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Jul 8, 2001, 4:59pm

<sarcasm> ..and seeing as how you are the god of all business and have an exact reality of the way AWCom is run, you are of course a
great person to step forward and represent the community.. </sarcasm>

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Jul 7, 2001, 4:42am

I haven't read the NGs for ages.. and after visiting reunion I decided i'de take a look at them once again, and what I see is the
same ranting and raving by it's citizens. I see people running around amongst themselves telling eachother what the company SHOULD
be doing. We are talking about a company who is financially satisfied, and who's goal was to create a medium in which others can
expand upon, using AW we can do an amazing sort of things. Virtually anything is possible with the use of their objects and bots.
As far as I can see their goal has been met. As a citizens, yes, I would like to see what I want happen, but from a business
persons perspective, it's just not practical. As a company, AWCI recieves all sorts of compliments, and complaints. We all want
different things from the company, and to create an equalibrium in which everyone is happy is just not possible. AWCI has thousands
of customers in their original Universe which uses software designed to sell, as a medium, to other corporations which can do with
it what they like. From what I understand of the goals of AWCI, they have been met. Processing the requests of each individual
user is, I'm sure, a tireless effort. To simply include every command every user could want into the software would weight it down
and make it more difficult to use. It would also transform it from a medium, to a more specific sort of program. It's flexibility,
would, I feel, be degraded. It seems to me that the citizens are closed minded to the demands AWCI faces as a company. The task of
perfecting the program, and selling the software to larger corporations, satisfying them, and their customers, as well as AWCI's
own. As far as their community involvement is concerned, I believe they lack the time to devote themselves to the AW community. If
AW as a company haden't stepped in to help the community in the past, I think that they're lack of involvement would have gone
un-noticed. The aw users have been spoiled, and AWCom is paying for it by the complaints they get for their little involvement.
However, they ARE still involved. Less involved, yes, but still involved. The corporation is answering requests for new objects.
At the community town hall meeting with rick knoll, jp, et all, we discused the community. AWCom is creating us new functionality
for the browser, and even many things in which even the most basic user can create worlds with ease. I do not know how much I can
say about their new tools, but I believe AWCom has not only their corporate partners, but their citizens in mind. The new browser
addresses firewall concerns, rendering, even visibility, something of which we have discussed frequently in the past. We talked
about the new object set for AW, and how to incorporate them. We even spoke of the future of these very newsgroups, the website,
and how to satisfy the needs of the citizens. Yes, direct contact with the community has gone down, but involvement has not. If
you would like to see something new, respectfully submit it to the staff. Complaining does nothing but flare tempers and will get
people nowhere. Yell if you like, but believe it or not, the AWCom staff is listening to you, and I believe that the community will
be happy with what they see in the not-so-distant AW Future.

Jul 7, 2001, 5:32am

point well made, and taken as such...


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Jul 8, 2001, 12:24am

all you need is the e-mail address that the cit was registered to..

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Jul 9, 2001, 6:07pm

make sure they realize not to send anyone they're INI file either.. that contains they're password..

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Jul 10, 2001, 7:09am

you've seen these people.. most of them can't even count their toes let alone remember a PW.. knowing them they have everything
using the same pw.. and it be the name of a car or something.. seriously..

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Jul 10, 2001, 7:10am

actually they can.. replace thier ini with the one they stole.. aw will decrypt it.. you won't know the password, but you also won't
need it.. the only way to stop this might be having several different encryptions.. so a person can't just use it, because they're
browser can't decrypt that type.. probably could crack it though.. and might be too much work for what it's worth heh..


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Jul 10, 2001, 7:12am

*applauds*

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Jul 10, 2001, 7:16am

except for that create noise loops, and create sound doesn't (that's why there's two seperate commands) or did i get it the wrong
way around?


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Jul 16, 2001, 5:11pm

mind did untill at&t flew a bitch fit..

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Jul 15, 2001, 10:25pm

myself and others have been talking about this for a while.. just a matter of getting rights from rick, and more information..


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Jul 20, 2001, 7:59pm

...i know how to build.. it's been a while.. but i'm willing to give it another whirl.. just give me a hollar if you'de like some
assistance..

