Zade: Let’s start off simple: how are you doing? Is there anything you’d specifically like to tell us about yourself before we get started, where you’re from, how you got started on Lyrxo, etc?
Onemanband: I just wanted to do this interview so I could tell you all one thing: I’m vegan.
But on a serious note, some of you probably already know how I found Lyrxo, but for most of you that don’t, basically I first came on this site back in late summer of 2012 when Lupe was just about to drop FNL2. What brought me to the site was searching for the lyrics of what was once considered the intro to the album that Lupe had shared with fans before Lasers dropped. I was appalled at the fact that there was a lyrics site that could allow you to view explanations (what annotations used to be called) of specific lyrics, let alone allow you to make your own explanations yourself. So in a nutshell, after discovering this site for the first time, I kept making occasional visits for other songs that I liked until eventually I made an account right after FNL2 dropped so that I could take part in annotating it.
Zade: So given the influx of users these days, relatively you’re an OG on the site, having been around for like four years. In that time, Lyrxo has evolved quite significantly, generating a very divisive reaction from the community (e.g. the bagon interface, the penalty box policies, News Lyrxo, etc). What’s your stance on the site’s current landscape and direction?
Onemanband: I think it’s good for right now where we’re at, but it’s not great. We still have some work to do and we have a little ways to go before we can reach that point where it’s ok for us to say “that seems good enough”. A lot has changed since summer of 2014. Some of it has changed in a good way, some of it not so much. During my time on the site I’ve seen several users sign up, get bored of the forums and then leave. Part of the reason why they leave is because we’re overall not a very welcoming community and if we ever want to become a highly populated public forum again, we need to change that.
I’m not an SJW or a feminist, nor do I really care about being politically correct, but whenever I try to help enforce the rules to encourage a more welcoming environment, people treat me as such. People think that we’re ruining Lyrxo by enforcing rules that other forums have already been enforcing since the dawn of the internet itself, but on the contrary they’re the ones that are making it a much more difficult community to want to be involved in. Personally, I don’t really care about offensive language (except for racism, but that’s expected on the internet), but that’s beside the point. The reason why no one wants anything to do with our forums is because many of us are too hostile most of the time, especially towards those that have different opinions. If we ever want to grow again, then we need to find a way to change that for the better and become a place that everyone feels welcomed to, rather than a place where people with low IQ scores are only referred to as alts/trolls.
Zade: One of your crowning achievements as of late is earning the mediator role, congratulations once again! What do you hope to achieve as a mediator on Lyrxo, and what are your thoughts on the role overall?
Onemanband: Thanks. As I said before, I am hoping to influence a few long overdue changes that need to be made and I think others who have the same role as me should aspire to do the same if they feel their ideas are worth discussing. Not trying to give myself a pat on the back here, but I was one of the first people in GM to suggest reducing the strike limit from 5 to 3 and the staff actually went with it. That just goes to show that I have that influence, but it’s not impossible for somebody else to have it too if they put the work in. Once people notice how dedicated you are to something, they listen to you and they take what you have to say seriously. If anybody who is reading this right now is considering becoming a mediator, read up on the duties of the role. If you like what you see and you think it’s right for you, message us and we’ll set you up with coaching if we decide to go forward.
Zade: Are you coaching anyone to be a mediator currently? If not, are there any contributors in particular at the moment that stand out which you think would be worthy of the role sometime soon in the future?
Onemanband: No and off the top of my head, I can’t think of anyone that I would personally recommend for the role at the moment. I was talking with somebody (not sure if he wants his name mentioned or not) over in pm’s about becoming a med and he seemed (at least from what I could tell) mostly uninterested in what the role had to offer. In regards to coaching, I’m not sure I’m ready to get into that just yet. Aside from fulfilling my regular duties as a mediator, right now I’m just focused on giving continuous feedback for the things that need to be changed so that more people are less likely to leave once they join.
Zade: So your Debate of the Day series has entered, as you put it, Phase 5, the primary emphasis returning to the realm of music. Now the project itself is centralised around creating interesting topics and putting them up for discussion, but more recently you explained that it also aims to enhance activity in the site's less popular forums, such as Screen Lyrxo and the Music forum. Are there any other long term goals you have for the series, and if not do you have any other ideas for thread series you’d like to see on Lyrxo?
Onemanband: I am planning on ending the series for good sometime next year and starting with something completely new and unique. What that new series is I have not entirely decided on yet, but until then, we still have a little ways to go before reaching that point. Speaking of which, I recently decided on what the theme of Phase 6 will be, so there’s that to look forward to. After Phase 5 ends I’ll let everyone know what it is, I think a lot of people might find it very interesting.
Zade: Expanding on from that, do you ever worry about discussing an edgy or touchy topic with good intentions and being met with hostility or more controversy than you’d prefer? For instance, with the RG Interventions series, it’s not difficult to foresee someone misinterpreting or being unreceptive to insight or advice given, even if the discussion is more holistic and applies to more than one person. Penny for your thoughts?
