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Yes, I know Cobd already wrote an article about the new Whyville tour guide program. Yes, I also know he interviewed people. So now you may be wondering, if Cobd already wrote an article about that then why is Baxierox? Simple, I decided to try and get the inside scoop form a City Worker. The only way I knew how to do this was by interviewing one. So I interviewed Lovedyed. Lovedyed has been known by Whyvillians since 2006. She doesn't have a large salary nor is she a Y-mail Helper. But by being a City Worker she does enough for Whyville by helping create and upgrade it. Anyways, now on to the interview.
Baxierox: Why were the guides created?
Lovedyed: To make it easier for new users to feel welcomed. Too many Whyville veterans are being mean to new users. We wanted to find a way that new users could be welcomed and meet people who are friendly towards Newbies.
Baxierox: Isn't the guide program a lot like y-mail helpers except the qualifications are easier to get by?
Lovedyed: No, I don't think so at all. The y-mail helpers have to know a lot more about Whyville because they really answer a lot of questions and deal with problems and help with hints and tips for the games. The tour guides give an intro to Whyville and a tour around the place.
Baxierox: With the large amounts of people being guides, don't you think there will be too many guides compared to newcomers?
Lovedyed: No. We have a lot of newcomers!
Baxierox: What are some problems that may occur with this new service?
Lovedyed: One problem I have noticed, when I was testing this after it launched is that some tour guides are too pushy about adding people to the tours. You are supposed to ask and then wait for a response. I kept getting signed up for tours without my permission. And as soon as I entered the room. Very annoying. And very overwhelming for a Newbie. They enter a room and are whisked away to another room as a tour starts before they even know what is happening. There have been some complaints from tour guides about Newbies leaving the tour, early, but I think that really isn't a problem. You have to remember that as veterans, you are the ones that need to have the patience and understanding. Since a lot of the Newbies cannot chat freely yet, they may not be able to explain why they are leaving the tour. They may have even left because they didn't want to go on the tour, but were added too quickly - like I was saying before.
Lovedyed has helped me in the discovery of the Tour Guides. Even though she didn't know an answer to all of my questions, she tried her best to answer them. So now you know the answers from a City Worker's point of view. But you don't know it from a citizen's point of view. I was low on time with this article so I chose to interview my sister, Letterox, so I knew I would have a quick response.
Baxierox: Why do you think the guides were created?
Letterox: I think the guides were created so that newcomers in Whyville can be more comfortable. They can understand and learn about everything that Whyville has to offer and they won't get lost.
Baxierox: Don't you think the guide program is a lot like y-mail helpers except the qualifications are easier to get by?
Letterox: Yes, I think they are very similar. But I know from experience, being a y-mail helper myself, that we get questions from everybody, not just the newcomers. Also, the questions y-mail helpers get asked are typically things like, "How can I earn clams fast?" while the tour guides just help people learn about all the different rooms and activities.
Baxierox: With the large amounts of people being guides, don't you think there will be too many guides compared to newcomers?
Letterox: Yes. I think the qualifications should have been made a little more difficult, because although there are a lot of newcomers, with the amount of tour guides we have, the ratio is too high. Often the newcomer accounts are just experienced Whyvillians creating extra accounts, for various reasons.
Baxierox: What are some problems that you think may occur with this new service?
Letterox: One of the biggest problems I have noticed is when you get invited on a tour, unwillingly. Also, as a newcomer taking a tour, you only have limited word/phrase choices. This can be frustrating because you can't ask questions you may have, or express the way you feel about something.
Regarding the comments made by the interviewees, they have contrasting opinions. This is actually a good thing because you can think about both points of view. Personally, I think there are way too many guides. To mention a different reason of creation, it might have been created to allow Whyvillians with lower salaries or not long members to be able to contribute to Whyville in some way. Happy Touring!
-Baxierox-
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