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Jul 17, 2001, 4:35pm

you idiot.. something built this year is NOT historic.. something built this MONTh is NOT historic..


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Jul 20, 2001, 3:09am

there was also a time when they had a low amount of customers, a low amount of requests, and a lot of free time.. people like you
who complain about their lack of community involvement have no sympothy from me.. fullfilling all your requests would slow the
company down, and would not allow them to have enough time for all the work they currently have in progress. People who complain
about this type of thing usually don't understand business or how to run one succesfully. They also do not realize the size and
magnitued of AWC as a company.

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Jul 20, 2001, 3:17am

the fact is that AWCI is too large a company to listen to individual requests.. you don't expect microsoft to listen to your every
imput.. nor do you expect symantec, aol, napster, the govornment for that matter.. what makes this any different? The fact that you
are self rightous and believe your oppinion should dominate their ideals.. and that because they used to be involved, they can still
be.. Things change, the company has grown exponentially in the past years. You need to understand that they are evolving, and you
should be too. The day when the company was small enough that you could be personal with it's owners is over. It is simply too
large and too time consuming for AWC to be intimate with every customer, I doubt they even have the time to be especially close with
large corporate customers either. The size and magnitude of AWC is far beyond what first meets the eye. Because the software seems
like a close-knit type of program, they expect it, they do not understand how much work is involved to run such a fast growing
company. I'll admit that it could be more efficient, and could have more time for the community, but it isn't, and the growing
amount of extreme requests by citizens doesn't help speed it up either. What makes this software company so different then others
that you feel they should pay attention to you. You feel neglected by other companies and are taking it out on AWC. What makes
them any different? What makes it that they MUST give the thousands of citizens their complete devotion, while other, even smaller
companies, don't have to, and it goes unqeustioned. My ISP has a terms of service, on the bottom of it they state that they can
change their TOS at any time without notice or reason. Millions of customers acknowledge this, and yet continue to use the service.
You are net getting full attention of the owner of the company, and are outraged? give me a break!

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Jul 20, 2001, 3:20am

I believe Rick has made it very clear when I met him that the purpose of AW was to be a medium for future purposes. As far as I can
tell, they have succeeded. There are a number of different uses of the software, in AW Universe alone. They will not gear the
software to any perticular target group, because it is not designed for a particular target group, it's designed to be able to be
altered to fit the needs of each of the groups, and as far as i can tell, it can for most. In AW Universe alone, the type of people
who like to chat have their needs fullfilled, the builders can build, the gamers can play games, the goreans can have gor, It seems
like things are going all right to me.

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Jul 20, 2001, 7:42pm

that isn't the point.. it is a company just like all others..
AWCom has 100s of uniserver customers and corporate customers, with more being consulted daily, and you seem to think that they
should spend every waking hour with us. They can't afford to, they have to have larger customers, that is where they make profit,
so that is where they will pay their attention.

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Jul 20, 2001, 7:43pm

how do you know? because they're responding doesn't mean they're not listening..

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Jul 21, 2001, 6:18pm

last i checked (a cpl years ago) there were over 40.. i somehow believe your mis-corrected... not to mention different browsers such
as the juno one and sun weekly, and also the new product they will be releasing with in a year or so....
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Jul 22, 2001, 6:32am

some mall..

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Jul 20, 2001, 3:26am

...i could go for hours about this.. maybe i'm the only one who sees things the way i do.. ppl don't take AW seriously enough.. and i
think that's why they cry when their demands aren't met.. aw is bigger then people realize, aw works harder then people realize.
People don't complain about many companies manipulating them, but when AWC doesn't give each individual client 100% of their
attention, they scream in a rage. I don't get it.

[View Quote] /Beardo

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Goober King presents many valid arguments in his July edition of "Stirring the Virtual Melting Pot". While there are several
improvements to be made to the Activeworlds universe, his article presents some serious flaws.

Goober presents a list of mistakes that AW has made in the past. He points out that gaining corporate sponsors is one of these
"mistakes", while charging for free citizenships is also a "mistake". Simply put, Activeworlds has to make money somehow. If
Goober wants AW to stop seeking corporate sponsors, then AW has to charge for citizenships; if citizenships were to be free, AW
would have to rely on advertising and corporate sponsorship. At least one of these steps has to be taken to ensure that the bills
are paid. Yet, there are those who believe that AW can continue to exist as a company without a source of revenue.

