One day as I scrolled down the petitions I noticed something. Actually I have noticed this and it's been a problem for a while. The petitions are garbage. Okay, not all, but only a few are good. This wonderful idea has been misused and abused. The mass amounts of bad petitions make it a hassle to find a petition you want to sign. The problems with most of the petitions are:
1. Whyville could never do that even if they wanted.
2. They are completely ignorant, such as 100,000,000 clams everyday.
3. They have nothing to do with Whyville
I have completely stopped reading petitions because there are mass amounts of them and most I have no interest in. Now the point of this is article is not to tell the many errors of the poll booth, but some investigation. I know there are several articles about the problems with the petitions dating back as far as 2004. The point of this article is to get the citizens' opinions about this matter, and many agree with me. I have my opinion, now what about yours? I interviewed seven people about the petitions.
Cath226: Do you read the petitions?
peachey24: Sometimes when I am bored.
ChEkErEd: Sometimes.
ilkelvin: Yes.
Sporty138: Every once in a while I will read them. Like if a friend tells me to read theirs I will, And I sometimes sign them if I like their ideas. But mostly I don't read them because some of the ideas are just terrible and would make Whyville worse.
UnclGhost: I read them occasionally, but rarely vote.
CiaoBella: No, not anymore, they're very ridiculous far-fetched ideas.
Pepercat3: I read the petitions.
Cath226: What's your opinion on them?
peachey24: Some might work in Whyville, but some are ridiculous.
ChEkErEd: Some are stupid (like when Newbies talk about boyfriends and girlfriends) and some make sense.
ilkelvin: They show what people think, but some are just silly. Example: Free Clams
Sporty138: I think that it's a good idea. But I also think that Whyville doesn't use all the ideas either. A lot of people make petitions to be allowed to make long shirts again but they never ever consider it.
UnclGhost: I like the idea of a platform where users can share their ideas, but it's too flawed to make a difference. There are so many petitions that say things like, "99999999k clams and a scoin for all new users!" or "i dont want anymore newbs 2 b able 2 join whyvile," or "MILEY CYRUS COMES TO WHYVILLE now that u red this vote 4 me" that it's hard to find any good ones -- or to even want to bother.
CiaoBella: I think petitions are a waste of server space. Even if they get over 1,000 votes, City Workers do not consider them, they're never brought into action.
Pepercat3: I think that the petitions are a great way for the people who work on Whyville to know our concerns.
Cath226: Do you think at the current time they help improve Whyville?
peachey24: Sometimes, but I don't know if Whyville even listens to them.
ChEkErEd: No.
ilkelvin: Not really much.
Sporty138: Some of the ideas are actually good ones but then some are just plain pointless like "free day". Sure it would be cool but then you wouldn't have to work for anything and it would be boring and a lot of people would probably quit.
UnclGhost: No. Rarely has a petition that made it to the official city poll level been a good idea.
Pepercat3: I think that most of the current petitions do improve Whyville. But a lot of them, like the ones begging for free clams on various occasions, aren't worth reading.
Cath226: Do you make petitions?
peachey24: Sometimes if I have a good idea.
ChEkErEd: No.
ilkelvin: Ya, once in a while.
Sporty138: Nope, I don't ever make them.
UnclGhost: One time I made one to put a bank on Whyville . . . but that was a long time ago.
CiaoBella: Nope. I find it senseless.
Pepercat3: I don't really make many petitions because whenever I have an idea for improving Whyville, I usually find that there is already a petition for it.
Cath226: What kinds of petitions would you be interested in?
peachey24: Whyphones and salary games.
ChEkErEd: Ones where you can do more stuff on Whyville, make earning clams easier, and where you find free clams on the ground.
ilkelvin: Ones that make Whyville more fun, easier, and help people.
Sporty138: I like ones that have a catchy title and that have a good suggestion. Rather than like "Raining Clams" which doesn't make any sense.
UnclGhost: Petitions that offer good, meaningful additions to the way the site works.
CiaoBella: In the event of petitions actually being considered by City Workers, I'd like to see more realistic ideas and not "WE SHOULD MAKE 1000000 CLAMS A DAY!" petitions, they're just ridiculous, senseless, and too far fetched. I'd like to see ideas that would improve Whyville and make it more fun for users.
Pepercat3: I'm interested in all kinds of petitions. I don't bother reading the ones that are titled "I'M HANNAH MONTANA SO READ THIS PLZZZZZ". I like the petitions that are written well and the ones that I think will make Whyville an easier and better website.
Whyvillians have been writing about this subject for a long time. To find out how to make a proper petition look up: "How To Make A Good Petition" by ps2man1 (Article ID 5405). Some other excellent articles are 5657, 5998, and 7651.
Citizens, you have a huge part to do with the poll booth, but you aren't the only ones. Who decides to use the ideas or not? City Workers. They do a lot; in fact they do everything on Whyville. City Workers have so much to do, so is the Poll Booth really helping them? Yes, it gives them some insight into what the citizens think, but is it too much work? (Not to mention it takes up server space and citizens are trashing it up with useless petitions.) What do you think? What is the solution? Post in the BBS.
-cath226 (Cathy)
