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Development Update 3/10 Maintenance, Sponsorships, and The Root of All Evil There's been lots of talk going on about sponsorships and whether they represent All That Is Truly Evil(tm) in Gaia. My take on it? Yah, we need sponsorships. We're kind of in this strange place business wise -- we're growing but are not yet large enough that we can dictate terms. Hopefully soon we will be at a point where we have so many people wanting sponsorships that we can pick and choose the ones that are really really good fits, but right now we're not at that point. So, the selection is limited, and sometimes the sponsorships that we pick are, say, not completely ideal. "But where does that money go?" the users (legitimately) ask. "How come (so and so) is still broken? Stop gallivating on your piles of money and start fixing stuff!" In terms of maintenance, some of the "invisible things" that have been going on recently: - backend scalability changes, so that the site runs better when there are a lot of people on it - major changes to the item system: this will allow for a whole raft of bug fixes on inventory, as well as allowing new capabilities for Battle and other features. - improvements and tweaks to moderator tools, so that they can do their job more effectively and take care of the various issues faster. - improvements to the quest system, so we can finally! get! some! decent! quests! (and Battle will use the quest system on the backend, as well) - bringing arenas into the 21st century - minor tweaks and whatnot over the site (for example, did you notice that the friends page now allows you to pick multiple friends at once now?) A lot of these efforts aren't visible, because they're in the backend. But nonetheless they have a very direct impact on the site, and are things we need to do: they build a good and solid foundation for the future. The good news is that a lot of these fundamental architectural changes are going to finish up pretty soon, leaving us with a lot more spare bandwidth to work on stuff that is more visible to the users: for example, guilds is my pet peeve at the moment, and I can't wait to be able to give it the facelift it so richly deserves. Communication One of the things I think that we need to get better at is letting users know exactly what is going on. Part of the issue is that we don't have a great mechanism for it -- Ask the Admin is not universal, most people don't want to get spammed by announcements about bug fixes and whatnot, and the journals are sparsely read (but I appreciate both the readers of this journal). We are thinking of adding different types of announcements, and letting people subscribe to the ones that are interesting, and a couple of other changes to improve the communication. Base on what I've seen, though, I do think that we really care about the community, and try to spend a lot of time on the site interacting with the users. We're constantly talking about different threads in site feedback, quoting it to each other, talking about one particular user or another that had a very well stated opinion. Bottom Line I don't really have a bottom line here, to be honest. Just know that the devs really care about the site, want to make it better, and we know that we can get much better about communication. Other Stuff - A-Z is back, albeit tinier. We might tweak it stylistically a bit, but the need for it was made readily apparent by the users. - the new arenas is currently in beta. We hope to get that out as soon as possible. Photography arena, here I come! - Some of our botting countermeasures were tripped one day in early March when they shouldn't have been. We'll make an official announcement about this soonest, but: we are going through the people that were banned and double checking them by hand. We hope to be done by next week. In memoriam Celeste.

Posted by: Panagrammic Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 12:39am

Read my journal!

User Comments: [31] [add]

snufflypoo
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 12:59am


	wowsers! i know you guys don't hear it nearly enough but I think you do a great job on the site! i guess i'm also one of the (apparently few) people that doesn't mind the sponsor quests as well. i figure free stuff for my avvie is a good thing however i get it. i can't wait to see the new stuff you guys have been planning. photography arena? squeals with joy i'm jazzed about that one. biggrin in short - don't let a bunch of whiny kids get you down. some of us are adults and appreciate what you're doing.

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 01:11am


	Don't be too honest. People will start to think something is wrong with you!! I'm just glad when I get updates on anything via journals. It's my only hope for survival, so keep up the good work.

Spirrow
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MokieMorty
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 01:16am


	I think you might have more readers than you think. xP Anyways, I can't wait until guilds is redone, either.

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 01:18am


	I enjoy reading Developer journals, I find them interesting. I think a lot of people would REALLY appreciate the ability to subscribe to various types of announcements. Plus if you guys posted what glitches/bugs/etc you fixed that way, more people would realize just how much you guys do for site. biggrin Still looking forward to the new arenas! And maybe once Guilds are updated, I'll actually make use of that feature. XD Keep up the good work!~

Darkfreakoid
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DigiDiskette
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 01:23am