There seems to be a stigma that AW has poor customer service and does not try to help the community. In contrast, all of the AW
employees I have met in my experience have been very experienced and helpful. Lucrezia Borgia has never stopped trying to help
people; Mountain Myst has been visible in the community coordinating events and setting up activities like AWCamp; Facter and Flagg
have provided valuable technical support; and even HamFon has participated in many behind-the-scenes activities such as programming
the BingoBot. Yet, there are those who believe that AW employees are "out to get them."

Some believe that the AW universe is "dead and dying". In contrast, I remember a time just last September when the number of
users logged into the Universe rarely exceeded 500. Today, at the same time of day, the number is regularly between 600 and 700.
Yet, there are those who believe that AW should by now have millions of users registered.

If AW is not aiming to increase its userbase, then what is the purpose of releasing its upcoming version 3.2? Take the corporate
firewall support that will be included, for instance. Many AW citizens would like to use AW at work, and Activeworlds' management
is giving them this new option. Firewall support isn't just for Juno subscribers or for NetTaxi readers or for other Universe
owners, but for all citizens, as is OpenGL support. Contrary to popular belief, AW is growing and is taking steps to ensure that
its growth continues, and its partnership with Juno is supporting this growth. I remember a time when the JunoDome world had in
excess of 100 people occupying it during a Juno advertising campaign, and I know many citizens who started out as Juno users.
Furthermore, one of the biggest problems that AW (and the frustrated bot programmer) has faced, the discrepancy between versions 2.2
and 3.1 of the AW browser, will be eliminated with the upcoming software renderer. Yet, there are still thse who will complain that
AW is not taking steps to ensure its continued success.

Looking below, you'll find that there is an article about a petition in AW that is attempting to lower world prices. I would like
to ask the creators of this petition what lowering world prices would accomplish. Would cutting the cost of worlds make the
community closer? Would charging less increase AW's revenue so that it can further its development? Would eliminating the one-time
signup fee bring more users to the universe? Absolutely not. Instead, lowering world prices would simply increase the number of
dead worlds and reduce the number of people who actively participate in the AW community. And yes, there are also those who believe
that lowering world prices would solve all of the problems of the Universe.

However, despite all the positive things that AW has done for the community, I find that there are many steps that AW can still
take to increase its userbase, and ultimately, its revenue. First, a stand needs to be made against troublemakers and those who aim
to destroy worlds and to hack other users. Many worlds have been closed or hindered because of this sort of cyber-crime. AW needs
to enforce its GZ behavior policies, Content Guidelines, and other various charters and rules more strictly. In addition, AW
employees need to take a more active role in improving the Peacekeeping of AlphaWorld, as several of the Peacekeepers with which I
have dealt have not handled a situation in a professional manner. In my experience, some Peacekeepers have been downright rude when
I have contacted them, and their superiors did nothing to correct the problem. Most importantly, the company needs to moderate its
newsgroups. Many a user, myself included, has left the newsgroups because of a select few citizens who continue to post
inappropriate content that serves only to demean fellow users, ruining the atmosphere for legitimate debate. In fact, while I had
been aggravated by the arrogance of those citizens in the newsgroups for a long time, I finally decided to leave the groups after
Eep, instead of debating in a calm manner, flamed my posts on the subject of this article. In short, troublemakers both in-world
and out-of-world destroy the community feel which is so crucial to AW's success, and AW must take swift and decisive action against
them.

What do I find wrong with Activeworlds' management? In short, very little. Activeworlds has done what any company tries to do -
make money. While most Internet companies have floundered and become a "passing fad", Activeworlds Corp. has stayed around for over
six years, during which a tremendous technological change has occurred. Through this change, AW has secured its place in the 1% of
startup companies who survive past their first year, which in itself is quite a feat. While there are a few areas that leave room
for improvement, I feel that AW has, in general, done a good job balancing appeasing its customers and securing corporate deals.
Besides, AW currently has many community-friendly activities up its sleeve, such as new building worlds, an object maker for the AW
browser, and more events, for which Goober King and the citizens who support his letter clamor ceaselessly. If everyone would work
to make the community better instead of petitioning Activeworlds for what it is already attemping to do, then perhaps the Universe
would be a better place.

