edmund, the bad-tempered shopkeeper of HR Wesley, who seems to be a friend of Gambino's, but may only be trying to use him as a ladder to power. One of the more suspect NPCs for being the Sniper, as he seems to have a military background. Part of the "G-Team".
* Liam, the clerk for Crate and Apparel. He is an engineer and a flirt. Has/had multiple girlfriends, including Vanessa, Moira, and Sasha. 
* Labtech, an organization made up of researchers working for Gambino. All known are deceased.
* Ron Bruise, a take on Tom Cruise. Appears to like the number 19. Supposed actor and all-round oddball. Been spotted talking to 09.
* Mothership, the leader of the Zurgian Invaders. Seller of the energy drink Zurg.
* UFOs. 13 NPCs role played by the staff of Gaia Interactive. UFO 09 had a love affair with a Gaian. He has been missing since just before the Halloween 2006 event. His disappearance is most likely due to the hostility of his brothers/sisters, UFOs 06 and 11, and the Mothership's secret plans. He might be the NPC, Alien Flarn . UFO numbers 10 and 11, named Oomph and Sorn, respectively, have also gone missing since the release of the manga.
Minor characters include other NPCs, used mostly for depth and comic relief.
On occasion, NPCs may show up in actual forum discussions, such as Ron Bruise, a Tom Cruise parody, and chat with users. In a recent plot, multiple UFO NPCs appeared to scan and chat with users in the Towns game.</blockquote>
DroEsperanto 21:38, 12 December 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: NPCs

message: Sure, it's "The world's biggest forum", but that doesn't stop it from sucking. Does it really deserve a Wikipedia article? --Snafuu 01:10, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: Yes, it does; see NeoPets, Something Awful Forums, and anything else under Category:Internet forums.  Also "world's biggest forum" is an accurate, factual descriptor.  That you (or I) feel it "sucks" is irrelevant. Shem (talk) 03:32, 10 Jun 2005 (UTC)

text: It's the largest English-speaking forum. ;)
******************************************************************************************************
Yeah, GaiaOnline.com is just a Neopets for 12-14 year olds. --Snafuu 19:21, 11 Jun 2005 (UTC)

text: I hadn't known that, JoewJ, thanks.  I can delete his "GLF" insertions as vanity editing, then. Shem(talk) 21:58, 10 July 2005 (UTC)
replies: text:  seconded. but I suppose it's obviously bullcrap spewing from a hater's mouth. Keakealani 21:35, 4 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Non-notable? 

message: Syko, I (kp606) added the part about the new posting templates, where we can choose the form of speech we are using. 
I also added that small part reguarding filters and how this could change previous statements made. I figured it was a large enough to point to be mentioned. You did a good job with everything else though.
I previously added info about Post Templates but it was removed. --Cadbury 12:20, 25 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Features section additions 

message: I just reworded some of the plot information after Easter 2005, as well as deleting a link in the Battle System section to a thread with erroneous information.  I corrected some minor spelling issues in the coming features area too, now that I think about it.  
-Triskdaemon
Edit:  I did put an NPC list back in, because I think it's valuable.  You can never have too much info on the page.
You can easily have to much info, this page doesnt need a NPC List, and evertime its put in its removed, this is an Encyclopedia and doesnt need a NPC List. --Cadbury 12:22, 25 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Small edit 

message: Please, when editing, keep good grammar and wording!  This is an encycopedia, remember.  I know most people don't even check discussion, but perhaps...
Trisk 15:17, 20 September 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  A plea for grammar 

message: *Should the "avatars sample" image be changed to show some sitting-down, and some turned-backwards avatars?--Atlantima 02:25, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: *I was wondering about that. I'd think so, mabey one of each.Spriteless 02:43, 13 October 2005 (UTC)

text: *I think it's a good idea, as long as we stay away from vanity images - No shots of ourselves or friends.  --Trisk 05:15, 13 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: *Perhaps using just the basic underwear and standard hairstyles would be best to avoid vanity.  You could scale them down and toss them in like "There are now other poses available with Avatar 3.0, such as sitting down and turned aroud". otherwise, picking random avatars from CB would be plausible. Keakealani 21:38, 4 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Examples of new poses?

