last seen 20 min 11 sec agoOK so I'm looking for information on Gaia online. My kids are really getting into this site along with all of their friends. From the looks of the site it 's kinda a younger type of myspace where the kids create their own avatars including dressing them and creating houses. So if you have any info anyone please tell - good and bad (just a mom looking out for her kids). Here is some of the info from the site about it:
Founded in 2003 by a few comic book fans in a garage, Gaia Online has become the fastest-growing hangout on the web. Millions of teens come to Gaia every month to play games, make friends, and participate in the world's most active online community.
Gaia provides a fun, social environment that inspires individuality and creativity. With everything from art contests and poetry forums to fully customizable profiles and digital characters, Gaia is a place where teens can create their own space and express their individual style.
Fabulous Features:
- Online Hangout: Millions of teens spend hours a day on Gaia, exploring, chatting and just hanging out. Whether they're posting on our forums, participating in special events, or playing our multiplayer mini-games, there's always something fun to do.
- Endless Customization: Gaia revolves around creative customization. Every member can create their own virtual character and dress it up with over five thousand items: clothes, accessories, pets, masks and just about anything else imaginable.
- Thriving Community: Gaia Online boasts one of the most active forum communities in the world with over one billion posts to date. Members can chat in our online games, post messages on our forums, or send each other private messages.
- Gaia Gold Marketplace: Gaia Online is free to join, and members earn free Gaia Gold for everything they do on the site- posting, playing games, or just hanging out. Members can buy thousands of items in our virtual stores, or they can set up their own shops. Our virtual auction house lets members buy, sell and trade their items-- over 50,000 auctions are completed every day!
- Fun and Games: Members can interact, have fun, and earn Gaia Gold with our quick and casual online games. They can also go head-to-head in our Avatar Arena to see who can make the coolest virtual outfit, or test their talents in the Art Arena, where thousands of members vote on the best original artwork.
Sorry I know this belongs in the social networking but we don't have Gaia Forum there (yet)
I have a couple of young cousins on that site as well but unfortunately I also have adult friends who are into sims-like games who find this community interesting, granted these guys are in their early to mid twenties BUT it just shows that there are adults that are drawn to this site....
To err is human, to forgive divine
Haha, that's a funny place. These sort of games and such usually don't get young teens, mostly older teens and younger adults. The things you'll see on that forum aren't really that surprising as you can easily tell it's not a game for little kids. It seems more like an anime version of Myspace with no moderators or something.
My assumption is that there aren't a whole lot of older people who know about it since most people here haven't a clue, so the less people who know, the less creepy people who will be on it... most of the crazies are still putting their time into myspace. The less people know about this site, the better.
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I just had a SuperGlue accident... everyone remain calm...
Wow - thanks for all of the replys. I have logged into gaia a number of times via my sons profile (I have my kids logons and passwords) so make sure all is well. So far everything looks OK and I agree it is more than a teen sight. I tried putting a tracker on them (kids profiles) but no real luck - need to mess around with it some more.
I will create a profile on it and see what more I can come up with and what type of myspace like tweeks I can do over there. I'll let you know. I do like the thought that it is a smaller network that myspace and maybe a little more teen friendlier and maybe a little less stalker creeps *knock on wood for now*
On a side note not sure if a mod, Geek or Hubby wants to move this over to a social networking forum for Gaia (start one) since this is where it should be.
Yeah I agree but I'm sure at this point they already have some creeps so I still would like to get more info on it.
>>>>>>>>^..^<<<<<<<<
A wise girl knows her limits but a woman knows she has NONE!
I guess I am lucky my daughter is in no hurry to grow up, thinks MySpace is silly and spends her surfing time on sports pages,music downloads and games, thats if she surfs at all she prefers being outside playing and making sure she beats the boys at whatever game she is playing (baseball and soccer)
From what I can see Gaia is pretty tame and is less about the wierdos stalking kids (they tend to gravitate towards sites with pictures not avatars) and more about making a second life community for kids
"Middle age is when your broad mind and narrow waist begin to change places."
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So I checked out the site and was able to register. I don't think you have to be a teenager to register. And I looked on their forums and I have to agree with elleohelle some of those forums weren't created by teens. To put it this way it's no GUG. Smartmom if you want to message me I can give you the username and password. You can check it out for yourself. I highly doubt if I ever go back on there. lol Hope you find your answers.
I never heard of it either. Have you googled it?
I did and found this board with lots of discussion:
http://mashable.com/2006/06/19/gaia-online-gets-893m-for-anime-community/
What came to mind when reading a few of them from those who say they're members is that many of the posts from them on that forum discussing it seem far too articulate to be in a "teen" demographic.
I wouldn't be any more "relaxed" about Gaia than I would myspace if I had kids. And smartmom and I seem to come from the same camp on kids/internet theories, she lets me chime in on kid issues when she knows I have no real right to.
Sorry, I have never heard of it until now. After checking out the site and reading a bit about it, it seemed harmless enough, but as a parent, I can understand your concern. I definitely suggest checking out the Gaia online forums (see link below) as just looking at the general discussion forum definitely raised my eyebrows due to some of the language I saw...especially being that this is supposed to be a kids site? (Although, I must admit, the language is no worse than what we used when I was in high school)
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_Online
anyone?
>>>>>>>>^..^<<<<<<<<
A wise girl knows her limits but a woman knows she has NONE!