KewlChik8 here, and I interviewed the one and only Bigfoot Bill. He kindly
responded on some of the questions I???ve been hearing around a lot. I hope
this helps you Whyvillians out there on upcoming news on Whyville.
KewlChick8: Hi Bigfoot! I have some questions for the Times.
Bigfoot (BF): Sure!
Me: What is the next thing you and your staff are looking into game related?
BF: Do you mean City Hall's plans? From what we've heard, there's talk about a nutrition game, similar to the Why-Pox in that it'll affect your health in Whyville! That's a big, big project, bigger than the GeoDig even.
Me: Where did you get the idea for GeoDig, we are all enjoying it?
BF: That's great! The GeoDig comes out of our work with a company called Neo/SCI. They make all sorts of fantastic hands-on kits for schools and teachers. We're hoping to help them expand into individual kits and online activities, and the GeoDig is our first adventure into that.
Me: Are you looking into any new chats?
BF: There are no plans for that at this time, although the improvements to Myville that may happen soon (depending on if we have the money for it) should help in that direction.
Me: Name some specifics of exactly what you do for your job to help and improve Whyville?
BF: Me, I'm sort of a catch-all guy. I do a lot to help the Times Editor, now that we're publishing a paper that's THREE TIMES larger than it used to be. I also do some content writing, like the descriptions of the rocks in the GeoDig. And much much more... Whyville can only afford a small staff of City Workers, so we all have to do as much as we can.
Me: What are your thoughts on this whole newbie/oldbie argument. (Do newbies have the right to beg)
BF: That's a tough one, because I truly understand both sides. Personally, I have always told those who ask me for clams, etc that I'd rather help them learn how to get a salary of their own rather than give them free clams that will go away. It's one of the things you can easily do in Whyville that you can't in real life -- help the needy raise their income in a matter of minutes!
Keep in mind, this is my personal opinion, not City Hall's.
Me: How do you think it could be settled (I think we are all sick of the fights)?
BF: I don't know, to be honest. If any changes are to be made, I think it must come from the citizens who truly know Whyville. Veterans, "oldbies", whatever you call them, they're the ones who are here day in and day out. Once you become one, you remain one. You establish what Whyville is like, more than anyone else -- so if a new citizen comes up to you and needs a friend or clams, give them advice. If they come up looking for a fight, ignore them and use the safety tools to deal with them. You're in charge of what you do, how you look, and what other people think of Whyville.
Me: Are you looking into sponsors and advertisements?
BF: *Always*!! We've been looking into them since we started Club Why a year ago, actually. With the change in the economy, though, it's not been as easy as you'd expect. There's *so* many people you have to convince before a company will release advertising money on a ".com" these days...
Me: What happens to the petitions getting voted on... Does Whyville consider them? Because I think they are good ideas.
BF: We do consider them, but oftentimes they're something we simply can't do -- for example, allowing chat in the Waiting Room would eliminate the point to the room and would inevitably crash all our servers. Other things take so much more work than we can do right now, because we can't afford to hire more workers just yet.
Me: What is new with Whypox? Are they on the verge of being solved, or is everyone clueless? When will that information come out?
BF: I've been out of town lately, actually, so I don't know what's up with the Pox. I'm going to a staff meeting this week, we might find out more then.
Me: Could we ever have a prom again like the Whyville Prom of 2000. It was very fun, and a lot of Whyvillians want it back.
BF: We're considering it. As City Hall asked a while back, which would you rather have, more plots or more parties? If it's plots, we're a few weeks away from that. If it's parties, you won't see new plots for a while.
Me: I love Whyville, we all do! It's the best site ever! Thanks.
BF: No, thank you! It's citizens who stick with us, who love Whyville and understand all the joys and sorrows we've shared that have made Whyville what it is today. I really mean that.
Kewlchik8 again, I hope I didn't bore you with my interview. Personally, I
thought it was helpful!
There ya have it, Whypox, new games, GeoDig, new
chats, parties or plots, advertising Whyville, newbie/oldbie advice from an
adult, and a thank you all wrapped into one!
Be crazy, have fun, and be yourselves!
LaTa Whyvillians! And me, KewlChik8, I'm outta here. Bye bye... until
next time.
