I am a SWF Admin, AMA (ask me anything)

[Virgilijus]

Hello All,

Haven't poked my head into the PRoom in a while and wanted to get back in touch. I realized some if not most of the posters here may not even know who I am or, those that do might want to know more about SWF/my time here so I made this thread.

As the title says, feel free to ask anything (within the rules) and, if I can give you an answer, I will. Trolling questions will just be ignored

So, ask away!

 

[Pluvia]

Do you get paid?

 

[Virgilijus]

I do not; everything I do here is volunteer work.

I guess you could technically say I was comped free premium for life since I took over it (and then tech support has yet to fix ), but that would pretty much be it.

As far as I know all staff does manages the site voluntarily. JV almost certainly got paid when he was in charge, but since he's gone...

 

[Vinylic.]

Does an administrator have more things to do than senators?

 

[Teran]

Hey Virg, isn't it sort of hard to answer questions about your time here on SWF if a lot of them involve private rooms?

 

[Virgilijus]

Does an administrator have more things to do than senators?

It depends. Administrators typically do more staff/site management which, when the site isn't changing that much, equates to some down time. Most infractions are handled by Smods and Senators in terms of responders from outside their selective forum, though Admins still do infractions and have to poke their head in every once in a while to help sooth over difficult situations.

So in the end it depends; some times you do more, some times less.

He Virg, isn't it sort of hard to answer questions about your time here on SWF if a lot of them involve private rooms?

While I spend most of my non admining time in the private rooms, that wasn't always the case. I started out just browsing and posting in the PRoom like every one else, arguing over religion and politics (how embarrassing to look back on it!). If you want to know about what I did here before then and the path I took to being an admin, I could tell you.

But yes, asking about the BRooms... I can't quite tell

 

[Teran]

So were you active in the Debate Hall back in the day?

 

[OmegaXXII]

How do create such great stories? Where do you get such passion for doing so? For example like the techniques you use.

 

[Virgilijus]

So were you active in the Debate Hall back in the day?

I was never actually a member of the DH. For a while I wanted in and I think I applied a few times, but then realized that the arguments never really amount to anything. If you are right and they are wrong, they don't really admit it, not at the maturity level we had at the time. It was kind of like beating your head against the wall.

When I did debate, it was with people in the PRoom. I specifically remember debating a poster named Gnosis about a few bible verses. Looking back on it, I believe in terms of what we were arguing about he would be declared the winner, but that was because at the time both of us had assumed notions about the nature of the Bible that, at least from my end, would be different today.

If we had a SWF sponsored debate now, I'd be more than willing to be an arbiter.

How do create such great stories? Where do you get such passion for doing so? For example like the techniques you use.

I read and think about stories a lot. By a lot, I mean almost all day unless I am immediately focused on something before me. It's practice makes perfect, cliche as it is. No one is born a McCarthy or Steinbeck; they write and read constantly for years and perfect their craft over decades before the work truly shines. I have a notepad file with about 40 or so short story ideas which I constantly update. In fact, even today I added three to it.

The passion comes from being able to create something precisely to the capabilites of your whim. I enjoy things that are clever and sly, and when I come up with an image or description or curious idea, the inspiration to build it up naturally follows.

One of the things I started to do that really helped me become a better writer was to, when I'm reading and reach a sentence or paragraph or chapter or long section and realize it's wonderful and I love it, I stop and think 'Why do I love this? What are they doing that makes this so great and enjoyable?. For example, I love McCarthy's prose because it's dense and thick and bold; it's like poetry on the edge of a knife, how one brief sentence with minimal description or flowery prose, can deliver the message he wanted you to get like a bolt of lightning. When I realized this, it changed how I wrote, made my own work denser and stronger.

 

[frotaz37]

I haven't ever read the bible. Is it a good read?

 

[Virgilijus]

Are there some profound truths in it? Assuredly there are, and many that I agree with. Are the some horrible statements and vast contradictions? Undoubtedly yes. Is it the actual word of God? I am very highly doubtful.

Read it if your curiosity is piqued.

 

[OmegaXXII]

McCarthy huh? Yea, I can see why your writing is ways right down to the point, it expresses alot without saying alot and gets right down to the point of things, they are definetly dense and bolded as is.

Okay, so how has your experience on SWF been so far? As a regular member, BRoomer? Admin?

 

[Virgilijus]

I've enjoyed it immensely. I don't play smash competitively nearly as much as I used to, but I've made a lot of friends here and spend a fair amount of my internet time just browsing and talking to them.

As a regular member, I paid a lot more attention to smash. This was a few years before Brawl came out and Melee was still in full swing. I actually made a giant archive in the Marth Forums of every decent Marth game I could find. That quite literally took me a whole weekend. At some point I need to give the reigns to a responsible person who can update it accordingly. Once I became a BRoomer I started hanging out there more; it's a more personal atmosphere and a little more relaxed, which I enjoy.