message: Recently, there was an edit to remove the Tektek link from the external link section of the Gaia online article.  The edit did so on the basis that the link was a vanity edit, and advertising.  I think that claim is not without basis - Tektek probably was edited in by Tekton or someone working with him.  However, had I known about Tektek prior to that link being inserted, I would have inserted it myself.  Tektek is a highly useful collection of tools, and probably the most useful and informative third-party Gaia-related site that I've found.  This should be kept in the article, purely because the purpose of this article is to inform, and linking to Tektek is preserving a valuable bit of information.
--Trisk 18:33, 20 October 2005 (UTC)
replies: text: While they are useful tools, tektek is a fansite, and doesn't really need to be in a page about Gaia itself, even though it is useful and popular. In my mind it would be similar to linking to photobucket, which is very popular and useful for Gaians, but not entirely necessary or part of the site itself. The only place it would be worth mentioning is in the external links section, or possibly if a co-article about Gaia's fanbase is written... Keakealani 21:41, 4 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: External link sections of webpages very often have links to informative fansites. For example, the Gaia Online article currently has a link to Gaiapedia. Tektek is a resource for information about Gaia items and tools/resources related entirely to Gaia (unlike Photobucket which has nothing to do with Gaia aside from their apparent partnership). So why should one site with Gaia information, Gaiapedia, be allowed to be linked while another, Tektek, is not? Your explanation is that it is neither necessary nor a part of Gaia Online, but again.. neither is Gaiapedia. Why disallow one but not the other? --user.lain 03:35, 9 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Tektek links 

message: currently there is an event going on at gaia and me not being a writer nor editor does no how to do this
can some one do that there that i said?
First off, ANYONE can edit Wikipedia. However, those changes are usually reversed if they aren't positive ones.
Why would Wikipedia need such a section? Any current events are very noticeable on the site itself. Such quickly-changing information shouldn't really be put on Wikipedia. There is, however, a section for past events. Cheesewizard 23:05, 25 June 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  add a current events thing... 

message: Utterly superfluous. Wiki is meant to be an encyclopaedia, not a textbook. The only people alot of that content would make sense to are exisiting community members. - Wiki Patriot.
I agree, I think we should start with removing/condensing the character list and condensing the storyline section into a short summary. Comments? deadkid_dk 14:24, 23 December 2005 (UTC)
thread_title:  Too Much Information 

message: Just wanted to mention I did some minor editing and updating, especially in the Gaia Gold, Random Events, and Items section, which was missing some recent info.  I also added a redirect from Go-Gaia.  Purple_Hope 20:37, 7 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Edited 

message: maby the header image? http://graphics.gaiaonline.com/images/pageheader/header_home.jpg needs cropping --Xexos 01:01, 12 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: images?

message: The quality of this article is beyond poor. This isn't just about spelling or grammar, the quality of the writing is terrible: redundancies like "gaia online forum site" throughout the article, lots of superflous information, run-on sentences, information crammed together or put where it doesn't belong, etc.
Please do us a favor and don't contribute if you have poor language skills.
It's like the people editing this want to cram every little thing they 'know' about Gaia into the page
You're not on Gaia anymore, what goes into this article should be (and will ultimately be, after long enough when a moderator intervenes with this rubbish article) dictated by Wikipedia's guidelines and community standards, not those of gaians
respect wikipedia's guidelines while you're here, and don't just throw any crap you want to into this page. Poor contributions are more harm than help TheBilly 21:56, 14 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Quality 

message: Has the page for the Gaia online subculture been deleted? And why?
Lady BlahDeBlah 14:34, 15 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Good point, and very well made. And you made me laugh. Lady BlahDeBlah 20:24, 15 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Deletion? 

