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So long, and thanks for the fish! Quick update: Hey, just wanted to address some stuff. It is not some evil plot that the company cannot talk about individual or cases. These are standard privacy rules for all companies. That it was an execution. I think people are getting confused by the term that's used for it, but it's like "garbage collection" or "killing an object" -- sounds much worse than it is. Standard protocol for companies over a certain size is to get everyone affected into one room, everyone else into another. Nothing evil about it. I mean, it's not pleasant for anyone involved, but it's standard operating procedure. Now: do you let people get closure with their friends afterwards at work? Usually not. I personally think Gaia is the exception, but they chose not to do it that way for whatever reason -- which is their perogative, it's the safe default. Why doesn't Gaia say something? They just want to get the messaging right -- I mean, everyone needs to come up to speed on the new plan and get coordinated and whatnot. Give 'em a little bit. Any bitterness? No, absolutely not. It's bittersweet: I loved working with the Gaian community, but I'm also really looking forward to something different. I have many friends still working at Gaia, and hope the best for them, and I'm sure that they'll do a swinging job at the new strategy. If you want to do anything for me, you can leave a comment on this journal entry, and make this my most commented journal entry ever. biggrin Original: As always, I can be a little more honest and forthright in my journal, and I wanted to thank the community for the chance to interact and work with you over these past years. Yes, another layoff -- bunch of senior people, bunch of artists, and probably the least important, me! Bunch of secondary stuff as a result, but I'll let the company make whatever announcement it deems fit on that. It's part and parcel and endemic to this industry, unfortunately; the trials and tribulations of the technology sector, especially the social networking sector, mean that while you might continually have a job, it almost certainly will not be the same job. Having been on both sides of this at various times, it's hard either way. On the one hand, you have people that are suddenly worrying about how they're going to make the rent (and, while CEOs might get the cushy layoff packages, the rank-and-file do not), and on the other hand you end up having to go to work and feeling a bit of survivor guilt and wondering whether it might not be time to look around. It's sad leaving -- the people at Gaia are very special; to give you an example, during the last few layoffs, when everyone was told and the people that were staying were given the option to leave, many people stayed to help their friends through a difficult time. That's really unusual and really gives you the sense of the Gaia "family." (Unfortunately, for whatever reason, they did it this time with what we in the industry call the "gas chamber" method, which details I will not go into but should be pretty obvious). The company is bound by privacy laws, and they can't legally talk about anyone that has left; anyone that gives specific details doesn't know what they're talking about (or is being really unethical, I guess) -- it's one of those things you just don't do. Like most industries, the ratio of pretentious blowhards to people that know what they're talking about is about 10 : 1, hah! My big regret is not making it a user meeting, in all the years; I've had such great relationships with so many different people, it's really a pity that I didn't get a chance to meet you guys face-to-face. And I'll miss especially working with the mods -- I didn't have a chance to do it recently, but I'll tell you that sitting in the Gaia #mod channel and reading their conversations is something that should be experienced by everyone at least once. You guys only see the tip of the iceberg for the work that our volunteer mods do -- they do 10x behind the scene, and they do it with a style and a passion and a sense of humor that is amazing. However, you guys have made this place great (well, great any time I wasn't reducing gold payouts), and it was amazing to work someplace where we could push something and get feedback in 5 minutes. You may still see me on occasionally -- I am going to wait for my few MCs to appreciate and then I will spend my golden years commissioning art, because while I have neither the funds nor the family nor the fancy monocle to be a patron of the arts in reality, I can definitely do it on Gaia! But in the now, as I type this: I am sitting across the table from gracewar7 while drinking coffee at Paris Baguette in Palo Alto. I'm trying to block the sweet smell of carbs while we are planning out our new company and a new (educational) iPad app. Long shot? Definitely. Scary? Yeah. Will I be homeless after it fails? Potentially! But, it's something that maybe could take off, and maybe do some good for disadvantaged or disabled children, and doesn't that seem worth a risk? Life is short -- so why not take chances while you can? Why not try to change the world for the better? But, if you're in the Bay Area, and see a homeless person, be extra nice to that homeless person: that homeless person might be me. biggrin

Posted by: Panagrammic Thu Apr 25, 2013 @ 04:42pm

Read my journal!

User Comments: [200] Viewing page 4 of 4 · Goto Page: « 1 2 3 4 [add]

Sieg2
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Commented on: Wed May 01, 2013 @ 11:30am


	you should make a kickstarter for that app!