As staff and admin, I still enjoy SWF though it can be a little hard at times; some trouble posters intentionally causing chaos and claiming all sorts of ignorance as well as others that, with moderately good intentions, start up a lot of drama with staff

 

[Teran]

How weird do you find it that we've ended up actually conversing quite a bit?

 

[Chill]

Why are you pretending like this is reddit?

 

[Fuelbi]

How does it feel to mooch off paid services because of your position?

 

[GoldShadow]

Jelly donuts or glazed donuts?

 

[Luigitoilet]

Are you down with alternative forms of sexual pleasure?

 

[theeboredone]

Do you feel like any mods, senators, admins, or broomers have a sort of superiority complex and look down on regular members? I'm not asking for names, but just a general feel for what you've seen.

How do I pronounce your name?

 

[Lythium]

Yo, Virg, what is your favourite book?

 

[Rici]

Jelly donuts or glazed donuts?

Jelly glazed donuts!

 

[Virgilijus]

How weird do you find it that we've ended up actually conversing quite a bit?

Kind of odd, especially since during most of this we were talking about stuff on AIM

Why are you pretending like this is reddit?

A good idea is a good idea.

How does it feel to mooch off paid services because of your position?

Not really mooching; being an admin I all ready had the ability to change my title/other perks. I've only actually done it... I think once. Also, while technically I have access to every room in the forum, some mods of private rooms requested I remove access to their room since it is private and another admin all ready has access to handle any problems that may initially arise there, so I do.

So basically, I don't really abuse or mooch off of anything.

Jelly donuts or glazed donuts?

I haven't eaten donuts in years since I've tried to lay off sweets. However, I would have to say that I feel jelly are superior; glazed always seem to make my hands sticky

Are you down with alternative forms of sexual pleasure?

I am down with many, but there are a few that make me wince and you know this, you jerk

Do you feel like any mods, senators, admins, or broomers have a sort of superiority complex and look down on regular members? I'm not asking for names, but just a general feel for what you've seen.

How do I pronounce your name?

Yes, there were/are a few that look down on regular members, some who did before they became staff and some who only did after. In most cases it's just a position of being in power; it makes you think differently if you let it. As Lord Acton said "Power corrupts".

My name is pronounced Vir-JILL-ee-us. The name actually comes from a discus thrower named Virgilijus Alekna who I liked growing up (I threw discus competitively all through high school and would have continued through college if it weren't for an injury )

Yo, Virg, what is your favourite book?

A tough question to answer. I really loved Blood Meridian and East of Eden; I had high expectations going into both and they were surpassed each time. But if I were to pick just one, it'd probably have to be Collected Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges. I love the short story format, love stories that blend the real and surreal, love cleverness and wit. Borges does all of that. I wish the book never ended which, oddly enough, was a story in the book itself where it happened to drive a man to the brink of insanity

 

[Takumaru]

Who is your favorite author?

Which book has had the greatest affect and the way you see life today?

 

[BSP]

Is it annoying to do name changes?

 

[Virgilijus]

Who is your favorite author?

Which book has had the greatest affect and the way you see life today?

I brief list of author's whose works I'd buy without question:

Cormac McCarthy
Neil Gaiman
Jorge Luis Borges
Haruki Murakami
J.R.R. Tolkien

None are perfect (Gaiman's ideas are amazing, but his prose isn't as crisp as others; Murakami creates the most amazing atmosphere and characters, but in a way the plots are a little lacking; etc.) but all are in my pantheon of great authors. There are some others but I won't list them at the moment for simplicity's sake.

Greatest effect? It might be GEB by Douglas Hofstadter. It's a complicated book that talks about the mind and paradoxes and truths in a very strict sense, but is very well written. Despite being non fiction, it really opened me up to the philosophy of mind and, eventually, philosophy in general. From it I gradually started to get into Nietzsche (read Beyond Good and Evil and Human, All Too Human, both excellent books with amazing titles ) and other Nietzschean philosophers (Michel Foucault immediately comes to mind; very hard to read but good ideas in there). So in essence, GEB sort of snowballed my former state of mind into what it is now. In terms of a fiction book... probably East of Eden. I still to this day remember the beginning of a chapter talking about 'monsters' and comparing them to amputees; they do not know what they lack... how can cast moral guilt on them for it? I thought it an incredibly profound passage like many other the book is littered with. If I were to write a novel, I could only hope it be but to the shins of East of Eden

Is it annoying to do name changes?

Sometimes it gets a little bothersome, especially when people send me a PM asking for a name change, I go to change it and they didn't check that the name is all ready in use, I tell them and have to wait a few days for their reply, etc. Other than that it's no bother; doesn't take too long in the big scheme of things.

 

[Chill]

Will you change my name?

 

[OmegaXXII]

Speaking of names, is there any other way to obtain a name change besides Premium? It's been down for quite a while now and I've been seeking one.

