Kangit
High-functioning Shapeshifter
Introduction:
I'm sure at this point, everyone on the site has noticed that Gaia decided to center the site layout for everybody. For those who don't read the Staff Updates, or missed it, there was an announcement that they would be making Gaia a centered site. They did not make a site-wide announcement for those who might have Staff Notices turned off.
"According to the poll numbers, over half of you either want a centered site or are neutral about the issue."
What the poll numbers looked like when they made their decision:
Though they weren't technically lying, they were not supposed to include the neutral group as being Yes votes. But as of now, their previous excuse is no longer true, even technically. The No votes are now above 50%.
Even with the previous numbers, the poll indicated that most people didn't want a centered site. Neutral votes shouldn't count as being for one way or another (by definition). When people vote neutral or no preference, they don't always mean "I don't care one way or another" (even if that is the literal interpretation). A lot of people hunt for polls to get gold, looking for the neutral/no preference/gold option without reading or understanding what the thread is about. If people knew that "neutral can equal yes in Gaia's mind," people would be a bit more cautious when voting. Some people do take the time to read the thread (or at least skim it), but if they don't feel like they know enough about the subject, they'll try to avoid picking a side by going for the neutral option, and hope that the people who know more about the subject will vote for the better option. What those neutral voters didn't know was that their vote was going to be adding to a side, and not the popular one, either.
The fact that they decided to add the Yes and neutral votes together in the first place means they were biased and were secretly hoping people would vote "Yes," and when they didn't, they used misleading language to make it sound like it was really their side that won. They asked what we wanted, then went against the majority vote anyway. Though Gaia may not have seen it as the majority vote before, they certainly have to now (not that they'll listen to it).
My main "negativity" with the Centered Site is that all it does is squish it to make it smaller and harder to read, making extra space that serves no real function (except for more ad space for Gaia). The current version that's now forced on everybody now has it alternate between the centered and left-aligned layout depending on what page you're looking at, but that also means that even the people who liked it to be centered via Gaia Labs are going to have problems with it, because it now switches back and forth between the two layouts. So whatever layout you prefer, you're going to have to see the opposite layout, too. Not to mention, a lot of the pages now replace the cool-looking (depends on your preference) background with one, huge ad. I see the ads even if I have the Disable Ads option enabled, so their "You have X number of days of ad-free livin' left" is also now a complete lie. Combine that with the pre-roll ads in Flash Spaces, and there's not much point to buying Gaia Cash to turn off the ads anymore.
Now that the poll numbers indicate that the majority of users don't want the site centered, Gaia has changed their excuse:
So, in other words, voting in the poll was not going to alter their decision about centering the site at all. Why ask our opinion if it won't make a difference?
There was a response by Narumi Misuharain a previous Ask The Admin thread:
So assuming the information is correct, they're at least giving us a reason for why they were so adamant on making the site centered. For some reason, they never directly told us who this anime site is, but in the code in the Flash Spaces and Flash games (the ones with the pre-roll ads), there are a lot of mentions of Crunchyroll, which may imply that Crunchyroll is the anime site they joined up with.
Immediately after centering the site, they also turned the homepage into a giant ad for Black Gold Online:
What I want:
My preference would be for the layout to go back to the way it was, which is left-aligned by default, with the centered option available in the Gaia Labs for those who want it. This option should leave the most amount of users happy or content, especially since even most pro-centering users don't seem to like the new layout. They liked the Gaia Labs version better.
I would also be fine with centered being default, as long as the left-aligned option is available in the Gaia Labs. Assuming that the centered layout will go back to looking like the Gaia Labs version, I think most people would find this almost as good as before.