message: Could someone put the deleted content from Gaia Online Subculture into my user page? I'd like to create a WikiCities page for Gaia and I want to put together all the information I can beforehand. Spriteless 00:43, 18 January 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Tossing current "answers.com" alternate entry (which uses the Wikipedia GFDL license for its content) to your discussion page. Hope this helps the Gaia Online WikiCities. I would gladly help out with the wiki when you get that up. :) Xavier Valentine 22:33, 1 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Older Content for Wikicities 

message: (restored links removed by ignorant users. removing these arbtrarily is tantamount to vandalism. don't do it. see discussion)
Don't remove these on a whim just because we "have one already". espcially not the textifer or gavsim
the textifier is created by a GAIA ADMIN (Jakobo) specifically for use on Gaia; it works on all phpbb forums, but that is secondary. if anything, it belongs here more than other links do, since these things give it more clout and make it more representative of the community than anything else listed
the Gavsim takes precedence over the GAC which takes precedence of tektek's thing: the gavsim came first, then the GAC, then tektek's whatever. the gavsim is more representative and belongs here more than tektek's link does. i'm not suggesting you remove it, but i'm saying if you remove anything, the Gavsim deserves to stay more
There is nothing wrong with this link section. HANDS OFF. and if you do have a problem with it, argue it here before you go butchering the page TheBilly 22:39, 18 January 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Links 

message: Perhaps there should be a section listing all the forums and their corresponding subforums, including descriptions of each.
:I don't see how that would be helpfull to someone who doesn't know what the site is.Spriteless 03:14, 13 February 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Forums / Subforums 

message: Please discuss the dispute over the inclusion of the Gaia gold KGT link here, and stop butchering the article, and history page. Calicore 04:24, 1 March 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Gaia gold KGT inclusion dispute 

message: I removed all links to tools, chats, and all other such garbage. External links is for providing more information, references, and such. only links that do so are welcome on wikipedia.
I know all you 14 year olds are going to have a hissy fit over that, but popular opinion is irrelevant: it doesn't matter that you like those links and so many will think they should come back: This is about wikipedia policy. This article is horribly written and mainainted because immature users flood in from gaia, with no knowledge of wikipedia rules and guidelines, to edit it with whatever garbage they like
Those links do not belong, don't restore them: read up on the rules before you edit this page TheBilly 19:47, 6 April 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  External links - non-informative 

message: "Gaia's forum is the largest forum-based community on the internet, with over 600 million posts (plus over 350 million in storage), over three and a half million registered users, and an average of 20,000 or more people online at any given time during the day. The most users ever online numbered 49,162 on Sunday April 16, 2006 6:44 pm PST, during the Easter 2006 Egg hunt Event."
Doesn't 2ch beat that out on page visits alone? Or is 2ch in a different category because it has an annonymous user base? --Sqrfrk 08:59, 27 April 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I think it should say "largest English forum". --Zeno McDohl 04:27, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

text: This is all based on the list at www.big-boards.com -- which rates by number of posts, and lists Gaia as the largest forum.
Yeah, I heard that they're not the largest forum on the internet, but they are the largest English forum.
Also this may be somewhat irrelevant, but don't you guys think the phrase "largest forum on the internet" should mean the number of users rather than the number of posts? I mean after all there's SO much spam on Gaia that no one would post on any other forum (lots of unnecesarry bumps just to get gold and stuff).--Teh darkcloud 20:51, 22 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Largest Forum...? 

message: What year was the user-run Summer Carnival mentioned in the Gameplay section? Perhaps a more recent event might be better suited, such as the GCD random-donation week or something. I personally am unsure this article is representative of Gaia at the moment. Niki Whimbrel 02:14, 31 May 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Fact-Checking

message: I'd also like to mention, I've made a series of "real" Gaia userboxes. It'd probably be good if people would add themselves to the list, since it's only got 2 people on it so far. Didn't know where else to post this. :|
:Is this a statement about the notability of the subject matter? Ste4k 10:41, 9 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Userboxes 

