OH Snap! Tweens Smack down on Neopets begins!

Apparently ever since the Viacom acquisition of Neopets in 2005, a series of pay-to-play services have been announced on the site effectively breaking the “always free” promise. Ever since, a group of disgruntled prepubescent Neopians have started to spam the site and bombard the company phone lines in a move similar to that of Digg. Based on the rants of a few members, the $8 a month charge is a frontal assault on the users piggy banks.CrunchGear will continue to closely monitor the event, and bring you up to date news on the hour.

Pissed Off 12 Year Old Girls Rebel

More info:

On July 3rd the face of Neopets was changed forever, it completely broke its promise that the site would always and forever remain free. What broke this promise? The new NC Mall, a new feature that greedily asks users to pay REAL money in exchange for Neocash, a fake currency use to buy fake VIRTUAL clothing items for their pets.

Again, this feature completely breaks the promise that the website will always and forever remain free. Where have they made that promise? Let us list a few pages:

1. http://www.neopets.com/bleh.phtml
2. The old Neopets Home Page
3. http://www.neopets.com/newnt/index.phtml?section=editorial&week=12

The last link also states that forcing users to buy things with credit cards puts some users at a disadvantage. Some other things wrong with the Mall? To list a few:

1. Users that are unable to pay for items do not have the chance to dress up their pets nearly as much.
2. Viacom, Neopets parent company, makes MILLION in profit every financial Quarter, and Neopets makes enough money WITHOUT the Mall to run and expand the site.
3. The Mall is ONLY there to make profit, and all o the items involved could EASILY be placed in normal Neopian shops to be purchased with Neopoints, the Neopets virtual currency.

And users also state the mall is only the spark that ignited the flame. Ever since the Viacom acquisition in 2005, several new money-driven features have arrived. Here is a list:

1. Neopets Mobile - A cell-phone game that gives users who pay every month exclusive access to a Neopian world, Lutari Island and an easy way to get the coveted Lutari Neopet. Users who are unable to pay, live in the wrong country, or have the wrong cell phone carrier have no way to access the Island, even though it is listed on the Neopian World Map.
2. Neopets Premium - A feature that allows those who pay $8 a month get exclusive access to many areas of the site, along with a premium portal. Again, those who are unable to pay have no way to get access to those features.
3. Commercialism - A lack of user interaction in the decisions of the website has ensues since the Viacom acquisition. Before Viacom bought the site in 2005, users would often be able to vote for new pet redesigns and other features. Also, Neopets staff would often communicate about every glitch or problem in the site and help users. now that only happens if there is a major problem, and even some of those get ignored.

What are Neopets users doing about it?

1. Calling the numbers (1-877-NEOPIAN) and (1-Ghostbusters!), both Neopets phone numbers, and expressing their opinions about the Website. The resulting bombardment forced neopets to supposedly temporarily end
   pull the plug on their phone lines.
2. Changing their avatars to Bleh! and bombarding many areas of the site with their hate has led to censorship of many areas of the site, and wasted time for Neopets Staff.
3. Getting the word of the rebellion into the media (As I am now!) gives Neopets and Viacom a bad name.
4. Watching private staff member blogs and otherwise causing displeasure to Neopets employees is also helping.
5. More drastic measures could be taken, but are not being taken now.

The root of the problem? Viacom.

http://www.neopets.com/~spazzmic_doom

Again. OH SNAP! And here’s a Neopets Guild’s information on how to rebel (also worth checking out: faqs & testamonials- they’re great):

Blocking the Commercialism.Here are a couple ways to block the NC Mall from your browser!

http://www.neopets.com/www.neopets.com/~eshik

Wrap-up: My Super Sweet 16 Movie

Yay! Learning time.  So, previously I mentioned the upcoming Movie adaption of the TV series “My Super Sweet 16″, well… it’s no longer “upcoming” so, let’s get into it.

Here are the top 3 things I learned from watching MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 Movie:

1. Why have a measely NORMAL 16 bash when you can help the Katrina Victims (okay, not bad, helping others = good, and it’s great that MTV has continued its observation of the Katrina disaster is brill)
2. Daddies will pay out the nose spoiling their daughters so that they don’t become “sluts” (best line of the movie)
3. Chillis caters to everyone, including VEGANS (”The lady will have a bean burger and I’ll have the ribs”) AND they also like pimping their “to go” menus (nice support)

Other things I noticed: Matt Damon’s young doppleganger, 3 consumed tubs of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream mowed in individual sittings (nice to see MTV not pimping the calorie counting of uber-skinny high school girls), MTV’s faux-high school girls LOVE designing their OWN fashions while still sporting either uber-fashion names or home-made save-the-world duds (”Remember, the devil DID where Prada”), Ava & Erin from the actual television adaption popping up on the red carpet (clearly, they’re aiming for celebutard/hollywood names now),  and I’m clearly out of the loop… as normal on these darn Super Sweet 16’s… I have NO IDEA who the musical guest “Pretty Ricky” is.  Nice.

Other than those wee factos, I have to say… for Sunday afternoon TV fodder, this was great.  I mean– it’s not 2Gether, but it’s LOADS better than any other MTV made-for-tv movie.  Plus, it had some GREAT one-liners:  “Those dreds aren’t even real.  You’re a Ja-fakin’”

I like how MTV is REALLY shoving activism down teens throats.  It will be GREAT to see how this high school generation behaves once they reach college.  Is it just a ‘teens’ thing?  Or will it last?  The MTV activism thing doesn’t seem to be slowing down, but in fact speeding up.  They’ve tons of opportunity online (thinkMtv and such).  I’ve got my fingers crossed for the next generations.  They’ve been empowered in so many ways, it will be great to see how this affects their views of their own opportunities.

HOWEVER: what I would have liked to see worked into the movie would have been ads for help websites for Katrina, or places for teens to direct their help (even better– website links to places for girls to dedicate funds from their birthday bashes… with helpful tips on how to approach such an event).  But instead they continued to pimp their VMTV worlds and their mysupersweet16 online community (hey– marketers looking for “ins” on the teen girl wants?  Check THAT site out.  UGC galore!  Plus, they pimp their top birthday gifts & so on).

Ya know… it’s kinda funny how 1/2 of MTV is about spreading Environmentalism & Activism while the other 1/2 is encouraging Consumerism & irrational spending.  Kinda mixed messages.  But then again– talk to a teen and they’re LIVING mixed messages.  Perhaps that’s why they dig MTV so much.  Speaks “teen confusion”.  But even me– who still idolizes glamor and self-centered spending (oh how i miss buying silly toys and frivolous things) is starting to see a gaudy, gaudy edge to MTV.

I’m hoping this Gore-ism (Green + celebrity + activism I have officially dubbed “Goreism”… some could say it’s a “Jolieism, but Angie doesn’t publically encourage others to do the same, she just sets examples privately) starts to beat down those HORRIBLE dating shows on MTV (the show about ex’s and the one person dating several others = really trashy).

Anyone have anything to add? Be my guest in the comments!!