My least favorite option would be having the site centered, with no way to turn it back to left-aligned, which is what they did. They seem to have no intention of bringing back the left-aligned layout. If I've done the math right, and understood the recent user feedback correctly, the current layout upsets more than half the users, probably upsetting closer to 80 to 90 percent, since the people who voted neutral now understand what Gaia did with their votes, and the pro-centering users don't like the left-aligned forums or the huge ads (most people don't like the huge ads, actually). I'd say that's a decent amount of Gaia's fanbase, right? A lot of those users are now boycotting Gaia Cash, and others plan to just leave the site entirely. Depending on how much that anime site will be paying them, Gaia may actually lose money, because they'll definitely lose a lot of their users from this risky, aggravating move.
If you also prefer the left-aligned layout, or at least want the option, then please sign this petition!
Also, Knight Yoshi posted a method that can make it look left-aligned again. I don't use it myself, but I've heard good feedback.
Rules:
1. Follow the Terms of Service and Petitions Forum Rules & Guidelines.
2. Don't try to sign more than once (such as posting your signature more than once, using extra Gaia accounts, etc.)
3. Don't say [other person's name] also signs. You can only sign for yourself.
4. If you want to sign, say "I sign" or at least make it clear you're signing.
5. Don't send me your signatures in a PM. Just sign in this thread.
6. Don't quote the Signatures List to sign. It doesn't count as signing, even if you "add your name" to it.
My other petitions
I'm sure at this point, everyone on the site has noticed that Gaia decided to center the site layout for everybody. For those who don't read the Staff Updates, or missed it, there was an announcement that they would be making Gaia a centered site. They did not make a site-wide announcement for those who might have Staff Notices turned off.
admin
Site Centering Coming Soon!
Just wanted to let you know that, coming soon, we'll be making Gaia Online a centered site!
We thank everyone for the feedback they provided in Sisky's thread poll on this topic. While we understand that some people might not like this idea, centering the site opens up more opportunities with partners and events for us to take advantage of. According to the poll numbers, over half of you either want a centered site or are neutral about the issue. Some of the negativity came from concerns that centering forums and guilds would break post styles, so we are happy to tell you this update won't impact those areas at this time, only the main site design. In the future, these areas may also be centered, but until some of those concerns can be better addressed they will remain as they are.
Just wanted to let you know that, coming soon, we'll be making Gaia Online a centered site!
We thank everyone for the feedback they provided in Sisky's thread poll on this topic. While we understand that some people might not like this idea, centering the site opens up more opportunities with partners and events for us to take advantage of. According to the poll numbers, over half of you either want a centered site or are neutral about the issue. Some of the negativity came from concerns that centering forums and guilds would break post styles, so we are happy to tell you this update won't impact those areas at this time, only the main site design. In the future, these areas may also be centered, but until some of those concerns can be better addressed they will remain as they are.
"According to the poll numbers, over half of you either want a centered site or are neutral about the issue."
What the poll numbers looked like when they made their decision:
Though they weren't technically lying, they were not supposed to include the neutral group as being Yes votes. But as of now, their previous excuse is no longer true, even technically. The No votes are now above 50%.
Even with the previous numbers, the poll indicated that most people didn't want a centered site. Neutral votes shouldn't count as being for one way or another (by definition). When people vote neutral or no preference, they don't always mean "I don't care one way or another" (even if that is the literal interpretation). A lot of people hunt for polls to get gold, looking for the neutral/no preference/gold option without reading or understanding what the thread is about. If people knew that "neutral can equal yes in Gaia's mind," people would be a bit more cautious when voting. Some people do take the time to read the thread (or at least skim it), but if they don't feel like they know enough about the subject, they'll try to avoid picking a side by going for the neutral option, and hope that the people who know more about the subject will vote for the better option. What those neutral voters didn't know was that their vote was going to be adding to a side, and not the popular one, either.
The fact that they decided to add the Yes and neutral votes together in the first place means they were biased and were secretly hoping people would vote "Yes," and when they didn't, they used misleading language to make it sound like it was really their side that won. They asked what we wanted, then went against the majority vote anyway. Though Gaia may not have seen it as the majority vote before, they certainly have to now (not that they'll listen to it).
