Wednesday, December 31, 2014

BIOlympics Triple the Clams Days!

Let's end this year and start the new year off with TWO TRIPLE THE CLAMS days! Today and tomorrow, earn TRIPLE THE CLAMS when you compete in the BIOLympics games.

BIOlympics Tutorial coming soon!

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

WhyPets: Are They Worth It?

Sure they're cute and playful. And yeah, there's bragging rights. But are WhyPets really worth the cost?

A Whypet costs 600 pearls, and you get 30 days worth of food included in the price. If you want, you can also buy accessories to dress up your pets, or treats to aid in training them.

You can customize your whypet's shape, colour, eyes, and mouth. You can add ears, wings, arms, horns, tails, or even tentacles!

The Create Your Pet page has similiar features as the new Pick Your Nose, such as move forward and backward, and clear.

How to Train Your Pets

When in a chatroom, type "summon pet" or "summon pet (name)" if you have more than one.

You can train your pet to blink, yawn, run, cry, dance, sleep, fetch, dig, and be happy.

To train your pet, make sure your pet is in the room and type "pet (command)". For example, "pet fetch". Reward your pet with a treat by typing "pet treat" or "(name of pet) treat" if there is more than one of your pets in the room. Eventually, they will have learned the command.

One cool thing you can train your whypet to do is dig. Just don't let your pet dig up CityHall's yard! Once you train your pet to dig, they can dig up projectiles, clams, scion decal vouchers, or even sometimes pearls! To retrieve the item, simply move your avatar over your pet and the prize. If you don't claim it, your pet will drop it, and it's anyone's game.

Now hold on to your horses, that's all fine and well, until you realize that projectiles are worth almost nothing. They're a clam a dozen these days, and most likely they're clogging up your satchel. Scion decal vouchers? Who uses those anymore? (Also probably clogging up your satchel). "But wait!", you say. "You said clams and pearls, right?" That's right I did, but this does not happen often, and when it does, it's only 1 clam or 1 pearl (at least what I've seen). So don't think buying a pet will pay for itself eventually.

Let's not forget, if you want to train your pet/s to dig, you're gonna need to buy pet treats also (which cost pearls), and then you're going to want to accessorize your pets so they can be as fab as you (which costs more pearls).

Are they worth it?

Pets cost you a lot of pearls, and trust me, they get boring after a while. To answer the question, "Are Whypets worth the cost?", I would have to say no. There are better things to spend your pearls on (like face factory vouchers).

Here are my three pets, the pink one is Lucy, the green is Rocky, and the purple is Trouble. Rocky is dancing in this picture (and jelloroks is clearly not amused).


Sunday, December 28, 2014

A Guide to the BBS: BBSer's Spill All!

If you have not already, I recommend reading part one of A Guide to the BBS here.

Today, Whyville Insider interviews BBSer's to get their opinions on BBS happenings. I would like to thank MadamTaz, natnat10, XkaylaX5, HotTrent1 and ooooopppp for taking the time to be interviewed.

When did you start BBSing?

MadamTaz: I started BBSing in 2012, when I was eleven.

natnat10:  I don't really have a good guestimate, but I would say 2008-2009. There are only a few BBSers who still regularly log on from when I first started. When I first started BBSing, there was only one "hidden" section for the few of us who discovered it. We only posted on human body, no matter what the topic was.

XkaylaX5: 2012. Gah, the glory days

HotTrent1: I discovered the wonderful world of the BBS in 2011 when my friend showed me.

ooooopppp: I started being the best pest in the BBS in late 2006 or early 2007, but I don't think anybody noticed until a few years later, lol.

What's your favourite section to post on?

MadamTaz: My favourite section would probably be Life in Whyville. There's a range of posts and they're the most relevant to me.

natnat10:  There are always fun topics in the Human Body section. My other favorites are School, Life in Whyville/Other topics, Music, Beauty & Fashion, and Emotions and Coping.

XkaylaX5: For Sale/Wanted, Emotions and Coping, and the Human Body.

HotTrent1: My favorite section to post in is Life in Whyville. I have no favorite subsection. The section [Life inWhyville] opens up to business that can lead to millions of clams. Life in Whyville can also help people communicate about random topics.

ooooopppp: That depends; if I'm in character, I don't care what section it is, I'm just happy to derail any thread. Out of character, I actually enjoy discussing current events! Though no one can take me serious when I'm trying to make a real point, lol.

What are your biggest BBS pet-peeves?

MadamTaz: I really hate it when people do not even make an effort to use grammar. Yes, I know, call me pretentious, but it really irks me when people disregard basic grammar rules. Full stops and capital letters are REALLY basic skills, we should be able to use it. Seeing abused apostrophes makes me sad.

natnat10:  Sometimes I disagree with others' opinions, but arguments in interesting topics are my favorite.
Also, I despise the For Sale/Wanted section being more popular than the Life in Whyville and Other Topics subsections.

XkaylaX5: Jesus, posting unnecessary things, trolling (bad trolling), rude posts. Also re-bumping buying threads, like, you're not gonna get that.

HotTrent1: One pet peeve of mine has to be the trolls.They can be funny, but they're mostly annoying people. Something else that bothers me is when people lie constantly to seek attention. I also don't like it when people post in the wrong section. It's fine if it's something understandable that the thread is in the wrong section, it's annoying.

oooooppppThe only thing that bothers me is that there aren't as many users on the BBS as there were years ago, or on any part of Whyville at all. So it's kind of boring now.

What's your opinion on trolling? Do you have a favourite or least favourite troll? Do you feed the trolls?

MadamTaz: I think trolling is okay when it's appropriate. I don't like trolls who make too many suggestive comments or post things which degrade others. It's not necessary and they should have better things to do. Trolls can liven up the BBS, so I think it's like "everything in moderation", in both senses of the word. My favourite troll would be Springtan; I'd laugh a lot at her posts. She had this thread about microwaving ants and the way that other BBS users responded had me in stitches. I don't feed the trolls because I can never think of anything witty.

natnat10: Well, usually when "trolls" post, I reply with a sarcastic or rude comment when in reality I find them hilarious.

XkaylaX5: ooooopppp is funny, but just a tad too funny. CAIR0 isn't a troll, but he's so funny. I don't think I feed them, but if it's funny, I'll reply.

