Media WIGMEDIA: The Whine Room S29. Ep 3 - Noobz0r - The voice of reason

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I, for one, definitely enjoy reading the BC jerk eachother off.
 
I, for one, definitely enjoy reading the BC jerk eachother off.

Which parts of dudes jerking off dudes do you like the most?

Do you imagine we kiss?
 

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Hello all, and welcome back to The Whine Room.

Well, before I had interviewed our esteemed Admin Ant Bear, I had already lined up the following guest. Some of AB's answers certainly opened up areas of questions so it worked in quite well.

So without further ado, let me bring in this weeks guest, the inimitable Noobz0r.

EJW: Welcome Noobz, a bowling alley, interesting location trying to keep it on the down low? As always in The Whine Room, the bar is open and nothing is off limits, what can I get you?

Do you have a bottle of my favourite drop? 2014 Gallagher's Choice Cabernet Sauvignon from Woody Nook Winery in Margaret River.

noobz.png
The conversation was almost as intense as the wine, which was a great selection by Noobz. Nice cardigan too!!



EJW: As it just so happens, I do. Oh gee, nice choice. A dark, brooding Cabenet with some nice integrated oak. This is a stunner!!

I'm just going through a list of achievements here.

Personal Accolades:
S16 Captain's Award at the Swamprats
S19 Pre-Season Swamprats Co-Captain
S19 SFA Premiership
S23 Mobbs Medallist
S24 Gumbies FFC Captain
S19 - Present The Filth Wizard's Press Advisor and Personal Aide

Some of this stuff is a bit meh. Pre season captaincy, a captains award. But you've won a flag, I'm jealous of that. And a Mobbs, so we know you can tackle. The Press Advisor is obviously a great achievement, because TFW is Teflon, nothing sticks, good job.


How did you get involved in the SFA? Did you find this cesspit all by yourself or if not, who is responsible?


I popped into the Fitzroy team board to ask a question about their representation in the VAFA. This was on the eve of the S16 pre-season of the SFA, a competition and board that I had no idea about. Mobbs very kindly answered my question and then asked if I'd looked into playing for the Swamprats, who were just rebooting as a Port Adelaide focussed team. I said I'd have a look, went and posted in their team thread and was instantly hooked.

What season did you start, and can you give me a quick rundown of your SFA journey?

I started in S16, due to my late arrival I wasn't selected in any of the pre-season games but forced my way onto a forward flank for Round 1. I stayed at the Rats and really loved my time there for the next 3 seasons. I personally believe this was the best incarnation of the Rats, we were engaged and had a great balance between our own posting culture (playing up being drunken yobbos) and invoking some epic banter battles with the opposition.

During the S18 season the 2nd year Blues finally set in a year late, and I was in a malaise. I agreed to be spookism 's co-captain, but then Gee Dub came knocking with an offer to join the nWo Dragons. I didn't really know the other big players all that well, but definitely respected them and saw the potential pay-off with the fallout from my move so signed up. This culminated in the flag, and was a wonderful season.

I fell off a cliff in S20 due to real life factors and ended up getting dropped from the starting 20 at the Dragons at various points in the next 2 seasons. I decided to make a big return to the SFA and my roots in S22 and returned to the Swamprats. The next 2 seasons under Millky95 were a lot of fun and culminated in winning the S23 Mobbs Medal. However, I became very disillusioned with the evolution of Swamprats banter at the backend of that season (the constant goat references etc. were genuinely disappointing as someone who put a lot into the club and loved the place) and I slowed right down activity-wise. I was very lucky that Millky left me in RR during my hot-streak of games to end the season.

I then decided to try my hand at captaincy, and took over at the then Wolves (now Gumbies). I've worked in leadership positions in my real-life job, and captained a footy side for 4 seasons so it was definitely something that interested me. But I think when it comes to the SFA I am someone who can't be restrained with the "admin" side of the league, and I didn't enjoy the season as it progressed.

