Interview Week (Mason Swiftblade)

Welcome the the second day of Interview Week! Today we'll be interviewing Mason Swiftblade! I hope you enjoy the second interview of the week. Its also going to be a great interview! Lets get started.

Me: Hello Mason! Before we start the interview could you tell everyone a little about yourself?

Mason: Hello my name is Tyler. I play Wizard101 UK. I have been playing Wizard101 since 2008 and played in the Beta! I have been a fansiter since October 2011. I decided to create a fansite to express my views about the game and my feelings!

Me: I hear you're an Official Wizard101 UK fansite, could you tell us how that happened and how excited you were when you found out you made it?

Mason: Well at the time, Wizard101 UK was only 9 months released, meaning it had a very small community. I decided to take advantage of that and create my own Wizard101 UK fansite! It was quite a long process, took over 3 months for my fansite to be approved but here I am!

Me: You had a blog called The Life of a Wizard and deleted it and made another blog called Mason's Journal, Why did you do that?

Mason: Well, I just didn't have the same feel I had when I blogged on The Life of a Wizard, since I was going to blog about Pirate101 too, I decided it would be better to create a blog more rounded to my gaming. The Life of a Wizard just lost its touch and with Pirate101, I decide.

Me: What are your plans for Mason's Journal?

Mason: Well I have released the blog! (Mason's Journal) I plan to add lots more content about both Wizard101 and Pirate101. I also plan to broaden my horizons as an individual and start to pave my way to a career in gaming hopefully!

Me: Are you planning on submitting your site to Pirate101 and Wizard101 for official status?

Mason: I do have plans to submit my fansite to Pirate101 to be official, however I have no plans for Wizard101 US. To be honest, I just don't think I'll be playing Wizard101 US, I rarely do, so I guess I'll just stick to Wizard101 UK, where my gaming personality has grown up and with Pirate101!

Me: What's your favorite spell on Wizard101, and your favorite attack on Pirate101?

Mason: Ooh, that's a tough one! For Wizard101, I've always had a few favorites. It had to be Sirens spell, it reminds me of something I've seen on t.v. once, so I guess I've just connected with it! For Pirate101, I honestly can't say as I didn't play much during Beta (for most of it, I was on Holiday) so, I really can't comment on that one.

Me: Is Mason Swiftblade (your ice Wizard) your first Wizard or is there another and when did you make your first Wizard?

Mason: On Wizard101 UK, no actually its NOT. I'll start off with Wizard101 US. When I was 9, I overcame and ADvert for Toontown, a game I used to play, and it said "Want to be a Wizard?" This interested me so I did click on it and I got intrigued with the world of Wizard101! My first wizard was a life wizard and his name was Stephen Battlecaller, I think. He only became level 10. Then, I made a wizard later on in the future called Tyler, he was death and I got him to level 60. In 2010, Once I heard the news of Wizard101 UK, I made a wizard there named Tyler, and he was balance. Level 10. I still have him today, he is level 25 now (I got bored with him xD) Mason Swiftblade was probably the wizard I focused on most all my gaming life, I designed specifically to myself :)

Me: Let's talk more about Pirate101, what did you think when you first had a chance to finally start playing Pirate101?

Mason: Gosh! It was amazing! I first had to orient myself as it was a bit confusing, but I got the hang of it! What really intrigued me was the storyline and the puppet shows! They were so cool, I love how Kingsisle implemented these sort of things into the storyline, it makes the games LOADS more better and much more fun! Plus, my love for Pirates made me feel so involved with the game! I love it!

Me: To conclude this interview, do you have any secrets you would like to share with us about the future of your Fansite, Mason's Journal?

Mason: I do plan on hosting more contests, more events and really starting to share my opinion, my personal experiences AND my tips for Wizard101 and Pirate101! This will all come with time though. I do have a super big 2nd Wizard101 UK Birthday Party AND Community Choice Awards planned with some other UK fansiters.. That's all I'll say for now!

Me: What a wonderful interview! Thank you Mason, you're a great Wizard/ Pirate and I'm glad to share this post so everyone else knows more about you. I can't wait to see more about the Community Choice Awards and Wizard101 UK's 2nd Birthday! Woooooooooot! :) 

Interview Week (Ian Stormstaff)

 

Welcome to Interview week with Well Known Wizards/ Pirates in the Spiral! This week we'll have 5 people that will be interviewed on Atswel and you can learn more about them. On the 5th day we'll have one last interview, I can't tell you who you'll have to guess :) Only I know and the person answering the questions of course! Okay lets start the Interview with well known Ian Stormstaff!

Me: Hello Ian! Could you tell everyone about yourself before we start the interview?