HotTrent1: I should've read all the questions before I started answering. Oh well! Anyway, I think that they can be funny, but more often, they're annoying. Lemme put it like this: they're fun when there's nothing going on. My favorite troll is the Banjomann guy; he's decent. At first, I did feed the trolls, but I've learned to ignore it.

ooooopppp: I think it's funny that you ask me this question. Haha. No, I don't have a favorite or least favorite troll, and I do feed some of them; they keep things interesting.

Do you have any advice for new BBSer's?

MadamTaz: My advice would be to not throw a party for yourself and spam it all over the BBS. I did that when I first joined, and I swear most of the users hated me for months after. Also, try to use your grammar and punctuation to the best of your abilities. Think before you post; once it's out there, it's out there forever! 

natnat10:  Don't try too hard; everyone here is pretty welcoming and you can get used to the environment easily. The majority of us are accepting, and quite interesting people to get to know. Be friendly and you'll be loved.

XkaylaX5: Just don't be too needy or questioning. Just be yourself. Hit up the pinned posts, they're usually important and full of awesome information.

HotTrent1: My advice to newcomers: try not to be annoying. Be free to ask questions and everything, but try to get the grasp of everything before you go around and say something you'll "regret". Your first impression will stay, so make it good!

ooooopppp: Don't be intimidated by anybody. Don't let the bullies, or the trolls, or the rude/snobby oldbies bother you. Be active on the BBS and post often, start threads of your own and voice your opinions of things but be respectful of other people and their opinions, and everything will work out fine.

Well, I definitely got some interesting answers. Great minds think alike it seems. Until next time! Happy posting!

Saturday, December 27, 2014

A Guide to the BBS

In the past few years, the BBS's popularity has skyrocketed. New categories have been added, and new Whyvillians have joined in the conversation. Here's what you need to know about the BBS, and how to be a good BBSer.

The BBS stands for Bulletin Board System. It's basically a forums board where you can discuss a myriad of topics with other whyvillians. Whyville's BBS is commonly used to debate, critique Times articles, buy and sell faceparts, talk about events in Whyville, ask questions, and more.

First of all, before you start BBSing, real the rules and guidelines here.

Now, those are just Whyville's rules. There are some unwritten rules of the BBS that you should know about too.

1. Please, please, PLEASE use proper spelling and grammar. Wen u tipe lyk ur 5 years old u aint gonna B very likalbe. We understand typos, and the occasional text speak is okay, but remember, you have brain cells, don't talk like you don't.

2. Don't overdo it with bold, underlining, colours, and punctuation marks!!!!1!!1 No one will take you seriously.

3. NEVER type in a light colour. (Examples of this: Cyan, yellow, etc.) You're hurting our eyes.

4. If you're gonna troll, at least be a good troll

5. Don't overuse emoticons.

6. Don't spam.

7. Don't bump your threads every five seconds.

8. Don't abuse the report tool. Don't try "deleting" someone's post, just because you don't like them. Most likely, their post will be put back up and you will be punished.

9. Know what section to put your topic in. A big example of this is the Current Events section.

Things That DO Go in the Current Events Section
  • Nationwide or worldwide events (natural disasters, war, politics, etc.)
  • Current REAL WORLD events that have an impact on many people
Things That DO NOT Go in the Current Events Section
  • Birthday announcements
  • Whyville announcements (there's an "announcements" thread in the section 'Ask the City Workers')
  • Your local news
  • Celebrity gossip
  • Anything that fits into the "Life in Whyville" category
  • "My (relative)(friend)(etc.) passed away"
  • "i pooped"/any kind of trolling
Everything has it's place on the BBS, and if you commonly misplace your threads, people will begin to resent you.

10. Don't bring up old threads. As a rule of thumb, if it's irrelevant (an old Whyville announcement, a not-so-current event, etc.), if the last post on it was made 3+ months ago, or it's not on the first page, don't bring it back up.

and finally

11. Be kind to one another! (Wait, did I just steal Ellen's catchphrase? Whoops. Oh well, she won't mind).

In general, BBSer's are kind and accepting of newbies. If you follow the status-quo, you'll be joining in on the discussion in no time! Happy posting!

Friday, December 26, 2014

Everything You Need To Know About Pearls (Including How To Get Them FREE)

**Note** Scroll to the bottom of this post to get to the good part, how to get FREE pearls!

What are pearls?

Pearls are a form of Whyville currency that are purchased with real money that give you special perks to enjoy on Whyville. Pearls replaced the whypass and buying clams features that Whyville had years ago, but you still have mostly the same benefits. When you buy pearls, you are contributing to helping keep Whyville running.

What can I do with pearls?

  • You can purchase face factory vouchers to create your own faceparts.
  • You can buy premium Elvis and Raven Simmone themed face parts.
  • You can buy a WhyPet.
  • You can beautify your chat with Chat Candy.
  • You can use your pearls like clams in Akbar's Face Mall, the Projectile Shop, The Furniture Farm, and The Brick Emporium. Sorry, you cannot use pearls to use at the Style Studio or the Trading Post.
  • With a monthly pearls allowance, your satchel holds twice as many items (1000).
  • With a monthly pearls allowance, your address book holds twice as many people (100).
  • With a monthly pearls allowance, you can wear twice as many face parts (50).
  • With a monthly pearls allowance, you get on-the-grass seating at the Greek Theater.
  • With a monthly pearls allowance, you can buy animated face parts.
  • With a monthly pearls allowance, you have twice as many friend finder locations (10).

How Do I Buy Pearls?

Ask a parent and click the pearls icon at the top of your screen when you log in or select *Buy Pearls on the destination bar.

How Much Are Pearls?

  • 500 pearls costs $5
  • 1200 pearls costs $8
  • 2500 pearls costs $15

Do pearls expire?

Nope!

Can I Buy Pearls With Clams?

No. However, you can ask someone who has pearls to buy you face factory vouchers or animated face parts in exchange for clams. Be cautious about this though, they could try to scam you.

and finally...

How do I get FREE pearls?

