virtual magic kingdom
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Hi everyone!!! I wanted to let you know about a new Web site my family and I are doing. Our SaveVMK community is really engaged, creative, and wants to be be able to do our own thing. So, ShowandKnow.com is a place where everyone can post your learning projects that you made. If you have things you learned a long time ago -- or recently -- you can show others how you learned them. Show what you know! You can comment on projects, too. It is just starting, and we only have a few projects up, but I look forward to seeing what you have to share. I hope to see you there! Thanks again to everyone for your support, IsadoraQ and family Petition to Save VMKDisney is planning to shut down the Virtual Magic Kingdom -- an online world around which thousands of people have made online friends and fortunes. I, IsadoraQ, as a regular of VMK, ask you to join with me in petitioning Disney to reconsider their decision. Please sign* the following petition:
Total Signatures to Date = 26374
*note: if you are under 13, please get your parents permission before signing this petition, or ask them to do it for you. This petition will be sent to Disney officials. Comments will be included, and will also be sent to the media. By posting on this site, you agree to this. If you don't want your name or comments sent to Disney or the media, please let us know.    |
UpdatesNew Twilight site + RumorFirst, me and my family have just launched a new Twilight fan site! It's called the Twilight News Site (yes, it rhymes) and is available at TwilightNewsSite.com. We post EVERY bit of news about Twilight -- as soon as it is posted on the Internet -- plus, we'll be adding lots more soon! Please visit, and tell your friends! Thanks to everyone for voting in our poll, below. Maybe its a good thing we posted it, because we hear from a Disney insider that Disney may be looking at re-designing Virtual Magic Kingdom. Right now, it's still a rumor, but we'll keep our gold mouse ears open just in case. If you haven't voted yet, please do -- and don't forget to tell your friends about the TwilightNewsSite.com! See you next time! New poll! My friend, Jo, suggested we post the following poll, in the hopes that Disney would see whether there was still an audience for human avatar virtual worlds! Click carefully -- you can only vote once. Follow us on Twitter My family's web site -- for homework help -- at ShowandKnow.com is now on Twitter! Follow us today! 
You can post your school (or hobbie) projects at Show and Know, where we also have videos and more about whatever subject you are studying. Sort of like a YouTube for learning... You can even go to school online at Show and Know -- you can learn more here. June 2 Update First, the official trailer for Twilight: New Moon is available now on my site, Watch FamilyTV. It looks soooo awesome! At Virtual Family Kingdom, Space Age is now open! Laser tag, cool new space clothes, Alien Enchantment, and more are now available!!! Come visit your friends at VFK! See you there!! VMK Unleashed is now said to have been a long-running scam to collect ad traffic revenue, with little or nothing going on behind the scenes. I am not sure about that, but regardless, it isn't opening. Some other sites are now claiming that they are going to what VMK Unleashed said they were going to do, but at this point, it seems like those may be scams, too. Lots of anger and frustration all around. What a sad and pathetic thing to happen to Disney's once-greatest game ever. If fans were actually rebuilding VMK it would be one thing, but Disney should not be allowing their trademarks to be used in illegal scams. They have people working day and night enforcing their copyrights all over the Internet; why are they asleep at the switch on these scams? May 24 Update Well, we have some good news and some bad news... First the bad news: May 21 was the anniversary of VMK closing. No Internet staff changes at Disney, and no VMK. :( Second, VMK Unleashed -- which was supposed to open a revised version of VMK on servers around the world this weekend -- is gone. The young team working on it posted a message for a short while on their website, and a few hours later took the entire site down, including their forums. The message said something about how they weren't pulling together, spending too much time on the forums, etc., and eventually got into a fight as they realized they wouldn't meet their deadline. Reportedly someone on the team deleted everything they had worked on so far... So, at this point it looks like VMK Unleashed will never launch. The first good news is that Virtual Family Kingdom has posted a big new update for their first anniversary celebration, with the whole game software and toolbar redesigned, even easier to use, and faster. They have tons of new things on their site. Space Age will launch next Sunday, and you can see a picture of it on the new welcome animation on the homepage. They will have balls, scavenger hunts, and other contests all week long... Check it out! The second good news is thanks to everyone for visiting Show and Know, our new website where kids can post school assignments or whatever, free! Show what you know! May 2009 Update We have three different things to tell you about: Oh yah! The first 20 people who post a project on Show and Know will get a free T-shirt from our sponsors, Nesquik, where you can play games and have fun. Thanks for visiting and see you again soon! New contest! Our friends at the Spatulatta web site -- "cooking 4 kids online" -- sent us an email about a new contest that anyone under 15 can enter! It's the Magic Soup Contest!! In 200 words or less, tell Spatulatta about what you would put into your own magic pot of soup: ...Imagination is the key. The soup could be zoo soup with all the animals of the zoo in it and would be served to President Obama... Be creative. We mark high on creativity!You can get all the details here. Be sure to enjoy their great cooking videos -- with recipes you can make -- too!!! January 2009 Update Together, my family and I are making a new Web site, called Watch FamilyTV. It has fun videos from all over the Internet that anyone in your family can watch. It's lots of fun, with many videos we found and like. You can suggest videos you like, and leave commments for others to read, too. I hope you will visit Watch FamilyTV! We don't know how to make a virtual world like VMK or VFK, but we can offer this, and hope you, your friends, and families will enjoy it! About Comments to SaveVMK My family and I have been posting comments from all of you from the day after VMK announced it was closing through today, January 4, 2009. I am sorry but we can't continue to post your comments any longer (the spam we get through the form has gotten overwhelming!). We will leave your comments up to show people how we felt about Disney and Sulake closing down the Virtual Magic Kingdom. I wanted to thank everyone for their support, and for fighting to save VMK. In emails sent to me, I keep getting several questions over and over. So here's my response, as far as I know: Will VMK re-open? No, I am very sorry, but at this point I don't think it ever will. Steve Wadsworth is in charge of Internet stuff for Disney and when he took over, he bascially said he closed VMK because they weren't making money from the site directly. That was his decision, and it appears he won't back down on this. I have noticed that many people are afraid to admit it when they make mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes -- even Miley knows that -- but not everyone is willing to admit it and then decide to do better in the future. Maybe if Mr. Wadsworth ever leaves Disney, things could be different, but, for now, Disney has no plans to re-open VMK. So, if they did decide to do it, they will publicize it over and over and over -- on television, magazines, the Internet, everwhere -- just like they did with other virtual worlds they have opened since. What about our petition? There are many, many signatures posted here and elsewhere asking Disney to please not close VMK. We sent the petition to many people at (or affiliated with) Disney (including Mr. Wadsworth). Many times. They never directly responded, perhaps because then they might be admitting they were making a mistake and would need to apologize. (see above). The only direct response we received was a phone call from a woman in the publicity area to correct a blog entry elsewhere that said Disney might one day re-open VMK. She very clearly said Disney would not re-open VMK, ever, at any time, in any way. That was the phone call. What about my friend ________? I miss them!!! To everyone looking for their VMK friends, I hope that you find them on VirtualFamilyKingdom.com, a world made by people who didn't want to lose their VMK friends either. Thanks to VFK for helping me keep many of my friends, and for helping me to make lots of new ones! If you haven't been on VFK lately, then you don't know how awesome they are getting! Christmas was great -- just beautiful -- and they will be having another New Year's Ball later in January 2009. Space Age will be opening soon, along with lots more games. There's much more to say about VFK, but you have to see it to believe it. I hope to see you all on VFK! One last thing: I wanted to share two of your comments here. One is Solostinlost's YouTube post, "Save VMK - The Song." The other is the last comment we will post on this site. I think she sums up how many of us feel: : Maggiethebig (VMK) November 2008 Update Well, some VMKers were hoping that VMK might re-open on October 24, 2008. It didn't. I was going to check out the VMK homepage, and Disney took it down. Now you get sent somewhere else on their site. So, I think VMK is gone for good. Everyone wondered why VMK was called a "promotion," which thousands of people have said really did not make sense. Earlier, I linked to a speech that Steve Wadsworth, head of the Disney Internet Group, about why he thought VMK should be closed, where he said: Looking back, it seems like what he meant was that since VMK didn't have a built-in "business model" -- a way to make money off of it already -- he decided it was "just a promotion." Thanks to everyone who has helped support this site, and your many thank-yous. It is really fun to see so many of you at Virtual Family Kingdom, which had a totally awesome Halloween, and it looks like there will be a very Merry Christmas, too. Hope to see you there! Yes! Even More VMK Links!
