Another Way to be Part of the Change: Goodbye Zaadzsters!

http://darshan.gaia.com — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:59:02 GMT

Not feeling the love

It's true that I haven't been here in ages. That I have dragged my feet about deleting this blog.

But now that there's a new "brand name" in town, ALL of the Zaadz love is gone.

Perhaps one day we will see the day when groups of people are not identified as markets to be targeted, demographics to pinned down and catered to. I have seen social networking site after social networking site become compromised as they become popular. Standards and pledges that are either shredded or completely forgotten. Many of those places still exist, but how many of them are still worth taking part in?

To me it's a cynical part of our current day and information age, that ways must be found to "market" to people, and make money from them. I realize bills must be paid, employees must be paid, but when will the creativity that once fueled Zaadz, extend to developing to methods of deriving income that don't feel as if you are nothing more than a consumer?

At one point Zaadz felt like something different. Gaia feels exceptionally similar. Gaia feels like Facebook, MySpace, LiveJournal, only more targeted. . . Which is MOST alarming.

So as a Zaadz Ambassador, the change I am choosing to be a part of is not only exodus, but I will choose to talk about what a great idea Zaadz was. I'll wear my t-shirt and tell folks about the great idea that Zaadz was. And when people ask me what happened, I'll simply say "what usually happens".

To my friends, many of you still know how to find me. To those that don't, you can contact me at: new(dot)era(dot)artist [at] gmail(dot)com.

This blog will be gone by next week. Here's to the idea that was.

Namaste,

Darshan

POSTSCRIPT: This issue for me goes WELL BEYOND a ToU issue. The fact that the issue has come up, in the way that it has is un-surprising to me. But what remains most unsettling to me is how so-called "enlightenment" has become a tradable commodity. Why, if you know where to look, you can get your own credit card with the word enlightenment, and a pretty aum symbol on it.

What a joke. Unfortunately, it's a joke with a sad punch line.

--D.

Tags: zaadz, goodbye, exodus, zaadzsters, marketing, demographic, target, ToU

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Another Way to be Part of the Change: Goodbye Zaadzsters!