	I know this really isn't much solace to the group intellects that your collective devision is... But even though there are user that b***h and moan about various things, especially the GCD McSourfaces out there (Admit it, you've seen him.); There ARE users that notice and appreciate all the little things you guys do. I, too, am a website builder. Albeit, not a very GOOD one, but enough so that I understand the difficulties of doing what it is you do. Let me just say that your work IS appreciated. There is no way to please EVERYONE, but the things that happen truly are important in their own right. Furthermore, the people that do nothing but complain about the sponsor quests are just stickinthemuds. It's slim pickings, and I know there are people out there who believe, quote endquote "The internet does not work." Way I see it, Free items. You use them, you use them. You don't, then you don't! I absolutely love the little sprite thing from spiderwick! And just look at me, I've been a fan (No pun intended) of Ubisoft for YEARS. Not to mention I heard people in the Cinemas say that, now that they know of it, they really DO want to see 21! Myself included. Heck, the only thing that really gets on my nerves is that Sunset Couture is in the starting lineup of the Gaia Shops sidebar. So.. I suppose what I'm trying to say is.. "Don't let the moody pre-teens get on your nerves. There are still people out there that appreciate what you're doing." ;__; I hope that brightens someones day, no matter how dorky it sounds. <3

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 01:24am


	I like some of the sponsorships, I mean I can argue that the sponsers should look at gaia a bit more in depth and say "we want this and this, because looking at the forums we know gaians would like this" instead of going "Just make a quest, heres some cash, kthxbye" also thanks for adding A-Z back, I never realized how much I used that until it was gone sweatdrop I can't wait for the photography/writing areans >w<

Dreda
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amalath
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 01:26am


	Thank you for this journal heart I would love different types of announcements. It's a feature that would make many Gaians happy, as we're getting different announcements almost daily right now, and not all of them seem to be important/interesting for some users. Anyway, I'm waiting for the new arenas. Photography arena sounds great. Have a nice weekend.

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 01:37am


	Wow, a lot of information. Thanks so much for sharing it. I love the idea of having announcements about bug fixes and such. I love to know what's going on with that sort of thing. Esp when I don't see the changes. I know I'm in with a large group of people that may not see something and wonder what's being done. Thanks for returning A-Z. It's really a great feature and when it was gone, I didn't realize how much I used it until I couldn't. <3 Also, thanks for the info about the Sponsorships. Nice to know that perhaps not everyone loves them. I'd be more worried if Gaia loved every sponsorship despite a lot of members not liking some of them. <3

Lady Kayura
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Gamine
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 01:50am


	Thanks for the info, Pan. It reaffirms something I've been saying to the "GAIA R SELLOUTS" crowd for a while now; you have to bang a few roadies before you can get into bed with the rockstars. And even then, you have to start with the drummer. ..okay maybe that's not the best analogy because it implies Gaia is a slut, but whatever. Even if Gaia has a current sponsor that doesn't really do it for me, I still try to look at it in a positive light..just one more stepping stone to the top! It just makes me sad when people can't look past their own personal bias for three seconds and embrace the bigger picture. Oh, and thanks for bringing the A-Z back! I honestly didn't think I would miss it, but then I found myself subconsciously scrolling to the bottom of the page to right-click dress-up or shops to open in a new tab.

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 01:51am


	Thank you for this journal. I'm glad you guys are working on all of these things... You know it's great to see developers hint around the forums at wanting these features, then actually seeing a few go in planning, then you hear about it being nearly complete a few months later! heart domokun

dBEf-GAEc-18E-BBAf
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Godsmother Kate
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 02:11am


	Hey, thanks for the update! I know that most sponsors have a quest, have us run it (usually by watching some dinky little short), but the MTV sponsor thing kinda bugs me. It seems more intrusive and obnoxious than all the other ones combined... Can't exactly put a shop on "mute," can we? But a lot of the other sponsorship quests are kinda cool and tell me about things I might like, like the Naruto game quest. You see, I like fighting/RPG styled games, but am not really into Naruto, but seeing the admittedly comercial here before it even got on TV, I thought about getting it! Same with the Dragon Quest quest (ha ha ha...) As much as the MTV thing bugs me, I'm going to support most of the quests, as I support Gaia as many months as I can sweatdrop So, in short, thanks. I appreciate the fact that right now, y'all aren't top dog, but you will be soon. Soon, before you know it even, you will be able to pick and choose sponsorships, dictate the terms, and maybe even get back to the point where Gaia doesn't need them. (One can hope, right?) Thanks for the cool quests, hope you get rid of the yucky things, and thanks for all the time and effort you and your team put into our fun time.

