Hello Whyville and welcome to "The Panel".
This new and exciting series is a simple concept of voicing YOUR opinions about things occurring throughout the world or within our humble home of Whyville.
This particular article will focus on one of the most controversial subjects on Whyville. The focus is indeed the much anticipated Whyville Pearls. Pearls as we know it, is a combination between Whypasses and Clams-for-cash. Though Pearls haven't been the most delightful of subjects. So we will get opinions and facts from the creators and the consumers of Whyville, all their thoughts and opinions are totally edit free.
Firstly, I would like to introduce our permanent panel who are some of the most influential citizens of Whyville. Our main panellists are: Holiday50, ooooopppp, Peachadee, Wicked777 and Rex13. Also we have special guests who will give their opinion on the situation.
Earlier this week I caught up with all of our contributors and asked them a few questions and these are their responses.
Jank03: What's your take on Pearls?
Peachadee: They are a reasonable compromise. I would prefer a WhyPass, but if this is what Whyville needs to do, I will support it.
Holiday50: I dislike pearls because I think it is a scam.
Ooooopppp: Ooooopppp likes the idea, they seem neat, but they should not have gotten rid of the WhyPasses. The earls could have been a big thing for Whyville but getting rid of Why-Passes and not getting earls more of it's own perks was a bad move.
Wicked777: I think that the pearls system is telling people that if you have money, you can get farther in life. Whyville is supposed to teach kids how to work for the things they buy, and pearls are making it so that someone can be a billionaire on Whyville without ever actually playing the games. I know that the site needs funding, but there are better ways to get it.
Rex13: I think Pearls are okay in some ways and in other ways they are not.
Jank03: Pearls seem to be nothing but trouble in Whyville right now? But do you think it will blow off?
Peachadee: I blame it on teenage rebellion. They will get over it.
Holiday50: After a few months, I think some Whyvillians will calm down. But the hatred and anger towards pearls will never fully blow off.
Ooooopppp: Not until they bring back the WhyPasses, give you much better deals on pearls, or just when Whyville shuts down from not making any money off of the pearls.
Wicked777: Looking at all the drama over the new layout, I know that some people are going to quit the site, and I'll be sad to see them go. Most people probably are going to keep coming on, but they still won't like pearls. If pearls were the end of Whyville's makeover I wouldn't be worried, but this looks like a pattern starting to form.
Rex13: It might blow off . . . you can never be certain.
Jank03: What's your opinion on buying pearls while the US is in recession?
Peachadee: It's ok with me. The recession hasn't affected me
Holiday50: I think it's a terrible idea. Most parents and older Whyvillians will dislike the idea of paying money every 90 days for a virtual perk. They would rather put their money to good use in the real world.
Ooooopppp: It wasn't a very smart move to replace the WhyPass with Pearls. WhyPasses don't seem to be as costly. And most of the people in the US are watching their money carefully and might not want to keep spending money on virtual pearls just to keep virtual face parts for their kids on a website.
Wicked777: I'd say there are way better things to do with money. People in the world are losing jobs, being evicted, and starving. To spend money on pearls at this point doesn't seem like the wisest thing to do.
Rex13: Whyville needs to remember that not everyone on this site is wealthy. I think buying Pearls is fine. I think Whyville should have the prices down some because of the recession. This would help a lot of the citizens of Whyville to stay on.
Jank03: WhyPasses verse Pearls? Which is the better?
Peachadee: They each have their perks. overall, I would have to say I prefer a WhyPass.
Holiday50: WhyPasses are obviously better. Though pearls have the same perks of Whypasses, Whyvillians will constantly have to buy pearls to experience these perks.
Ooooopppp: WhyPasses, because they did everything pearls do, except for the virtual pets perk. And in the cases of some people that ooooopppp knows, buying a 5 dollar WhyPass beats buying 25 dollars to 40 dollars worth of pearls just to renew face parts every 90 days.
Wicked777: I can't be sure yet, because I don't know what these "Whypets" are going to be like. I would guess WhyPasses because they seem simpler, but I don't know enough to be sure.
Rex13: WhyPasses are better.
Jank03: It's time to voice YOUR ideas to the City Workers directly through this article, what do you have to say?
Peachadee: Thank-you for creating a new way to have perks in Whyville. The kids don't say it much, but they really do appreciate your effort to make Whyville a better place.
Holiday50: I don't see why you can't sell both WhyPasses and pearls. Pearls could be the "starter" perk leading up to WhyPasses.
Ooooopppp: All ooooopppp can say is what ooooopppp thinks they should have done. And what ooooopppp thinks they should have done was keep the WhyPasses for what they used to do, bring in the pearls with a cheaper price than a WhyPass, and give the pearls their own perks. Virtual pets is one big thing, then think of some new perks you would get with pearls but could not get with a WhyPass.
Wicked777: I think the CWs should try to help the economy (instead of asking for our money) by making a new game for Whyville - something that involves smart spending and saving money. It would be sort of a cross between Bankinter and the cafeteria games. As for the pearls, I'd like to hear a straight answer about what's so great about them.
Rex13: Whyville should have both whyPasses and pearls. I like the whyPasses better because it makes me feel more confident with my parts. Renewing parts for 90 days doesn't make me feel as good as 10 months.
Jank03: Are the prices for pearls too expensive or not enough? What's your take on the situation?
Peachadee: It's a reasonable price. I think the price for a ffv is completely ridiculous. I will definitely go to the trading post for any ffv purchases.