Onemanband: I just wanted to do this interview so I could tell you all one thing: I’m vegan.
But on a serious note, some of you probably already know how I found Lyrxo, but for most of you that don’t, basically I first came on this site back in late summer of 2012 when Lupe was just about to drop FNL2. What brought me to the site was searching for the lyrics of what was once considered the intro to the album that Lupe had shared with fans before Lasers dropped. I was appalled at the fact that there was a lyrics site that could allow you to view explanations (what annotations used to be called) of specific lyrics, let alone allow you to make your own explanations yourself. So in a nutshell, after discovering this site for the first time, I kept making occasional visits for other songs that I liked until eventually I made an account right after FNL2 dropped so that I could take part in annotating it.
Zade: So given the influx of users these days, relatively you’re an OG on the site, having been around for like four years. In that time, Lyrxo has evolved quite significantly, generating a very divisive reaction from the community (e.g. the bagon interface, the penalty box policies, News Lyrxo, etc). What’s your stance on the site’s current landscape and direction?
Onemanband: I think it’s good for right now where we’re at, but it’s not great. We still have some work to do and we have a little ways to go before we can reach that point where it’s ok for us to say “that seems good enough”. A lot has changed since summer of 2014. Some of it has changed in a good way, some of it not so much. During my time on the site I’ve seen several users sign up, get bored of the forums and then leave. Part of the reason why they leave is because we’re overall not a very welcoming community and if we ever want to become a highly populated public forum again, we need to change that.
I’m not an SJW or a feminist, nor do I really care about being politically correct, but whenever I try to help enforce the rules to encourage a more welcoming environment, people treat me as such. People think that we’re ruining Lyrxo by enforcing rules that other forums have already been enforcing since the dawn of the internet itself, but on the contrary they’re the ones that are making it a much more difficult community to want to be involved in. Personally, I don’t really care about offensive language (except for racism, but that’s expected on the internet), but that’s beside the point. The reason why no one wants anything to do with our forums is because many of us are too hostile most of the time, especially towards those that have different opinions. If we ever want to grow again, then we need to find a way to change that for the better and become a place that everyone feels welcomed to, rather than a place where people with low IQ scores are only referred to as alts/trolls.
Zade: One of your crowning achievements as of late is earning the mediator role, congratulations once again! What do you hope to achieve as a mediator on Lyrxo, and what are your thoughts on the role overall?
Onemanband: Thanks. As I said before, I am hoping to influence a few long overdue changes that need to be made and I think others who have the same role as me should aspire to do the same if they feel their ideas are worth discussing. Not trying to give myself a pat on the back here, but I was one of the first people in GM to suggest reducing the strike limit from 5 to 3 and the staff actually went with it. That just goes to show that I have that influence, but it’s not impossible for somebody else to have it too if they put the work in. Once people notice how dedicated you are to something, they listen to you and they take what you have to say seriously. If anybody who is reading this right now is considering becoming a mediator, read up on the duties of the role. If you like what you see and you think it’s right for you, message us and we’ll set you up with coaching if we decide to go forward.
Zade: Are you coaching anyone to be a mediator currently? If not, are there any contributors in particular at the moment that stand out which you think would be worthy of the role sometime soon in the future?
Onemanband: No and off the top of my head, I can’t think of anyone that I would personally recommend for the role at the moment. I was talking with somebody (not sure if he wants his name mentioned or not) over in pm’s about becoming a med and he seemed (at least from what I could tell) mostly uninterested in what the role had to offer. In regards to coaching, I’m not sure I’m ready to get into that just yet. Aside from fulfilling my regular duties as a mediator, right now I’m just focused on giving continuous feedback for the things that need to be changed so that more people are less likely to leave once they join.
Zade: So your Debate of the Day series has entered, as you put it, Phase 5, the primary emphasis returning to the realm of music. Now the project itself is centralised around creating interesting topics and putting them up for discussion, but more recently you explained that it also aims to enhance activity in the site's less popular forums, such as Screen Lyrxo and the Music forum. Are there any other long term goals you have for the series, and if not do you have any other ideas for thread series you’d like to see on Lyrxo?
Onemanband: I am planning on ending the series for good sometime next year and starting with something completely new and unique. What that new series is I have not entirely decided on yet, but until then, we still have a little ways to go before reaching that point. Speaking of which, I recently decided on what the theme of Phase 6 will be, so there’s that to look forward to. After Phase 5 ends I’ll let everyone know what it is, I think a lot of people might find it very interesting.
Zade: Expanding on from that, do you ever worry about discussing an edgy or touchy topic with good intentions and being met with hostility or more controversy than you’d prefer? For instance, with the RG Interventions series, it’s not difficult to foresee someone misinterpreting or being unreceptive to insight or advice given, even if the discussion is more holistic and applies to more than one person. Penny for your thoughts?
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