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 02:17am


	I'm so glad A-Z is back, even if it's slightly different whee heart

Kathleen Starr
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Infamous
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 02:27am


	I'm so glad to read that guilds will be worked on soon. <3 For some reason, I just see guilds as a really old building that is ready to fall apart. XDD And yay, for A-Z being back. <333

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 06:07am


	Wow. The A-Z index really. Did. Get. Smaller. O_o I didn't even notice it until I looked at the bottom and found about 25 links instead of the usual 10. It looks nicer, though. Thanks for readding it, I use it at times.

hwip
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Chocobo Princess
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 07:46am


	Hooray! An update! Thanks, Panagrammic! I appreciate knowing what Gaia is working on; we know all of you are always busy behind the scenes, fixing stuff, and I'm the kind of Gaian who likes to say "Good job!" when I notice. For example, I was so happy that the Inventory and Customize Me page has a wider box for the items now, so there's not that wasted space on the side and so those with a larger inventory don't have to scroll so far to reach items on the bottom of the list. Whoever did that deserves mad props! blaugh Good Job! domokun

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 08:18am


	I love the journal updates. I never comment, but I read every single on of them (that I know of...) They're one of my favorite things.

Delightedly
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CooperationIsKey
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 11:10am


	I read as many of the bigwig journals as I can track down (and that are actually, yannow, updated...). I always appreciate the information. - minor tweaks and whatnot over the site (for example, did you notice that the friends page now allows you to pick multiple friends at once now?) I did not! And literally just a few days ago I was griping to myself over having to select friends one at a time! Different types of announcements would be great; I'll admit, for example, to not having a whole lot of interest in KiKi's travels, since it never comes my way. Being able to pick and choose would be fantastic. heart One last thing, though I hate to beat a dead (dying?) horse... What about the Housing Arranger? Any chance that'll be functional again soon? Damn thing always seems to die just as I gain an interest in it again. xp

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 05:36pm


	Pan-San, I check for updates almost everyday in this, Lanzer's, Fleep's, and Juno's journals to try and keep up with what's going on. If you can reccomend others to read that will help keep me up to dates, that'd be awesome too. I understand why Gaia has so much sponsorship and don't see it as evil because I know it's helping keep this place a float. While I may not like them all, I know why you are doing it, and it's not to sell out. You guys are running a growing business that i support.

Anbaachan
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Cid High-Wind
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 06:45pm


	Being able to subscribe to different announcements would be cool. But being a GCDer, I'd have to be subscribed to all of them. lol And in memoriam of Celeste? eek

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 08:25pm


	Ah, the Friends page, I'll admit that I don't use it very often, but having to previously select one person at a time was a pain, so thanks you guys for fixing that up. I'm not a programmer by any means so I don't know if it'd really improve the site much, but from what I've heard/seen is that AJAX allows for a page to grab/send information without reloading the page, so would that help Gaia reduce bandwidth usage? I can only think of it for eliminating the confirmation page of when you post, where it'd notify you that the posting was successful and redirect you to the post, all from the main posting page. (I use GaiArch, so I'm used to it, but others aren't) As for communication I don't have many ideas, but I'd like to say that I appreciate the Developer's Journals and I like how they conveniently show the user's post so that you don't have to weed through pages of posts, like you would in an Ask The Admin thread. smile

Lazy Brandon
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Yen Quest
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Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 09:24pm


	I don't count them as quests, they're all just sponsers to me. I guess it's one of those things like first impressions or high expectations. I'm really content in waiting for the actual quest though, and it's the users that kind of gets on my nerves about it. I know that the communication between the staff and the users are good, and to me, it's really good. ^_^ I guess this isn't enough for some users. I hope that whenever you do work on it, make it so it's more visible to the users. I think stickies are good, but having so much of them in on page of some forums, people might miss some of them (like I did with the softball, or commenting on latest features). Having a site where most of the users are at rebellious stage and not mature, it's just part of human nature, and the generation that we're living in. Don't let them get to you too much, kay? Not that I want you do ignore all feedbacks, some are good. domokun

Commented on: Sun Mar 16, 2008 @ 10:11pm


	I'm really looking forward to any improvements you guys can make to the Communication system between staff and users. it would be great if there was a way to make every staff journal an announcement automatically (if they select that they want it announced). Users would then just have to click "Subscribe to Development Team announcements" or "Art Team" or "UI Team" or "Upcoming features and hints" or "Recent Bugs and Fixes" or just in general "staff announcements" in the My Account page. Then maybe there would be less people whining and less excuses for not reading the journals. I feel bad when a dev posts and the thread immediately dies and a topic just like it reappears a few minutes after the resolved one dies. So I think subscribing to announcements would be a great way for devs to communicate to more users at once and then spend more time in the forums talking about things that don't need an announcement like visiting their fan threads and taking feedback ^^.