Then and there I decided to spend the rest of my career doing what I enjoy, rather than worrying about building an impressive resume. I think this place is far too focussed on tangible outcomes; awards, captaincy, qooty stats. I've focussed on my media and match thread posting as creativity and banter is my true joy in this place, and this unfortunately gets next to no recognition. And, of course, I followed TFW as a package deal. First to the Hawks, then to the Royals.

Dude, I said QUICK rundown, not War & Peace. You've always been reasonably vocal about the state of the league. You've penned many a thread about what at the time you think is good, and what needs tweaking. Where do you see the league right now?

It was quite funny just now looking back over the 14 seasons I've been involved in this place, and there are genuine long-term waves of trends and league culture. When I first joined there was a real emphasis on posting quality and a hard-edge to match threads. Man, the Flogcutters was a great concept. The hard-edge then developed into some genuinely big stoushes with egos such as Uncle_Leo and Nakia (EJW: Nakia melting? I don't believe you!) going through very public meltdowns and there was constant anger and heat in just about every thread. This then ebbed and the league went through a few seasons of a very casual, rarely on-topic and generally friendly posting. We then had the rise of HaroLad v BC which brought back a very hard-edge and tenseness to the league. And this has again ebbed into the very chilled-out place we have season for the past couple of seasons.

In terms of right now; I think the core fabric of the league is always going to be solid enough that drastic changes are never going to be made. The sim works well, the adminstrator and captains are usually on top of things, and the development of rookies is a constant focus. My only issue with the place at the moment is the Gen Z softness that as crept into the league. Above I referenced names like Uncle_Leo and Nakia, their battles with various posters on here was around 500% more intense and angsty than anything you see around here these days. Just last week I gave a poster a very weak jab in my match thread review, and they spent the subsequent match thread (one which I wasn't even involved in) going at me without actually tagging me, or responding to my questions.

I think posters need to realise that this place isn't always going to be sunshine and rainbows, and that many posters here value the "wrestling-esque" grandeur of banter, rivalries and build-up. It's a public front, a public show of bravado and passion that certainly doesn't match personas behind closed doors in PMs.

Also, given the fact you are quite public with your views on the league (a good thing), is Admin something you have ever considered?

As I said earlier, promoted leadership positions in this league aren't something that I am here for. I tried it with a season of captaincy and it isn't for me. I'm best left unburdened with responsibility so I can do things my own way, and in my own time. There are days and weeks where I am far too busy for this place, and that means that I am not an ideal candidate for administrator.

I see myself more as someone constantly in opposition government, someone to ensure that there are checks and balances. It's quite funny how political this place gets, and how concerned posters get about their reputation. I figure that a lot of stuff is actively repressed and done behind closed doors, and I'm someone eager to get it out there and in public view. This league belongs to everyone.

I absolutely agree with you that this place is soft and getting softer. Obviously there are circumstances out of our control *cough* adsense *cough*, but a lot of the newcomers just don't have that resilience. The amount of times I've had PM's where I've been requested to back off, frankly, it disappoints me. I've also had threads nuked for being "personal" when it was a legitimate persona attack. (weak, Bombers, weak)
Is there a way to address this? Is there a way to educate rookies coming in that, as you say, it's not all sunshine and rainbows?


I don't think there is a specific fix for it, as it is very much a cultural thing. We currently have a core group of active posters who are more into general chit-chat and friendliness. I guess you could say it is a generational thing, the current generation of peak posters aren't about being hard at it, so it's hard to get anything going. I certainly don't want to be telling captain's how to run their own club, but if senior players at a club are soft it's only going to make an impression on their rookies.

How do we get back to an era where really aggressive banter is not just acceptable, but the norm? Maybe more people on opposite sides should actually reach out via PM?

As I said above I think it is a generational, cultural thing. For mine, it's a bit disappointing if someone is going to just sledge me without addressing me directly. I'm always happy to clarify things via PM, and in 95% of the cases the poster will quickly figure out that I meant nothing by it and was just getting into the theatrics of banter. I genuinely go hard in media and match threads, but when all is done and dusted I'm happy to shake hands and move on. I mean, I had some spectacular blow-ups with HaroLad when that whole affair was at it's peak, but we've PMd since and we're cool.


