So let’s open it — at least slightly — with a bit of history. PlanWorld is a product of the Internet from before the Internet was cool — a barebones, text-based social network created by Amherst students in the 1980s. It is, in that respect, a dinosaur relative to far more popular networks like Facebook, MySpace and Livejournal — but for many, that’s what gives it charm. It is text-focused, text-centered, all about the text. Sure, with a little bit of HTML knowhow, users can post images and videos and do all sorts of wizardry — but the core of PlanWorld is in conveying thoughts.
This has naturally put off many potential users. Images and videos rule in the Facebook era, and explaining to an Amherst Facebook user the benefits of taking the PlanWorld plunge is often a difficult affair. The Internet, for better or for worse, has moved on, leaving ancient text-based services like PlanWorld lounging lazily in the past. This, of course, is just fine with many PlanWorld users, who have grown highly protective of their community. Recall earlier this year when Facebook nearly committed userbase seppuku by making the jump to a tabbed interface, a change that most users have since gotten along with. Well, take that reaction, square it, add a few PlanSurveys and extended cross-Plan arguments, and you have the typical PlanWorld reaction to just about any interface change. The addition of a WYSIWYG (“what you see is what you get”) editor caused quite an outcry, and the more recent efforts by some alums to revamp the New Athenian and make it cross compatible with PlanWorld have likewise not been taken well.
But none of that is too particular to the PlanWorld community. Tweaking a social network is like altering a part of the users’ bodies, and very rarely are interface changes initially applauded. However, the problem for PlanWorld is that this lack of change over the past 10 years or so has created an extremely stagnant community. Thus, while one would find very few current Amherst students using PlanWorld, there is an abundance of alumni very much dedicated to it. And, as the years go by and the number of new members continues to dwindle, those dedicated become more and more protective. As a result, there have been rumblings for a long while of an Amherst College administrative takeover of the service, with the College using PlanWorld as an alumni-organizing tool.
After a while, it becomes clear that the PlanWorld situation is a self-perpetuating trend: New users don’t dive in because they don’t know where to start, and people that do join find that they don’t know anyone that’s using it.
But here is the gist of it: PlanWorld doesn’t hold hands. It relies on a bit of adventurousness, as well as a taste for more intimate communication, than services like Facebook and MySpace are able to afford. This is why many are so protective of it — sure, it’s a small community, but it is one built on a philosophy that transcends friend counts and inane applications.
Still, that doesn’t mean that new users shouldn’t be helped along. Everyone has to start somewhere, and, in the sprit of that certainty, I offer a brief primer to PlanWorld for those curious enough to get started.
1) PlanWorld is what the user makes of it. Your Plan is a blank slate, allowing you to do effectively whatever you want with it. Rant, feud, journal, post your writing, your contact information — the possibilities are pretty much endless. Just don’t expect anything flashy.
2) Snitch! Snoop! Finger! Snitch allows you to keep track of all your stalkers (or readers — it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference) in a simple one-page format. Snoop lets you know when someone links to your Plan. These are two of PlanWorld’s most important features, and once you master them, they will open up many doors. Also, by typing “random” in to the box marked “finger,” you will be taken to a random plan. This is likewise a key to getting the most out of PlanWorld.
3) All you need is friends. Unsurprisingly, PlanWorld instantly becomes more welcoming once you know people using it. Of course, chances are you won’t know many people in your first ventures into PlanWorld. That sorts itself out soon enough because once you start posting, people will eventually take notice. Moreover, the PlanWorld community regularly has actual, fleshy get-togethers like the PlanWorld tailgate at Homecoming and Apocalypse, the annual PlanWorld party that has been held since 1999.
4) Just explore. Honestly, none of what PlanWorld has to offer is going to be compelling unless you dive in and try things out. It’s not difficult — just head over to http://neon.note.amherst.edu/planworld/, log in, click edit, post something and let the rest take hold. Also, try this — once you do get your feet on the ground, link to my Plan via !Rbilton10!. I’m sure we will become the best of PlanWorld friends.