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Purplegoo



Joined: Mar 23, 2006

Post   Posted: Mar 08, 2015 - 17:42 Reply with quote Back to top

Hi,

For my sins, I've offered to edit the next couple of Grotty Little Newsletters (GLNs).

The GLN is FUMBBL's house newsletter, and 15 glorious issues have graced our fair corner of the Internet since 2003.

I remember that when I joined FUMBBL, one of the first things I did was enjoy reading through each and every GLN, learning things about the site, about tactics, and about what makes the site tick. I was really pleased to be interviewed for one issue, and then be published afterwards; it's a bit of a FUMBBL honour! I hope not to screw up the editing gig...

I'd like to publish our 16th edition in April, so this is our call to arms! Do you have fluff, tactical advice, FUMBBL commentary, Blood Bowl thoughts, advertisements, obituaries, artistic 'how to's or any other musings to offer us? Or perhaps you have something you'd really like to see in an issue, but you're not sure how to write it? All thoughts, ideas and genius below, if you please!

Let's make GLN # 16 a stormer!

(I don't know how to sticky / unsticky threads; if a kind admin / better mod than me wanders across this, if it could replace the # 15 thread? Thanks!)
Kam



Joined: Nov 06, 2012

Post   Posted: Mar 08, 2015 - 18:08 Reply with quote Back to top

https://fumbbl.com/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=26011

Razz

And yeah, it would be nice if we could have some clean up in this forum (and in the GLN forum team / moderators). I believe there is a private section, isn't it? Being allowed to use it would probably be more "comfortable" then using group PM.

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Purplegoo



Joined: Mar 23, 2006

Post   Posted: Mar 08, 2015 - 18:14 Reply with quote Back to top

Oops. Blindness. Smile
harvestmouse



Joined: May 13, 2007

Post   Posted: Mar 08, 2015 - 21:46 Reply with quote Back to top

Oooh kudos for stepping up to the plate. I can be removed from the group. I won't be doing any articles for the GLN again (no offence to you or the GLN).
Kam



Joined: Nov 06, 2012

Post   Posted: Mar 15, 2015 - 03:31 Reply with quote Back to top

Up!

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albinv



Joined: Sep 15, 2012

Post   Posted: Mar 17, 2015 - 12:46 Reply with quote Back to top

Less text more pictures usually is a recipe for success...uhm...makes me think: any chance for naked user pics?

Seriously though....(i will try at least)

I think the GLN is a niche product for a niche market. But i think most of us really like the idea of it while the majority just doesnt read it. Maybe starting from scratch a bit might get it onto more stable grounds?

I read Stonetrolls article on how to remain your cool....and i liked it, not only because i tend to blow my roof a lot lately, but also because it was simply well done and in-debth on a topic that normally doesnt get discussed that much.

Same, f.i., is true about the guy talking about the BBRC background and such. I liked it yes - but personally i wouldnt want to read it on a regular. I would assume that im not alone and that those articles and approach for a fanzine/ community newspaper will only drag the regular attention of the die hard bb coaches that have been really involved in the scene intensively for some time.

The regular coach/ member will probably open it glance around it a bit read a bit here and there, will comment positively on the community effort that went into the GLN and will also note that the articles are well made - and all that is true and highly honourable - but in the end will put the GLN away quickly and probably never touch it again.

I think there should be more shorter BUT regular columns/ sections focusing on the nonsense/ fun part about the game/ community. You know people want a laugh in the end. Also every vehicle/ product that has an entertaining purpose needs running gags and distinction /recognition features. Many people buy newspapers only to read certain columns or parts (in reality the majority does) and it are normally these things that earn popularity. People gotta link the GLN with something specific.
Also many people dont have the time/ nerves anyway to read a whole issue, this way you still catch them.

Finding concrete ideas however isnt that easy admittedly, and as everyone knows, personally im just a moron that pretends to speak english and to play bb anyway.

But i think a regular section (if possible more) where coaches send in bb related questions and the columnists answers them might be a good idea. This way content will regularly be provided by readers, taking load of the staff, and one could assume it is content the readers are interested in as well. Of course this could be really anything - its the message that counts not the medium/ product after all. Especially if we're talking about entertaining purposes anyway.
It could be some sort of professional counselling column where coaches sent in stories about how miserable nuffle has been treating them lately, asking for help and a dubious - yet quite steadily entertaining - gobbo coach shares his treasure of experience in that regard and puts them back up on their feet by it. I mean he could stray from the questions even and start about talking how he made a plumpudding the other day - it doesnt matter, as long as its nonsense and funny and short enough! It would serve as a regular distinction / recognizing feature (maybe trademark is the better suited term), it would get the readers involved and interested, while taking load of the staff. This is just what crosses my mind, as said could be anything.

Maybe that concept could be applied elsewhere too.

Hm...a "did you know" section could be interesting as well. Collecting and covering the memorable achievements that have happened on the site since the last issue. It should just mimic fumbbls DYK? section of course. Coaches could be interested to send in achievements.
And quite a few coaches think the DYK? section should be updated more or be more extensive anyway, from what i could grasp.

Maybe this was all rubbish (probably), maybe i even got wrong what PG asked for (most probably). I hope the GLN doesnt feel offended or overly annoyed. It was well intended and certainly no trolling attempt or meant destructively (i felt my blog reply might have come across like that perhaps) and if there may have been just one idea in it that isnt completely stupid - it probably was tried before anyway. But then again i saw this post is a week old and got little reply -and if things cant get worse its time for coach albinv to appear anyway.

Maybe the GLN ended up a bit - without intention - consisting more of things the staff finds interesting than the readers/ majority. I sometimes feel and think it might have become a meta problem for the site a bit too after all those years. I guess it can just happen.
But maybe im just wrong as usually (and as my coaching).


