Hey, Whyvillians, it's GREAT to be back! Most of you
may have known me as Vixen or Trick in the old days.
I'm sorry to say, but I got hacked and this is my new
account. Things are looking great, though!
It was over a year ago that I joined with the
screenname Baby2000, and I cannot believe the changes
I have seen. When I joined, there were about 5,000
people, and the population grew so slowly. I remember
it was several months after I joined that we reached
the 10,000 (that's right, only 10,000!) mark. That
was a huge deal, too!
I remember when all the old parts came out, like
glossy lips by Madeleine. Haha, I remember looking at
them and saying "Hmm, should I buy these? Nah.." and
passing them up! What I wouldn't give to have them
now, let me tell you.
I've seen designers come and go, popularity come and
go, and I remember when hacking was at its highest!
Even when the hacking was bad, I still logged on
Whyville, trying to be grateful that it hadn't
happened to me and trying to be thankful that I could
still get on.
I miss a lot of my old friends, but I'm making new
ones every day. Some of the "oldies" (that cracks me
up) you will hear say, "I miss the good old days." I
completely disagree. Of course, many of the older
Whyvillians miss our old friends and the days where
there were only 10 people at the Pool, and everyone
hung out in the Square; but this is no reason to be
sad. There are tons of new and friendly people on
here I know I can't wait to meet. Whyville is
constantly evolving! Change is for the better, and
this is hard for many of the "oldies" to accept.
As the New Year approaches, I'd like to hand out a
little advice to those who may need it. A few
ideas/rules to follow:
1. Don't beg for clams. I know that it is difficult
when you consider yourself unattractive, but you will
really reap the benefits if you work for your money.
It will give you a great feeling.
2. If you want to strike it rich, DESIGN! The Face
Factory is one of the most exciting tools on Whyville
for me. And at first, you may not be so great (I know
I wasn't at first... eeew!), but (forgive me for the
cliche) practice makes perfect!
3. Don't follow everyone's lead. Don't be afraid to
wear something crazy, you know you would never wear in
real life. That is what Whyville is all about!
EXPERIMENT! Several months ago, I remember putting on
those blonde flips with the dark BGCO lips before
anyone else. Now I come, and I see it everywhere!
You can be a trendsetter, so don't be afraid!
4. You don't "need" a girlfriend or boyfriend.
Sometimes I will see girls or guys being sad because
they are single, but embrace it! I understand you
might feel lonely, but don't be so down on yourself if
you don't have a partner. Currently, I'm living the
single life and loving it! I've only dated 2 guys on
here in a year!
5. DON'T GIVE OUT YOUR EMAIL TO ANYONE. This is just
a terrible, TERRIBLE idea. I had to learn this the
hard way, and I lost my AIM screenname, my Whyville
screennames, and my email. It's not worth it.
Instead, why not just Y-mail through Whyville? It's
also a bit risky sending emails, because many use your
entire name when received.
6. Your idea counts! If you have a fabulous idea,
tell people about it. Get it known. Make a petition.
Then work for it! Back at the peak of the Whyville
worries (you might remember this... "It's shutting
down! Whyville is closing on this date!"),
Googles and I made a letter to all Whyvillians about
Operation Oprah, a collaboration of several ideas for
saving this website. It didn't work out, but we made
our best effort, and I'm very proud of this work, and
City Hall is too.
I've watched the types of people come in from all
over the world. This website is incredible, and I
have learned so much from it. I hope every one of you
is grateful for Whyville, because it is not only a
remarkable feat of technology, bringing people from all
over the world together with a common interest, but it
is educational and fun (but you all knew that, right?).
Be safe, and have a great holiday. I love you guys!
-Vixen68-
