Gaia Online: Better Teen Hangout than the Mall?

Online social networks and interaction tools of all kinds have been growing in popularity for a while now (Read: Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.). One interesting "online hangout" that has been gaining ground lately is Gaia Online. Consisting of social networking, forums, news, events, gaming, and much more, it is an extremely diverse place to interact with people having tons of different interests.

According to Gaia:

Founded in 2003, Gaia Online is the leading online hangout on the web. More than seven million visitors come to Gaia every month to make friends, play games, watch movies in Gaia Cinemas, Gaia's virtual theaters, 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 to discussion forums on poetry, politics, celebrities and more, to fully customizable profiles, digital characters and cars, Gaia is a place where teens can create their own space and express their individual style.

The site also claims to have over 100,000 transactions taking place in the "Gaia economy" each day.

Sounds interesting to you? Head over to Gaia Online for more information and see what you think. The site seems to be mostly geared toward teens, but then again Facebook was only for college students at first ...