Good question, there are lots of ways to earn FREE pearls!
  • For Y-mail Helpers, earn pearls for being the Y-mail Helper of the Month. First place gets 500 pearls, second and third places get 250 pearls, and the rest of the top ten get 100 pearls.
  • Log- in Challenges. These happen every so often, and all you have to do is log in on 15 seperate days during the month to earn 100 free pearls. BONUS: If you log in on 30 seperate days during the month, you will not only get the pearls, you will also get a FREE one-month WhyPass, which gives you all the perks of a pearls allowance!
  • For Club Why Members, you can test the PlayMath Beta games, and when you review four out of five games, you will receive 100 free pearls!
  • When you own a Whypet, you can train it how to dig. They can dig up clams, projectiles, vouchers, and sometimes even FREE pearls!
  • Vampire Power. Earn the most points playing Vampire Power and you could earn 100 FREE pearls. If you come in second place, you will receive 50 FREE pearls, and in third, you will receive 25 FREE pearls. This contest goes on every week, so get to unplugging!
  • Wilson City Rescue. Earn the most points in Wilson City Rescue and get 100 FREE pearls. Second place, receive 50 FREE pearls, and third place, receive 25 FREE pearls.

Thursday, December 25, 2014

What is Whyville Insider All About?

So you may be wondering, what IS Whyville Insider? Well, I can tell you what it's not.

Whyville Insider is NOT a cheat site.  If you're looking for cheats, you've come to the wrong place. I do, however, post game tutorials and helpful tips. I do NOT give the answers or cheats to games, I don't show you how to remake or how to hack an account or scam. I believe in fair play, both in real life and in Whyville.

Whyville Insider was originally created a few years ago by me, jelloroks, to write an article to win the coveted Whylitzer. I had seen so many useless blogs created on the internet, where a person would win the Whylitzer, and never post on it again. I didn't want to do that. I stuck with my blog. I updated it with Whyville news and events, games, contests, quizzes, game guides and reviews, and more. And to my surprise, Whyville Insider was a hit! Many Whyvillians had commented on blog posts or y-mailed me and told me how much they loved my blog. I even had a few city workers mention it! I was thrilled.

As I got older, I stopped visiting Whyville as much and consequently stopped updating my blog as often. One day I decided I would log into Whyville again and check up on Whyville Insider, and to my dismay, Whyville Insider was POOF, gone. Erased from the internet. Non-existant. And why? I have no idea. So after trying and failing to revive my blog, I recreated it. I was able to find and repost some old articles I wrote on the new Whyville Insider. Unfortunately, I could not find my Whylitzer article.

Anyway, here's to the rebirth of Whyville Insider! *clink*

~Jello

What the Heck Does That Mean?!

In Whyville chatrooms or in the BBS you may see people "lol"-ing and "brb"-ing left and right. But what does that even mean? Lots of lollipops? Bring rat babies? I'm here to decode all these abbreviations and whatchamacallits for you.

Whyville Related:
  • TP- trading post
  • SS- style studio
  • WC- whycash
  • BC- beauty contest
  • FS- For sale
  • CG- clamgram
  • RP- Roleplay
  • BBS- Bulletin Board System
  • Comp- computer
  • Lag- slow loading
  • Boot- kick out
  • Scion- Car
  • MTM- Meet The Makers (meet the city workers)
  • CW- city worker
  • CH- City Hall (the place or the city worker)
  • WW- wishing well/warp wagon
  • CR- City records
  • GGC- Girl Game Co.
  • PYN- Pick Your Nose
  • FF- Friend Find(er)
  • HC- Help Center
  • FFV- Face Factory Voucher
  • SDV- Scion Decal Voucher
  • null- (when relating to the forums) dead/no longer relevant
  • Poof- to disappear from a chatroom
  • Bump- to bump your thread to the top of the list on the BBS
  • SR- sun roof
  • Tables- food court tables
  • Y/Why (anything)- whyville related
General:
  • lol- laugh out loud
  • lmbo- laughing my butt off
  • rofl/rotfl- rolling on the floor laughing
  • Wb- Welcome Back
  • BRB- Be right back
  • Ty- Thank you
  • yw- You're welcome
  • Hmu- Hit me up
  • U- you
  • R- are
  • gr8- great
  • BF- boyfriend
  • GF- girlfriend
  • BFF- Best Friend Forever
  • BFFL- Best Friends For Life
  • <3/x3- heart
  • ily- I love you
  • omg- oh my gosh/god/goodness
  • FTW- for the win
  • AKA- Also known as
  • AWK- away from keyboard
  • AWC- away from computer
  • BTS- Back to school
  • bc- because
  • Hbu/Wbu?- How/what about you?
  • HB- Happy Birthday
  • BTW- By the Way
  • JSYK- Just so you know
  • imo/imho- in my (humble) opinion
  • ASL- Age/Sex/Location
  • DIY- Do-it-yourself
  • Tl;dr- Too long; didn't read
  • (on the) dl- on the down-low
  • IDTS- I don't think so
  • IDK- I don't know
  • DW- Don't worry
  • IRL- In real life
  • FAQ- Frequently Asked Questions
  • gtg/g2g- got to go
  • TTYS/TTYL- talk to you soon/later
  • GL- good luck
  • X- kiss
  • O- hug
  • hw- homework
  • Imy/imu- I miss you
  • Jw- just wondering
  • Jk- just kidding
  • Kk- okay, cool
  • LMK- let me know
  • Nvm- nevermind
  • S/O- significant other
  • Srsly- seriously
  • TBH- To be honest
  • TTFN- Ta ta for now
  • IDC- I don't care
  • WTG- way to go
Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments, tell me your whyville username and I'll mention you!

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Updates: December 2014

A couple of updates since I've last been on. (Whether they're brand new or not, I can't say. But here you go!)

  • Easier BBSing. No more typing the coding! Just select, click and go.
  • Dragon games and Vampire Power games
  • Bizzy Girls is now a sponsor.
  • Updated Christmas Party rooms
  • Updated (Animated) Emoticons
  • New Five Kingdoms Wishing Well
  • Home Page update: Events are shown on the right side
  • Log-in Challenges: Win prizes for logging on a certain amount of days in a month
  • Mood Gems and more Wellness Center activities
  • New Pick Your Nose app for Android
  • New Wardrobe feature, save your favourite looks to wear at another time.
  • Playmath (beta) games
  • "Sent" box in y-mail
  • Akbar went on vacation (May '14) and ScyllaCat didn't have what it takes to take over Akbar's job
  • Zombies and Vampires battled once again this Halloween
Doesn't seem like much changed since I left, but I know the city workers are hard at work! Enjoy the new stuff!