The league seemed to go through a softer/quieter patch after the BC/Haro wars. Do you think that time had something to do with things going a bit soft? I recall this was a time when some people were struggling with the difference between fantasy and reality, and maybe taking it personally.

The league in general became very bored of that whole thing, it felt like there wouldn't be a single thread that didn't dissolve into an argument between the two parties. Haro getting himself banned certainly helped as he was the one carrying the biggest chip on his shoulder (honestly, you should have seen some of the paranoia), and KohPhi / Tony were a lot more measured when it came to the Bombers leadership. I also think a big part of the shift was the formation of the "Gentleman's Club" and Uncle Tony's casual chat thread. It took the heat out of the league because people were now conversing with each other on a more personal level.

People absolutely take things on here far too personally, and forget that it is literally a fantasy footy league. I certainly don't like some posters on here, but it has nothing to do with them as people; it has to do with their personas. I have no idea what a person is like behind the keyboard, and most of the time I don't care. I'm just going with what I see in front of me regarding their posting. I've been lucky enough to meet a lot of SFA posters in real life by now, and there certainly is a big difference between a social get together and the way they act in here.

Absolutely the biggest issue, in my opinion, is people bring feelings from real life into this place. If they're having a bad day, they respond badly in here. People should look after themselves, and recognise that whilst this place is great to blow off steam, and posters are always around to look after each other, that maybe a few days off is a better solution. I've certainly PMd captains once or twice and told them I'm stepping back.

Now, let's discuss a favourite of mine, BRAB. You seem to have a pretty good understanding of him. Ant Bear has said that you called him an internet troll who feeds on attention. Is this true?

I do love BRAB, he is hands down the poster who I have genuinely laughed out loud at. I don't remember saying that, but I'm not really in a position to deny it given how long AB and I have been in the league, and that we were teammates.

I've found BRAB to be quite intriguing. Ridiculous fake moral crusades, faux outrage, apparently some real outrage although who knows. PMs where he acts normal but you don't know if he is farming for info. Some fantastic media, one of which for the life of me I can't remember the name of, but Storm was great. What do you personally think of him? Is there some respect there?

BRAB is an incredibly intelligent person who, for better or for worse, has a much further line of what is acceptable than the rest of us. And once he gets started he won't stop until he achieves whatever his goal was to begin with.

Personally, I love it. He is very good at getting reactions out of people, and manipulating them to further his own faux outrage. I remember him PMing me a very cryptic "you're going after the wrong captain" after I fired a salvo at Haro's leadership. That, of course, got leaked in another media piece of mine about his then captain RU_ and he went postal. But he wanted to go postal, and he wanted me to leak it. On a podcast TheCoach16 once said that at the peak of Haro v BC, he would log off BigFooty and think about BRAB for literally the rest of the day. He does respect some posters though, I even saw him sincerely apologise to The Filth Wizard once. And I certainly respect him.

His main issue is that, due to his reputation, people stopped listening.


"It's only really famous because of spookism's notorious tears - which is entirely due to Noobz. The Dragons premiership barely gets mentioned now but cryingdoctorwho.gif is a perpetual meme."

Cloud/Kennedy Parker just said this.

OK, we're talking nWo. This definitely needs telling.


I think, in hindsight, that mine was the greatest story-arc (well, heel-turn) in the nWo storyline. For those new to this place, at the end of the S18 season I was offered the co-captaincy at the Swamprats by spookism, who saw me as the ideal candidate to take over from him. At the same time, I was being courted by Gee Dub and The Filth Wizard to join what had been dubbed "The nWo Dragons". The premise of this was that TFW was parachuting himself in to the captaincy, and completely stripping the list and adding 6 major signings without consultation of anyone at the club or the SFA.

