| Have you ever gone to a party in AW? If not, ever wonder
what the draw was?
Well, I'm here to tell you what that draw is. I like meeting new people
in AW.
Lately, I've been on a building binge and may be neglecting my friends
a
little so I try to balance out my time between social & building
(but building
still screams the loudest in my ears by far!) That was not the case
for me
early in my membership's tenure. Because of a particularly unpleasant
experience I had contacting someone in the Real World who I had met
online
before I joined AW, I was very reluctant to open up to people here
at first. I
would hang out at AWGate (because that's all I knew what to do in those
early
days) and watch the chat and maybe join in but most of the time I would
stay
quiet. If I really wanted to contact someone, I would telegram them.
Since those early tentative days, I've become more confident with contacting
strangers in AW to the point where (most) aren't strangers for long.
Meeting
people at VR parties means that you will be meeting someone there looking
for
a good time, otherwise they probably would not be there.
Music is a must because music is the ultimate mood setter. You can't
have a party in the Real World unless you have some kind of music and it's
the same way, at least for
me, in AW. Another must is plenty of room to move. It's uncomfortable
for me
to be squeezed into a place that is too small for the crowd or has
too many
graphics or animations to be able to move freely. I know someone who
has the
entire GZ area of his world simply covered with walk objects to facilitate
smooth movement for avs. He stands in the middle and plays DJ all night.
Another, more subtle aspect of a good party is the surroundings. You
don't
want too much to slow people down of course, but you do want some kind
of eye
candy for your guests. My very first place was constructed with parties
in
mind (shows you where my mind was before I learned anything in AW,
heh heh)
and has signs, pics, local teleports and even it's own resident PK
for
everyone's entertainment. Restrooms can be particularly humorous (think
bathroom humor) if done up tastefully (if tasteful is the appropriate
term).
It's a good idea to send out invitations via telegrams and not depend
solely
on signs. I also try to send out reminders 24 hours before the party
for those
folks who are busy & may have forgotten or just have short attention
spans. A
dance floor, preferably in front of the DJ booth is cool too. My building
buddie had the foresight to make a DJ booth next to the dance floor
for me in
her party place so I could watch all the action with minimal movement
on my
part (DJ'g is a steady job during parties, whew).
One job that's not so much fun is trying to keep the peace when incompatable
personalities clash. I've never had to break up a fight but I have had
to redirect some, let's say, less than discrete people towards more appropriate
subjects. Although I've never
done this, it may be a good idea to script general announcements on
notepad
for the party, especially if it's you doing the DJ'g. So if you've
never tried
throwing a party, go for it! If you've had before, do it again! It's
great fun
and it's only a teleport click away for your guests and they don't
even have
to get dressed! : )
Ewasx
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