More VMK links...
The latest news... Virtual Family Kingdom is open now and doesn't need pre-registration anymore. They have (or are adding) fairy magic, horses, VFK TV, mermaid magic, and lots more. See you there! Here are some more links sent to us from the VMK community:
Will VMK re-open in October or in 2009? We have gotten lots and lots of comments and questions about VMK re-opening. Apparently, we are not the only ones. VMK has recently added the following to their homepage: "Recently we've received inquiries asking if VMK is reopening -- there are no plans to reopen VMK in any form."And, true to how Disney has handled VMK's closure, there are no apologies of any kind, just a statement about how "Disney.com continues to create experiences to amaze our guests." To this, we agree: the experience we all shared of how Disney closed VMK without so much as an explanation or apology -- completely ignoring the protests of thousands of children -- was truly "amazing." New Links We were sent some new links to pass on to all of you... Here they are! VFK News - A great new site that lists secrets, quest spoilers, and other new things in VFK. VFKTown - A new VFK forum. More VMK Web Sites Here are more new sites for you:
Lots of people have been posting web sites on freewebs.com or synthasite.com/, which offer free web hosting that is simple to use and create a site quickly -- and did I mention they were free? Some have written to ask to get a site on Saving My World, but for now I suggest they go on one of these sites, and if they can't work for you, then let us know. I apologize for any trouble we may have caused anyone. More updates Just a short update today... I keep getting questions about if VMK will be opening in October. I don't think it will. It looked to me like there was a rumor at Disney that they could/would re-open VMK through October 31 -- but with further research (and even a call from a Disney executive)(their only response to us!!) -- it became clear that the rumor was untrue. I think the rumor about VMK opening in October is part of the same story, which again, Disney says won't happen. :( Here is a great new site about VMK: We want our community back! A NOTE TO PARENTS: Did you move when you were young? Was it hard to adjust after the move? For many VMK players, they have also lost their entire social support system -- just like people who move. Keep talking with your children about their loss(es) with VMK closing. For many of us, it has been, is, and will be really hard for some time to come. We appreciate your love and support. And remember, Virtual Family Kingdom is now available, and is where most of the same staff (who keep things safe for us all) and players have gone to continue our relationships. Thank you!! Madison Reed updated her web site with photos of her ponytail she got cut off to donate to Wigs for Kids. That's really great -- and it's funny, because I had just cut off my hair yesterday to donate to Locks of Love!! Madison's hair is still pretty long, but mine is really short now! :) You can visit either of these links to find out more about donating your hair to make wigs for children who are sick. Lastly, a special thanks to Tobey for signing our petition. Thank you!! :) June 15 Updates Thanks again to gpvmk.com. We have gotten lots of comments thanking us for originally posting the link to this great walk-through of VMK. Thank you!! A new write-in campaign to Disney to ask they re-open VMK, called VMK1000, is now open here. Some have written to tell us they are feeling extra sad about VMK closing. We understand, but don't freak out or start fights or do anything drastic -- that will just make you feel worse. Instead, I think you need to talk to your friends or parents or others you trust about what has happened and how you feel. It is sort of like we all moved away from our hometowns at once, which can be really hard for anyone. But all of us VMK refugees at least can go on to a new, free virtual world. Lots has been happening at Virtual Family Kingdom, the new virtual world started by some families who were saddened by Disney's closing of VMK. In just a few weeks, they have created a time-traveling, globe-hopping online theme park with new features added almost everyday! Right now, they have a new quest, new mini-game, new boot button, your own friends list, changeable clothes, inventory list, help button, new Wild West areas, and a new land, Victoria. Many of the former VMK staff are working there, to keep everything fun and safe -- and of course there are many, many VMKers there. See you on VirtualFamilyKingdom.com!! With all of the excitement about the new Virtual Family Kingdom, there are two new forums about VFK as well: New VMK Archive TheMadDuck has an image archive of VMK with dozens of great "photos." June 7 Updates We have been on VFK a lot lately, and that has left a lot of things to update you on: First, is an excellent, "walk-through" archive of VMK at GPVMK.com. It is not from Disney, but is still wonderful. Many of you sent images to us, which we will post here, but GPVMK is so wonderful we couldn't begin to compare with a walk-through of our own. [Reporters who are looking to see what all the fuss is about, go here first.] Next is a long blog post about VMK closing from Joe Pishgar, who was the Community Manager for Sulake working with Disney on Virtual Magic Kingdom. He talks all about the closing of VMK, about how/why staff felt powerless, and how he got to have a special time with Madison Reed, our hero. From the post it sounds like there were 250,000 regular VMK players, but we learned elsewhere that some understand that Disney kept making access to VMK weaker and weaker so it wouldn't get bigger and they could close it. Shame on you Disney! Many have written about pressuring Disney to re-start VMK. Here is a web site dedicated to just that -- "Operation BBM : Bring Back The Magic!" Many have written to say their boycotting Disney continues and is expanding. On the world's largest unofficial guide to Walt Disney World, Dis Unplugged, is a lovely farewell to VMK from Sarah, age 13. Thanks, Sarah. There is a new forum about Virtual Family Kingdom, called VFKWorld. Here is a fun quiz to test your knowledge about VMK. Lastly, the Washington Post confirms some of our fears about Disney's motives for closing VMK, in an article called Disney Merging WDIG Group With Games Unit; Forming Disney Interactive Media Group. Here is a famous quote which is not from the article, but some may find applies quite well: "We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganized. Presumably the plans for our employment were being changed. I was to learn later in life that, perhaps because we are so good at organizing, we tend as a nation to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralization." (Charlton Ogburn)Closing VMK: Poor Marketing 101 Lots of marketing and Internet experts have offered analyses of Disney's closing VMK. They universally agree that it was at least very poorly handled, and at worst, shows the flaws in Disney's corporate structure and/or reveals the beginning of the end for the love for Disney's brand. Yesterday, Mediapost's Tameka has emailed that they are working on a story (thank you!). While there are too many stories to link to all of them, here are a few: We thank everyone for letting their favorite bloggers know about VMK, for the media for their astute and insightful analyses, and for your validation of what we VMKers saw from the beginning: VMK was a wonderful branding effort, and closing it was a horrible way to treat many of its most loyal fans. May 27 Update After contacting Disney dozens of times, we finally got a call from a Disney official, who confirmed what Ridley said below, that VMK will not be re-opening. Nearly all the VMK staff has moved on to be moderators at VFK. It looks like most everyone of the VMK players have, too. Some have written to point out that VFK is different from VMK (which it is), and that VFK is still growing, adding features, bandwidth, servers, etc. Now, we get to be a part of how the Virtual Family Kingdom grows. We get to help build a new world, and that is exciting! Plus, VFK wants us there, while Disney did not want us anymore. We hear that Disney was lowering the bandwidth VMK had available, and moved the site to weaker computers at another company to make sure that VMK stopped growing and to make it hard for us to go there. I don't know why some companies see their customers as their enemies, but when it happens, you can sure tell. I don't think it is smart, or safe, to put your trust in someone who doesn't truly like you. Update from Ridley :(
