So, after only waiting a total of 5 days, I logged on for my first chat experience on Whyville. Let's just say it wasn't the greatest. The constant shunning of the oldbies got annoying and I was about to give up. But the friend who saved me from quitting in the begining saved me again. "It's just that you look... kinda ugly. Like a newbie, but that's ok. Let me give you a makeover," she told me. The next day, when our teacher gave us some free time, I gave her my password (I've known her for 5 years, so I believe I can trust her) and the following day I went on and looked great. That resulted in my making some friends.

Since then, Whyville has been my favorite site, and I have met many people through it. After thinking all this though, it has made me wonder something: Is Whyville really just a chat place where everyone is obsessed with their looks? Viewing only the above facts makes it seem like it is. Yes, the games and some of the activities/chats have taught me a little bit about science, but I sometimes think, "I thought this was a educational site!" I know the developers are busy with many other things, but would it really be that hard to make a science site (dare I say?) more "sciencey"? Can Whyville overcome this? And do other people feel this way or even care? I hit the chats to find people to interview about this subject.

"Although I have met a lot of new and interesting people through the chat, I have also learned a variety of new things that I wouldn't have learned if it weren't for Whyville," said YyJeSsyY, a Whyvillian familiar to the site. "Some of these things include the warp wagon, which has helped me identify various places.... At the spin lab, I was able to learn and experiment with how objects spin," she said, going on to give more examples. "Whyville has lived up to its reputation as a learning site but also as a site to learn a wider variety of things," she concluded.

Personally, I agree with all of what YyJeSsyY said, but some Whyvillians don't. Shawty72 (formerly qksrboi) said, "Science site... NOT! I really think it's a chat and make a virtual person [site]." Then, when asked whether Whyville should have more educational places/activities, he replied with, "YES REALLY!" while YyJeSsyY said, "I think it would be pretty cool if Whyville did introduce new learning activities, but I think what Whyville has to improve on is making the games a little more enjoyable."

I also interviewed someone a little bit newer to the site, karatehun. She had opinions similar to shawty72. "No, I don't think Whyville needs new or more learning centers/activities because no one will visit them. I mean, no kid wants to pass up chatting for learning," she explained. "All you mainly want to do on this site is chat with friends and people around the world," she later said. But then she ended with a more positive tone (if you can call it that) by saying, "If you want to waste your time on the computer, maybe you should be doing it on Whyville."

So it seems Whyvillians want more science or at least think that it might benefit the site. I hope Whyvillians can show City Hall this, and that City Hall will make an effort to change it. I still think they've done a wonderful job, though, and give them a lot of credit for making one of the greatest sites on the web (in my mind).

One more thought still lingers in my mind: If Whyvillians only came here to chat, why wouldn't they go to other sites that are specifically for young teenagers to talk to other young teenagers? I tried both of those, but something kept bringing me back to Whyville. Could it be the education? I don't think so, but Whyville does have a certain feel, which (maybe) could be enhanced by just a bit more education.

Again, I'm bandgeek7, and that's all for now, folks! (Special thanks to YyJeSsyY, shawty72, and karatehun.)