I am the type of Whyvillian who looks forward to every new issue of the Whyville Times. The Times has weekly columns and new articles by Guest Writers. One article that is in almost every issue is the WITS (Whyvillain in the Spotlight.) For those of you that don't know, the WITS can be written by anyone who wants to acknowledge another Whyvillian. I am not writing a WITS today, but I am going to discover why people write the WITS.
I myself have written a WITS because I thought it would be a nice way to acknowledge someone who has done something to improve Whyville. That was about three months ago, but looking back I realize that I wrote the WITS just to write an article for the Times. I added reasons why I thought they stood out from other people. When I was reading my article again recently, I also realized that these weren't real reasons to write a WITS.
I don't mean to offend anyone but being a Y-mail Helper, a popular face part maker, writing a lot of articles for the Times or even giving out clams aren't real reasons to nominate someone for the WITS. Think about it. There are over 20 Y-mail Helpers and at least 20 really good face part makers. Anyone can become a columnist or write articles, it's just a matter of effort and time.
People often argue in the BBS about why the person who was awarded the WITS shouldn't have deserved it. It's always the same people saying he same things so I went out to find a different person's perspective and I felt that the responses I got were very informative so I decided to share them with you. I asked some of the people who are very familiar with the Times various questions via y-mail.
The first person to reply was a Whyville Columnist and also a large part in Ushersg's Soap Opera shows. Please welcome Rochrox (Rochelina!).
Baxierox: Have you ever written a WITS?
Rochrox: Yes, just one.
Baxierox: Why did you write about someone in the WITS?
Rochrox: I wrote a WITS article because I wanted everyone to know who Letterox was. She's the one who got me started in Whyville after all. :]
Baxierox: What do you think is the main problem with WITS?
Rochrox: Repetitiveness would be number one I think. All anyone talks about is salary, if they're a Y-mail Helper, how many scions they have, or that they're an amazing friend. Nothing is really exciting, or outstanding.
Baxierox: Have you ever been elected for the WITS? If yes how did you feel?
Rochrox: Yes, I have, twice xD. I thought it was fun hearing people talk about me ;P.
Baxierox: What advice could you give other people who want to write a WITS?
Rochrox: Be original, and choose people that have done something outstanding, and deserve recognition. Just because Sally051 is a nice person, doesn't mean she built the Greek Theatre in a day.
Next up is a person who has written many articles on various topics. She enjoys writing articles on food and staying healthy. Please welcome, Holiday50.
Baxierox: Have you ever written a WITS?
Holiday50: No, but I think other people write WITS articles to nominate a Whyvillian that stands out to them. They want to recognize someone that's special.
Baxierox: What do you think is the main problem with WITS?
Holiday50: Mostly, people nominate their friends. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but the articles are flaky. This is Whyvillian in the Spotlight, not Friend in the Spotlight. Also, people get nominated for the same reasons; they're nice, helpful, friendly, etc. Most Whyvillians are this way, but they're not all WITS. A WITS article is supposed to make someone stand out from everyone else, but all the WITS articles are alike.
Baxierox: Have you ever been elected for the WITS? If yes how did you feel?
Holiday50: Yes, I've been elected twice. I felt proud of myself because I inspired someone to write a WITS article about me. It's a great feeling to be recognized for making Whyville special.
Baxierox: What advice could you give other people who want to write a WITS?
Holiday50: I would say to pick someone that hasn't been nominated before. They don't have to be a Y-mail Helper, Senator, designer, etc. There's so many other amazing Whyvillians. Also, don't just write "they're my friend" or "they're nice." Be original. Someone amazing enough to be nominates for WITS, deserves an equally amazing article.
Our next interviewee is one of the newest columnists, xo7joa7ox.
Baxierox: Have you ever written a WITS?
xo7joa7ox: Yes, I wrote a WITS for Rochrox a while back, but that's the only one.
Baxierox: Why did you write about someone in the WITS?
xo7joa7ox: I wrote a WITS becuase I felt she deserved it. She has written a lot of articles in the Times, and has made a lot of contributions to people inside and outside of Whyville. I thought she should be recognized for that.
Baxierox: What do you think is the main problem with the WITS?
xo7joa7ox: I think the main problem is that a lot of amateur writers are writing about people they don't even know, or people who don't deserve it. People who haven't even contributed to Whyville are being nominated for no apparent reason. And no offence, the writing in most of the WITS is not very good. I think people do it just to get in the Times.
Baxierox: What advice could you give other people who want to write a WITS?
xo7joa7ox: I'm going to say what I've said for many months in the BBS. Take your time and pick someone worth writing about. Get some good, solid reasons behind it. Not just "she has a high salary and 6 scions," maybe add some facts about why she/he is so special. I mean, anyone can raise their salary, buy some scions, or write an article. What makes your candidate so special? Quite a coincidence don't you think? Almost everybody said the same thing I did. Everybody is trying to say that you need to pick someone special who did something nobody else has done. If you want to write a WITS, don't write it because you think it is cool to write for the Times, do it because you feel the person you're nominating truly deserves it.
I hope you found this article informative in some way. Maybe it will change your opinion on the WITS or maybe you still have the same opinion. Anyway, I hope that anyone who wants to write a WITS takes into consideration everybody's opinion. Thanks for tuning in.
-Baxierox-