Commented on: Wed May 01, 2013 @ 04:15pm


	Good luck.

Beemie
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twiterpert
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Commented on: Thu May 02, 2013 @ 09:14pm


	Pan, you always handled even the most outraged of users with a grace not found in most. I wish you the best in all your future endeavors, although, I do hope that those don't include shaking a tin cup on the corner.

Commented on: Fri May 03, 2013 @ 06:27pm


	oh wow...this really sucks! you are one of my favorite people on Gaia thank you for everything..and I hope you won't end up a homeless grr what a lame thing to say I hope your new company succeeds smile ) crying <3

Cursy
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LemonKat
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Commented on: Mon May 06, 2013 @ 04:22pm


	Are you ever going to come back and tell us how you're doing? I miss you.....!

Commented on: Tue May 07, 2013 @ 06:37am


	Just found out about this today, and I'm too upset for words. Gaia won't be the same without you. emo Please let us know when your new ipad app is out. I (and I'm sure many others) would love to buy it.

4hikari
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Ebania
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Commented on: Tue May 07, 2013 @ 11:36pm


	You will be dearly missed, and I wish you all the luck in the world with your future endeavors; an iPad app sounds exciting! That beings said, I wanted to thank you for your extensive work with the Gaia Guild Network. Many of the more recent changes and updates to the GGN have been due to your dedication and hard work, and they are not unappreciated or unnoticed. I hope that the next developer that works with the GGN is as devoted and patient as you.

Commented on: Wed May 08, 2013 @ 01:01am


	The aquarium community will always remember you as "the guy who communicated and listened to us." Godspeed. <3

TaylorGS
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Besmirched
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Commented on: Wed May 08, 2013 @ 06:56pm


	Wow I just heard. I'm sorry to see you go.

Commented on: Thu May 09, 2013 @ 05:45am


	Looking forward to that app smile

fluorescein
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Amlin
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Commented on: Thu May 09, 2013 @ 10:56pm


	Take care of yourself and good luck, wish I gotten to know you better, you seem like a good guy. emotion_dealwithit

Commented on: Fri May 10, 2013 @ 07:23pm


	heart cat_ninja heart I will miss you Pana! You were great to work with, and I'm glad we got some stuff fixed. Good luck in the future. heart cat_pirate heart

FuZzyKittEn
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Dannyxcores
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Commented on: Sat May 11, 2013 @ 08:30am


	You're more than a community member. That should be changed. Good luck.

Commented on: Mon May 13, 2013 @ 12:17am


	Hi Panagrammic, just wanted to say a few things. Don't know if you'll still even read this, but anyway: loved the Heralds of Chaos game, just wish I'd had more free time to play it. if you ever do make an educational app for disabled children or adults, please contact me (if it's translated, even better) cause I work in a rehab center and we're always kind of just looking for those. Thank you for everything!

tinaliaQI
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KandyLime
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Commented on: Thu May 16, 2013 @ 04:39am


	Maybe you'll never read this, but I'll write anyway. I wish you the best, and hope your app is successful. At the same time, I so wish you could be back here on Gaia. You were the voice of Gaia for so long. It wasn't just what you said, but the way you'd say it. You explained things in a way that people would understand and know that you cared that they understood -- that you weren't just feeding us some crap. There aren't many people like you, who truly care and aren't just faking it. So, I miss you, and feel alienated now, like the Gaia I knew has turned into some cold, calculating monster that's just interested in profits.

Commented on: Mon May 27, 2013 @ 09:28pm


	We will miss you tremendously cry the hoc community will never forget you and all the amazing work you did! Best of luck with your new company!

Exploding Tofu
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together we will shine
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Commented on: Thu May 30, 2013 @ 12:51am


	I really hope I hear about any of your future projects. It's so hard for me to believe that you, of all people, have been laid off, though.

Commented on: Mon Jun 10, 2013 @ 05:43pm


	Best wishes for your future.

Lizmay
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o-Seraphine-o
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Commented on: Tue Jun 11, 2013 @ 01:56am


	I wish you well on your future endeavors, Pan. heart We will always miss you, and thank you for every single thing. emotion_hug

Commented on: Sun Jun 16, 2013 @ 06:16pm


	If you ever need a place to stay, let one of us know! I would pay to be in the presence of your wit.

dBEf-GAEc-18E-BBAf
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AlexiaValencia
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Commented on: Tue Jun 25, 2013 @ 11:54pm


	Dammit D: I hope you have lots of success in your life heart you never know what amazing thing can happen next ^-^

Commented on: Tue Jul 02, 2013 @ 08:43am


	OMG...I am utterly ashamed that I have not once ever spoken to you during my experience on Gaia. Your words right there were very humble after what you're going through. I hope this can be a lesson to me to be less bitter over the recent inconsistencies on Gaia and hold on to faith like you have. Hope you are having a successful career and a good life. Come back and visit occasionally, okay? ^^

SoloLaevus
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Myrielle
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Commented on: Sun Jul 14, 2013 @ 01:30am


	/Adds to comment Hope it does become the most commented journal evah!

