An informative, educational presentation on Gaia Creatives social networking site, Gaia Online.

1. GAIA ONLINE
Forum and Social Networking based online community
Presentation by:
Evan Trumbull
FIT 1050
Professor Canning
18 September 2014

2. ORIGINS
Gaia Online was formed as Go-Gaia in 2003 by Derek Vu, Long Vo, and Josh
Gainsbrugh. The site started as an anime “linklist”- providing external links to
videos and forums. It quickly garnered attention, and in 2004, it became a
small community of users. A year later, co-founder Derek Vu stated they
quickly moved into a social gaming and forum based website.
Gaia Online - Wikipedia Page

3. WHAT IS GAIA ONLINE?
• Gaia Online is a social networking site and forum that allows users to
customize their personal “avatars.”
• The site includes features such as games, a currency system, Web 2.0
profiles, “guilds,” and forums
• The site has over 26 million registered users, with an average of 7 million
visiting per month
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fX0Go7umzRs

4. AVATARS
• “Avatars” are virtual
representations of users
on a website.
• Gaia Online offers many
virtual items to its users.

5. CURRENCY SYSTEM
• Gaia Online offers its’ users “Gaia
Gold.”
• This virtual currency can be earned
throughout the site
• This can be earned either through
games or the sites’ virtual auction
house
• Users can use gold earned to
purchase virtual items from NPC run
shops or the marketplace.

6. GAIA CASH
• Users can use real
money to purchase
exclusive currency
known as “Gaia
Cash.”
• “Gaia Cash” is used to
purchase exclusive
items.

7. VIRTUAL ITEMS
• Users can use the gold they’ve earned
to purchase virtual items from other
users or NPC (Non-Player Character)
run stores on the site.
• Different items are of different value,
depending on availability
• These items can typically be equipped
to the users’ customizable avatar,
home, aquarium, or car
• Gaia also allows the purchase of rare
“Chance Items, Evolving Items, and
Premium Items.

8. STORES
• Gaia Online users can
spend their virtual currency
at NPC run stores
• Items in these stores are the
most common and
therefore have little value
on the Marketplace.
• Items run from five gold to
twenty thousand, making
stores the best place for
new users with little gold.
Stores such as “Gambino Outfitters” offer different types of clothing.
Gambino Outfitters offers, as the site calls it ‘hip and trendy outfits.’

9. THE MARKETPLACE
• Gaia Online features a virtual, user-run
auction house
• Users can buy and sell items for any
price they wish.
• Inflation decreased the value of gold
by over 2000%.
The GaiaOnline Marketplace

10. PROFILES
• Users have
their own,
unique
pages
• These
“profiles” are
completely
customizable
A Silent Conversation's Profile Page Coding a GaiaOnline profile

11. FORUMS
• Gaia Online offers a full
forum system
• Politics, TV shows, music,
news, and media are
only some of the topics
covered
• Topic forums carry sub-forums,
in which users
publish thousands of
topics per day

12. WORKS CITED
• "Avatar." Gaiapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://gaia.wikia.com/wiki/Avatar>.
• "Cash." Gaiapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http://gaia.wikia.com/wiki/Cash>.
• "Gaia Gold." Gaiapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http://gaia.wikia.com/wiki/Gaia_Gold>.
• "Gaia Online." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Sept. 2014. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaia_Online>.
• "Marketplace." Gaiapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http://gaia.wikia.com/wiki/Marketplace>.
• "Profiles." Gaiapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2014. <http://gaia.wikia.com/wiki/Profile>.
• "Shop." Gaiapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014. <http://gaia.wikia.com/wiki/Shop>.
• "La Victoire." Gaiapedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2014. <http://gaia.wikia.com/wiki/La_Victoire>