Asandir's interviews with Newgrounds forum users

When did you find Newgrounds and why did you join? Why did you choose the username EmmaVolt?

Emma:

"I actually found Newgrounds several years ago by playing some of the flash games on a different website (It could have been Armor Games back in their prime). Back then, however, I never cared to make an account. So, until a few months ago, I just came back here every once in a while to see if a new Madness Combat came out, or if that one grey squirrel cartoon guy (I can't remember his name for the life of me) had a new episode. I looked into the forums more one day when I was bored, and it seemed to be very entertaining. I lurked on and off as school started until I finally decided to make an account to post on BBS.

Emma Volt is actually a name I came up with in middle school for a comic series I wrote/drew for fun. My friend and I just came up with funny superhero episodes, so my superhero name was "Emma Volt" - with the power of electricity and magnetism! I mainly wanted a catchy name that was easy to remember for the forum (and audio portal)."

* Changed her name to Emma ^^ *

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Do you think that you changed over the time you were here, as user, or also in real life?

Emma:

"Well, I have certainly changed as a user, and a little bit as a person (mostly unrelated to each other). I've become extremely cynical about the world in general due to college and my philosophy course. But, other than that, I'm not sure I have changed so much as a person per-se. As for changing as a user, I have definitely lost a sense of "having fun" as the rules claim to be an aspect of the forum. I have grown to simply debate with others. I still have some fun every once in a while - but the initial "enjoyment-factor" has deteriorated over the months."

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What is your opinion about the forums? Is there one forum that you prefer? And is there another forum user that you want to see getting interviewed by me?

Emma:

"As I said above, my first impressions of the forum were high and optimistic. Most users seemed entertaining, or impartial - almost all of them intelligent. It basically seemed like a fun place at first. However, this feeling quickly faded when I realized having an alternate/unpopular opinion, believing in God, and/or being female means you are unwelcome. Trying to have fun is basically illegal for me - yet completely serious issues are either ignored, scoffed at, or trolled. I am not complaining about this, as I have been scapegoated for most of my life (and I realize this is not exclusive to me); but, it is disappointing when I cannot even express my opinions without being ridiculed/harassed on a regular bases through PM, news posts, or in a topic.

The Politics forum is easily my favorite sub-forum; although, the atmosphere of it is always rough and no fun. The topics there are usually in my taste - but it is unfortunate that so little users post there. So, I suppose my previous paragraph is directed towards General. Luckily, there are a few good users such as Light, Natick,littlegonkyboy, akmeteor, Famas, and BananasFoster (the last of whom I think would be interesting to interview), and some others."

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Are there any other users that you like, and how do they affect you ?

Emma:

"I like users who aren't negatively concerned about my posting habits, and/or personality. I feel that Light (Jedi-Master) has had the most affect on me - seeing as he is in the minority of those who take serious issues seriously and actually give some thought on the matters in a neutral way (not to exclude others like BananasFoster, Corpsegrinderclock, and FBIPolux). But, I can be friends with anyone who can be friends with me."

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Are there any users that you would consider enemies or that you just don't like?

Emma:

"Absolutely. However, I would rather not engrave our hostilities by listing them and removing any possibility of settling our differences. These users tend to attack me in terms of the amount I post (which is distorted by the stats on my page), the subject my posts, the quality of my posts, and even me personally. I have a difficult time creating new topics - albeit entertainment or debate - without one of them expressing their distaste of me. I do not mind if one disagrees with something I have said, but there is really no reason for such personal opposition."

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I guess that you have an opinion about the moderators of Newgrounds. Do you think that they do a great job or not?

Emma:

"I like the moderators (most of them). From what I have seen, they do their job - but, perhaps they overdo it sometimes. Many threads that are locked seem to be simply because the moderator finds them stupid or uninteresting. I think these threads should simply "die" rather than preventing someone who may have found the subject with quality from posting. Also, the definition of "spam" on the BBS is entirely subjective, and should not be used as a valid reason for banning someone or their responders. Spam is when someone starts multiple identical threads, a commercialization thread, or a thread with absolutely no subject. The latter of these is not equivalent to a thread with minimal discussion value - these should simply be ignored. The mods also have a knack for ignoring high-levels/experienced users. All of my bans - except for a debatable one - have been for violations not stated in the rules of BBS. My favorite ban (the debatable one) was 3-day from DHT for posting about a MacIntosh in a thread about virus protection. Apparently, technology is unrelated in technology topics. So, in my experience, I would say the mods (except for reverend, perhaps) are ... like racist police officers, haha."

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Would you like to become a moderator on Newgrounds? If so, what kind of moderator?

Emma:

"I would probably like to be a moderator after I spend more time on the site. I suppose I am still what most users would call a "newbie" - and I would have to agree. But, I probably wouldn't mind helping to keep the forums clean. If I were to be promoted, I would probably be just as I am now - simply with more buttons! I wouldn't become a reverend, but I also wouldn't end up like EyeLovePoozy (although, he can be hilarious). Hypothetically, I would probably not ban many people as I rarely see any rules broken - besides harassment, and occasionally racism. I'd probably not lock many threads either unless it was two lines, entirely uppercase, requested, and/or spam."