Jul 20, 2001, 3:31am

...which won't be lowered because people continue to buy worlds at their current cost, therefor JP obviously sees no need for them to
be lowered or any incentive for them. There are over 1100 worlds and i believe that over 75% of those are paid worlds. If over 700
people are willing to pay the current world price, I doubt they see any need to change them because about 100 of them (most of which
are unemployed) find the prices a little too high. You don't petition a store because you think their milk costs too much. You
simply don't buy it there. I don't see much differance. You can do virtually anything you can do in your own world, in a current
AW world. The "need" for a person to buy a world is non-existant, however there are 800+ active worlds. The petition is a complete
waste, and from a corporate stand point, the choice of weather or not to lower the prices is obvious. The sales of worlds are up.
Why should prices be lowered? If there is nothing wrong with something, don't fix it. The world growth is exponential.

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Jul 20, 2001, 3:34am

...and serial killers always kill.. it doesn't make it right. Rules are rules, no matter what the rhym or routine.

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Jul 20, 2001, 3:37am

I disagree with it being in the charter. HTML CAN (see, i could have added underline or bold to that CAN to show that i was
emphasing it and it would have added to the effect) HTML posts are default with many news readers, and banning a person for that is
a complete outrage and idiocy. The charters should discourage HTML posts, but not punish for it.

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Jul 20, 2001, 7:45pm

yeah i know.. but it's the first thing that came to mind..

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Jul 20, 2001, 7:48pm

...it's because they're "usual users" own universes, and that is how they make money.. therefore that is where they will pay most of
their attention.. how we end up with ANYTHING we ask for at all is beyond me..

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Jul 20, 2001, 3:39am

Full screen mode is obviously going to be far down on the priority list seeing as how it is more of a "novelty" then a neccessity.
In some cases it can be quite annoying. If any thought goes into wether implementing this feature at all, I will be stunned, and
almost angered at the fact that much more "important" (not saying that you are not important, but bug fixes and usability options
that are much more neccessary for a larger band of users, not just expanding the picture a few pixels) reccomondations go
un-noticed.

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Jul 20, 2001, 7:55pm

no, because your not being ignored.. fully.. i will agree that AWC is not paying much attention to their universe users.. but i
don't rag on them.. AW doesn't make money from their citizenships, nor even their worlds for that matter.. we could all drop dead
right now, and allthough it would financially damage AWC, they would struggle, but i believe still survive. It is my belief that
AWC gains all there money from uniservers, this sounds cold, but they don't give a damn about us because we're not spending
thousands of dollars. We're not feeding their families. It is uniserver customers they cater to, because it is uniserver customers
who feed their families, their lack of interest in the community is SOMEWHAT justified, although yes, I want them to listen to all
our requests, it's just not logical. They, however, do listen to some of our requests, and consider many of them. As far as I'm
concerned any bit of interaction is an amazement. WildAW was a tragic mistake on the communities part. We begged for a place where
we could be free from PKs and censorship. AWC finally listened to us, and we now neglect it. Not only are we not large
contributors to their income, we also complain about what we don't have, and take for granted what we do. It is a shock to me that
AWC even listens to us AT ALL. Personally, if I were in the exact position of AWCom, with future technology in the works, I would
be paying 0 attention to the requests of AW citizens. But they ARE paying attention, they are almost finished developing the new AW
object set we have begged for years to get. At Reunion WE, the citizens, discussed the future of the company, even aspects that
didn't involve this universe. I am impressed at their willingness to listen to us, even if it is a small amount.


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Jul 20, 2001, 8:04pm

what i would like.. is you know how you can hit certain F keys to make certain areas of the browser "dissapear" to widen your are of
vision, I think it would be cool if there was one for the chat screen, or one that would at lest resize it for you to one line, for
building or exploring, whatnot.

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Jul 25, 2001, 4:12am

really?
they seemed to listen to my input back then..

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