 

[Largemike32197]

As in your shoes how do you feel about rules? Do you think the rules or the reasons matter more when you should or shouldn't infraction someone. I'm cusious to know if you think there is no total right or wrong also. Like during ww2 jews lied about their year for a "good" reason to live. But most people would say lieing is wrong and i'd only see it to them rationizling an excuse or changing their veiws(unlikly).

 

[Napos]

I think the big question is name changes...Everyone wants one...When?

 

[Vinylic.]

What do you do in your free time?

 

[Fried Ice Cream]

Do you enjoy super banning people if you get the opportunity?

Do life-long bans exist or after like 5 years, can people come back?

 

[Gatlin]

If you could change one thing about the world, what would you change?

 

[Takumaru]

Did you go to college? If so, where and what did you study?

 

[¯\_S.(ツ).L.I.D._/¯]

What's the best name you've seen on Smashboards?

How long do you see yourself staying on the site?

 

[Virgilijus]

Will you change my name?

If you win a contest or get premium

Speaking of names, is there any other way to obtain a name change besides Premium? It's been down for quite a while now and I've been seeking one.

Best way with it broken is to win a SWF contest and get free premium that way. Actually, since it's down I may push for more contests to give more people the opportunity. The current WWYP (Write With Your Power) contest just ended, but more should be up soon

As in your shoes how do you feel about rules? Do you think the rules or the reasons matter more when you should or shouldn't infraction someone. I'm cusious to know if you think there is no total right or wrong also. Like during ww2 jews lied about their year for a "good" reason to live. But most people would say lieing is wrong and i'd only see it to them rationizling an excuse or changing their veiws(unlikly).

I am by no means a totalitarian; if rules prove useless, redundant, or ineffective then they should be removed. There are some rules I don't truly approve of but can understand why they are there and, as long as the other staff agree on the rule, I relinquish that decision to them.

I think the big question is name changes...Everyone wants one...When?

The answer no one wants to hear is: when premium gets fixed. Don't know where that is. I've asked Bionic for periodic updates but... it seems unlikely.

But due to the demand, perhaps I'll make a lottery of some sort for name changes that will be drawn each month. Yeah, that sounds good. I'm up for other ideas if you have good ones.

What do you do in your free time?

I play some video games (League of Legends takes up most of my game playing time nowadays) and do a lot of reading and writing. I also am a bit of a nerd and make up math/logic problems and solve them, though I really do that all the time because my mind just works that way. For example, one day I was reading a book (Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson) and he described the scenery as a 2D image and I thought "I wonder if you can uniquely represent two numbers with one?" I was pretty certain the answer was no, but took me a few months to create a formal proof why. Same thing with philosophy and politics; my mind just comes up with some stupid question and I ponder about it for a while till I think I have an okay answer.

I also play a bit of guitar. I'm not great by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm okay for a self taught guy who has a horrible singing voice

Not much of a partier; loud music doesn't suit me well and I don't get drunk (hate the feeling).

Do you enjoy super banning people if you get the opportunity?

Do life-long bans exist or after like 5 years, can people come back?

Honestly, I don't enjoy banning people. There are a lot of people that try to pick fights with me over moderation issues, but when it reaches that point, I tell other admins to handle any punishments; I don't want to bring any bias into the punishment. The people that I do personally ban I just view as part of my job, but there is no delight in it.

Life bans do exist, though many permabans can be given a temporary reprieve after a long banned period.

If you could change one thing about the world, what would you change?

I would wish all people were taught to think rationally; I think that would solve many problems and dilemmas. When whims and emotions start crafting dogma and centuries old prejudices, violence and conflict are bound to follow.

Did you go to college? If so, where and what did you study?

Yes, I did. I got my undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and then started my Masters in Astronautical Engineering at the University of Southern California. One semester away from finishing, though this semester I am interning and on a leave of absence.

What's the best name you've seen on Smashboards?

How long do you see yourself staying on the site?

Best name... I honestly love the name 'Fast Like Tree'. In fact, when I drew comics for the school newspaper in college, I named my strip that. Have some of those strips floating around the internet some where...

I see myself being here for a while; there will be more smash games and as long as other internet friends hang around, I most likely will as well.

 

[frotaz37]

Omg yes, Fast Like Tree is without a doubt the most amazing name these boards have ever seen.

Why is it sad that you live in Tennesee?
So many titans fans, it must be like heaven

 

[Glöwworm]

Have you ever added being an administrator on an MLG site in your resume or thought of adding it to your resume? Azua stated she did this and got a job at Gamestop iirc. Though, I'm assuming you're aiming higher than a job at Gamestop lol.

 

[frotaz37]

Gamestop is without a doubt the worst job I have ever had. It's such a terrible company...Only reason it's survived so long is because it bought out all the competition lol.

 

[Vinylic.]

Dude, It's the only regional gamestore.

 

[Alien Vision]

Parerethesis that serves as a derivative from parvipotent mental stabilities for
that ''commentitious'', caliginous nature of ours, {that is vicariously cryptozoic},
can elaborate the thesis of one's excrescent behavior.

Why is this?