2014 Annual Christmas Party Pics

Whyville's annual Christmas party was a hit, as always. With new games and rooms, how could it not be? Everyone enjoyed playing dreidel, tossing gifts into Santa's bag, playing the new game "Find Me", taking pictures in the photo booth, and voting for the King and Queen. Here are some pictures to document the night.

I rode to the party in style in a limousine. I have like a hundred scions so a limo was a nice change. Not that I'm bragging or anything. ;)


I tried to unscramble these words, but alas, everyone solved it before me. :( Yeah... anagrams are not my specialty.
And then I tossed gifts into Santa's bag.
And of course I got my picture taken.
I loved the new changes to the party, it was a good one! Thanks City Workers! Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! And hopefully many more blog posts on Whyville Insider in 2015!

Critter Care Tutorial: Part 5, Rat

Critter Care is a fun game that can earn you instant clams as well as up to 15 clams of salary. In Critter Care, you work in a lab and help take care of animals. You feed them, give them water, clean the cages, and help keep them healthy.

There are 5 animals in Critter Care you can take care of: fish, frog, pig, pigeon, and rat. In this tutorial, I will show you how to take care of the rat.

First, go to the Critter Care lobby and click on the clipboard that says "rat". Next, click on a rat cage to begin. On the right of the screen, you will see a little white piece of paper. Click on it to see the animal's history report (and I don't mean on the Civil War).

The Report will tell you when was the last time the rat had been fed, the water was filled, the cage had been cleaned, the rat's energy level, and and a scale that will help you determine whether the rat is underweight, overweight, or at a healthy weight.
  • If the rat's energy is low, give them an apple to snack on. Click and drag the apple onto the cage.
  • If the cage is dirty, clean it. Click and drag the soap onto the cage. You may have to do this a few times until all the droppings are gone.
  • If the water bucket is not full, give it some water. Click and drag the water icon onto the tank. You may have to do this a few times to fill it up.
  • If the rat is a healthy weight, and it's food bowl is not full, give it some food. Give one scoop if it was fed 1 day ago, and 2 if it was fed four days ago. 
  • If the rat is underweight, fill up the food bowl. If the rat is overweight, keep it half-full.

Reasons to Red Tag:

  • The cage has not been cleaned in a while (at least 4 days), but there are no droppings. This means the rat is not excreting waste, and there is something wrong.
  • The cage is very dirty even though it was cleaned just a day ago. This means the rat is excreting too much waste.
  • The rat has not been fed in a while (at least 4 days), but the food bowl is still full.
  • The water bowl has not been filled in a while (at least 4 days) but the water bowl is still full.
  • The rat is underweight or overweight.
  • The rat's energy level has been low more than once.
  • The rat has Rat Eye Disease. See image below.
  • The rat has Rat Unkempt. See image below.
  • The rat is pale. See image below.



Once you have correctly tagged all four cages, click "submit lab report". You will instantly earn 15 clams. Once you have done this 3 times, correctly tagging 12 cages in all, you will receive 3 clams of salary and a total of 45 instant clams.

Good luck! I hope you enjoyed these critter care tutorials!

Critter Care Tutorial: Part 4, Pigeon

Critter Care is a fun game that can earn you instant clams as well as up to 15 clams of salary. In Critter Care, you work in a lab and help take care of animals. You feed them, give them water, clean the cages, and help keep them healthy.

There are 5 animals in Critter Care you can take care of: fish, frog, pig, pigeon, and rat. In this tutorial, I will show you how to take care of the pigeon.

First, go to the Critter Care lobby and click on the clipboard that says "pigeon". Next, click on a pigeon cage to begin. On the right of the screen, you will see a little white piece of paper. Click on it to see the animal's history report (and I don't mean on the Civil War).

The Report will tell you when was the last time the pigeon had been fed, the water was filled, the cage had been cleaned, the pigeon's energy level, and and a scale that will help you determine whether the pigeon is underweight, overweight, or at a healthy weight.
  • If the pigeon's energy level is low, give it a handful of seeds. Click and drag the seeds onto the cage.
  • If the water is not full, fill up the water. Click and drag the water icon onto the cage. You may have to do this a few times to fill up the water completely.
  • If the cage is dirty, clean it. Click and drag the brush onto the cage. You may have to do this a few times for the cage to be completely clean.
  • If the pigeon is a healthy weight, fill up the food bowl.
  • If the pigeon is underweight, give it one extra scoop of food. If the pigeon is overweight, keep the bowl half-full.

Reasons to Red Tag:

  • The cage has not been cleaned in a while (at least 4 days), but there are no droppings. This means the pigeon is not excreting waste, and there is something wrong.

  • The cage is very dirty even though it was cleaned just a day ago. This means the pigeon is excreting too much waste.
  • The pigeon has not been fed in a while (at least 4 days), but the food bowl is still full.
  • The water bowl has not been filled in a while (at least 4 days) but the water bowl is still full.
  • The pigeon is underweight or overweight.
  • The pigeon's energy level has been low more than once.
  • The pigeon has Pigeon Eye Disease. See image below.
  • The pigeon has Pigeon Unkempt. See image below.
  • The pigeon is pale. See image below.

Once you have correctly tagged all four cages, click "submit lab report". You will instantly earn 15 clams. Once you have done this 3 times, correctly tagging 12 cages in all, you will receive 3 clams of salary and a total of 45 instant clams.

Good luck! Stay tuned for the next critter care tutorial!

Friday, October 31, 2014

Critter Care Tutorial: Part 3, Pig

Critter Care is a fun game that can earn you instant clams as well as up to 15 clams of salary. In Critter Care, you work in a lab and help take care of animals. You feed them, give them water, clean the cages, and help keep them healthy.

There are 5 animals in Critter Care you can take care of: fish, frog, pig, pigeon, and rat. In this tutorial, I will show you how to take care of the mini pig.

First, go to the Critter Care lobby and click on the clipboard that says "pig". Next, click on a pig cage to begin. On the right of the screen, you will see a little white piece of paper. Click on it to see the animal's history report (and I don't mean on the Civil War).