message: One of my friends is going a little crazy because he heard that Gaia was bought by another company. Is there any truth to this? I imagine it would be quite important if it is.
:GaiaOnline was not sold out. However, a company, perhaps Photobucket, invested a large sum of money into the site to keep it running and expand. --Wikienergy 09:21, 24 June 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: That might explain why Photobucket has a picture of Gaia on it's homepage. Fairy Incognito 01:34, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text:  Two companies invested venture capital in Gaia Online. If you google the names of these two companies, one leads you to their site which lists gaia as one of their investments, and the other you can find a blog with a transcription of an interview, where a person from that company mentions their investment. The blog everyone is linking to, however, is crap as far as information goes. It doesn't provide any evidence, only the correct names. I removed it from the sources because it's unreliable TheBilly 06:32, 14 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Gaia Bought Out 

message: WP:CITE. Seriously, there's only one citation and it proves gaia is the largest english-speaking forum. Noob cannon lol 05:47, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I agree completely. I have read this discussion and the article and also agree that not only is this uncited, but it simply doesn't explain anything about this site. I took a look at the site, and there wasn't much there for "free" anyhow. This entire article is original research, unvalidated, basically noncompliant. Ste4k 05:12, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: The site is free, but viewing pretty much anything requires registration to the forums (which is also free). It shouldn't be hard to find sources. --Coredesat talk. o.o;; 05:26, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

text: Also, the site's member count is at least verifiable by its own homepage. The large number of members is probably why this article is so difficult to maintain. --Coredesat talk. o.o;; 05:30, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

text: I consider the release of information, personal or otherwise, the same as "not free". I have no intention of losing my neutral perspective by joining the site itself. Sorry, Coredesat, but that simply isn't an option for me. And you already know that anything that the site prints itself can only be used if it establishes notability, but we cannot take their own word for their numbers which can be manipulated toward their own benefit. If they have a claim, though, such as having the President as a member, or some other publicity that speaks of their notability outside of themselves, then that can be used as long as it's verifiable. Per the size of the membership, you might as well include any UseNet newsgroup and make the same claim. And let's consider that they are actually counting usernames rather than people here in their number: 4,162,590. Sock puppets, people that didn't like their original account, and people that forgot their names, or people that left and came back, etc., yes, I can believe 4.1 million accounts, but people, no, I don't think so. Verifiability would have to come in the form of a secondary source that performed an audit on their records. And if we had access to their records, ourselves, then you know that would be original research on our part. Ste4k 06:02, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Citations Needed

message: This site is indeed notable (given its massive number of members; also, do a Google search for it - "Gaia Online" and "Go-Gaia" have a total of over 1,000 unique hits). I don't see the need for the  tag here. --Coredesat talk. o.o;; 05:24, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Do you really believe that it meets any one of the following criteria?
# The content itself has been the subject of multiple non-trivial published works whose source is independent of the site itself.  
#* This criterion excludes:
#** Media re-prints of press releases and advertising for the content or site.Self-promotion and product placement are not the routes to having an encyclopaedia article.  The published works must be someone else writing about the company, corporation, product, or service.  (See Wikipedia:Autobiography for the verifiability and neutrality problems that affect material where the subject of the article itself is the source of the material.)  The barometer of notability is whether people independent of the subject itself (or of its manufacturer, creator, or vendor) have actually considered the content or site notable enough that they have written and published non-trivial works that focus upon it.
#** Trivial coverage, such as newspaper articles that simply report the internet address, the times at which such content is updated or made available, a brief summary of the nature of the content or the publication of internet addresses and site or content descriptions in internet directories or online stores. 
#* This criterion includes reliable published works in all forms, such as newspaper and magazine articles, books, television documentaries, and published reports by consumer watchdog organizations.Examples:
* The webcomic When I Am King has been reviewed by The Guardian, Playboy, The Comics Journal, and Wired.
* The blog Daily Kos has been covered by Los Angeles Times, Time, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, and The New York Times.
# The website or content has won a well known and independent award, either from a publication or organisation.Examples of such awards: Eisner Awards, Bloggies, Webby Awards or Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards.  See :Category:Awards for more.  Being nominated for an award in multiple years is also considered an indicator of notability.
# The content is distributed via a site which is both well known and independent of the creators, either through an online newspaper or magazine, an online publisher, or an online broadcaster.Content that is distributed by independent online sites will almost certainly satisfy the first criterion.  However, this criterion ensures that our coverage of such content will be complete regardless.  For example, Ricky Gervais has a podcast distributed by The Guardian.  Such distributions should be nontrivial. Although GeoCities and Newgrounds are exceedingly well known, hosting content on them is trivial.
The article itself must provide proof that its subject meets one of these criteria via inlined links or a "Reference" or "External link" section.  Even if an entire website meets the notability criteria, its components (forums, articles, sections) are not necessarily notable and deserving of their own separate article.
====Notes====
 Ste4k 05:45, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