I agreed to sign on, and was announced without spookism getting any notice whatsoever. I still remember it to this day, I was hungover as fu** and playing 18 at Lake Joondalup. I recieved a message from TFW saying it had gone live, and then not 10 minutes later got a heart-broken PM from spook asking if it was true. I genuinely felt bad as spook is hands down the most genuinely nice person on here, and I'm glad we've become friends outside of this place. His tears were delicious at the time though.

I disagree that spookism's notorious tears are the only memory of nWo though.


Ant Bear mentioned in his interview he has some regrets, one of the major regrets being burning his bridges with you and Loonerty. I was wondering if you could delve into that for us...

I can't remember there being a specific incident in which a bridge was burned, and I probably wouldn't describe it as that. We have very different approaches to the SFA and greater forum, and are very different personalities. I remember first coming across him during the Port Buddy Draft, he sent me a sarcastic eyeroll for some reason which I didn't take well.

Anyway, point being. I disagree with the way he has approached certain situations in the SFA, and he tends to operate behind closed doors rather than in public. Which goes against my beliefs in this place. As I said earlier, I see myself in perpetual opposition government (I even made a thread criticising a decision that TFW made) and he happens to be in power at the moment.

AB has given a lot to this league, and does a bunch of work which I definitely would never do. I respect that. We just have different approaches, and I can be critical of his private handling of matters and work in the dark. His self-importance and grandeur about his own record, and general unwillingness to engage with the general public irk me. But there is respect there, and I'm sure we can find common ground if he's willing to ever reply to the PM I sent him yesterday.

You are building a team from scratch. Give me the three players you would build your team around, and why. Also, give me three "big name" players you would not recruit, and also why.

The first name off the list is obvious: The Filth Wizard. I think he absolutely the most complete poster on here. Strong, commanding, and a biting tongue in the banter stakes. He is a presence across the entire league, and has a reputation second to none. And he has that killer post that will destroy everyone, whilst magically keeping everyone on-side.

Then I'd pick brahj. An on-song brahj would be great as an offensive weapon in any team, and he pumps out quality media. Being able to shape the #scandal narrative would also come in handy.

Finally, TheInjuryFactory. Great at keeping stats and excellent with design-work (TFWs only weakness). As well as this, he still makes quality contribution via match thread posting and media.

Loonerty, Blacky, manangatang, Kennedy Parker, Elton Johns Wig all very stiff to miss out here.

As for big names I wouldn't recruit, that is a difficult one as I all 'big names' make valuable contributions of one kind or another, and would add value to my side. I guess I would go with Dingster, MWPP, and philreich because they wouldn't really fit the tough, big battle loving group I would want. No offence to any of them at all!


I expected TFW as an answer, and TIF I get, my query with brahj would be purely on level of input. I think he can coast a bit. Regarding your nos, MWPP and phil I get. They are match thread posters that probably don't have enough strings to the bow in regards to other presence.

brahj was very active for 3 or 4 seasons post-debut, and captained the Bears, which I think people forget. He has also been huge for us so far this season in terms of his engagement.

Ding I think surprises me. Again, I see he doesn't do media, but I think behind the scenes, which people don't see, he is invaluable. Has done more at club level behind closed doors than anyone else I've played with. On top of that, a gun recruiter, maybe the best. It's just that he has done it mainly for struggling sides whilst at the Wonders.

Like I said, I am sure they all do valuable work in some capacity. I have heard that Ding in particular does a lot behind the scenes for his club, and he has done some really good recruiting for the league. I think he lacks the killer posting instinct though, and having never played with him I haven't seen much of his work behind the scenes.

Now, media. There is a lot around right now, why do you think there has been so much this season? Who are the current media stars? I've got to say, I'm enjoying Kennedy Parker work.

I don't think it is this season per se, every season people start off with a bang and fade. I think a point of difference so far this season is that there is some really original content floating around, which is a testament to the posters themselves. KP has been outstanding so far, and would be my current favourite to take out the beez. I've also really enjoyed brahj's media contributions, especially since he seems to have his scandal mojo back.

Also, I think it's high time for something explosive, don't you? When you put the effort in, you usually produce quality stuff. But you're not exactly prolific. Why is that?

