It's a wonderful little community of a couple of thousand people of all kinds. The locals are interesting characters with all manner of different backgrounds, occupations, nationalities, and a wealth of different points of view.
Not only that, but the town itself its quite picturesque. It's set in the middle of some beautiful countryside, and boasts a number of impressive pieces of architecture, of which the locals are naturally proud.
Like any town, of course, it has its seamier side, and many years ago now there was a tragic incident involing a rape. It was widely reported across the country and really put your town on the map, for all the wrong reasons. It was a very difficult time for you as a community, but you did what was necessary to work through the problems and now you've happily put it behind you.
Or, at least, you would have if the outside world would let you. Sadly those news articles keep resurfacing. Your town has become a text-book case and professors often talk to their students about you and suggest they come and visit.
So every weekend another stranger wanders into the bar. You can pick them in a moment. They talk funny and they don't know their way around. They haven't bothered to stop at the tourist info booth to get a map or anything. They just walk straight up to your table in the pub where you are drinking with your friends and sit down.
"So what do you all think about rape?" they ask, without so much of an introduction, and interrupting your talk about the football match.
"Bugger off" you say. Once there was a time when you answered patiently, but over the years they've worn you down.
"Why are you so rude to me? I just asked an innocent question?". They sit there sullenly for a while, and then wander over to the next table where you hear the conversation repeat itself. You sigh inwardly.
What's even worse is when a whole convoy of them arrive at once. Nobody's bothered to instruct them in your town's rather unique traffic laws, and they get into a terrible snarl, making life difficult for themselves and the locals. Within minutes your peaceful main street is a seething traffic jam, with everyone rudely shouting and honking their horns at each other.
The really sad thing is, the population of your town is in decline. You worry at times who will carry on your unique cultural heritage as your population slowly dwindles. Some fresh faces would be very welcome, but only if they're interested in being part of your community, and not just regarding you as a data point in their sociological studies.
If you are thinking of coming to visit (or sending your class) please do some basic preparation. Get a MUD Client. Read Yib's Guide to MOOing. Or, at the very least, be polite and ask nicely. Show an interest in the people and the places in the MOO, rather than just asking "probing questions" about events that would rather be forgotten.
MUDs, to me, are an exciting world of possibilty. They are more than just chat rooms. They provide a unique sense of place, combining prose, narrative and interactivity. Sadly, they have struggled to graduate beyond being playthings for geeks and are now losing even that ground to the host of graphical online worlds. But there is still a place for text, and things you can do with words that you can't do with pictures.
I believe that MUDs and MOOs have value. And if you visit them with an interested mind you may well discover some of their hidden beauty, and may in time find yourself contributing to it. Such visitors are always welcome.