The Report will tell you when was the last time the pig had been fed, the water was filled, the cage had been cleaned, the pig's energy level, and and a scale that will help you determine whether the pig is underweight, overweight, or at a healthy weight.
  • If the pig's energy is low, give them an apple to snack on. Click and drag the apple onto the cage.
  • If the cage is dirty, clean it. Click and drag the hose onto the cage. You may have to do this a few times until all the droppings are gone.
  • If the water bucket is not full, give it some water. Click and drag the faucet icon onto the tank. You may have to do this a few times to fill it up.
  • If the pig is a healthy weight, and it's food bowl is not full, give it some food. Give one scoop if it was fed 1 day ago, and 2 if it was fed four days ago. 
  • If the pig is underweight, fill up the food bowl. If the pig is overweight, keep it half-full.

Reasons to Red Tag:


  • The cage has not been cleaned in a while (at least 4 days), but there are no droppings. This means the pig is not excreting waste, and there is something wrong.

  • The cage is very dirty even though it was cleaned just a day ago. This means the pig is excreting too much waste.
  • The pig has not been fed in a while (at least 4 days), but the food bowl is still full.
  • The water bowl has not been filled in a while (at least 4 days) but the water bowl is still full.
  • The pig is underweight or overweight.
  • The pig's energy level has been low more than once.
  • The pig has Mini Pig Eye Disease. See image below.
  • The pig has Mini Pig Rash. See image below.
  • The pig is pale. See image below.
  • The pig has Mini Pig Diarrhea. See image below.




  • Once you have correctly tagged all four cages, click "submit lab report". You will instantly earn 15 clams. Once you have done this 3 times, correctly tagging 12 cages in all, you will receive 3 clams of salary and a total of 45 instant clams.

    Good luck! Stay tuned for the next critter care tutorial!

    Thursday, October 30, 2014

    Critter Care Game Tutorial: Part 2, Frog

    Critter Care is a fun game that can earn you instant clams as well as up to 15 clams of salary. In Critter Care, you work in a lab and help take care of animals. You feed them, give them water, clean the cages, and help keep them healthy.

    There are 5 animals in Critter Care you can take care of: fish, frog, pig, pigeon, and rat. In this tutorial, I will show you how to take care of the xenopus frog.

    First, go to the Critter Care lobby and click on the clipboard that says "frog". Next, click on a frog tank to begin. On the right of the screen, you will see a little white piece of paper. Click on it to see the animal's history report (and I don't mean on the Civil War).

    The Report will tell you when was the last time the frog had been fed, the tank had been cleaned, the filter had been changed, and a scale that will help you determine whether the frog is underweight, overweight, or at a healthy weight.
    • If the filter has not been changed in a while, or if the tank looks foggy, change the filter. Simply click the filter icon and drag it onto the tank.
    • If there is any green grime on the tank, clean it. Click and drag the brush onto the tank, You may have to do this multiple times until the green disappears.
    • Check the frog's weight. If it is a healthy weight, and was fed 1 day ago, give it one bunch of food. If it is healthy weight and was fed four days ago, give it two bunches of food.
    • If the frog is underweight, give it one extra bunch of food than you normally would; if the frog is overweight, give it one less.

    Reasons to Red Tag:


  • The tank has not been cleaned in a while (at least 4 days), but there is no green grime. This means the frog is not excreting waste, and there is something wrong.
  • The tank is very dirty even though it was cleaned just a day ago. This means the frog is excreting too much waste.
  • The frog is overweight or underweight.
  • The frog has Frog Bloat. See image below.
  • The frog has Frog Skin Rash. See image below.
  • Once you have correctly tagged all four tanks, click "submit lab report". You will instantly earn 15 clams. Once you have done this 3 times, correctly tagging 12 tanks in all, you will receive 3 clams of salary and a total of 45 instant clams.

    Good luck! Stay tuned for the next critter care tutorial!

    Wednesday, October 29, 2014

    Critter Care Tutorial: Part 1, Fish

    Critter Care is a fun game that can earn you instant clams as well as up to 15 clams of salary. In Critter Care, you work in a lab and help take care of animals. You feed them, give them water, clean the cages, and help keep them healthy.

    There are 5 animals in Critter Care you can take care of: fish, frog, pig, pigeon, and rat. In this tutorial, I will show you how to take care of the zebrafish.

    First, go to the Critter Care lobby and click on the clipboard that says "fish". Next, click on a fish tank to begin. On the right of the screen, you will see a little white piece of paper. Click on it to see the animal's history report (and I don't mean on the Civil War).

    The Report will tell you when was the last time the fish had been fed, the tank had been cleaned, and the filter had been changed.

    As you can see, this tank needs to be cleaned and filter changed. To change the filter, click and drag the filter onto the tank. To clean the tank, drag the brush onto the tank. Repeat until there is no more green grime on the glass.

    Next you will need to feed the fish. It was last fed 4 days ago, so you will need to give it two bunches of food. Drag and drop the fish food onto the tank two times. If the fish is looking healthy and not showing any signs of illness (we'll get to that later) give it a green tag. Drag the green tag onto the tank, and click exit.
    • If a fish has been fed 1 day ago, give it 1 bunch of food.
    • If a fish has been fed 4 days ago, give it 2 bunches of food.
    • Always clean the tank if you see any green grime.
    • Always change the filter if the tank looks foggy.

    Reasons to Red Tag:

    • The tank has not been cleaned in a while (at least 4 days), but there is no green grime. This means the fish is not excreting waste, and there is something wrong.
    • The tank is very dirty even though it was cleaned just a day ago. This means the fish is excreting too much waste.
    • The fish is upside down. It's hard to tell, but a healthy fish will have 1 fin on top, and 2 fins on bottom. An unhealthy fish will also be slightly tilted. This means the fish has Fish Confusion. See image below.

    Once you have correctly tagged all four tanks, click "submit lab report". You will instantly earn 15 clams. Once you have done this 3 times, correctly tagging 12 tanks in all, you will receive 3 clams of salary and a total of 45 instant clams.

    Good luck! Stay tuned for the next critter care tutorial!

    Tuesday, October 28, 2014

    How to Make 1K a Day: Part 3

    Before reading, I recommend you read the first installment here and the second here.
    You've been on Whyville for a whole week now, thanks for sticking with us! I bet you're liking it so far! By now if you have followed my advice, you will have about 6000 clams (that is if you haven't spent it all at Akbar's Face Factory yet!).