My main "negativity" with the Centered Site is that all it does is squish it to make it smaller and harder to read, making extra space that serves no real function (except for more ad space for Gaia). The current version that's now forced on everybody now has it alternate between the centered and left-aligned layout depending on what page you're looking at, but that also means that even the people who liked it to be centered via Gaia Labs are going to have problems with it, because it now switches back and forth between the two layouts. So whatever layout you prefer, you're going to have to see the opposite layout, too. Not to mention, a lot of the pages now replace the cool-looking (depends on your preference) background with one, huge ad. I see the ads even if I have the Disable Ads option enabled, so their "You have X number of days of ad-free livin' left" is also now a complete lie. Combine that with the pre-roll ads in Flash Spaces, and there's not much point to buying Gaia Cash to turn off the ads anymore.
Now that the poll numbers indicate that the majority of users don't want the site centered, Gaia has changed their excuse:
Zero Omega's FAQ
Why did you center the site? The majority of users said no to it.
The poll was to gather opinions about what users thought of a centered site but in no way was to be used as the sole deciding factor behind the outcome of the centered site.
The poll was to gather opinions about what users thought of a centered site but in no way was to be used as the sole deciding factor behind the outcome of the centered site.
So, in other words, voting in the poll was not going to alter their decision about centering the site at all. Why ask our opinion if it won't make a difference?
There was a response by Narumi Misuharain a previous Ask The Admin thread:
Narumi Misuhara
The reason why is because we entered into an agreement with a popular anime site. The agreement required that we center the site. More details on who the partner is will come later when we are closer to launch.
So assuming the information is correct, they're at least giving us a reason for why they were so adamant on making the site centered. For some reason, they never directly told us who this anime site is, but in the code in the Flash Spaces and Flash games (the ones with the pre-roll ads), there are a lot of mentions of Crunchyroll, which may imply that Crunchyroll is the anime site they joined up with.
Immediately after centering the site, they also turned the homepage into a giant ad for Black Gold Online:
What I want:
My preference would be for the layout to go back to the way it was, which is left-aligned by default, with the centered option available in the Gaia Labs for those who want it. This option should leave the most amount of users happy or content, especially since even most pro-centering users don't seem to like the new layout. They liked the Gaia Labs version better.
I would also be fine with centered being default, as long as the left-aligned option is available in the Gaia Labs. Assuming that the centered layout will go back to looking like the Gaia Labs version, I think most people would find this almost as good as before.
My least favorite option would be having the site centered, with no way to turn it back to left-aligned, which is what they did. They seem to have no intention of bringing back the left-aligned layout. If I've done the math right, and understood the recent user feedback correctly, the current layout upsets more than half the users, probably upsetting closer to 80 to 90 percent, since the people who voted neutral now understand what Gaia did with their votes, and the pro-centering users don't like the left-aligned forums or the huge ads (most people don't like the huge ads, actually). I'd say that's a decent amount of Gaia's fanbase, right? A lot of those users are now boycotting Gaia Cash, and others plan to just leave the site entirely. Depending on how much that anime site will be paying them, Gaia may actually lose money, because they'll definitely lose a lot of their users from this risky, aggravating move.
If you also prefer the left-aligned layout, or at least want the option, then please sign this petition!
Also, Knight Yoshi posted a method that can make it look left-aligned again. I don't use it myself, but I've heard good feedback.
Knight Yoshi
If you're on Firefox or Chrome get the extension Stylish and then install this UserStyle, http://userstyles.org/styles/93536/left-align?r=1380583545, I created to make the site left-aligned again.
Rules:
1. Follow the Terms of Service and Petitions Forum Rules & Guidelines.
2. Don't try to sign more than once (such as posting your signature more than once, using extra Gaia accounts, etc.)
3. Don't say [other person's name] also signs. You can only sign for yourself.
4. If you want to sign, say "I sign" or at least make it clear you're signing.
5. Don't send me your signatures in a PM. Just sign in this thread.
6. Don't quote the Signatures List to sign. It doesn't count as signing, even if you "add your name" to it.
My other petitions