Closing VMK is Old School Thinking The hip marketing blog, Church of the Customer, by respected speakers/consultants Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba offers the following analysis of Disney closing VMK:
Thank you, Ben and Jackie. Ridley Pearson: VMK is Saved Just got this from Ridley Pearson, the author of several wonderful books where characters talk to one another inside VMK. The entry is on his website, and is dated today, Friday, May 23, 2008:
We now have word from trusted sources who say that VMK will open through October -- but only for those who are already signed up on VMK. So we'll see what happens. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available... Thank you, Ridley, and everyone of you for your support!! Save VMK!!!! A Message from Madison We asked Madison if she had anything to say to everyone about VMK closing. She wrote and said:
Here is a photo of one of our heroes, Madison, and a friend. 
Our Scrapbook of VMK BarbiePretty wrote to me and had an awesome idea!!! Here is her really nice email:
(Thanks, BarbiePretty. It was nice meeting you too!) The virtual worlds expert Linda Zimmer said that Disney should have set up a VMK Scrapbook to help us remember and to feel better. But like with so many things, Disney did not do that for us. So we are going to have a VMK scrapbook here!!! Please email me any pictures of the different rooms from around VMK and we will post them in a new area on our site. Please email the pictures as an attachment to isadoraq.savevmk@gmail.com and be sure to tell us your VMK/VFK name so we can say who sent it to us! Thank you very much, BarbiePretty! We are saving VMK together!! The Day After Disney has closed VMK. :( As reported elsewhere, they did so despite our signatures and petition. In answer to your many questions, SaveVMK.com is NOT closing. We feel Disney has made a terrible misjudgment, and we think many of you will want to let others know what you think. So feel free to leave your comments here. We are also doing SavingMyWorld.com, but that site will not replace this one. It is something extra we are offering to you. Many VMK refugees, now homeless, are going to VirtualFamilyKingdom.com today, and chatting there. As it turns out, many staff who were laid off by Disney, are now working at Virtual Family Kingdom. Yea!!! Our very sincere thanks to you, staff, for caring about us enough to help us all in moving to VFK. You are helping us feel safe and welcome. Thank you!!!!! Some Disney-related boards are not letting ppl there talk about VFK. So, we suggest using one of the VFK boards we have on the left side of our page, like VFK Fan Forums who are also refugees from the former Virtual Magic Kingdom. As for Disney, we here at SaveVMK wanted to pass on a message from VMK_RedScorch:
Latest Updates (5/21) We haven't heard anything about Disney reconsidering their decision to close VMK. There is lots of news about what's going on though:
In the article, they mention the wonderful comments that have "to be seen to be believed" over at Virtual World News. The author, Mike Schramm, is completely correct: "It's an amazing story" -- as in, unbelievable, inconceivable, and mystifying. Parents: A warning! In the the OC Register article above, Linda Zimmer of MarCom:Interactive offers this important advice to parents, in answer to the question, "What do you suggest VMK people do when VMK ends? Why?"
We have received several emails from children discussing selfimmolation, etc., over VMK closing. We have encouraged these writers to talk with their parents or others who care about them regarding their feelings. Talk with your children who have been playing on VMK, just as you would if you were undergoing a painful move to another place. You will not "just know" how your child feels until you talk with them. Please take care of your children at this very difficult time. Thank you, Linda, for your insightful interview. We appreciate it. As for Disney's responsibility for this tragedy, we are getting comments like this one, from Aubrey Taylor:
The LA Times Gets the Scoop Dawn Chmielewski and Alex Pham at the Los Angeles Times finally got an "on the record" quote from a Disney official, Steve Wadsworth, head of the Disney Internet Group, about why he thought VMK should be closed, from his keynote speech at the EconSM Conference, a conference about how to make money off of social networks. The fact he appears to be wrong and misguided in his assessment underscores why Disney has not been forthright and honest in their public response to us all. Wadsworth said he thought VMK,
By "achieved scale," Wadsworth appears to mean that it didn't have many players, although the industry term, scaleable, actually means that the technology allows the number of users to grow more and more and more. However, when people like Wadsworth say they want things to "scale," what they often mean is "make more and more and more money," like he appears to hope ClubPenguin and ToonTown will. Dawn and Alex also talked with other experts who told them:
Aside from the LA Times article, it is also believed that the person at Disney who originally sponsored building VMK, Roger Holzberg, recently was fired/quit/laid off/let go from Wadsworth's Disney Internet Group (Roger is now working on the non-profit Methusaleh project, to help people live longer. Best wishes, and good luck, Roger! Thank you for starting VMK!!!). Some feel Wadsworth possibly fired Roger because VMK was such a great concept that it made his ideas and projects -- like buying ClubPenguin for $700 million dollars -- look weak in comparison. So, you may want to consider staying away from Disney Internet Group web sites, worlds and other projects, until Wadsworth is fired/quit/laid off/let go himself. Judging from how DIG has been handled in the past, that shouldn't be long (like with former DIG president, Jake Weinbaum). Our sincere thanks to Dawn and Alex, and to everyone who wrote to them. VMK: Why Close Such a Successful Community? Many people have asked what happened with VMK, and ask why Disney wanted to close it. Chris sent an analysis of what may have happened with VMK, and makes some great points about VMK's value as well. You can read it on our comments page. Thanks, Chris! Great analysis!! Saving VMK: 20,000 Signatures Strong A special thanks to Camoflouge, our 20,000th signature today -- and to everyone else who has signed the petition. Meanwhile, SaveVMKToday.com has over 10,000 signatures. Let's hope that someone at Disney notices -- and the many, many emails sent today (including our petition [again]) should help! Save VMK!! "The Upward Spiral" posted on Saving My World StarStone has posted the start of the first site on Saving My World, The Upward Spiral: The heroes and villains in your life -- and how to tell the difference. The site may help give some background to understand Disney's "downward spiral" thinking in closing VMK. Email Blitz to Disney Mizmouse suggests sending emails to Disney today all at once. Join the blitz! Silicon Alley Insider covers VMK Closing The Silicon Alley Insider has an article on Disney wanting to close VMK titled: 'Casual Gamers' Not So Relaxed If You Mess With Their Games (DIS). "Way back in 2005, Disney (DIS) opened a free online game/virtual world called Virtual Magic Kingdom... Our sincere thanks to Vasanth for the article. Disney execs are changing the "magic" to tragic. Kenny Gill's email to Disney Kenny Gill and family (the famiy from the Local6 interview) sent this email to Disney execs: My name is Kenny, the proud father of 2 girls 11-13. I just wanted to let you know we have always been a Disney fan family. We had almost every vhs disney movie that they came out with for my girls to watch as they grew up. We have gone to WDW 3 times, epcot twice, typhoon lagoon 4 times, and downtown Disney many times. Sounds like a lot more money than two cents! :-) Thanks Kenny & family!! Wall St. Journal