Ian: Sure! I am a 3 year Wizard101 Player, Active Pirate101 Beta Participant, and Wizard101 Blogger for a little over a year. You've probably seen me on Twitter, as I have over 11 thousand tweets under my belt :P

Me: Lets first talk about the funny segment called Wizard101 Ramblers with Jordan Sunflame, when did you come up with this idea and how is it so great?!

Ian: Ramblers started by a random DM from Jordan on Twitter. He'd been in the community I'd guess about a month and I'd never really talked to him much. But he asked if I wanted to start a podcast. My first thought was "My voice.... on the Internet.... PASS." But somehow he conned me into it and we began planning. Our first show was in late February this year I believe. It was crazy hectic and I hope we've gotten better since then. We're approaching our 9th episode Wednesday so we're almost double digits! I would hazard what makes it so fun is the unique perspective, us being teenagers, as well as the constant rain of off topic subjects, keeping our listeners on our toes. You never know what's going to come out of our mouths... (Always P.G. 13 stuff of course :D)

Me: Wizard101 Ramblers isn't the only great thing you have, there's also Wizards Unite, Could you tell everyone about this great Fansite? :)

Ian: WU is my entry project in the Community and my most successful endeavor. I started out out in the Community on DOAW Connect X and talked my blog up on there. Then I joined Twitter on July 14th (I remember because it was the night of the HP 7 pt. 2 premiere) and very soon after I started I started building followers. I tweeted about my site and started getting readers. WU was mostly small until about three months ago. I gave the site a makeover after feeling it wasn't very inviting. WU went from a blog to a full fledged site with guides and more. Steadily it's built up and gained views and members. Everyday I am blown away by WU's success, as well as the community's acceptance and enjoyment of it. It's been around the block and had no staff, full staff, back to no staff, and now its over a year old! I look forward to seeing what else comes from it. 

Me: The other day on Twitter, you said you weren't famous, why would you say that, I think you are!

Ian: The term Fame is a double edged sword for me as I know from past experiences power can corrupt me; but I say I am not famous for the simple fact I do not feel famous. Yes, Wizards scream Hello when I walk in a room, Yes I have a heavy amount of followers a lot of people daydream of having (I promise you I'm just as amazed by the number) and people like me; but to me it feels like a HUGE family! I walk in and feel like I'm with a huge group of friends enjoying a wonderful game. If I really am famous (I'm not) then its news to me! :P

Me: (Ian that's a great response! :) Lets say you're well known!) Okay enough with silly questions.. Do you have any secrets you would like to share with us about the future of Wizard101 Ramblers and Wizards Unite?

Ian: There are no silly questions :) Secrets.... Secrets.... Well. I can make no promises about Ramblers as it is just a joint effort; but WU is always cooking something up. After this last string of Hogwarts contests I'm going to start working on a highly interactive site for the next Hogwarts set (February 2013- March 2013). This site will be the main event for a huge contest. Other than that I can promise more features on the site as my interwebs expands. I'm looking forward to seeing what crazy stuff I can come up with. And If WU ever becomes official, lets just say the contests will blow your mind...

Me: Are you planning on submitting your sites to Pirate101 & Wizard101 for Official Status?

Ian: I submitted WU for P101 official the day it opened and got an email back from friendly saying WU was 99% Wizard 1% Pirate and he was 100% right. I had thrown together a new header with P101 Characters and opened some new forum categories but my heart wasn't in it. I have formally submitted WU once to W101 and was immediately rejected because I used my personal email and not my custom domain address. My own mistake. I am waiting and hoping they clear my form so I can have another go. I have no anger with KI for either rejection because I don't want to do this for fame or prizes, I am here because I love Wizard101  and its AMAZING community. I don't think WU will resubmit for P101 as I have a stronger attachment to Wizard101, and its WU's focus. There will still be P101 content on there, as its a very blogable topic :P

Me: Now lets talk about Pirate101, What did you think of Pirate101 when you first had a chance to play/test it?

Ian: When I received my Beta Key my brain shut down. I couldn't believe that I actually had one. Once I'd gotten in and installed the launcher I sat down and braced myself. It loaded the game and the intro shot melted my senses. From there it was immediate action, I was dumped into an Armanda Ship to make my character, and battled my way out. This game has NO slow points. You are always battling and moving. This game also has a lot more Strategy than Wizard101 does and you have to pay much more attention to battling. No more blind car picking! All in All I am blown away by every bit of P101: The art, the story, character build, SHIPS; its beautiful and I can't wait to share the game with you once it goes live! (Hopefully very soon!) (Yes very soon!! October 15th!)

Me: To Conclude this interview, Do you have any advice to anyone that is planning on making a site?

Ian: Don't give up. Ever. And be yourself. I have been attacked online, and told my site will never be official, banned from a site or two, and more. But nothing has killed my aspiration to blog and contribute. EVERY site is original and AMAZING, don't ever count yourself out of anything. Ever. If you need help I will be there and so will everyone else in this community.