    Day 7: Bankinter

    Now is about the time you should open a bank account at Bankinter.
    • To do so, click the orange piggy bank at the top of your screen or go to Bankinter by clicking the destination bar at the left of your screen. 
    • Click "open a savings account". 
    • Transfer your desired amount of clams from your checking account to your savings account. 
    • You will earn 1% interest per week on the clams in your savings account. If you put 5000 clams in your savings, you will earn 50 clams of interest in your first week. It's like getting free clams, just for not spending them!
    Or, if your really feeling brave, you could put your clams into a Certificate of Deposit, or CD. A CD is when you put away an amount of clams for a certain amount of time. You cannot get the clams out of the CD until the time is up, but you will get more clams from interest than if you had them in a savings account.
    • Go to the Bankinter lobby and click on the CD representative.
    • Enter the amount of clams you want to put in the CD. You must put at least 500 clams into a CD.
    • Choose how long you want the clams to be in the CD. You can choose 2 weeks, 4 weeks, or 6 weeks. The longer the clams are in a CD, the more interest you will earn.
    • So if you put 5000 clams in a CD for 6 weeks, you will earn 900 clams of interest.

    Day 7: Salary

    Now is the time when you could start playing some of the harder or more time consuming salary games. It may take you a while to get the maximum amount of salary for the game.
    • Earn 13 clams of salary at the Wellness Center.
    • Earn 17 clams of salary in Vampire Power.
    • Earn 15 clams of salary in Career Quest.
    • Earn 3 clams of salary in Wilson City Rescue Outdoor
    • Earn 3 clams of salary in Wilson City Rescue House
    • Earn 3 clams of salary in Wilson City Rescue Car
    • Earn 12 clams of salary in Power Planner Worksheets
    • Earn 18 clams of salary in Scion Driving School
    • Earn 18 clams of salary in WhyPower Peak Power
    • Earn 12 clams of salary in WhyPower Powerline
    • Earn 14 clams of salary in WhyPower Green Build
    • Earn 6 clams of salary in the Getty Treasure Hunt
    • Earn 12 clams of salary in the Alien Rescue Game
    • Earn 6 clams of salary in Geodig Levels
    • Earn 15 clams of salary in the Reef Food Web Game
    • Earn 6 clams of salary in the Reef Simulations Game
    • Earn 15 clams of salary in the Reef Species ID Game
    • Earn 15 clams of salary in Critter Care. Need help caring for the fish? Click here. Frog tutorial. Pig tutorial. Pigeon tutorial. Rat tutorial.
    • Total: 203 clams*
    • Grand Total: 273 clams*
    *These games can NOT be completed in 1 day, they will take lots of time and patience.

    Keep playing games, and saving those clams. You'll be a millionaire in no time!*

    *Disclaimer: It will take a long a time to become a Whyville millionaire.

    How to Make 1K A Day: Part 2

    Before reading, I recommend you read the first part of the installment here.

    It's your second day in Whyville. You're still getting the hang of things and trying to earn clams. Your goal, earn 1K a day ("k" is short for "kilo" which means "thousand"). Will you accept the challenge?

    Day 2: Earning a Salary

    Here are some of the more challenging (but still doable!) salary games to play to get your salary up. They can be completed in a one day. These will require more time and effort, but in the long run, it's worth it. 
    • Earn 21 clams of salary in BIOLymipcs. *Tutorial coming soon!*
    • Earn 5 clams of salary in SmartCars Track
    • Earn 4 clams of salary in the Raven Island Fire Starters Game
    • Earn 3 clams of salary in the Wilson City Rescue Tutorial
    • Today's Total: 33
    • Grand Total: 70 

    Day 2: Playing Games

    • Play 5 games of Cafeteria Trash pickup, earn 70 clams*. (Note: you will need someone else to help you!)
    • Play 5 games of PlaneWorks Wing Fling, earn 100 clams.*
    • Complete 5 Career Quests within the time limit, earn 32 clams.
    • Successfully turn off and unplug 10 appliances in Vampire Power, earn 100 clams.
    • Vampire Power Bonus, earn 115 clams.*
    *approximation

    Day 2: Miscellaneous Clam Earnings

    • Correctly identify 5 Mini Monsters/Scions, earn 200 clams.
    • 100% Accuracy Bonus, earn 200 clams.
    • Collect and Trade in 10 Dell parts, earn 10 clams.
    • A kind whyvillian has just clam-grammed you 50 clams, how nice!

    Grand Total: 914 Clams

    Great job! You're soo close! Keep going, and stay tuned for the next installment of "How to Make 1K a Day".

    How to Make 1K A Day

    So you're new to Whyville, and want to earn clams. Or maybe you've been here for a while and want to earn more clams. Either way, with some time and effort, you can start making big money on Whyville!

    Day 1- Chatting

    • Earn your chat license, receive 150 clams.
    • Complete the Parent education bonus, receive 80 clams.

    Day 1- Start Earning a salary:

    Below are some of the easiest games to start earning a salary. They require almost no effort, and are great for beginners!
    • Earn 5 clams of salary in the Skater Game
    • Earn 2 clams of salary in Getty Art Sets
    • Earn 4 clams of salary in PlaneWorks CAD
    • Create a Dance, earn 10 clams of salary (note: you will need to spend at least 25 clams on a dance)
    • Earn 8 clams of salary in the House of Illusions
    • Earn 8 clams of salary in the Skater Game
    • Grand Total: 37 clams
    • Note: You will receive your salary the next day you log in to your Whyville account.

    Day 1: Playing Games

    • Play 5 games of PlaneWorks WingFling, earn 100 clams.*
    • Complete 5 Career Quests within the time limit, earn 32 clams.*
    • Successfully turn off and unplug 10 appliances in Vampire Power, earn 100 clams
    • Vampire Power bonus, earn 115 clams.*
    *approximation

    Day 1: Miscellaneous Clam Earning

    • Fill out your love/hate list, earn 40 clams.
    • Correctly identify 3 Mini Monsters/Scions, earn 120 clams.
    • 100% Accuracy Bonus: earn 120 clams.
    • Collect and trade in 10 Dell parts, earn 10 clams.