article on Closing VMK The Wall St. Journal, the world's leading business daily, has published an article about closing VMK. Read it here. I think they may have confused savevmk.com with savevmktoday.com (I don't know Nicholas, and this site isn't particularly slick), but we are all glad for the coverage anyway. It is interesting that such a pro-business newspaper would take Disney to task for treating its customers so poorly. Thanks to Pam and Mizmouse for sending the link! Mizmouse notes the combined petition signatures here and on savevmktoday.com are now over 30,000! Thanks to everyone!! Save VMK Song & Video! Solostinlost has written an anthem for saving VMK! It is wonderful! Watch it now!! Save VMK!!! New Disney e-mail address: wdw.guest.communications@disney.com Kaitlin wrote to say that she spoke with a Disney official and said: "GUESS WHAT! I GOT HOLD OF SOMEONE WHO WORKS AT DISNEY, and i got to talk to them about vmk closing down and what we can do to stop it!!!!! It took alot of waiting time to get transfered, but it was totally worth it. the guy was so helpful and i explained what VMK was ( he was a little unfamiliar with it ) and after I told him how heartbroken we were, he really felt for us and said he was on the internet doing everything he could ( and calling other people ) to hook me up with a producer form vmk or someone behind this decision of closing it down. I told him about the website, and how we have nearly 20,000 signatures protesting shutting our virtual world down and he was AMAZED! he said it was Crazy how many we had and that was really great, and he was astonished when i sad that Disney has so far repeatedly refused to recognize our work of trying to stop it from closing down. finally, in the end i didn't get to talk to a producer but he let me know that he honestly had no idea of how to get in contact with them but he told me to give this address to all of my friends and all the other players and even said to flood the email address with our letters of how sad and how its affecting us and just to pretty much let disney know how awful this decision is! i have never seen this email - but i know its real because a real disney guest information gave it to me! i jsut thought i would share it with ya'll so we can do all that we can... before our nightmare becomes reality :( Thank you Kaitlin, we will be sending the petition (and signatures) to them, and encourage everyone to write to Disney at that email address, too!! Save VMK!!! Gamespot editorial on VMK closing Gamespot is the world's leading gaming industry and game review site, and now, respected Gamespot blogger DSJam (VMK: TheMadDuck) has a great article on VMK, with some others on the way. He explains why he likes VMK: "The reason people are so upset, myself included is that VMK was a safe place for kids to go online, be entertained, and make friends without having to fear inappropriate contact with predators. To me it was simply a way to get a Disney fix without spending thousands on airfare, rental cars, food, etc. And it was free of all the griefing and cursing found in so many other online games. I could go to VMK without the fear of being annoyed by foul-mouthed kids whose idea of intelligent discourse is spewing as many racial and homophobic slurs in the shortest time possible, like some kind of tourettes olympics." WDW Newsletter laments VMK closing The WDW Newsletter, the #1 source for daily Disney news, reports on the large numbers of protesting VMK fans, asking why Disney would close the social network: "Isn't that truly the goal of Disney, to maintain the current level of Disney fans as well as to continue to create a new generation? ... Is the hope that VMK players will shift over to Club Penguin to play, which would increase Club Penguin’s statistics? Probably, but they are not the same type of gaming experience. This is an excellent point. As far as I know, Disney has not ever responded to this entirely reasonable suggestion. They have said they expect their online worlds to form a network of virtual worlds for various demographics knitted together; but what TV network, for instance, cancels a hit show to make room for a new one? Coming soon: Saving My World Many of you have written to us expressing your gratitude to us for making this website and also asking how to set up your own web site. I wanted to try to help anyone (especially if they are a kid) who is facing an issue they want to let people know about. So I am starting SavingMyWorld.com, where anyone can get help setting up a web site to rally support for their cause, for free. Thank you to everyone who wrote to me asking about this. Save VMK!! And, save the world!!! Sending the Petition to Disney We have gotten lots of emails suggesting we send the petition to Disney. So we have. Lots of times. To lots of people at Disney. We will find out what Disney thinks of its customers by how they respond. News Coverage of VMK Wow! There has been a lot of news coverage about VMK closing -- click to see for yourself. Thanks to everyone who has helped to get the word out!! Save VMK! Calling Megan (fighting cancer) Megan, the LA Times reporter wants to talk with you. Please contact her at the address below. This is what you sent to us, but you didn't leave your email address: "My name is Megan. Last year I was diagnosised with cancer. Life is hard for me, I'm losing my hair, I can't see my friends as much as I would like to. My mom got me a laptop when I was in the hospital. My friend told me about vmk, so I went on so we could hang out. In my vmk life, I don't have cancer. I'm a normal girl just like everyone else, I can who I want to be on vmk. Please vmk, please don't make me lose another life. It's like I'm dying in two lifes. Please don't close." Arielle, if you get this, please contact Dawn at the address below also. Thank you! Save VMK!!! The Los Angeles Times wants to hear from you! Now!! I just talked with a reporter from the Los Angeles Times, one of the world's leading newspapers. She wants to hear from you about what you think about VMK, and Disney wanting to close it down. Think about what you want to say and email her at dawn.chmielewski@latimes.com. Thank you, Dawn, and everyone who writes to her! SAVE VMK!! New VMK Blog There is a new blog called Operation Save VMK: Keep The Magic Alive! with photos videos and more. More VFK Excitement Excitement over the new Virtual Family Kingdom world has given us all hope that we don't have to lose all our friends just because Disney can't work out their contract with Sulake. VFK has posted a huge update to their site, which featues a Medieval Land walkthrough with Alpha Girl, exploring the lands of Camelot. It is so beautiful!! I can't wait!!! There are now several more unofficial VFK forums available. One is at www.vfkforums.com. A VMKer has started a forum of his own at vfkfs.forummotion.com. A very sincere effort. Here is another VFK Forum announcement: On May 22, vMksocial.tk will become vFksocial.tk. I think everyone is clear on this but please note that the various VFK forums are not formally affiliated with VFK. Further, VFK is not associated with Disney or with VMK. YouTube Videos There are hundreds of VMK closing videos on YouTube, including this one from Sammie. ClubPenguin Founder: Other Gaming Companies are Irresponsible; Not Disney Games Industry magazine has a shorter article here, and the full interview here, with Lane Merrifield -- co-founder and general manager of Club Penguin and executive VP of the Walt Disney Internet Group. Many feel that Merrifield is the key person responsible for closing VMK, outside of Sulake. In the interview, Merrifield offers the following observation: "I think one of the biggest challenges is the irresponsible nature with which our industry has taken care of kids for a long time - so there's a great cynicism out there, and understandably so," Merrifield told GamesIndustry.biz.Unbelievable. I am speechless. Mr. Merrifield, if you aren't the key person responsible for closing VMK, feel free to let us know. Protest Media We were sent the following image and email: "Hi! I have a picture of our virtual protest. I don't remember all their titles but I'm the one in blue princess top (angelagt) and boy next to me is marko. Thanks to all who participated!" 