Riddle-Me-This
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Erebus Haze
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Commented on: Mon Mar 17, 2008 @ 12:36am


	Yes! Backend works are almost done and we can finally have more visual stuff. I hope that while you guys are growing you guys eventually stabilize; I read in a Maison Ikkoku manga that fast growing business tend to go belly up fast and Gaia could be the next Kasumi Inc. (from manga). IDEA: Make a new Newbie Quest that features Lance the Gift Delivery guy as the host: He DOES know his way around Gaia, right? wink As for communication, are you guys taking in my PM update thread? When I think about it, it might not work that we can only send 2 PMs a min and it would frustrate some to have the ability to send faster PMs but have the same time constraints. But, as a suggestion, I think it would be cool to have MULTIPLE ways of getting announcement across. Having PMs with a MAX amount of 50 messages in the inbox doesn't really go well with Venders that have multiple conversations with multiple people. It was frustrating watching all my unreplied messages get deleted whenever I bid and sold something, as I got a reply PM just for that. SHOULD we be using the same system of inter-user PMs and Gaia-generated PMs, like guilds and gifts from Rina and all that? Seems a bit appropriate for Mod Warnings and such, to me at least. Do you guys think that maybe it would be a good step up on communication with users if this private company acted the part of a publicly traded company, in the way of reports on Gaia and its current state were released or made available to the users?

Commented on: Mon Mar 17, 2008 @ 01:30am


	Keep up the good work guys! Thumbs up

Disposable Ensign
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Smaddy
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Commented on: Mon Mar 17, 2008 @ 01:33am


	Sponsorships: I support them, if they help the site financially and technologically (i.e. coming up with new things like Cars and Virtual Hollywood). My main thing to improve would be the items... some tend to be junky [sorry!], in such a style that they're difficult to incorporate into an outfit, or they have a bulky/awkward/useless pose. They have generally become better over time, I will say. And I do know that the Sponsor often has the say in what item is made. Maintenance: I'm glad to hear about all those improvements. 3nodding I love that the item arranger screen is now wider. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask some questions and make some suggestions: - I believe I saw in a Staffer's Journal that Game items can now be arranged (they were "fixed"?)... but I still can't arrange them. Is that at all possible? I just want to be able to organize my items in the main screen, I don't need them to go into Storage or anything. - Will that weird loading ever go away on the inventory screen? Before item thumbnails show up, they appear as URL's. - Can the Inventory Arranger be made a bit wider/bigger somehow? It's sometimes hard to arrange Storage because it's such a narrow box. Guilds Yay, I'm glad to hear they're hopefully coming up next for improvements. There really should be tons of ways to customize it, so that people can spend Guild gold on something (ex: layouts, themes, special emoticons, special post styles, etc.). Communication I think special site-wide Announcements would be nice -- Announcements saying "hey this was fixed" or "oops this is broken, but we're working on it" or "hey this was changed". So many times I hear people complain that "OMG ___ is still broken?!" and a bunch of people reply, "That was fixed weeks ago". Or on the other hand, anyone who posts in Q&A knows, whenever something breaks, there is a FLOOD of threads asking "is this broken, am I the only one?". So those Announcements could help with that. Anyone who says Gaia Staff doesn't care doesn't pay attention. I think Staff is extremely receptive to suggestions and complaints. I have seen so many suggestions and Petitions come true that were completely user-based. Even in the past few months, immediate changes were made to MC's based on user feedback.

Commented on: Mon Mar 17, 2008 @ 02:48am


	I've been hearing about guild updates since I first got my guild almost 3 years ago. The fact that you're even thinking about it and the facelift it needs alone makes me love you - even if it does take another 3 years to see anything. xd

Maliciously Creative
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MrBlueberryMuffin
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Commented on: Tue Mar 18, 2008 @ 01:05am


	Communication: Dude, thats a good idea. Also, perhaps on like...the main page there should be a link that says "Wanna find out what gaias doing?" Which links to the list of worker's journals. Arenas: I think the only two things that should be put in arenas are housing and the avatar arena. The rest should be like...attached to a user, like a journal would be. However, there should be an option to be taken to a random photograph/story, etc.

Commented on: Tue Mar 18, 2008 @ 03:47pm


	Not noticed the backend changes my foot! Noticed the other week when the inventory page loaded abit faster and the equip page was expanded abit.I'm glad those adjustments are being made and sooner than I expected,might be able to move some my items back out of storage xd . Also good to hear about the other updates and changes being made,it's always good to hear about my and other donaters' money being put to good use crying .I think if more people stopped to read the developers journals they would be able to see what's being done for the site,especially those people who complain about every little thing and have never done anything for the site since they've been here.