Hotel Silicon - WorldsAway Manager Announcement - Nov 10, 1998

These meeting minutes were originally taken from the Silicon Soup newspaper from Hotel Silicon. The avatar named WorldsAway Manager was used by several different staff members, such as Tim Lavalli or Sheryl Knowles. It's unknown which person was speaking at this time.

WorldsAway Manager Announcement - Tue Nov 10 18:01:30 1998

WorldsAway Manager: Good Evening Everyone. Well I have some announcements. I think I know about 90% of what you want to know. Please understand that some things have not come down from the big bosses yet.

WorldsAway Manager: OK #1 Hotel is not closing this week, or next, or the week after that. However, it is clear that with less than 400 users Hotel is not financially successful, so I can tell you what the immediate plans are.

WorldsAway Manager: You know the Concierges and Valets are gone. Some of them will soon be working in New Radio World. In NRW they are supervising the building of Silicon Valley, which will contain a new Hotel Silicon. It will not be all of this world but it will be a home for all of you.

WorldsAway Manager: As of yesterday there is not a page to create any new accounts in Hotel, so sometime next month we will bring up a page that will do the following:

WorldsAway Manager: IF you have a Hotel ID and password only you can use the page.

WorldsAway Manager: It will :

WorldsAway Manager: #1 give you 90 days free in NRW

WorldsAway Manager: #2 in the hatchery will be a set of gifts for Hotel members only

WorldsAway Manager: #3 if you use that page then your Hotel account will become free

WorldsAway Manager: The reason we are not completely transferring all of Hotel to NRW is that the database here is HUGE!!!

WorldsAway Manager: Let me see if I can answer a few of the questions I saw.

WorldsAway Manager: $9.95 to start, but we are anticipating lowering the cost for NRW.

WorldsAway Manager: I wish I could tell you know when HS server will go dark but quite honestly not only do I not know, but there is an outside chance that we may need a new beta world. I guarantee that HS stays up for at least a month after you get the NRW offer, and I will fool with your vendos in that time if you like.

WorldsAway Manager: NRW, oh sorry I forgot that. NRW is simply Club Connect with a lot more cities. Silicon Valley will be one of those cities. All you will have to do is look for the web page that will be linked right in here, and on all entry pages you will have the front of Hotel, the one you saw when you first entered.

WorldsAway Manager: Your vendos will stay, with new stuff of course, and your apt manager, sorry the apts go poof. Once you use the page your HS Ibill account will go to free. The servers are not linked. You will start in NRW with extra tokens and some Hotel only gifts.

Here are excerpts from the Question and Answer session held following the announcement:

Question: will we still have 2 avies?

WorldsAway Manager: NRW is a one avie world, another reason to lower the price.

Question: will we get to keep our names?

WorldsAway Manager: I will ask the techs if they can protect the HS names. Of course, I have missed a lot of questions are there big ones I should address?

Question: Is it one credit card per account WA?

WorldsAway Manager: no the new world will have unlimited accounts per card, and pay by check, and 6 month billing at a discount.

Question: We lose everything here, right?

WorldsAway Manager: if and when this server goes down, then yes everything here is gone. If and when.

Question: what do you mean if???

WorldsAway Manager: I mentioned the possibility of a beta world, and I did mention at the beginning that not all decisions have been shared with me.

Question: what will happen to the concierges we have had here?

WorldsAway Manager: they and the Valets were offered jobs in NRW, some have accepted.

Question: will hotel in NRW have staff?

WorldsAway Manager: yes to staff

Question: Who is the authority around here now?

WorldsAway Manager: The HS community I assume is in charge here now I do hear all you are saying but I am here to announce a decision. There will not be a reversal of this decision. Sponsors were offered access to HS, they did not take that offer.

Question: is TOS gonna be enforced in the little time this world has left?

WorldsAway Manager: I do not understand the TOS question. There is not staff support here.

Question: can you give us an answer to where our concierge's and valets have gone and what they are doing?