Sarah sent this image: 
And Kelsea sent a link to her YouTube video here. Thank you!! New Lands and Features at VFK Wow! Check out all the new announcements at Virtual Family Kingdom. Be sure to click on the floating windows, and on the links to Lands and Features on the left. Exciting!! California Mother Shares Her Concerns: "Why is it that no one in any of the posts I have read has mentioned some sort of class action suit? To me it seems like a scam or fraud of some kind that happened.Thanks to VFK Disney continues to be difficult. It doesn't appear that they listened when people told them that they couldn't just pull the plug on a social network whenever they felt like it, back when VMK first started, and they don't seem to be listening now as we tell them what a terrible mistake this is. Just look at John Machen says in our comments today. The fans Disney will lose over offending so many of their truest believers is crazy. Many people are very concerned that they will do the same thing for Pirates of the Caribbean, ToonTown and any others they may come up with. But even though Disney doesn't seem to be following the example of its founder, it doesn't mean there aren't wonderful people out there who are willing to work and sacrifice to make children, and their families, happy. We especially want to thank everyone at Virtual Family Kingdom. They are working very, very, very hard to try to be ready for their beta testers by May 22. VFK will have lots of new features that VMK never did and it sounds like it will be so much fun. I think it is great that they are letting us use our VMK names so we can meet our old friends and keep those friendships. We look forward to seeing many familiar "faces" inside VFK. Thank you, VFK! You are saving VMK (at least, the most important part, our friendships) and making it even better!! May 10 Protests Below (in the middle of the page) are "photos" from the Virtual Protest at VMK Esplanade and Castle Forecourt. Thanks, mizmouse!!!! Here is an account of the day's protest at Disneyland. Thanks to everyone who participated!! And no thanks to the Disney security people, who suggested Disney is already planning on shutting down Pirates of the Carribbean online, ToonTown, and other games!! Thanks to Protestors Thanks to everyone who attended the protests -- at Disneyland and in VMK today!!! If anyone has photos or video links, please let me know. Save VMK!!! Associated Press covering Disneyland Protest Thanks to Ryan Nakashima, a reporter for news syndicate Associate Press has written an article called "Players protest closing of Disney's Virtual Magic Kingdom" which talks about the protest tomorrow at Disneyland. The Associated Press, or "AP," writes articles which show up in thousands of publications across the globe. The article tells about how Disney wants to break our hearts and gets the facts right on how we will lose our friendships since we can't share contact info. Thanks to Andrew from Sun City also for his support! No thanks to Disney, who just list the same meaningless answers, then tell how everyone should just move over to their other games. Why would we do that, when it is obvious Disney does not value the trust we gave to them? Disney also seems to be saying that VMK players don't matter since Disney has soooo many other woooonnderful games out there. Why play -- or watch, or listen, or read, or visit -- anything from Disney when it's clear they'll pull the rug out from under us without so much as an honest response? Some angry discussion about the AP article is over at DisBoards. Jasonbobdude says, "If it was a promotion they shouldn't have had any social aspect to the game. It's just wrong to start a community as a 'promotion.'" Save VMK + Media Attention = ? Save VMK Today reports: "We are still working very hard to Save VMK, I just did a major national magazine interview last night and am scheduled to do two more this week. One is with a major national news network. I'll post more soon but can't say much now!"Thank you, we are looking forward to the articles!! Thanks Tyler! Thanks Tyler, for asking your dad to post links to SaveVMK and Save VMK Today on his great [and insightful] article! Save VMK!!! VMKer Sammie Protests (Everywhere!) Sammie emailed to tell us: "In VMK i have hosted a few protests ( You may have heard of at least two of them ):Thanks, Sammie. Save VMK!! New VFK Forums site Xiaolin wrote to tell us about another new VFK forums site. Thank you! New: VFK Forums There is a new Virtual Family Kingdom Forums web site to talk all about VFK!! Click here or on the new square banner at the left and sign up today! MeiMei wants to Save VMK! A lot!! MeiMei sent me an email that said, "This is such an awesome site! I will admit, I come here like every 10 minutes looking for news on VMK. I love VMK! It's like a second life to me. When I'm having a bad day at school, my only comfort is thinking I can go on VMK when i get home."And then she wrote, "Save VMK!" -- 11,259 times! Save VMK!! Does Disney "Get" Virtual Worlds? Here is part of a great article about Disney's virtual worlds and their wanting to close VMK. Others have already pointed out that Disney says they want to make virtual worlds "like a theme park," which of course they already have (or could have) in VMK: "So here's my takeaway. From the interview, its clear that Disney understands the business opportunity in Virtual Worlds & Social Networks... On the other hand, Disney's decision to shut down VMK demonstrates that perhaps they don't really get the "social" component. In these social environments, Disney's role is to provide the frameworks (architectural, security and creative) and the context, but the real content is created by the participants. In shutting down VMK, they aren't just closing an amusement park attraction. They are throwing away the work of the thousands of dedicated, passionate kids who have spent countless hours building and sharing wonderfully imaginative experiences, and in the process, will be alienating many of their most dedicated and influential advocates." Talk about it Thanks to everyone who has written to me, and for your wonderful comments. I understand for many of us it is very upsetting that VMK might close. Some of us are so upset we are thinking about dying. If you are sad, please go talk to your parents, teachers or others you can trust. Don't wait, okay? Because your VMK friends want to help you too. Our world wouldn't be the same without you, and we care about you, and want to help. Things are always changing. And sometimes, it's hard. But remember that a lot of times, things get better! We are trying to do what we can with VMK, and we are happy to hear that there is a new site coming: Virtual Family Kingdom. You can use your VMK name and meet up with your friends there, no matter what. We have talked to the boss on the phone and he is really nice and trying to help all the kids out there that love VMK and want some place to go to be with our friends. The Big Question: Why? We have been asked hundreds of times -- by major stock holders, and by the very young -- the same, excellent question over and over: "Why would Disney want to close VMK?" Some say, simply, Disney is being "greedy." They want more money any way they can get it, they say, and Disney appears to think few players will stay on VMK if they