    Grand Total: 867 clams.

    Okay, so maybe it's not exactly 1000, but it's your first day! Don't beat yourself up, you still made a lot of clams! Keep up the good work!

    *Disclaimer* This is theoretical. The amount of clams you make in a day depends on your skill, effort, and time spent on Whyville. You may earn more or less than this.

    Monday, October 27, 2014

    Vampire Power Tutorial

    Vampire Power. Doesn't it sound like something a bunch of vampire superheroes would say as they fist-bump each other and freeze frame with big smiles on their faces? Well, that's not what I'm talking about.

    Vampire Power is a real thing and we're all probably guilty of it. Also known as standby power, vampire power is when an appliance is turned off but still plugged in and using up energy. So Whyville teamed up with the National Science Foundation to create a new game in Whyville called, what else, Vampire Power.

    Vampire Power can give you instant clams and also can help you earn up to 17 clams of salary.

    The goal of the game is to reduce the amount of vampire power being used in Whyville by turning off and unplugging appliances. Count Ampula, the vampire, is the evilest energy waster of them all. He'll even show up and plug in appliances after you've unplugged them!

    You can find appliances in the bedroom, kitchen, and living room of Vampire Manor, where Count Ampula lives as well as in many chatrooms in Whyville. Click on the appliance to measure how much energy it is using. You can measure watts, kilowatt-hours, cost, and level of carbon dioxide. The most important way to measure energy is in watts because that's what counts toward your salary.

    There are three brands of appliances in Whyville: Nebula, Spark, and Apex (talk about a monopoly!). You will need to measure an appliance in it's three states: turned on (and in use), turned on but not in use (standby), and turned off but still plugged in. You will need to measure each brand of appliance in each of the three states. Once you have completed this for two appliances, you will earn one clam of salary.

    For each appliance you correctly turn off, you will instantly earn five clams. If you correctly unplug the appliance, you will earn another five clams. I will go into what "correctly" exactly means later.

    Think about if you were watching TV. Would you want someone to just turn it off and unplug it, when you're right in the middle of your show? No, probably not. You'd probably be mad. You wouldn't do that in Whyville either!

    Do's and Don't of Vampire Power:

    DO Turn off/disconnect an appliance when you see one of these phrases:

    • No one is in the room
    • No one is using it
    • No one plans to drink it (coffee)
    • No one is playing/listening
    • Making the room uncomfortably warm
    • Fully charged
    • Appliance is in sleep mode
    • For the alarm clock, if no alarm has been programmed
    • It is not being used, and it is wasting energy.
    DO NOT turn off/disconnect an appliance if you see any of these phrases:
    • Someone is in the room
    • Someone is using it
    • Coffee is brewing
    • Making the room comfortably warm
    • Appliance is charging
    • For the alarm clock, never unplug it; it won't be able to keep track of time if you do.
    • For the cordless phone, never turn it off or disconnect it. Then none of the calls would get through!
    • It is not wasting energy.
    DO unplug an appliance if:
    • It has been turned off, but it is still wasting energy.
    DO NOT unplug an appliance if:
    • It is not wasting any energy.
    Hint: Make sure to measure all forms of energy before turning off or unplugging an appliance. For example, if it is still plugged in it may not cost anything, but it still may be using watts.

    Unhelpful Actions:

    If you do any of the "do nots" listed, it will count as an "unhelpful action". You can only do three unhelpful actions in one day. You can still earn instant clams playing vampire power, but it will not count towards your salary or the weekly contest. To do this, you will have to be in "explore mode". To turn on explore mode, go to your Vampire Power Journal and check the box that says "explore mode".

    Did you know?

    Count Ampula will sometimes show up in chat rooms and turn on and plug in appliances and counteract your energy-saving good deeds. To stop him, you can throw garlic projectiles at him. Everybody knows vampires hate garlic! You can buy your own or get 10 free garlic projectiles from
    Igor.

    Don't know how to throw projectiles? Check out my article here:


    How to Throw Projectiles

    Many newbies have asked me "How do I throw projectiles?" over the years. You'll need to know how to throw projectiles to complete the WASA Zero Gravity Game and if you ever want to throw stuff at your Whyville friends, enemies, or, dare I say, "frenemies".

    So let's begin on our projectile launching adventure. First, you'll need some projectiles. There are various ways to obtain them. A friend can send them to you, if you buy pearls and buy a pet with those pearls, you can train your pet to "dig" and they may find projectiles for you, you can get free projectiles at Whyville's famous annual Halloween parties, or, the simplest way, you can just buy them at Ye Olde Projectile Shoppe.

    So now that you you have some, you'll need to know how to throw them. In your satchel, go to the projectiles section and familiarize yourself with the projectiles you have. There is now a handy feature that tells you what to say to throw each projectile.

    For example, let's say you were feeling festive and wanted to throw some tangled-up Christmas lights at someone. Your first instict is to say "throw christmas lights", right? Wrong. You would say "throw lights". This confusion can be avoided by looking at your projectiles and their descriptions in your satchel.

    There are two ways to throw projectiles. You can throw one at a specific person in a chatroom, or in a specific direction. You can also leave projectiles around a chatroom for others to use. Just say "drop (projectile)" in a chatroom.

    To throw a projectile at a person, chat "throw (projectile) (username). So if you wanted to throw a pie at me, you would say "throw pie jelloroks".

    This technique, however, is not foolproof. If your intended victim moves the projectile will miss them. If someone crosses their path, you will have just throw a pie at an innocent person. Shame on you.

    To throw a projectile in a specific direction, you will need to type "throw (projectile) (angle).
    Refer to the chart below as to which angle to say for the direction you want the projectile to go. With practice, you won't need the chart, and you'll just have it memorized, like me. ;)


    So You Want to Earn Clams?

    Originally posted on: Wednesday, March 21st, 2011

    As a y-mail helper, I'm frequently asked the question 'How do I earn clams?'. Well, it's actually pretty simple. I'm here to give you some tips that you may or may not have known of on how to earn clams in Whyville.

    First off, clams are virtual currency in Whyville. This is our money that we use to buy face parts, blocks, furniture, projectiles, etc.

