Sunday, August 15th, 2010
Issue: 41   Editor: HowlingMadMika


COLUMN: Delicious Thoughts KittehX
You may have noticed that I've become a member of the Buzz team.

Initially, I refused to even consider joining. The Buzz policy of remaining unbiased in articles, and HAVING to produce an article every week, even when I don't feel inspired turned me off. 'No', I thought, 'There's no need to join the Buzz. I'll remain freelance, so that I can speak my mind, and not be held back by red tape. SCREW THE SYSTEM, DUDE! FREE SPEECH!"

After weeks of freelance writing, I succumbed to the temptation. Why? Because I'm a nerd. I'm interested in how the system works behind the scenes. Every week, I copy and paste a pre-written article into the freelance article submit page, and it magically appears in the Buzz's next issue. But curiosity has got the better of me. I want to know the amount of work that goes on during the week, which nobody even considers when they read the Buzz.

And, wait, we have a BUZZ FORUM? That's practically a wet dream!

I wonder how many others are interested in how things work behind the scenes. I'm not just talking about the Buzz. As a humble player, the most I've done is own a Blackjack, an Establishment, and join a crew. All of that opened up a few options, a few pages, and made for a little excitement but I've always been curious as to how the crew system works.

Altrozero's site was an answer to my nerdy prayers, giving me an insight into the options that crew leaders have open to them. I've always been intrigued as to what sort of stuff a crew leader can do that I can't. Altrozero's site gives a little glimpse into the world of running your own crew.

But I'm thirsty for more! What screens do HDOs have on offer? Is it as nicely designed as Bootleggers, or is it as basic as possible, like an online Notepad? What options are open to them? OH, UNKNOWABLE UNIVERSE!

What about the Moderators? Do they have a special 'UBER COOL MOD PAGE WHICH THE PLEBS CAN'T ACCESS'? What about the Senior Mod? Ok, that rank no longer exists... but at the time, did it mean you had more power? Or was it purely to give an indication of the pecking order?

DEAR GOD, what about the admins? What joys can they unlock with a click of the mouse? Instead of a 'Backup' screen maybe they have a random YouTube video? ...because they're special?

Do they have a button... 'For Emergencies Only'... whenever morale for Bootleggers plummets to an all-time low, it randomly codes an unsubstantial update, or orders 12 iPods off of Amazon to give away in a contest?

...imagine being able to click on NoEyedWillis, and read his private messages! See how much money AnthonyStark has! Get Nyxxie's email! Track every forum post by DTOCKS! See how close iLaura is to ranking!

SWEET MOTHER OF JESUS! There is a WEALTH of information and gadgets out there that, sadly, I will never be able to access.

But a Buzz Forum... now, that's a start.