begin charging for it. Judging from hundreds of comments we've received, this is an incorrect notion. The players love and live for VMK, and some would gladly pay. Further, if Disney is simply being greedy, why is Disney throwing away a $2 billion project? Especially when that value for VMK is calculated upon Disney's own valuation formula? Here is the formula: Club Penguin had 700,000 players. Disney bought it in what could be a $700 million deal. Thus, Disney counts each ClubPenguin user as being worth $1,000 dollars. Disney assigned this value even though each player only pays between $58 - $72 per year to play. That adds up to about $50 million per year, which is what they reported making from ClubPenguin last year. This brings up another question: how will Disney make money on the ClubPenguin deal? Perhaps Disney expects ClubPenguin to keep all their players signed up until the yearly amount equals the purchase price -- in another 14 years. This appears highly unlikely given the pace of technology. Or, it could be that Disney hopes to recoup their investment selling ClubPenguin-brand products on the side. That doesn't seem very likely either. Finally, Disney could be hoping to make back their money by getting many, many more people to sign up for Club Penguin. How can they accomplish this? The comments we've received suggest that the amount of people who can see themselves as penguins may be a limited number. So, Disney could be hoping to increase their Club Penguin (and other virtual worlds') membership by closing down other, free parts of their web sites, in hopes players will sign up for paid Disney sites instead. That sounds feasible. Except there are some problems with that approach which -- judging from the comments sent here -- are becoming big problems. Kids are realizing Disney is ready to pull the plug on virtual worlds at any time, which doesn't build the trust needed for a successful virtual community, which is something built as much by the players as by the corporate sponsor. Meanwhile, experts are claiming Disney is being irresponsible, immoral and damaging the psyche's of its young audience. Parents seem to agree, joining an ad-hoc boycott of all things Disney. And lets be clear here: this boycott is less out of expecting any real response from Disney corporate offices than it is based upon a growing dismay toward the Disney brand they once loved. They are cancelling their trips, throwing away their trip-planning DVDs, and changing the channel to Nick, because they are just sickened by the "whole, VMK-closing thing." So, while the Disney-is-being-greedy theory seems partially valid, it doesn't appear to be accurate or working. Disney remains focused on providing extraordinary quality within their brand. So maybe, as others say, Disney is just being "dumb." Look around VMK; the site has already lost it's many acquisition-minded players. Meanwhile, look at the other Disney virtual games: Are they suddenly busier? Overwhelmed with new players? Many say they are not. By comparison the Virtual Magic Kingdom -- unlike Club Penguin -- promotes all things Disney, specifically offering a convincing promotional tool to get people to the parks. Could VMK itself have been promoted better? Perhaps. Yet the promotional potential of VMK is still there, and according to the comments we've received, is working very, very well. Do people who play VMK want to go to the parks? And actually go there? Absolutely, see for yourself (e.g., in the final comment). Further, many agree that visiting the Disney parks is not cheap. So whatever their expenses for running VMK -- estimated at under $850,000 per year -- Disney has a clear way to recoup them in full, and then some. Here is where things take a surprising turn. Also unlike Club Penguin, VMK doesn't have 700,000 players. Rather, VMK is said to have over 2 million registered players. Over. Two. Million. Players. And make no mistake, for many of these players, VMK is their primary entertainment, Internet and recreational avenue. They may have "Hannah Montana" playing in the background, but VMKers are leaning forward, focused on their real friends and real interactions within the virtual world of VMK. So, going by Disney's own valuation -- with each player being worth $1,000 a piece -- VMK is worth $2 billion dollars. That's billion, with a "b." Who would have thought Disney was doing so well that they could throw away a successful, growing, $2 billion dollar project? Meanwhile, every year, Disney avoids a potential $144 million dollars per year of profit, simply by not charging $6 per month to play VMK, which could, over time, push VMK to exceed it's $2 billion value, just as Disney expects ClubPenguin to surpass its $700 million value. Perhaps Disney doesn't think VMK players are worth as much as ClubPenguin players. The rejected players seem to feel that way. Ask the seriously ill Madison Reed or any of the millions of other "fired," former VMK players. Let's say VMKers are worth only half the original amount, or $500 each. That still makes VMK worth $1 billion. So VMK is clearly a very, very valuable social network, virtual world, brand-builder, Internet property, and money-maker. So, given the brilliance that is VMK (and its revenue-generating potential), the Disney-is-being-dumb theory doesn't hold water, either. Which leaves one theory left. Some speculate that Sulake, the company which developed the underlying (outdated) technology VMK is based on, are the real ones closing VMK because they just signed a deal with Paramount. Plus, the contract had already run out and was merely being extended. Lastly, Sulake needs the staff to create the sure-to-be-uplifting "Mean Girls" world at today's presumably higher rates. So Sulake appears to be playing the cards it was dealt wisely and carefully. Noted. After all, what does Sulake care about Disney? Or fans of the Disney brand? They're all just another client, as far as Sulake's concerned. And bonus points to Paramount for out-witting Disney (although they better be very careful in their own dealings with Sulake!). And why did Disney sponsor a virtual world -- where children were supposed to grow and develop their (and Disney's) presence, property, and social networks -- by contracting with Sulake for such a limited time? The 10-year olds playing VMK all knew VMK was supposed to go on forever, so why didn't anyone at Disney appear to know this too? Which leads back to the original question, one which, it turns out, no one but Disney can answer: "Why would Disney want to close VMK?" SaveVMK.com has a petition of over 16,460 people who would like to know. And it suggests another, yet-to-be-answered question: Why are the Disney stockholders standing by while such a tragic mistake is made if VMK were to be closed forever? The world may never know the answer. Or care, since other, non-Disney virtual worlds are likely to pick up that $2 billion value, while gaining the gratitude of millions of former VMK players and their families (formerly known as Disney customers) on May 22. Some Find Hope in POTC Survey Disney sent out a survey to players of Pirates of the Caribbean Online game. One of the questions read: "Which of the following online games do you currently pay to play or have paid a subscription to? Please select all that apply. Posters on several forums are