WorldsAway Manager: The staff has asked to make their own announcements. I do not have a date for Hotel closing but not for at least one month after you get the conversion offer.

Question: what conversion? will a new world open up?

WorldsAway Manager: conversion to NRW which does include CC. Hotel will be free after you convert. Yes to animal heads and to new human heads.

Question: when will this new world open???

WorldsAway Manager: it is open now. It's CC with new cities being added starting next week. And besides, at the moment CC has free trials without a credit card $9.95 to start, lower soon I hope. At some point I am sure you will want to combine the two accounts.

Question: any probability of having 2 avatars per account?

WorldsAway Manager: no all new worlds have 1 avie

Question: sooo CC will have another world attached to it?

WorldsAway Manager: CC will have other cities attached to it by the new bullet train, opening next week.

WorldsAway Manager: Let me review:

WorldsAway Manager: New Radio World is an expansion of Club Connect.

WorldsAway Manager: Cities will be connected to CC with a bullet train.

WorldsAway Manager: The first city goes live next week.

WorldsAway Manager: You will be given a conversion offer next month

WorldsAway Manager: 90 days free in NRW.

WorldsAway Manager: extra tokens

WorldsAway Manager: a special set of Hotel items in your hatchery

WorldsAway Manager: and then your Hotel account becomes free

WorldsAway Manager: I know there will be paint parties for Hotel residents in NRW.

Question: How will we be kept up to date on what's happening?

WorldsAway Manager: I will keep coming here to talk with you

Comment: so basically it's like like a MUCH bigger Club Connect

WorldsAway Manager: No it's like a world with many cities and we all know that cities are different. Different people, different looks. Silicon Valley I assume will be whatever you want it to be.

Question: Can one avie go to all cities on the same account?

WorldsAway Manager: yes all cities are open to anyone with an account.

Question: do the people in cc lose their stuff too or just us

WorldsAway Manager: there is no reason for the Club Connect database to be cleaned. I would imagine that Silicon Valley (the city) which contains Hotel Silicon will be populated by all of you.

Question: will we still get to host sponsored games?

WorldsAway Manager: sure, games are up to the citizens.

Question: is the new world gonna be sorta like DS as far as size goes?

WorldsAway Manager: The size is a good question. I can tell you that we are now looking at 20 cities. USA, Canada, and Europe, and we see no reason to stop there. Yes to events page. Cities that have a train station, vendos, apartments, radio stations, actual views of the RW city.

Question: Can you tell us any of the cities that will be there?

WorldsAway Manager: well you did not hear this from me but, Detroit, San Francisco, Club Connect, Silicon Valley, Washington DC, Houston, Phoenix, London, Dublin, Baltimore, Seattle. These are the ones I have seen to be contacted, but I have another list of 24 more cities. Do not tell the artists I said that please.

Question: There will be Silicon Valley, that will have Hotel Silicon inside that city?

WorldsAway Manager: yes to HS in SV

Comment: SOME of us here are LOOSING A LOT

WorldsAway Manager: yes I understand that.

Question: Let us take our fuzzies with us.

WorldsAway Manager: I can guarantee that you will not arrive in NRW fuzzieless.

Question: can't you give us SOME idea of what amount of tokens we will start with?

WorldsAway Manager: oh I was thinking of 5,000

Question: will we be the first ones to get to go to new hotel?

WorldsAway Manager: the conversion page goes up two days before Silicon Valley gets "attached " to NRW

Question: will there be a web page or something that will go up to explain all this??

WorldsAway Manager: Yes to web page. You will be the first ones there.

Question: Will there be a token cap there?

WorldsAway Manager: 500 a day cap

Question: did you say we would have sponsored games?

WorldsAway Manager: yes to sponsored games. In fact I think you will recognize the new Prize Caretaker in NRW, and of course Hotel gets a Caretaker too.

Question: Will we be able to have a paint day as soon as we get there?

WorldsAway Manager: paint will be done as soon as you get there.

WorldsAway Manager: So for now are we done. I will be back often I promise. OK see you all here again and in New Radio World. Good night.