Bulbanews should have interviews!

[Biiaru]

(Didn't see a dedicated thread to post ideas in, so i'll post it here)

I think a good weekly column would be to do an interview thing. Interview some random Pokemon fan, maybe (if it's possible) one of the old VA's. It'd be cool to see a interview with one of the old VAs about all the stuff that's going on with the anime dubs right now.

Just a suggestion.

 

[LightningTopaz]

If you're interviewing fans, I'd gladly volunteer!

 

[Lil Brother]

I think everyone will volunteer to be interviewed if we're doing that.

 

[Biiaru]

If you're interviewing fans, I'd gladly volunteer!

Heh... I dunno, I don't think I'm really the one cut out to do the interviewing. I think someone else would better do it, but I just wanted to put the idea of doing interviews out there. Just in case someone didn't think of it. Personally, I think the idea is totally awesome (obviously cause I came up with it). Yeah. D:

 

[<Jirachi>]

=p

 

[Argy]

I'll mull it over. We definitely wouldn't interview just any old random fan, though. I'm thinking of people who run major websites, who have won tournaments (TCG and games), who have scoped out the scene in Japan...

As for the VA thing, if we could, we would. It's not so easy, and it's not like we haven't tried.

 

[evkl]

One of the major problems with interviewing--and the journalism business in general--is getting your foot in the door with somebody. Once you nail one good interview, you're set, but it's really, REALLY hard to get that first interview.

If anybody has any connection to somebody big and/or on the inside, that'd be awesome, if they could hook us up.

 

[Doctor Oak]

If you were to call up Nintendo USA or PUSA's press offices (Golin Harris does both I believe) with relevant questions that they'd actually be able to answer (ie: Not "So, is Ash catching Aipom?") and do so professionally, they should be able to supply you with quotes etc.

If there's enough material, you might even get a short interview from those on the other end of the phone.

As far as interviews with actual company reps as opposed to just the PR fronts, you can ask if there's a possiblity of anyone being available to talk to. Generally, however, you're best off trying to catch such people at trade events when they're making public appearences and therefore actively looking for interviews (though you'll of course face stiff competition).

It's not THAT hard to get yourself into a position where you can get to talk to someone relevant and get what you need for the story. It's just a matter of making sure you aren't simply bumped out of the way by larger and more influential (not to mention broader spectrumed) sites.

With fan interviews etc, you only really need an instant messaging client. Even IRC would work with a PM system. I imagine that you could make some very interesting news articles by getting the opinions of fellow webmasters to include with it. So, for example, some big news on Diamond and Pearl comes around - you ask Joe or PPN Steve what their views are on it and include them as you would any official quote. The mainstream media do it all the time and if Bulbanews is meant to be a more mainstream journalesque system instead of just another news page for a fansite then it's a great idea that could do wonders for making articles more unique and informative.

 

[1234567]

Actually, I'd interview smaller, lesser-knowns too. I don't have a big pokemon site. Mine is actually more of an art site then anything else, but I have been in the fandom since Day One. Even though some might not have large sites like Serebii and BulbaGarden, they can have things to say too.

 

[Argy]

Yes, the average fan has a lot to say, but do people want to listen to them more than they'd listen to someone who is very, very prominent in the community?

Probably not. I'm sorry, but I'm just being realistic in terms of gaining readership.

 

[Silktree]

I imagine that you could make some very interesting news articles by getting the opinions of fellow webmasters to include with it. So, for example, some big news on Diamond and Pearl comes around - you ask Joe or PPN Steve what their views are on it and include them as you would any official quote. The mainstream media do it all the time and if Bulbanews is meant to be a more mainstream journalesque system instead of just another news page for a fansite then it's a great idea that could do wonders for making articles more unique and informative.

A mainstream journalism system is inclined to interests that go beyond the scope of providing information. In an environment free from such factors, I see no reason why the voices of more influential figures should be given greater weight. Rather, the emphasis should be put on points of views that are knowledgeable, insightful and enlightening - regardless of the name of the person presenting them.

Bulbacast serves the purpose of limiting the full-scale discussions held in forums to an elite group, as it were, where the opinion of one automatically becomes more powerful. That, however, does not reflect on Bulbanews in any shape or form.

The editorials and opinion pieces are a largely unexplored aspect of Bulbanews -- what little of it there have been were construed as no more than ordinary rants. If readers treated these differently than they treat forum posts, there would surely be increased motivation on the writers' part. I can only speak for myself as one of the few who have engaged in this sort of writing, but I am confident this applies to potential article authors just as well.

As for the proposed idea of holding interviews, that should be the next step after there has been sufficient improvement. With this, the validity of the opinion or argument should be even more vital than before, if only for the fact that the presentation would not be done on the interviewee's initiative. The interviewer, a member of the Bulbanews staff, would in fact take responsibility for his or her decision to regard such importance to the interviewee. Truthfully speaking, the opportunities of meaningful interviews are bound to be scarce, but then again, this is a time of changes and new impressions.

 

[FabuVinny]

While listening to the individual views of the general fandom is something to consider, prominent figures tend to have fuller knowledge and produce more of an interest from the readers. While I include webmasters of major sites in that, it is certainly not limited to them. By no means should the small individuals be ignored but it may be unwise to put too much of a focus on them.

As for the people in the business, the most important thing is to learn from past mistakes. It would be nice if we could avoid another incident such as what Argy was referring to over the VAs and the SOVA vs. WPM issue.