speculating that this could indicate Disney is considering switching VMK to pay-to-play. Based on the comments we have gotten, VMK would be a great gateway for Disney to convert many of it's free Internet customers over to pay-for-play subscribers. Disney Boycott over VMK Closing Nate, Chan, Scott Morgan, William Spangler, Meg Penn, PrincessPixiePop, Andrea, and GeneralBirdman wrote to say they are boycotting Disney -- no longer buying any Disney products, or visiting the parks -- over their closing VMK. As FISHKars told Disney, "With this website probably already lots of people are going to boycotting Disney products. So to save your company, save VMK." And they are not alone!! According to Central Florida News 13, many parents across the country are starting to boycott all things Disney over the planned closing of VMK. Be sure to click on the "Video: Online Disney Dilemma" to watch the segment. Thanks very much to Shelly, Elaine, and William Amato for speaking out and standing up to Disney!! Share with your parents and friends how you feel, ask them to sign the petition, and together let's save VMK!! Hundreds protest inside VMK on Wednesday Previously, Mizmouse emailed about having a protest inside VMK. Many of you went to protest -- thank you!!! Mizmouse wrote, "Thanks for your help telling people about the first Save VMK Walk...we had a huge queue to get into the room...I will be organizing more of them in the future! We had hundreds show up for the Save VMK Walk today!" Will Dr. Phil help? Cazz wrote with a great suggestion... Why not ask Dr. Phil to do a show on VMK closing, and how it is important to disabled and lonely kids who are trying to learn how to grow up by playing together on VMK?? Click here to contact Dr. Phil! Thanks, superpixkid! Superpixkid wrote and told us: "i have told most of the teachers in my school about vmk and how its closing down then i asked about 7 teachers to sign the petition they all did and in a couple of weeks i will ask every body in the school to!!" Thanks, Superpixkid (and your teachers)!! What a great idea!! Thank you! SaveVMK.com: 100,000 page views lizzie_magic wrote to congratulate us all on getting 100,000 page views on this site. Thank you all for visiting! Save VMK!!! VMK Addict: Help Save VMK. From VMK Addict's web site: "I seriously advise everyone to send in as many emails/letters as possible to anyone at Disney about this. It may not make a difference, but we'll never know unless we try. I think if they add a pay-to-play option (like with POTC Online) they could make a nice profit, not to mention how much money they would make with selling VMK merchandise, especially if you get codes with them. I know Fish and I would buy tons of VMK stuff for birthdays, Christmas and just because. I'm sure we're not the only people out there who would. I also know that several people would be willing to pay to play, as long as VMK doesn't close. I know VMK didn't intend for it to stay open this long, but sometimes great things happen on accident. VMK was a great accidental success. There truly is no other game out there like it." We need more signatures! We have a lot of signatures -- but we need more! Please ask your parents, family members, and friends to sign our petition. Save VMK!! Submit comments to Disney Interactive Disney Interactive Studios has a comment box on their site asking "What do you want to do in DGamer?" Some VMKers have written to suggest we tell them we want to play VMK!! AcePirateLouie loves VMK. Today I got a message from AcePirateLouie, which repeated a single sentence for 31,680 times. Exactly. What was the sentence? "I LOVE VMK." Thanks Ace, we all feel just like you do!!! Virtual Family Kingdom Trailer Virtual Family Kingdom has a preview video up on their site now -- along with an early, "alpha" test of a colonial room, where you can click and move Alpha Girl around the room. Be sure to read the letter below the test. Check it out now! Even more Disney Contact Info MagicMontey posted this great YouTube video about her letters to Disney, and sent us this contact information: Mr. Stephen H. Wadsworth President Walt Disney Internet Group 5161 Lankershim Blvd., 4th Floor North Hollywood, CA 91601 Miss. Brandy Phillips Walt Disney Internet Group 5161 Lankershim Blvd., 4th Floor North Hollywood, CA 91601 Mr. Robert Iger President and CEO Walt Disney Company 500 S. Buena Vista St. Burbank, CA 91521-9722 Mr. Tony Baxter Senior Vice President, Creative Development Walt Disney Imagineering 1401 Flower St P.O. Box 25020 Glendale, CA 91221 Mr. Ed Grier President Disneyland Resort 1313 South Harbor Blvd Anaheim, CA 92802 Mr. Steve Jobs CEO, Chairman and Co-Founder of Apple Inc. Apple Computer, Inc. 1 Infinite Loop Cupertino, CA 95014 Mr. Steve Parkis Vice President of premium content Disney Online Studios 5161 Lankershim Blvd., 4th Floor North Hollywood, CA 91601 Mr. Paul Yanover Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Disney Online Disney Online Studios 5161 Lankershim Blvd., 4th Floor North Hollywood, CA 91601 Mr. Edward Kummer Head of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Online 1025 Grand Central Ave. Glendale, CA 91201 Mr. Roy Disney (nephew of Walt Disney) c/o Shamrock Holdings, Inc. 4444 Lakeside Drive Burbank, CA 91505 Mr. John Lasseter Chief Creative Officer and co-founder Pixar Animation Studios 1200 Park Avenue Emeryville, CA 94608 Send Avatars: Zenia Mucha, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications, The Walt Disney Company Andy Bird, Chairman, Walt Disney International Seth "Yavn" Mendelsohn, VMK Producer Director Of Product Development for international mobile Walt Disney Internet Group 5161 Lankershim Blvd., 4th Floor North Hollywood, CA 91601 More Disney Contact Info WDMountie posted the following info about contacting Disney: "Please contact the Disney company and tell them how you feel about VMK closing. It is your opinion that is valued. Write to Keep VMK open: http://corporate.disney.go.com/wdig/contact_form.html Not good with a pen??? CALL THEM! Disney Internet Services: (866) 993-6263 {POTC Online Support} Disney Internet Group Phone Number 818-623-3200 Address: 5161 Lankershim Blvd., 4th Fl. North Hollywood, CA 91601 President: Stephen H. (Steve) Wadsworth Steve Parkis to lead Disney Online Studios Steve.Parkis@disney.com wdw.guestcommunications@disneyworld.com, robert.a.iger@disney.com, steve.wadsworth@disney.com, brent.woodford@disney.com, jay.rasulo@disney.com, john.lasseter@disney.com, paul.yanover@disney.com, zenia.mucha@disney.com, larry.shapiro@disney.com, brad.davis@disney.com, lane.merrifield@disney.com Walt Disney Internet Group Brandy Phillips, 818-623-3764 Brandy.Phillips@disney.com wdig.communications@dig.com Walt Disney Company Attn: Robert Iger 500 S. Buena Vista St. Burbank, CA 91521-9722 Walt Disney Imagineering Attn: Tony Baxter 1401 Flower Street P.O. Box 25020 Glendale, CA 91221-502 Disneyland Resort Attn: Ed Grier 1313 South Harbor Blvd. Anaheim , CA 92802 E-mail Disneyland Resort Walt Disney Corp. 818-560-1000 Walt Disney Corp. 500 So. Buena Vista Street Burbank, Ca. 91521 VMK Art Club We got an email from Kiki: "Hello, my name is Kiki. Just like everyone else here, I love VMK and am totally devoted to saving my home away from home. I am also an active artist, mostly posting my art on a website called DeviantART. On