Thank you SO much for this Interview Ed!


Me: Wow, thank you! The last question I asked you was answered great. I'm so sorry you've been told that, I'm sorry to say this but... They ARE wrong. I'm telling you that one day one of your sites will be official! You are a great member of this community and this is why I chose you for this interview. I really am glad you accepted :) And you're welcome! :) 

Mason Swiftblade's Interview!

Time for another interview with Mason Swiftblade! Thanks again for accepting this interview request Mason. If you all don't know Mason, he runs a blog called The Life of a Wizard- http://masonswiftblade.wordpress.com/ - a great Wizard101 UK fansite. I posted about this blog a couple of times so far, Its a great blog to read, and gives a lot of information about what's going on in Wizard101 UK, and a lot of information about new contests they are having. Don't forget to check out his blog! Now to the interview questions!




Question 1)
When did you start Wizard101, and what did you like about it once you started playing?




Mason:
I started playing Wizard101 in 2008, when the game first came out. I was about 8 or 9 then. I found out about it when I was for another game called Toontown. I accidentally clicked the Wizard101 ad and when I saw it, I liked it! I decided to start playing. My first wizard was life. I accidentally deleted him ( I trained balance, storm and some other random wizard101 spells lol) and started my death wizard on the US server and he's now level 60. As you know, I also have my ice character on Wizard101 UK, who is legendary too. 


Question 2)
What was your first favorite spell?


Mason:
If you mean my first favorite spell, it must have been ghoul. I loved the fact that you could attack an enemy and get health back for yourself :) At the moment, my favorite spell has to be Frost Giant :D I love its animation! 


Question 3)
You have a internet safety tab on your blog, whats your number one rule for everyone to stay safe online?


Mason:
Everything I write about online safety I think are very important. But, if we must choose most important, it must be to ask your parents permission before you do anything that you your subconscious can lead to trouble.


Me:
I added this link to the interview, so you can see his online safety tips again! They are very good, if you would like to see them click this: Mason's Online Safety Tips 


Question 4)
What inspired you to start blogging?


Mason:
I got inspired to blog when I saw the Friendly Necromancer's blog. His blog is so cool and I love his posts! and now people say my blog is the "UK" equivalent to his! :D 

Question 5)
Just like I asked Friendly in an interview a few days ago, do you have any advice for new bloggers, or anyone planning on starting a wizard101 blog?


Mason:
Don't jump into blogging. Its not a cake walk. You must prepare what you do. I once asked Ditto Monster on Twitter if he could recommend me to others and I'm saying exactly what he said to me. He told me I need to prepare a brand of sort. Build my identity and show what I do. I think that's what I've done. So, for all of the new bloggers, make sure to spend a bit more time on your blog and build your identity. :)


Question 6)
What are your likes and dislikes about Wizard101?


Mason:
I like Wizard101's storyline. The first I got a subscription and jumped into Krokotopia, I couldn't stop playing. The storyline is so interesting and you wonder what happens next :) The game is a challenge and I like it! My favorite world has to be Marleybone (obviously) because it has all of these places I have been to! Funny thing  actually, IRL, I live near Chelsea Court :P. What I don't like about it is how the chat filter is so exaggerated. Of course, kids like me and you use words that might not be appropriate and I get that, but it shocks me how creative some kids can be and how they won't stop to pass that filter. I was shocked to find the simplest word was a banned word. Shocking. 


Question 7)
Is there anything else you would like to say about yourself to tell the readers to end this interview? :)


Mason:
I get a lot of questions on Twitter on how to use Wizard101 UK, etc. A lot of you already know that I am starting my own Ravenwood Radio segment that will be on the show. If you do want to ask me questions, send them to wizard101ukdigest@gmail.com : I will answer as many as I can! Other than that, be sure to check out my blog if you already haven't :)




Thank you again for accepting the interview Mason!

Mason:
- Thanks Ed! Was fun doing it!










I am really glad you accepted the interview, and I hope everyone checks out your blog. I am glad to hear about your new ravenwood radio segment! Congratulations :) The interview was great, and I am glad other wizards know more about you!








~ Edward Lifegem

Friendly's Interview! ( W101 US )

Hello Wizards!

The other day I decided to start interviews with a lot of friends around the Spiral, and today I have an interview for you from the friendly necromancer aka Thomas Lionblood!  Click on the read more tab for the interview!




Interview: 


Me:

Hello Friendly, I want to thank you for letting me ask you questions for the interview! I am sure those who don't really know much about you yet would love to know more about you now :)


Friendly:

Thanks for the interview Edward! I've done one other interview like this, but it was a long time ago in a galaxy far away with Ronan Ravenshard. Looks like The King of Death saved it on his blog: http://wizard101deathking.blogspot.com/p/interviews.html


Question #1- Me:

When did you start playing Wizard101 and what did you think about the game when you first started playing? 


