There.com has officially opened up to the public 2

There.com has officially opened up to the public recently and we are all happy about this. However, new members have to pay to get into the world and do not get to try it out for free first. Many talk of how this might not be a good thing for the world as far as getting new members. There staff do not want to give free trial memberships out at this time because this could be a way for griefers to come into world and grief. It is difficult to keep the same people from creating a free trial membership over and over again to only come into world to cause grief. Until this is figured out I think the world will still feel pretty dead and sales for developers and designers will not get any better. I personally am having a difficult time with sales of my items as I have only sold a pair of Crash Tester Dummy boots in the last five days. The only way I am to stay in world and pay rent on my zones is if I can make the tbux I made before There.com closed its doors. I have spent more than I should have in real money in the last couple of months and regret it now. It is nice to support a place that you love and I have no problem with that, but for me to get the most out of my time in There.com I need to be earning tbux. Recently I have sold off much of my inventory to pay the rent owed each month on my zones and I am quickly running dry on those as well. I have held on for as long as I am able but I am afraid the time is nearing to cancel my account with There.com unless things change very soon.

Honestly I wish There.com were like it used to be back in 2004 when I first set my virtual feet on the virtual ground. I "landed" in Karuna Plaza where people stood around here and there and in groups. People approached me and showed me how to change my look and other things. I am the shy type so rather than finding people to talk with I began walking and walking and climbing the mountain to see how high I could get. I ran into a guy who had an airplane and when he took me up in it I was totally hooked! The way people come into world now is in my opinion, pretty lame. There.com now has a "Welcome Walkway" where new members land when they come into world for the first time. Instead of real people helping you out, there are signs and a fake avatar to help the newbie. Griefing has been the reason There came to having the "Welcome Walkway", I believe and new members no longer get that feeling of an endless world until they leave the walkway. There is an invisible wall that surrounds the walkway, which is a large dock over water. All you really see off in the distance is more water and that to me is less attractive to a new member's first visit. After you complete the walkway tutorial you enter into a blimp which then transports or teleports you to an island in the world.

I understand the stress and pressure put on There staff when they have to deal with griefers and probably do not want to have to deal with legal hoopla. If it wasn't for those bored people who have nothing to do but stand around and cause trouble for other people There.com wouldn't have to require so many different things now from us. There.com only accepts PayPal and many complain about that but they have their reasons for that too. There is just not what it used to be and probably never will be again, thanks to those people who have nothing better to do with their lives than try to ruin others fun. Believe it or not There.com used to be free to use and would only cost people to buy tbux to spend on in world items. People would pop in all the time from different parts of the world everyday all day long. Since There.com added sponsors like CocaCola and Mtv, that brought the kids into world and that publicity forever changed There.com.

That's all I'm going to go on about for now. These are my thoughts and opinions and you do not have to agree with them. I admit that what I say might not even be the truth, it is just what I see from my point of view.