Honestly, real life. My work-load at work fluctuates on a daily basis so it's hard to nail down time to get content out. I'm also generally very busy outside of work (subtle flex, Noobz) and don't get a chance to sit at my PC and smash out media. As well as that I tend to write 'reactive' media, based on current affairs in the league. If nothing out of the ordinary is happening, I'm out of work.

I guess at the core of it is that I do pride myself on my media, and consider myself one of the more detailed and talented writers on here. I also don't want to half-arse anything, and I don't think people understand just how much time I put into writing media pieces. Which is why I get irritated that stats and admin work gets so heavily recognised as investment in the league, but people rarely recognise how much time and effort quality media is.

Is their anything in the pipeline at NoobMedia?

I have a Simpsons episode half-written and another one in my mind. The issue there is that they generally deal with issues of the day, and I've probably left it too late now. I'm pretty happy with how the league is sitting at the moment, and there are no controversies for me to cover so there aren't any specific plans, no. (EJW: I love The Simpsons stuff)

GIF usage. Now, I love a well timed GIF, I really do. But it seems some people use it as a lazy fall back when they are getting out bantered. Also, I despise it when there is a barrage of GIFs. Thoughts?

Were you here for gif Friday? That was ******* horrendous. (EJW: IT WAS!!!)

I do agree with your sentiment completely, though. A gif can be absolute peak banter if it isn't tired, is used at the right time, and is relevant. Unfortunately some of the less creative types on here resort to it when they're struggling to keep up. It's essentially up there with "no u" and "nice melt" arguments when people start to struggle.

There has been a noticeable change on here whereby people seem a lot less happy with being out-witted, and I have no idea why. Maybe their inability to keep up with other posters' makes them feel inadequate or something. If you have a look at the TFN thing from a couple of weeks ago, I was making what I felt like were detailed, intelligent posts which had room for a proper response. And all I got back was "nice melt" and "you're rattled". This is very difficult to respond to as anything I say is just going to be met with more of that drivel, and it just makes me wonder what the point of it all is.

I have no idea how the posters who argue like that think they're at all respected in the SFA.


Ok, onto something that gets on my goat a bit......."equality" Is it just me, or is equality, in these parts, completely imbalanced? I've had multiple situations over the last few seasons where certain individuals felt victimised, and had, behind the scenes, people advocating for them. It was the classic case of not being able to cope, but because they were who they were, we had to tread warily. I think this is flat out wrong, and it is actually inequality. I think, plain and simple, personas are personas. You cross the line, you're in. Your thoughts?

It is getting very out of hand. I am all for equality, and some of my favourite posters on here are females. But they need to adhere to the same culture and rules as the rest of us. I don't think we should be treating posters any differently, and wrapping them in cotton wool, based on their sex. That isn't what equality is about.

I'm not going to go into specifics, or name names. But there is absolutely a group of posters on here who will white-knight female posters in literally every situation. It's either that, or they fawn over them. They can break site rules, get suspended and they will still defend them to the hilt. They can attack other posters and be rude, and then cry bullying and they will blindly defend them. I can guarantee you that if I did the same thing they wouldn't be anywhere to be seen.

I will probably cop flack for this response, but I refuse to be blamed for my answer being out of line. I am a big believer in equality, and therefore I will not be giving them special treatment or fawning over them like others do.

Well, there's been some inequality here, because you've done a lot more talking than me. I agree with your last point, quite strongly. It's been a pleasure having a chat mate. We've covered a fair bit of ground, and we could have covered a whole lot more. There's a lot of wisdom in here that I hope a few of the newer posters take heed of. I reckon we crack another bottle of this Cabernet and leave the masses alone for a while to let this all sink in.

Thanks again Noobz.

Wig Out.
 
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Best publicist in the game is Noobz0r.

Interesting thing about the aggressive banter thing, there’s a league veteran ive spoken who thinks it’s more aggressive now than it used to be. I disagree, but I’m only going by when I started, not sure about before then.

The aggressive banter back then was more nuanced than it is today.
 
Best publicist in the game is Noobz0r.