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The redesign is rumored to happen in the first months of 2012, are you looking forward to it? What kind of changes do you want to see?

Emma:

"I came to Newgrounds every once in a while before the last two (?) redesigns, I believe. I may not be aware of what this means, and I may have simply observed dramatic changes in layout. I can't say whether or not I'm looking forward to this next one, because I am mostly impartial. If a redesign does take place, I would greatly appreciate customizable icons for the forum! But, knowing how many people enjoy being "superior" to the newer users, I doubt this will happen. Perhaps we could have medals or ribbons underneath our icons to show ranks. Also, an "edit post" button would be great for long discussions! I can't stand to read over typos or grammatical errors. I also wonder if it would be useful to have a "hide user" button that would hide all posts by that person."

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Emma polarizes. A lot of users like you but others openly admit that they dislike or even hate you. How is your reaction to both groups?

Emma:

"Well, I addressed this a little already, but I'm glad that I can feel comfortable elaborating more. My short time here so far has been extremely strange. I was instantly welcomed to the site within the first few days (probably because of the "Emma" in Emma), and made a couple friends whom I knew were genuinely friendly. By day three, the attention became negative with the first of five EV threads ("Dear Emma") - directed specifically towards my post count. As you can imagine, the first ignorant comments were towards my social life. I pretty much ignored this, though, and moved on. Unfortunately, some had not.

Some time later, another thread had popped up - similarly targeting in nature. This was about the time I had begun to find moderators erratic in their enforcement of rules; and also when General seemed to split into "I hate you", "I don't care", or "I'm pretending to not care but I hate you". Much of this conflict caused me to rethink having an account on here at all - and I even tried to leave after unwisely defending myself in a pointless battle against several users over my unpopular opinions. I was chased off for a bit until some users convinced me to return - and I came back much more aggressive than before. Ironically, coming back makes me "overly dramatic", while leaving makes me "soft", and staying makes me a "no-lifer". I can't please everyone, so, I please no one and do what I want now. I see those who hate me for no reason as severely obsessed teenagers who probably have not had an encounter with a female.

As for those who are on my side, most of them I feel are genuine about it - and are not seeking attention. Light, Natick, and BananasFoster keep me on the BBS, and I have made at least a few friends on here regardless of my infamy on the forum. I would simply like to be included without the needless hostility (yes, even whilst debating "religion"). And, as I said before, I hold no grudges towards those who wish to make fun of me - I hope to resolve whatever problems they have with me so that we might become better acquainted."

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You won the Rookie of the Year BBS award 2011. Do you think that you deserve this award and what did you think when you won it?

Emma:

"Well, since I joined fairly late in the year, I am not sure whether or not I deserved the award - but, it was not for me to decide! I try to post thoughtfully or with satirical humor, and I feel that those who actually read my posts are the ones who voted me Rookie of the Year. The description of the award in the Flash seemed to be half-hearted, though, so perhaps I did not truly deserve it. Now, the obvious question is, "Do I think I won the award based on gender". No, I don't. I realize some may disagree; but, from observing the voting threads and who voted me for what, I believe I won the award fairly. Although, I haven't seen many regular '11 users."

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I noticed that you change your signature and userpage layout very often. Do you appreciate the possibility to customize your userpage?

Emma:

"I change my signature about once every three or four days, and my profile about every week and a half! One of the reasons I like NG and hate Facebook is customization (or lack thereof). I suppose my enjoyment of graphic design plays a role in this, but I like the idea of personalizing something so that I stand out from everyone else! Unfortunately, I get bored very easily, or I notice mistakes, and decide to do something new. My desktop wallpaper changes every 30 minutes, and I have 40 different pictures, but I always have to find new ones because I get bored of them!"

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So far you have submitted one song to the audio portal. Do you plan to release more songs on Newgrounds?

Emma:

"I will definitely be submitting more songs as I received Apple Logic Pro for Christmas! I am still getting used to the features and formatting, though; and, coupled with the season, work, and school, I will still have some DnB songs finished sometime. I'll be sure to make a news post about it when I submit each song!"

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Every person has secrets. Can you tell one of yours or something else that we didn't know about you yet?

Emma:

"Hmm, now what could I say that I wouldn't mind being permanently recorded for the world to see - not very much, haha. I am a supervillain - Oops. Something else! Oh, I know: I have never knowingly tasted alcohol of any sort in my life. I have seen the effects of it, and am very unimpressed. You can still have fun without being intoxicated. I have also never smoked or used drugs, as I enjoy having what health I have! So, you'll probably say I'm a "goody-goody", but nobody has the full picture as of yet. I'd also like to add that none of this has to do with my faith, simply my observations and use of common sense."

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What can we expect from you in the future, Emma?

Emma:

"You can expect more songs for one! And, you can look forward to more philosophical topics if you are the debating type. Just be sure to refrain from personal attacks (yeah, yeah, I know I'm beating a dead horse here)."

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