Interview No. 29

Interview By: @The-Great-One

Today's guest is a Newgrounds BBS Forum Regular. She has received the Newgrounds BBS Award "Never Logs Off" three different times. She is a wonderful poster on the BBS and an amazingly kind person to talk to, even if times she gets sucked into the immaturity that the General Forum is known for. She is none other than @Gagsy.

Q: How did you find Newgrounds and why did you join?

A: Well, like most users, I discovered Newgrounds through a friend. She knew at the time of my love for the band Franz Ferdinand and she linked me one day while chatting over msn to this. I already loved the song, then fell in love with the flash video and because of that I was then aware of Newgrounds.com.

Over the next year or so I would browse NG for their games mostly when I was bored. It wasn't like an everyday thing, just when I had nothing else online to do to be honest.

I joined because I finally realised that the site had a forum, and just from looking at it briefly it seemed a place I wanted to be. Before joining NG I 'belonged' to another forum which sadly died, so I guess you could say I was looking for a replacement. What I got was much better than a replacement though. I'm sure it does seem weird to the majority of NG users but yes I joined the site for the forums.

Q: Your first thread on Newgrounds was entitled Only 4 Messages In 30 Minutes... Why did you make this thread?

A: I don't know now, but I can tell you this is an example of why I don't make many topics really. I'm terrible at it! I know I was new then and making bad topics is something everyone goes through but still I was 18 then! I should have known better!

Back to the thread though, it really feels silly now. Considering it didn't take me long after that to realise that it's not actually a limit to only 4 messages in 30 minutes, but 4 minutes per 30 minutes of time. Which I'm sure sounds confusing, but basically if you post (in the same thread) at 10:03, next at 10:15, then 10:24, then say 10:31. The message will come up next saying "No more posts" or whatever it says, so at first you may believe that you can't continue to post until 11:01, but you only has to wait until 10:34 (31 minutes after your first post) to post again.

No sure why I just explained that, maybe someone reading who doesn't know can know now :)

BUT yes about the topic! I guess I was just young(sort of) and new and my eagerness to post was well and truly alive and bursting, so when I did reach the point of the 4 post limit I felt annoyed maybe because I wanted to keep posting!

Q: Being a BBS Regular what is your take on the Forum Moderators?

A: Interesting subject. I can't really say anything bad about them. I think a lot of users tend to forget that these are people who are giving up their free time and somewhat part of their enjoyment of the site to sit around and lock/delete/ban.

Of course there are things I think the forum mods should be doing better, but that may just be my own personal take on certain matters. I would like to see harsher treatment given towards 'trolls' or people who play the troll card when they've clearly made a fool of themselves on here. But that might just be my opinion. Also I think the 'destroy' feature they have isn't a positive thing and from what I gather it just allows mods to lazily ban everyone who posted in a certain topic regardless of what they posted.

Really though, I can't complain about them.

Q: Would you like to be a Forum Moderator? Whatever your answer is could you please explain?

A: I've probably lost count of the amount of times people have said to me "Why aren't you a mod yet?". The short version of that answer is that I can get too emotionally involved with threads of a certain topic and I have quite a big ban record actually. Sure my constantly being on the site is a plus, but not enough of a plus I believe.

Would I like to be one though? If I was given the chance to be one I think I would agree to it. I love using NG as I do now, as a carefree user who just comes on here to have fun, and I can't help but feel that forum mods must lose a bit of that posting freedom. Once they' become mods, they are there to set an example (whether they know it or not) to other users on how to post. It isn't just about keeping bad topics off the forums or banning idiotic users. If you're 'messing around' on the forums as a mod, some users will believe they can do that too and post as such.

So I probably would struggle to hold in my bad posting habits if I ever got modded.

Q: One of your funnier threads is entitled How to be cool on Newgrounds. Why did you decide to create this thread?

A: I'm glad you asked. As I stated earlier I don't make many topics, but this one here is without a doubt my favourite topic of my own.

I just get so sick of seeing certain users on the forums acting like the typical 'Internet Tough Guy'. It's just tedious to see all the time. I can understand if people on here don't enjoy the site like they once used to. That is kind of inevitable to happen to everyone here. So I guess I just find it rude when those kind of users feel the need to just slate everything on here now while continuing to visit the site religiously, not rude so much but certainly hypocritical.

