Why do you blame Viacom?

[Awesome_Paul]

So the debate is "Why do you blame Viacom?"

 

Mainly due to, I don't get it.

Viacom, owns neopets, they don't work on the site.

 

Large Businesses work like:

-Head Honchos at the top (Viacom)

-Company Managers (Neopets Manager)

-Workers

(there is more, but that is main)

 

I can imagine, all Viacom is doing to the site is, putting forward new ideas to make the company more successful, and making sure Its running with a profit, rather than having a site making a loss.

They don't say, Open the pound _______, Start the new plot _____. (____ = dates).

 

I'm pretty sure Viacom does know how to make the most out of something, Look at what they own.

MTV, Nickolodean, VH1, Xfire, Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks, to name a few.

 

They all seem like they are doing well, so how come everyone complains about neopets.

One argument may be The NC Mall, or Premium, that is how companies survive, they have to keep adding onto the site.

Adding more to the site, more items, plots, even users, will take up space in their servers. So they will need loads of them. And Servers cost money. So if you get 1 more server, you'll need a way to cover that cost.

 

So how is it VIACOM's fault?

[Mike.]

Viacom does put forth new ideas, I won't argue that point. It's just that big companies like Viacom do not know the actual community of Neopets. They just know the profit they make from it. The ideas they put forth are terrible and continuously tear apart the site.

 

I mean, the NC Mall for example. The only reason Neopets has it is because it makes extra money for Viacom. It really does take away from other users on the site, no matter what anyone says. You can't argue with the fact that when people who are able to purchase from the NC Mall can beautify their pets 10 times better than you can. The NC Mall items are just that much better. When others don't have the opportunity make their pet as nice, it is not fair.

 

And I see many sites survive on donations and ads. I can deal with ads, they are necessary for Neopets' big size. Random donations, out of the millions of user, would generate a lot of revenue. But I don't know any specifics on this so don't hold me to it.

[Strategos]

I feel that Viacom should be blamed if anybody should be blamed* because they should respect the users of their sites. While you make a good point referring to other assets they own, you must remember that Neopets is an online company. Most of these other companies you mentioned are TV companies, and you don't really have a choice there. You just follow the industry standard, with part of a program, ads, and then repeat. With Neopets, there's nothing that quite like it, except for the copies, but that's the problem. They copy whatever Neopets does, so Neopets is setting the industry standard. Viacom knows that Neopets is setting the industry standard, so Viacom does whatever it feels is necessary to get more money, by having Neopets programmers working only on money-making ideas, so in a way, they're delaying the pound and the plot.

 

* I don't necessarily feel that anybody should be blamed. After all, you're not forced to play Neopets.

[nannerz]

I blame viacom because they have pointed Neopets down a new path of commercialization and revenue generation. While any similar company would have taken the same route (since they bought it to make money), the blame still rest on them as they dictate the direction in which the site is headed

 

Newest addition? That little button at the bottom advertising Nicklelodeon. That alone should give them quite a bit more traffic and attention.

 

One major problem with the pound with customization is the fact that people are now paying real cash for the wearable items. Legal issues come into play when one tries to transfer a pet through the pound. That is one reason for the holdup. I say they just automatically take off any attached clothing items from the pet and you're set, but who knows. :P

 

Yes the site costs money. But it generated a TON of revenue even before the customization came out. I saw the figures somewhere and there is no way that Neopets was at all struggling to remain operational and profitable. They just want more profit, and what they have found is a goldmine.

[Strategos]

One major problem with the pound with customization is the fact that people are now paying real cash for the wearable items. Legal issues come into play when one tries to transfer a pet through the pound. That is one reason for the holdup. I say they just automatically take off any attached clothing items from the pet and you're set, but who knows. :P

 

Problem is, what do you do with paint brush clothes. Do you give a painted pet without the appropriate paint brush clothes to the new owner?

[nannerz]

Heh search me strategos. I'm not really into customization so I completely forgot about that part of it. :P That is a lesser problem however since real cash was not part of the transaction? I thought I remembered reading an editorial question that addressed this...mmmhmm

[antiaircraft]

I don't necessarily blame Viacom, since they are a company after all, but I harbour resentment towards them because they have pretty much commercialized Neopets, making it significantly less user friendly and bringing in the use of actual cash, which in turn downgrades the experience of Neopets, although it's still a fun game to play.