I recently read that Deriko won the Good Citizen award (congrats to you!). I read the article detailing why he won the award, and I felt the explanation about what others can do to work towards the prize was a little on the skimpy side.
I read that small paragraph at the end that talked about what the Whyville Way really is -- it was pretty clear to me, but then I saw comments in the BBS asking, "What about the rest of us?"
The Times Editor said that the Whyville Way is, in short, "Respecting Whyville's rules; helping others, eagerness to explore, learn, communicate, create; protecting Whyville's safety."
So what does that mean?
Respecting Whyville's rules:
Basically it means to be on your best behavior. No cursing, no R- or X-rated language, no asking for passwords,
no asking for personal information, and things like that. Think of it as if you were a parent and your young
child was on Whyville. What things would you not want to see? What would you *want* to see?
Helping Others:
Here's something that we all like to see! This doesn't mean that when people ask for clams or face parts
that you must give it to them. You can, but it's more "Whyville" to try helping them with games that they don't
understand. You can also donate unused face parts to Grandma's and give advice about face part design and so on.
Just help out anyway you can.
Eagerness to explore, learn, communicate, create:
This isn't as hard as it may sound. Try and go to as many Whyville events as possible. Activities like Trivia
Night (Fridays in the Greek Theater), Media Hour (moved to Tuesdays in the Theater) and Meet the Creators (on the
3rd of the month in Club Why) are great places to show enthusiasm for Whyville. Also, try and start up an event
like Deriko did. It doesn't have to be a giant checkers tournament, but something small that could help bring the
Whyville community closer together. Talk to City Workers, Y-Mail Helpers and Senators to show how much you really
care about our little online community. Share your ideas, listen to those of others, and build from there!
Protecting Whyville's safety:
Show your concern and caring for the safety of others, especially the younger members of Whyville. If you
see someone being teased, stand up for them. Enforce the rules. If someone is cursing or otherwise behaving badly
(even if it is your friend), you need to report it. Remember: Safety never takes a vacation!
I hope this article helped you understand what being a good citizen of Whyville is all about!
*click, click*
ABbayb290
Editor's Note: Now that we're talking about it, what do *you* think the Whyville Way is all about?
ABbayb290 details my thoughts quite effectively, but do you think they describe the Way exactly? Another part of
it is questioning your ideas, even if in the end you decide you were right the first time around! :-) We'd love
to hear more from you all about what the Whyville Way means! Discuss amongst yourselves in chat and in the BBS,
and email the Times, too....