All the points I made were things I seen on the General forum myself from older users who just think they're cool or something for putting down a site they refuse to quit altogether. The thread was very much directed at those kind of users and I was happy to see some of them post with their usual brand of insults. Lets me know they read and understood where I was coming from. It was very much a tongue-in-cheek thread though.

Q: What all do you like about Newgrounds?

A: One of my favourite aspects of Newgrounds is the stat collecting any user can do. I think it's a great way to get and keep users involved with the site, because they can be any kind of user they want to be. Which is one of the things that keeps me interested in Newgrounds.

My other favourite aspect of Newgrounds is the community here. You won't find many other big sites out there who try to get the community involved as much as possible. Tom has really done a wonderful job and continues to do so. It's not just that though, it's like when you see the amount of users who go to the yearly meets in various different places, because they like the site and they like the people they speak to on the site. It really is great. I've been to the London meet recently and it was simply amazing. Just a bunch of people who shared a common interest in Newgrounds meeting in real life and having just an amazing time. You cannot beat the community here.

I also love how there is no rule on the content of flash really. An example of this is a great flash artist Catoblepas, who has amazing talent though his flash are a little of the risky side. That is what he does best though and I love that NG doesn't restrict him or tell him that he cannot submit his adult work, same with a lot of other artists on NG who prefer to do more violent/adult stuff.

Q: If you could change anything about Newgrounds what all would you change?

A: Hmm, the orange and black layout would have to go I think. I know it's a classic but every year when we get treated to the calming winter layout it's a nice change, and I must be honest the moment NG then returns to its usual layout I find the orange to be a bit of an eyesore.

You know what they say though; if it isn't broke, don't try to fix it.

Oh, but chat though! I would demand that the chat gets released. =P

Q: Your first flash submission is entitled Furry Fabbots: ep 1. You got to work with Mechabloby as well as other Newgrounds users. What was the process behind this flash and how did it feel working with these other users?

A: I'll be honest that is entirely Mechablobys work, he's just a kind enough soul to add people he knows to his flash submissions. The most I've done flash wise was help Mechabloby find yaoi images to use for his yaoi flash and then I did the same for Ragnarokia when he wanted to make his own yaoi flash.

So yes it appears I'm the go to girl for gay images.

I wish I could do more in flash. I've tried before, but sadly I am the giving up type. The most I've managed to do is create an explosion, which only involved like 10 frames. I suppose that is the height of my flash genius. Alas.

Q: Your first and only song is entitled The Scientist. Why did you decide to cover this song by Coldplay?

A: To cheer up a friend (Mechabloby). You may have noticed that I cannot sing at all, but that wasn't the point of me making that cover. I wanted to put a smile on my friends face and it worked when he heard that. Job well done to me but it's not so good to listen to. I advise any readers to not listen :(

Q: You have won three BBS Awards, all for the prize "Never Logs Off." How do you feel about winning these awards?

A: I honestly don't know actually. I think ever since the great ZeroAsALimit left I've become the user that most of the forum recognises as 'has no life'. Which is quite an accurate summary.

It's not just about my love of posting. I b/p a lot too and every now and then I will collect medals. I'm addicted and everyone knows it.

I would like to say that I don't care about winning such trivial things, especially when I'll be honest myself and admit that the BBS Awards are just a free for all circle jerk.

Despite this though, I do like the fact that people seem to notice that, yes I probably really never do log off.

It's like receiving some kind of recognition for all the time I put into being on NG.

Q: What can we expect from Gagsy in the future?

A: More posting no doubt. I wish I could do more for Newgrounds, it must be obvious now that I enjoy the site a hell of a lot and I honestly do wish I could help contribute more to it in a positive way. I attempted to learn flash once, didn't go so well. I attempted to learn some music program I downloaded, didn't go so well. I would attempt to draw but I know that never ends well!

So really all I can do is contribute with my posting, and hope that something I post makes another user happy or makes them think, just generally gives them another reason to keep using a wonderful site.

Corny much? Probably.

Thanks for asking me to do the interview. I hope it's not as terribly boring to read as I think it is!

Like I said at the beginning of this. Gagsy is a wonderfully kind individual. She like all others loves this website and loves all it has to offer. Despite saying she doesn't know how to contribute, besides posting, this interviewer can only imagine why a poster such as Gagsy has yet to lurk more and find more possibilities.