Friendly:

I started playing Wizard101 while it was still in Beta. I thought it was amazing. It solved so many problems I had with MMOs that it made me excited. I couldn't help myself and just started writing immediately. From there it turned out to be more than I ever expected.  I didn't really plan on becoming a hub for a blogging community, and I didn't expect any of the in-game "fame" that came with it. I didn't expect anything! I just wanted to write about this game that was making me so happy as compared to where I was in other MMOs, stuck in end-game content, raiding, or feeling bad about spending time raiding. This was a game where I could be myself and play with my family. That solved a lot of conceptual problems of online gaming for me.


Question #2- Me:

What was your favorite spell as soon as you joined the game? 


Friendly:

Cyclops was the first spell that I really thought was awesome. Myth is Thomas's secondary. You can see me using it all the time in my first YouTube video about Wizard101. :)


Question #3- Me:

What is your favorite Wizard101 spell for each school? 


Friendly:

Hmm... Hard to choose, but I'll try:


Myth: Golem Minion (handiest 0 pip minion in the game) 
Life: Rebirth
Death: Empower (so I can use Frankenstein)
Balance: " I see Bladestorm in my mind, I love balance wizards"
Storm: Tempest
Fire: Efreet
Ice: Frost Giant (can't wait for my ice to get Mammoth)


Question #4- Me:

What's your favorite thing about Wizard101?


Friendly:

It's the total package. It's really hard to separate out all that I like about this game: The people behind the game, the people that regularly read my blog, the card battling mechanic, etc. It's just the total package. It'd probably be easier for me to tell what I don't like about this game, which would be Kingsisle ignoring updates to old content in favor of pumping in new content. What I mean by that is... take a look at mini-games and derby you can find in the pet arena: Where's the Celestian derby track? Where's the Zafaria dance game? With each zone that comes out, old content doesn't get revisited and updated. Where's the hidden furniture in the new zones that you can click on to loot like you can the old content? Sadly I think Kingsisle forgot to include a checklist of everything they need to update when they create a new zone. (Then again, it would take that much longer to release a zone... it's a give and take.)


Question #5-Me:

You have a blog- http://www.friendlynecro.p101/ - what or who inspired you to start your blog?


Friendly:

There are some very popular MMO bloggers blogging about this game, but there wasn't anyone who had a blog dedicated to the game. I was writing about the game to my friends anyway, and I was very familiar with blogging in general since I had three or four previously (all now defunct or unknown), so I contacted Kingsisle, and the rest is history! The way I started my blog though isn't as interesting as what kept me writing all these years. That would be the fine people who play this game, including my family. 


Question #6- Me:

Do you have any advice to any other Wizard101 bloggers that just started blogging or  planning on starting a blog?


Friendly:

Yeah, for a while it just became a "thing" to make a Wizard101 blog. It was nuts! Blogging got so popular that Jester even put a blogging module on Central, which became its own beast as well. Nowadays, the dynamic of Wizard101 blogging seems to change every few months as people come and go. The important thing is maintaining a positive attitude while knowing that no one may ever read your blog like your intending. Depression, boredom, and sadness will come out in writing and then people will notice. If you aren't entertained by what you're writing if you don't enjoy it, no one else will either. If you feel like ranting always give those posts a while before publishing. It's best not to regret what you said later. Also, edit posts while you write. People still read my posts from three years ago. If someone points out an error, thank them, and fix it. It's all you can do. 


Question #7- Me:

Since this was a short question interview, is there anything else you would like to say to finish off the interview? :)


Friendly:

Thanks for the interview! It's good to know that people still care about Thomas Lionblood after all these years. I appreciate it. Keep up the happy dueling. :)






That's the end of the interview, I would like to thank Friendly for answering my questions, and interview :) I would like to tell you that all of the blogging community and your readers still care about you! I am very glad I had an interview with you, now I can use some of the blogging tips for the future. A few weeks ago a great friend told me I made a mistake with my spelling lol! I am glad they did because it would be terrible knowing that my spelling was up for everyone to see. Oh and you said to edit your posts while writing them, that's exactly what I was doing when I read that! Thanks again for the interview!




~ Edward Lifegem

Interview time! ( W101 US & UK)

Hello Wizards,

Today I decided to start interviews with the community and anyone is welcome to join in the interview. Below I will explain what this interview is about, it's not anything personal, its only about Wizard101 :) I know some of my friends always wanted more friends, by doing this you will know more of the community!




Like I said above, if we do the interview I will not ask you anything personal, if you would like to join. I made a Facebook post a few minutes ago about this and asked anyone if they would like to have an interview! If you are reading my post and you haven't commented on my post on Facebook, comment below this post or on Twitter! You can send me tweet if you would like to. Well that's it for this short post, I will start doing this tomorrow. :)





~ Edward Lifegem