Holiday50: Pearls are too expensive and $5 for 500 pearls is unfair, especially compared to WhyPasses. For example; one-month WhyPasses were $5 and allowed you to renew face parts for free. With pearls, it costs 500 pearls to renew face parts to 89 days. After 89 days (approximately three months) you will need to buy 500 pearls again to renew your face parts. You may say that after three months, Whyvillians would have had to buy another one-month WhyPass. The difference is that Whyvillians will have to frequently buy pearls to fully enjoy the perks of pearls.
Ooooopppp: Too expensive, bring the prices down or bring the amount of pearls you get up by a lot. The economy is getting bad, money is getting tough to keep these days, and ooooopppp cannot afford to buy so many Pearls, ooooopppp must continue to save up for his underground mansion.
Wicked777: I don't think it makes a difference how much pearls cost. The people who can afford to buy them will, even if the price changes.
Rex13: I think pearls are to expensive, and I thought WhyPasses were to expensive. If Whyville was to bring WhyPasses and pearls to Whyville, then I think it should be lowered. The prices shouldn't be lowered that dramatically because then Whyville wouldn't have any income. The prices should be lowered just enough so that they make enough profit to keep Whyville going.
Jank03: What's your advice to people seeking to purchase pearls?
Peachadee: Ask your parents before you use their credit cards!
Holiday50: Buy more pearls than you really need because you never know when you may need them. For instance, if you are short on clams and a rare face part is in stock, you can use your pearls. Or, in the situation that your face parts are expiring soon and you forgot to renew them early, your pearls would come in handy. Have "Backup Pearls".
Ooooopppp:v No comment.
Wicked777: Be careful with how you're spending money. Don't contribute to something unless you're absolutely sure it's a cause that will really help.
Rex13: My advice to people buying pearls is that they should buy them if you have the money. This is only a site. If its the only money you have, then don't spend it.
Jank03: Will you be buying pearls?
Peachadee: I already have.
Holiday50: No.
Ooooopppp: Nah, most likely not. They will never fill the void left in ooooopppp's virtual heart that only a WhyPass could fill, yo.
Wicked777: Nope. I'm proud to say that everything I've gotten on Whyville - my face parts, my store, my house - was earned without any WhyPasses or pearls.
Rex13: I might buy pearls. I'm not certain if I will though.
Jank03: Any last thoughts?
Peachadee: Citizens need to stop complaining and catch up to the times. Pearls aren't going anywhere, learn to cope.
Holiday50: I honestly think that pearls is a good idea that was executed poorly. There are positives to pearls and in a way; pearls do not have the negatives of WhyPasses. One of the most important pros of pearls is that they do not expire! It's too bad that pearls don't have anymore significant pros.
Ooooopppp: Just that lately, Whyville reminds ooooopppp of a Disney website, like Club Penguin.
Wicked777: Whyville started out as just an idea, and then it grew into what a lot of websites will never be. It's fun, it's creative, and it's educational. I don't want to see this place turned into a giant infomercial.
Rex13: No last thoughts.
I would like to extend many thanks to our panelists for their much appreciated opinions and comments on this week's topic. In response to their view, I went straight to the source of Whyville Pearls. I was fortunate enough to catch up with two City Workers; Akbar and Lopan.
Jank03: Do you think that pearls are a fantastic idea in relation to Whyville?
Lopan: Yes, pearls was an update to our old system of purchasing things in Whyville, further streamlining the process so that in the future when other premium perks are offered in Whyville, purchasing them will be a more simple process. We've tweaked it to include some features that users have been asking for as well as put more control as to how you spend your money in Whyville (think of it as an exercise in responsibility). And no, we can't give you everything for free. Otherwise we'd go *poof* one day and I don't want that . . . do you?
Akbar: I do think Pearls are a great idea for Whyville. Pearls will help us streamline the WhyPass and clams-for-cash into one monetary system. Also, earning, saving, and managing virtual money in Whyville is a great learning experience for Whyville citizens. Some new benefits of the pearls system are: renewal of face parts, purchase of Face Factory Vouchers and Whypets!
Jank03: What would be your advice to anyone out their that are not sure about pearls of yet?
Lopan: Pearls are basically WhyPasses, with a few tweaks. Most users that aren't going to buy pearls, probably wouldn't have bought WhyPasses anyway. Ultimately, don't knock it till you try it!
Akbar: Revenue from pearls will help Whyville continue to grow as the safest and most FUN virtual space on the Internet. We really appreciate your help!
Thank-you very much to Lopan and Akbar for sharing their exclusive opinions on the matter!
I have developed a new system for anyone of you to voice YOUR opinion through a segment called "On Your Box"
ON YOUR BOX
This segment is where YOU can send YOUR opinion in, on the upcoming issues, topics or just a general rant or rave about anything that's hot on your mind. If you would like to voice your opinion and hopefully appear in the next issue please send your comments to the account OnYourBox.
Author's Note: Any OnYourBox comments sent to my main account Jank03 will be deleted so please send them to the above account (OnYourBox).
Next week's issue is: The U.S Election
This week we have one OnYourBox contributor to voice her opinion on pearls.
Monet1616: I find Pearls incredibly ridiculous, pointless, and unfair to Whyvillians like myself who can't afford them. Pearls are completely useless, and we were learning how to manage our assets with clams just fine.
Thank-you for reading this weeks issue of "The Panel". So what's my take on the issue? Well pearls are a great resource to Whyville and I will continue to buy pearls. Though I would rather a Whypass, but anything that supports Whyville is something I appreciate.
That's this weeks rap up from The Panel
Until next week, farewell.
-Jank03