    1. A great way to start earning clams is by starting a salary. To get to your salary ledger (the place where all salary games are found) click the black icon at the top of your screen. A salary is an amount of clams you've earned that you will receive once every day you log onto your Whyville account. *Note: You will not receive that amount of clams until the next day. However, some salary games give you clams on the spot for playing.*

    Some easy salary games are:

    Skater Game
    Spin Game
    WhyPower Green Build
    Getty Art Sets
    Spitzer Spectrum
    House of Illusions
    Dance Creation
    GeoDig Levels
    PlaneWorks CAD
    Raven Island Fire Starters Game
    Reef Food Web
    Reef Simulations
    Reef Species ID
    Critter Care
    *EDIT*
    Wellness Center
    Vampire Power
    BIOlymics
    Career Quest
    Scion Driving School
    Wilson City Rescue Tutorial
    Wilson City Rescue Outdoor
    Wilson City Rescue House
    Wilson City Rescue Car

    Tips and Hints:

    Skater Game:
    Experiment with different ways to put it's limbs and you'll eventually find the right one.

    Spin Game:
    Experiment with different shapes and positions and you'll eventually find the right one.

    WhyPower Green Build:
    Stay away from things that are too expensive, while keeping in mind energy efficiency.

    Getty Art Sets:
    In this game, all you have to do is take the tutorial, which is not hard. You only earn two clams of salary.

    House of Illusions:
    In this game, all you have to do is walk through the rooms. You can check out the pictures if you like. Some are pretty interesting.

    Dance Creation:
    You'll actually have to pay to make your dance depending on how many steps it has, but you'll earn that money back in just a few days. You get ten clams of salary from this game!

    Geodig Levels:
    Three words, trial and error.

    PlaneWorks CAD:
    In this game, you just have to put the planes together by connecting the dots. Save each plane, and you'll earn four clams of salary.

    Raven Island Fire Starters Game:
    Choose the right thing you should do. Like calling an adult instead of joining in.

    Reef Food Web:
    Usually, larger animals are at the top of the food chain (but in this case it would actually be at the bottom, sorry if I'm being confusing) and smaller animals and plants are at the bottom. If you don't place a plant or animal in the right spot, it will tell you it's wrong and you can just try again.

    Reef Identification:
    Some animals are harder to find than others. For example the dolphin, turtles, sharks, octopus, jellyfish, and moray eel. When you're diving, click those first.

    Critter Care:
    Need help caring for the fish? Click here. Frog tutorial. Pig tutorial.

    *EDIT*
    Wellness Center: Go both outside the Wellness Center to what I like to call the "General Stress Room" and the Social Anxiety Room. Ask questions and give pieces of good advice to the distressed avatars and you will eventually find all the pieces of advice and increase your salary. Avoid harsh or judgmental sounding envelopes like "Get over it" or "Don't think about it". They will not help the distressed avatars and will not count towards your salary.

    Vampire Power: Click here for a tutorial!

    BIOLympics: *BIOLYMPICS TUTORIAL COMING SOON*

    Career Quest: Try to join as many quests as you can. Follow the "hot and cold" clues and eventually you will have found careers in all of the career clusters and sub-clusters.


    Random Tip: When you're in your ledger, try sorting them by clams left to earn or maximum clams.

    Follow these tips and you can have a high salary in no time! (My salary is 227!) *EDIT* (My salary is 304.)

    2. Play games on Whyville! But you should be aware that some games will not give you clams. To see a list of lots of games click the green 'Play' button on your screen.

    Games that give clams are:

    Recycle Game (You will need someone to help you with this. You can't do it by yourself.)
    Scion RaceTrack
    Critter Care Habitat Builder
    Critter Care AALAS Solitaire
    Microbe Wars
    Food Sort Game
    Love/Hate Game
    Dude! Where's my shark? Game
    Whack-a-Virus Game

    Tips and Hints:

    Recycle Game:
    Like I said, you will need someone to help you with this game. Your avatar also moves faster when you have less face parts on.

    Scion RaceTrack:
    When building your car, certain updates will help you overcome obstacles.

    Microbe Wars:
    You can play with a friend or with Sonya by saying 'summon sonya'. EARN DOUBLE CLAMS! You must collect all the Microbe cards that pop up in chat. This is a great game to earn clams. In one game, I once won over 300 clams!

    Love/Hate Game:
    You will need at least two other eligible people to play this game with you.

    3. Participate in Contests. They're everywhere! Participate in BC's (Beauty Contests), Raffles, and other contests. There are always contests going on in the BBS and sometimes in the Whyville Times. You will usually see people promoting BC's in chat. Don't forget special contests like the Scion Car Rallies.

    4. Miscellaneous. You can find easy ways to earn clams all over Whyville.

    Take the chat test! You'll automatically earn 150 clams.

    Whyville-Wise your parents and earn 80 clams. Just go to *Parent Ed Bonus in the bus menu, print the certificate, have them sign it, you sign it also, and fax it to Whyville.

    Build a scion for the Scion Race Track. It's not too hard, and you'll earn 50 clams for the first one you build.

    Create a Love/Hate List. Once you select 20 items, you'll get 40 clams.

    Collect Dell Parts. They randomly pop up in Whyville chat rooms and for each one you cash in, you get one clam. I know it's not a lot, but trust me, it adds up.

    Teach your pet to dig. You can buy a pet with pearls and teach them to dig. Take them into a Whyville chatroom, and say 'pet dig'. They may dig up a clam, projectile, SDV (Scion Decal Voucher) or even pearls. It's still not much but it adds up.

    Join WhyEat. For each day you stay healthy on WhyEat, you'll get 25 clams. But I should warn you, this game is not easy.

    5. Start your own business. You can sell face parts in Akbar's face mall or create songs in the Scion Music Jukebox. For this it takes clams, to earn clams, but it's worth it.

    *EDIT*
    6. Apply for a Whyville Job. You can be a stylist, performance artist, doctor, clam coach, chef, and more! Once you apply for and accept a job, you will be given a halo to wear on your avatar stating your job title. Simply wear it on your avatar and type "work" while in a chatroom to offer your service to others. If you offer to help 20 people in one day, you will earn 50 clams.

    Good luck earning clams!

    ****LOOK HERE****
    Want a free scion decal voucher? The first three people to comment on this post with their Whyville Usernames will get one! *EDIT**sorry this contest is no longer running*