text: I believe Gaia satisfies the general standards for notability given here, specifically the Alexa test and the Google test. --Zippy 23:28, 4 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: {{tl|notability}} tag

message: Ste4k 05:45, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I believe Gaia satisfies the general standards for notability given here, specifically the Alexa test and the Google test. --Zippy 23:28, 4 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Notes

message: My suggestion for cleaning this article up would be to remove all the information about the individual Gaia events, and just leave this as a stub describing the site and community themselves. Gaia has its own wiki for all the other stuff. It doesn't need to be here. --Coredesat talk. o.o;; 05:39, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Go right ahead. Ste4k 06:02, 10 July 2006 (UTC)

text: Good work. I have question about this reference big-board. It states in the first reference "now featuring more than 5 million posts and 100000 users." and it states in the second reference: "Members: 4141263" (in the table). What is the definition of a "member" compared to a "user" ?? Big-boards also disclaims themselves as a reputible source in that reference, stating "Big-boards makes no representations whatsoever about any other website to which you may have access through this site and is not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any information, data, opinions, advice, or statements made on Gaia Online or any other site." Ste4k 18:17, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Unfortunately, sources are actually harder to find than I thought. I'm going to remove that reference from the article, but there still shouldn't be any problems, because the member count and post count are right there on the Gaia Online homepage. Also, a member is someone who registers on the website, and a user is one who uses it (obviously). The website has at least 40,000 people logged into it at any given time (again, based on the Gaia site itself). --Coredesat talk. o.o;; 21:01, 10 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: This is a very gray area, and I think we should discuss it. There are two parts to consider. First of all we shouldn't be using any primary sources unless what is being provided by that source is 1) about itself (check) 2) regarding it's notability. That second point of course as you know, all people say that notability is subjective, etc. etc. Assuming good faith, of course, I can easily agree that both of these conditions are met; i.e. on your word alone knowing how many Notability instances you've investigated. But the gray area, the second part, comes to mind when reading through WP:WEB. Regardless of the facts that this web site reports for itself, there still isn't any mention of them anywhere else of note. I suppose the idea here from the creators of the guidelines is to meet a particular threshold where something becomes important enough to make the news. That usually comes from an impact on society, rather than society's impact on the topic in question. As you have seen before many times, some small businesses are on the brink, but simply haven't made it to the stock market pages yet. Do you really feel that this web site is notable? And if so, then how can we possibly contain the OR in the future without any resources? Ste4k 08:06, 11 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Well, it being one of the largest communities on the internet makes it notable, in my opinion. I think the stub will suffice - it's all the encyclopedic information there is, unless better sources are found. Everything else can go on Gaiapedia (the Gaia wiki). --Coredesat talk. o.o;; 10:04, 11 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Cleanup Suggestion

message: I'm sure that the article needed cleaning up and cruft removed, but I think the current reduction is a bit extreme.  Just because more information can be stored on some wiki dedicated to the site, doesn't mean that this article needs to be so sparse.  While the old article was overwhelming, this one gives very little information at all.  Perhaps a compromise can be found?  -Timzor 05:36, 12 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I wouldn't mind someone re-adding generalized information on things like Gaia gold, the plot, and special events, as long as it's not too crufty. The article was just stubified to satisfy all the policy templates that were here before. --Coredesat talk. o.o;; 06:31, 12 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: A bit extreme?