Commented on: Fri Jul 19, 2013 @ 02:09pm


	Good luck, wherever you go and whatever you do in the future! I have never had the pleasure of interacting with you -- I came in January and don't play HoC or talk to staff or mods (except to ask frantic questions about basic things -- and everybody who's answered has been kind). But two things: people who have mentioned you have always done so with great respect, and also, in these responses, I'm seeing the most sensitive and articulate voices at Gaia -- and that tells me something about who the site was developed for in the first place, and what kind of place it must have been. I believe you get a lot of the credit for that. Good luck with the iPad app. I worked with children for years, as an infant, toddler, and preschool teacher, and later with high school and college students as a writing tutor. (Still tutor, and do some editing, too.) I'm very much aware of what the issues are. If your app can help children and/or adults with learning, more power to you! And I'll buy you a cup of coffee if you ever come down to the north shore of Monterey Bay. biggrin

Great Lakes haze
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HDMI
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Commented on: Sat Jul 20, 2013 @ 07:22pm


	Goodluck with your endeavors. What you're trying to do is a very noble thing. Report A Hacking Report A Scamming Report Abuse/Harassment "Note: All staff on Gaia have colored names and a specific title under their username specifying their role on Gaia. Never give out your password to anyone, the Gaia Admins do not need it."

Commented on: Thu Jul 25, 2013 @ 04:22pm


	Hope you are doing okay out there.

Tansee
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Arcanicus Magicus
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Commented on: Tue Aug 06, 2013 @ 02:25am


	I will make sure to give you a bag of money if i see you on the streets

Commented on: Wed Aug 07, 2013 @ 03:52pm


	Thank you so much for all that you have done over the years in making gaia a wonderful place. It has been very much appreciated. Best of luck on your current and future endeavors! Also, on behalf of reverse modmas (since I run the thing) please do stop by and get free art when we open up the thread around Christmas, or PM me at any point something you would like drawn. : ) That way you can save your gaia currency to commission other artists. ;p

drakokatze
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eeech
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Commented on: Sat Aug 10, 2013 @ 03:36am


	I wish you could be here for Shark Week. I miss you Pan! crying emotion_bigheart emotion_bigheart emotion_bigheart

Commented on: Sun Aug 25, 2013 @ 11:30am


	I sincerely hope to see more information about this educational iPad App! It sounds fantastic and knowing your talent, skills, and passion, it will be something worth exploring even for the folks who aren't the target market. Thank you for all of your hard work. And I'll always be a little nicer to the bomeless folks of the Bay Area. heart

Icysnowgirl
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ZeeCats
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Commented on: Fri Aug 30, 2013 @ 08:03pm


	Hi, Pan, I had another comment here, but you probably never read it. Maybe you no longer care about Gaia anymore and want nothing to do with it, which I don't blame you one bit, but it still hurts. I hate the way Gaia has become; it's so cold and greedy, and there is nobody like you here who actually cares about the users and how we feel. I just log in to see how bad things have gotten because it no longer matters to me if this site shuts down. I don't like what it's turned into. I wish, though, that the nice people who made Gaia special (like you) would at least visit once in a while. Your monthly collectibles are probably worth double or triple the amount they were because of inflation. You know about the inflation? The new greedy managers have destroyed our economy because they cared more about the money they could make selling gold generators than they cared about us or our marketplace. That's how it is now, sadly. It's all about money and very little else. Here's a kitten for you.

