As everyone by now has heard, we can now purchase clams with real money! But is this a good idea? I interviewed a few citizens to find out what others thought.

First, I interviewed bllyjo, who has been a member of Whyville since October 19, 2005. Here's what he had to say!

MysticP: Do you think this is a good idea?
bllyjo: Not really, although it does make money for Whyville.

MysticP: Do you think this could create inflation in Whyville?
bllyjo: No, because you can only charge as much as you make, this will probably not effect that.

MysticP: Would you ever like to purchase clams with real money?
bllyjo: Maybe, I really don't know. It depends on how desperate I am. :)

MysticP: How do you think this will affect Whyvillians, oldbies and newbies?
bllyjo: It will make more newbies rich, and oldbies with lots of clams a little less appreciated.

MysticP: Do you think Whyville will become even more popular through this?
bllyjo: Not really. It's just another thing they're selling, really.

Next, I interviewed ket6192. She has been a member of Whyville since August 8, 2006. Let's look at what she thought!

MysticP: Do you think this is a good idea?
ket6192: It's a little different than I expected, but if Whyvillians want to use real money to buy them, then keep the option open.

MysticP: How do you think this might effect prejudice in Whyville?
ket6192: I think there is already enough prejudice in Whyville to begin with, but buying clams with real money I think different races might be included with everyone because of having a lot of clams.

MysticP: Would you ever like to purchase clams with real money?
ket6192: I would if there was an easier way to buy them instead of buying them online. I don't like buying things online.

MysticP: Do you think people will have accounts longer being able to purchase clams?
ket6192: Yes, people would probably keep their accounts and don't have to worry about going broke.

MysticP: Do you think Whyville will become even more popular through this?
ket6192: It depends, I found out from Whyville from a friend so I think it will not become popular in that method, but nonetheless this site will become more popular due to friends telling friends about it. But I might be wrong!

I think that in reality this is not helping the thought process on Whyville much. Sure, it is getting Whyville more money and all that jazz, but think about it. It is going back to the whole, "I'm rich in real life, so I can buy more clams on Whyville!" thing. People who have a lot of money in real life will tend to buy more of the clams. Poorer people would not have that luxury, therefore, people who are in very bad situations who can come on Whyville and be the richest person will still be poor here in comparison to the others. It depends on how much people will buy. Remember that is completely my opinion.

Then again, the money that Whyville gets can go to more chat rooms, perhaps maybe even purchasing better music for the disco ;). So maybe this could be a good thing? What do you think? The BBS is waiting for you!

Your scientist who wrote an interview for once, MysticP :)