The aggressive banter back then was more nuanced than it is today.
Perhaps this is what I was getting at. I think previously, aggressive banter was more like the Luke Skywalker vs Darth Vader lightsaber duel in TESB. There was a genuine back-story to it, it was in depth and detailed. And the fight itself was drawn out, with many cuts and thrusts. These days it's like Denny buying drugs for Johnny in comparison.

Now I guess it is a lot more personal and potentially cruel, but the battles are nowhere near as epic.
 
Now I guess it is a lot more personal and potentially cruel, but the battles are nowhere near as epic.

It's cheaper. Less wit. Less self aware.
 

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As a newcomer, I found that interview a terrific and thought provoking read. Good onya Noobzor and Wiggy. I hope members of all SLG's encourage Rookies on their list to give it a read.

One observation I would make on banter is that when I vary from my schtick and get slightly edgy, one or more people will check in via PM. This is sorta nice I guess that people monitor and notice difference in tone as well as content. Generally I am just fekkin around. I am slowly getting better at identifying posters I can have a really good crack at and with from those who I need to approach a little differently.

In a separate cricket site I have been involved with for a long time, there is a tradition of absolute blood and guts. Inevitably over two decades the bulk of participants have left, often in a state of apoplectic meltdown or "flouncing" as we call it. While it has its moments when the place rallies when someone gets ill or dies, it is overly hard nosed. A few weeks ago I had to reflect on the poisonous joy I felt when a poster I had warred with for a decade had a spectacular flounce and disappeared.

I guess most posters here have experienced similar sites, be it on FaceAche or elsewhere, so what I am saying is hardly new.

By contrast I really enjoy the banter side of Sweetville both in match threads and media pieces like Wiggy's interviews. The schtick run by posters is nothing if not diverse.

I suspect many posters would agree with Noobzor's point about how he likes to engage with the Board via media and in match threads. The point I guess is that the joint is large enough to cater for a variety of tastes from amazing stats and analytics to those who make Clubs and the whole joint run. It is also means being aware of what you want from the joint and what you want to give it.
 
As a newcomer, I found that interview a terrific and thought provoking read. Good onya Noobzor and Wiggy. I hope members of all SLG's encourage Rookies on their list to give it a read.

One observation I would make on banter is that when I vary from my schtick and get slightly edgy, one or more people will check in via PM. This is sorta nice I guess that people monitor and notice difference in tone as well as content. Generally I am just fekkin around. I am slowly getting better at identifying posters I can have a really good crack at and with from those who I need to approach a little differently.

In a separate cricket site I have been involved with for a long time, there is a tradition of absolute blood and guts. Inevitably over two decades the bulk of participants have left, often in a state of apoplectic meltdown or "flouncing" as we call it. While it has its moments when the place rallies when someone gets ill or dies, it is overly hard nosed. A few weeks ago I had to reflect on the poisonous joy I felt when a poster I had warred with for a decade had a spectacular flounce and disappeared.

I guess most posters here have experienced similar sites, be it on FaceAche or elsewhere, so what I am saying is hardly new.

By contrast I really enjoy the banter side of Sweetville both in match threads and media pieces like Wiggy's interviews. The schtick run by posters is nothing if not diverse.

I suspect many posters would agree with Noobzor's point about how he likes to engage with the Board via media and in match threads. The point I guess is that the joint is large enough to cater for a variety of tastes from amazing stats and analytics to those who make Clubs and the whole joint run. It is also means being aware of what you want from the joint and what you want to give it.
This could be your best ever post.

People can see you're not just some rambling idiot spewing forth great piles of gobbledegook, that there is thought behind your madness.

Sure, you're a rambling idiot, but you're a thoughtful one. :)
 
This could be your best ever post.

People can see you're not just some rambling idiot spewing forth great piles of gobbledegook, that there is thought behind your madness.

Sure, you're a rambling idiot, but you're a thoughtful one. :)

Memo to self - blow up this thread.
 
Good effort Elton Johns Wig. I look forward to the next interview which is probably TFW.


 

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