DeviantART, people are allowed to start clubs in which artists may share their work. Now, I was wondering if it would be all right with you if I could start a Save VMK club on DeviantART. All artwork dedicated to the preservation of VMK would be submitted to the club and I could put it all together to make a collage. That collage could be sent around for publicity for the Save VMK cause." Thanks, Kiki! The VMK Art Club has some great art already, and is located here! Save VMK!! Thanks to VMK Hosts First, we want to say thank you to all the VMK staff. They have been great!! Second, we have gotten some comments supposedly from VMK staff, but now it looks like they weren't. We're sorry for the errors, and hope they didn't cause anyone any problems. Thanks, Madison The story of VMKer Madison Reed was covered in the Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald, saying this is "a reminder of what games can mean to people, and how virtual worlds can provide powerful and unique experiences. How digital playgrounds can help people break free of their real-world shackles, with freedom to express themselves, forge identity and feel what it is like to step into another's shoes." Thanks to Madison, and the author Jason Hill. Save VMK!! VMKBlog.com Mizmouse emailed to suggest their blog that is tracking VMK: VMKBlog.com. Thank you! Save VMK!! VMK Giveaway VMK gave 3,000 credits to everyone who logged on Tuesday, April 22. It sounds like a lot of players have stopped playing VMK, because they don't want to work any harder on something that Disney plans on just trashing. I think Disney hoped to move VMK players over to their other worlds, but a lot of the players may not trust Disney after this. Meanwhile, Virtual Family Kingdom has over 15,000 beta testers. Can't wait to see you there!! Contacting Disney Today is April 21, one month from when Disney says they are closing VMK forever. :( On Friday, April 18, my dad talked to Clifford Miller at Shamrock Holdings, which is Roy Disney's company. The company is the third largest shareholder of the Walt Disney Company. They talked for a long time and Mr. Miller asked my dad lots of questions. He told him to contact Bob Iger, head of Disney, and to tell Bob just the same things they had talked about. Mr. Miller suggested using email because he says Bob checks his email everyday. So he sent an email to Bob Iger, and copied Jay Rasulo and John Lasseter also. You can read it here. There are so many things to say, it was hard to narrow it down! A special thanks to those whose comments we included in the email as examples of how strongly we all feel that VMK should be saved: Megan, Jack Johnson, cool_briarrosequeen5543976, Gammy, Melanie Duckworth, Jennifer (Zacharina) Horton, Momof6, TiredNewMango, Marsea, alex (again), dzu, AwesomeSpeaker, RocketJena, pikcdust, Littlesweetlil, Maximum_Magic, FireNimph, StarzofRavenclaw, Arielle, Molly Hayden, FeTTiBell, Greenry, DiamondKelly, Chris McManus, LoisAlene, and mykitty_istiger12. A VMK Link Party emailed to suggest a link here. Thanks, Party. Motley Fool article on VMK - Read this!! The Motley Fool, a financial advice site, wonders what could possibly be going on at Disney to make them want to close VMK in this article. Thanks to the Author, Mr. Munarriz, and to the Motley Fool! Save VMK!! St. Louis Post-Dispatch article on VMK This is from Tim Barker, the reporter we mentioned earlier, who has posted this article about VMK and what happens when a virtual world is closed. Thank you, Tim! Radio show on VMK Closure VMK Addict has a NewsTalk 710 KIRO (Seattle, WA) radio talk show presented online available here. Thank you for your show! Save VMK!! One correction: During the radio show, they say there are a few thousand players on VMK. ForeverWDW emailed and suggested linking to this press release, from February 2006, which stated that VMK had registered over 1 million players. What is the total count now? It makes you wonder what would have happened if Disney had kept advertising VMK - on Disney Channel, ABC, and other places. Thanks, ForeverWDW! YouTube videos to Save VMK! Many of you have been making You Tube videos about VMK closing. Now, the Orange County Register newspaper has an article about them. Thanks to JimCake and others for posting their videos!!! We CAN make a difference! We got this exciting comment tonight from Kenny G.: "I am Kenny. I am the father of two girls and the reason LOCAL6 aired their story. If there ever was a time to stand up in the face of a Corporate giant now is the time! Act now VMKers! It only took one phone call to get an interview on TV. I called on Friday afternoon to my local CBS Station and they came out on Monday the 14th of April to film our family taking a stand. Stand up for what you believe in. Do Not Delay! Now is the Time! We Can make a difference!You heard him! Get your parents and get on that telephone! Call your local TV station, newspaper, and radio stations! Save VMK!! Update: Video for the news story is now available on the Local6 Orlando web site, and on YouTube! Great story!! Remember! We heard that many people with serious diseases, including some who are staying in hospitals, play VMK so they can talk with their friends and play in a "germ free" environment. We searched and found this post from Yavn, who talks about CL_Slinkyman, a long time player of VMK, who had a form of cancer called Hodgkins Lymphoma and whose Make-a-Wish Foundation's gift was for them to visit together. We hope Yavn, and other Disney officials, can remember players like CL_Slinkyman and save VMK! Media Coverage Orlando's Local6 posted this story, which mentions our 11,000 signatures (so far)! ForeverWDW sent a link to an article in the Orange County Register. The Register is one of the nation's largest newspapers. The story includes an online poll. We encourage you to visit their site and vote now! Thanks to the OC Register for the mention and link to SaveVMK.com! And, thanks to ForeverWDW for the email. Save VMK! Here is a Google search for more news on VMK. A thread on the topic has started on Yahoo's Stock Message Boards. Saving VMK Anna wrote, "how do you save vmk?" I don't know for sure that we can. Disney people don't want to be forced, just like we don't like it either. So we are going to try to persuade the bosses at Disney that they underestimated how important VMK is to their audience -- and that's us! So please tell your family and friends to sign the petition (get your parent's permission first), and together WE will try to save VMK! Thank you! Thank you for your support in working together to save VMK! Click the "View Signatures" page to see our current number of signatures. Your heart-felt comments are appreciated! SaveVMKtoday has a list of contact information to reach Disney directly. Thank you ! Tell your friends & family to Save VMK! Virtual Family Kingdom We have called the head of a new virtual world and confirmed that will be opening on May 22. Virtual Family Kingdom is having their site finished and tested now (they started on the underlying technology a long time ago). It sounds like a wonderful experience traveling through history, playing fun games, making new friends, and preserving old ones -- including friends from VMK! Check it out at: Virtual Family Kingdom!  |
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