message: I coulda swore that this article was larger with more information —Preceding unsigned comment added by Illuminatis Phage (talk • contribs) 
:It was, but it was stubified so it would meet Wikipedia policies. It can be re-expanded with more general information, but don't go into too much depth (for example, a good explanation of what Gaia gold is and how it's earned would work, but plot or character information wouldn't). --Coredesat talk. o.o;; 23:38, 12 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Wasn't this article bigger?

message: Yes I know, I realize the goal of the article was to be short and sweet and concise but Gaia cannot be summed up merely by what was there (the three "focues" don't even mention the message boards). I figured a small add on of the largest features seemed appropriate.
EDIT: If you're going to undo what alot of people didn't mind in the first place, at least state so here. The addition of Content is both concise, to the point, and helpful in defining what GaiaOnline entails. --Talv 05:22, 25 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  The recent add of Content. 

message: List of social networking websites is currently an AfD candidate.  You are invited to partake in this discussion. Czj 18:52, 22 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  List of social networking websites on AfD 

message: Do you guys think it'd be okay to add a section about Gaia's mini-games and explanations of them and stuff like that? I know I could could expand more on Gaia Towns; mention tree/bush shaking and catching bugs, picking flowers, picking up trash.
There's also nothing in here at all about fishing, the casino, and word bump.--Teh darkcloud 21:06, 22 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: The problem with explaining the games is that Wikipedia is not a game guide. The most we'd be able to say is that the games exist and that members can win prizes from them. --Coredesat talk. o.o;; 21:51, 22 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: Why is this article chopped so small? You people need to have more balls to put content back into it. For example, you can freely restore the information on NPCs and events: After all, Starcraft, for example, has huge pages on Zerg and the other races. Someone out there, if you please, either nominate Zerg, Protoss, Terrans for deletion or put the detailed info back, or both. You can make bold edits in good faith, so go for it TheBilly 16:51, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

text: I just updated the article with appropriate linkage and source on that, if you're interested.68.13.99.150 22:49, 14 October 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Gaia Mini-Games? 

message: before the holiday items were removed Yami 12:07, 25 July 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I can't do that because that would make the article violate the article guidelines. The article was stubified so it would meet those guidelines. --Coredesat talk. o.o;; 22:04, 25 July 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  please revert the article to july 5th 

message: Do we really need such a detailed section on this? It's bordering on cruft again, and things like that were why the article was stubified in the first place. --Coredesat talk. ^_^ 03:26, 25 August 2006 (UTC)
replies: text: I was just thinking the same thing as I read it over. It's a little useless. However, while we're on the subject I feel that the article can use a picture of a donation item as those are among the signature trademarks of Gaia.--Talv 16:12, 26 August 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Donation items section 

message: I read the previous sections of the page on what links are notable, and also saw all the requests for the page to be reverted to include more info. I can agree that the Wikipedia article should be made for the person who wants to know what gaia is. But wouldn't the easiest way to stop the recuring requests for more information be to place the Gaiapedia in the External links as a extension of the article for anyone interested in more than what gaia is and then direct anyone who wishes to expand the Gaia Online article with extra information that isn't informative on what Gaia is, to instead try elaborating on the subject inside of the Gaiapedia. It's not my place to decide, so I'm not going to edit any content, but it was a thought.
Also I saw the part about users complaining about copyright skirting, but wouldn't the fact that even more users actualy request items which are similar to copyrighted items, be notable. This could be put up with the fact that there are many subjects where a large group of users want something and another large group objects against it when actions take place. Because I can't see how that would fit under something geared towards a member. Would that be something that would fit under the Community Section?
Dantman 15:16, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title: Gaiapedia?

message: What does this part mean? 
"Donation items are some of the most profitable items in Gaia, going upwards of 5 million gold for 03 items. Many users donate large amounts of money to profit from selling them, making them a major part of gameplay. Donation items are highly sought after, due to their rarity, and multiple poses."  
What's an 03 item? Do people donate real money, or gold in the game, or what? What are multiple poses? --Awiseman 17:16, 20 September 2006 (UTC)
thread_title:  Confusing part