Commented on: Fri Sep 20, 2013 @ 06:02pm


	emo i know it's late but at least i can help with your journal entry...i've been speechless about a lot of things happening over the site for a few years now...i will just keep my mouth shut and wish you the best of luck with all you do in life, and never forget your family here because the things you did for us as a community will never be forgotten...thanks pan ~love Star

stargaze_69
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Exhululath
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Commented on: Mon Sep 23, 2013 @ 12:26am


	meh

Commented on: Mon Oct 07, 2013 @ 03:37am


	Hi, umm, You don't know me, and I don't know much about you, and you'll probably never read this, and we'll probably never get to talk, but... I do remember all the hard work you put into this site. I would like to thank you and all the other wonderful devs and artists who used to be here. I hope you and everyone else are very successful in life. You may not ever read this. But seeing how the site has devolved into... this... perhaps it's best you don't log back into to see it. I fear it may break your heart as much as it has broken those of the Gaian community, if not more. We miss you and will always love you, man. heart

Scriptkitten
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Spraying Breastmilk
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Commented on: Fri Oct 18, 2013 @ 06:19am


	Oh my god, Pan. You deserve better. You WILL receive better, because you are a better person than the type of person that does a gas chamber type of firing round. Your new idea WILL take off because it's needed!! I will always be kind to homeless.. i was homeless once, this is a hard time to live in.. but with your resume and your talent and skills, you will always be in demand, but you will never be homeless. Even if you were, I'm sure you'd have friends to stay with while you got a new job. I'd even let you come up here 300 miles north and stay with me and my big family in our tiny apartment! Thank goodness for unemployment, though, right?

Commented on: Fri Oct 25, 2013 @ 04:28pm


	We'll miss you, and more importantly, we will miss the 'GaiaOnline' we used to enjoy :'( Literally crying right now sad GCD & CB's Resident Ninja~ ninja Currently Questing: Teruchan~! Also... everyone on this site is so kind crying y'all brighten my day, you know that? ninja Oh? You noticed? ... P.s. i love you

Lyonel Noale
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Zillee
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Commented on: Sat Nov 02, 2013 @ 08:02pm


	Pan! It's time for you to come back and talk to us about NanoWriMo! Get people here interested in writing novels?

Commented on: Thu Jan 02, 2014 @ 07:09pm


	We all miss you so much Pan! I remember the work you put into this site, and it was really amazing. Thank you for everything you've done for us. emotion_hug

Umioko
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Generous lurker
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Commented on: Wed Jan 15, 2014 @ 05:26am


	emotion_brofist

Commented on: Wed Jan 15, 2014 @ 05:30am


	emotion_brofist First Comment of 2014!

Generous lurker
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anutah
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Commented on: Mon Jan 27, 2014 @ 08:38am


	Did you end up homeless? It would be interesting to know your fate?

Commented on: Fri Jan 31, 2014 @ 05:53am


	We miss you.

Rainy Day Real Estate
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NightshadeV1
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Commented on: Fri May 30, 2014 @ 08:01am


	Here's hoping your app has worked out for the better.

Commented on: Fri May 30, 2014 @ 08:05am


	Since I don't think I was really on when you posted this, I decided to do my part in making this you most commented entry. I hope you are doing well, and I hope the app you mentioned is doing well. Even now, when I talk to people, we still remember you (well I remember you with the blue avatar and the blue phone booth). From the time I was playing, there were a few people who I still remember, and you are one of them (and considering how bad my memory is, you are very memorable). There is one thing I don't really like about meeting people on the internet, is that we are often left wondering what happened to someone after not seeing or hearing from them for a long time. I just hope that everything is still going well for you, and that you are doing great! (this captcha thing is really interesting. The directions tell me to enter both words, but it shows a number... gonk )

WhereWhoMe
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Saffrons_Curse
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Commented on: Sat Aug 16, 2014 @ 11:23am


	I don't remember if I posted when this happened or not, but it was a shock to me to see you go, even if I don't think we talked or anything, I remembered your announcements and staff update posts. Here's wishing you the best and helping you get more comments. UuU <333

Commented on: Sat Jan 31, 2015 @ 09:10am


	We miss you. Hope you're doing well for yourself.

koopabrat
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StarShipAries
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Commented on: Fri Aug 14, 2015 @ 11:11am


	thank you for this article/entry.. Kinship/ But if you are in the GWMVA>Greater Washington DC,Maryland,Virginia Area<ditto your closing remark> emo

Commented on: Sun Aug 23, 2015 @ 02:17am


	Thank You for all that you have brought to Gaia.. Hopefully your new "Plans" for your future prove to be eventful and prosperous. < may the risk be minimal >. be blessed, be safe, be Our Pan forever.. Hope to hear from you // and hope to see you here again. DJ return this month..

StarShipAries
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Startchy
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Commented on: Sat Dec 26, 2020 @ 02:52am


	i hope you're doing okay. emotion_8c

Commented on: Fri Jun 14, 2024 @ 05:20pm


	long gone but not forgotten and still missed heart

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