Last edited by albinv on Mar 17, 2015 - 13:14; edited 1 time in total
albinv



Joined: Sep 15, 2012

Post   Posted: Mar 17, 2015 - 13:10 Reply with quote Back to top

Maybe mimic price winning columns and columnists of the real news paper world and satirize them in a bb way.
That could be cool. But who will write them. Certainly not me. Goes without saying.
Idea is good though.
Kam



Joined: Nov 06, 2012

Post   Posted: Mar 17, 2015 - 13:51 Reply with quote Back to top

No offence taken, but as the past editor I'm gonna answer. Sorry in advance if it's too long.

I wrote a joke about slanns several months ago on the forum, accompanied by a comment like "hit me in PM if you need a recipe". One coach took it seriously and sent me a PM. He probably wasn't expecting an answer, but, heck, I was completely hammered and started writing something about BB gastronomy. I thought I could share it with the community and posted it in the GLN section. More people asked for recipes, and I kept going.

RO popped back soon after (coincidence?), asking for articles for a new issue. Unfortunately, he no longer plays the game, and it's hard to keep his motivation under those circumstances. 6 months passed. The new issue wasn't coming. The last one was published 3 years ago. I then decided to step up to the plate, and take the reins, for the sole reason no one else wanted to. I advertised on the forum, in blogs, in private messages... Many people offered their help, but as always in community projects, being motivated isn't enough, and I received maybe half of the articles promised (no hard feeling at all toward those who didn't send anything: again, that's something I 100% understand).

Months passed... Some articles I had, like the RTTNAF one, had an expiry date printed on their arse, another contributor had decided to published his article on the forum... Everything was falling apart already. I had to do something. So I decided to make a last call, and to release the new issue within one week. Fortunately, that call was heard and I received enough material to publish a regular issue.

Was it perfect? Nope. There wasn't any strategy article, we could have used more fluff / nonsense... But that also was the first issue in 3 freakin years. We took a dead project - one of the things I love the most on FUMBBL - and revived it. And it included great articles on top of that, like neoliminal's interview, exclusivities, behind the scenes stuff... Sure, there wasn't any nude picture of Christer, but heck, as a reader myself, I found some really interesting stuff.

My point is... Yeah, you have some very good ideas, and if you want to participate in the next issue, you're more than welcome (and you should contact Purplegoo). But I also know that if we have to wait for everything to be perfect before we publish another issue, you can already say goodbye to the GLN, because the last issue would have never been published, and there won't be a new one.

So yeah, if you want to make the GLN better, just join us and send your submission to Purplegoo. Wink

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PurpleChest



Joined: Oct 25, 2003

Post   Posted: Mar 17, 2015 - 14:11
FUMBBL Staff
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I've done some basic forum housekeeping for you. Moderators on this forum are GLN staff (including one 'PurpleGoo') and Moderators (including a certain 'PurpleGoo').

I will do more if no one else can work it out.

As to an article, I've wanted to do something on cards, and specifically are they worth a babe and how to use each one. Possible as a 'coaches couch', or similar 'collective wisdom' format. So i might be up for something like that.

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easilyamused



Joined: Jun 06, 2008

Post   Posted: Mar 17, 2015 - 14:25 Reply with quote Back to top

I'm up for doing a staff interview if anyone is interested.

Give perspective from the other side of the screen so to speak.

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Purplegoo



Joined: Mar 23, 2006

Post   Posted: Mar 17, 2015 - 15:29 Reply with quote Back to top

EA / PC; these sound like good articles. Please consider them approved for being written! Smile EA: I'm sure we'll find a staff member to ask searching questions, and PC: Apologies if I'm a forum n00b and can't find a sticky button!

albiniv: I've only skim read your post on my phone at work, but if you have a great idea for a contribution, please contribute! I'll read it in more detail later.
Kam



Joined: Nov 06, 2012

Post   Posted: Mar 17, 2015 - 15:37 Reply with quote Back to top

@ EA: I've been trying to interview Kryten but you know how lazy he is and I'm still waiting for his replies. Very Happy I'm gonna ask him again, and if he tells me he won't have time before the next issue, I guess I could recycle the questions (taken from the "ask an admin" topic), or come up with new ones (and eventually save his interview for the following issue).

@ PC: What purpose serves the GLN group besides moderating this section? Could it be updated to include the current contributors if that comes up with some sort of private place to chat?

@ albiniv: just one more clarification.

"consisting more of things the staff finds interesting than the readers/ majority"

There is no real staff. Very Happy

PGoo is the editor, I do the coding, and then we have volunteers who sometimes share an article. The readers who feel like contributing make the GLN, we don't have permanent seats. So that's one more reason to join us. Smile

EDIT - Kryten's just told me he's gonna work on his answers.

@ Throweck (below): boo, shame upon you! I'm kidding of course. Wink

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Last edited by Kam on Mar 17, 2015 - 16:49; edited 2 times in total
Throweck



Joined: Feb 23, 2013

Post   Posted: Mar 17, 2015 - 15:44 Reply with quote Back to top

Kam wrote:
another contributor had decided to published his article on the forum... Everything was falling apart already.


Oops, that would be me. I just got over excited! Apologies.
mister__joshua



Joined: Jun 20, 2007

Post   Posted: Mar 17, 2015 - 16:32
FUMBBL Staff
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I'd punish him with 50 lashes, but I know he'd enjoy it...

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Throweck



Joined: Feb 23, 2013

Post   Posted: Mar 17, 2015 - 16:37 Reply with quote Back to top

mister__joshua wrote:
I'd punish him with 50 lashes, but I know he'd enjoy it...


50 shades of Throweck
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