Bulbagarden Staff AMA Thread

[Calvinッ]

A question to my other staffers:

What piece of media are you most looking forward to currently?

Whether it be a film like Barbie or Oppenheimer, an anime, TV show, video game etc etc?

For me I am currently watching but also looking forward to more Jujutsu Kaisen, it's one of my favourite anime. In the same realm I cannot wait for Blue Lock future seasons to come out, I think it's one of the most fun manga's I've read (slim pickings though, I don't read much), but with it being a sports manga, it's even better in anime form and there's so many moments I can't wait to see animated!

 

[kiwichu]

What makes you loyal to this community?
I quite enjoy browsing through your threads from like 2005, reading the "evolution" of Pokémon over the years.

 

[Zexy]

I was a regular since early 2013, but only felt the first desire to become staff around early 2014, then had to be on school hiatus, so my actual commitment to the community started around mid 2015, despite actually applying not happening until early 2016.

You just become a part of the community and make friends over the years and eventually feel like you need to repay for all the good moments they offered you. For me it originally took about a year to start feeling that loyal, for others it might have been less.

Even if there might be burnout and/or offline problems resulting in leaving (it has happened to a handful of us), there still is a longing to come back eventually. So loyalty might not always be perfect, but even if it falters at times, it can also spark back up.

 

[Enzap]

A question to my other staffers:

What piece of media are you most looking forward to currently?

Whether it be a film like Barbie or Oppenheimer, an anime, TV show, video game etc etc?

For me I am currently watching but also looking forward to more Jujutsu Kaisen, it's one of my favourite anime. In the same realm I cannot wait for Blue Lock future seasons to come out, I think it's one of the most fun manga's I've read (slim pickings though, I don't read much), but with it being a sports manga, it's even better in anime form and there's so many moments I can't wait to see animated!

This is pretty far off, but the third Spider-verse movie is what I'm probably most looking forward to in terms of upcoming media. I've finally gotten around to watching Re:Zero and I'm almost done with season 2 so I'm also excited for season 3 whenever that comes out.

What makes you loyal to this community?
I quite enjoy browsing through your threads from like 2005, reading the "evolution" of Pokémon over the years.

Well at this point I have quite a bit of a sunk cost invested in this place

But really, I think this is a truly special little corner of the internet. It's changed a lot since I first arrived about 13 years ago, but it's always been full of kind, passionate people and from a staff perspective I really enjoy the team I work with to make this place run. We also have the added benefit of hosting Bulbapedia, which I see as one of the most valuable Pokémon resources on the internet, so I like being involved in the greater community that supports it.

 

[Torchic W. Pip]

A question to my other staffers:

What piece of media are you most looking forward to currently?

Whether it be a film like Barbie or Oppenheimer, an anime, TV show, video game etc etc?

For me I am currently watching but also looking forward to more Jujutsu Kaisen, it's one of my favourite anime. In the same realm I cannot wait for Blue Lock future seasons to come out, I think it's one of the most fun manga's I've read (slim pickings though, I don't read much), but with it being a sports manga, it's even better in anime form and there's so many moments I can't wait to see animated!

I have a biiiiiig video game backlog I want to get through. Mostly 3DS games. One day I will find the accountability to play through it.

What makes you loyal to this community?
I quite enjoy browsing through your threads from like 2005, reading the "evolution" of Pokémon over the years.

I’ve been here for 2 years, and I really like the people here. It may sound corny, but they’re what make this community a community, especially in the writing world, which can rely so much on community and other people’s feedback/advice. (Special shoutouts to @Beth Pavell @lisianthus @Orchid and @Cresselia92 )

 

[TheCapsFan]

What piece of media are you most looking forward to currently?

Whether it be a film like Barbie or Oppenheimer, an anime, TV show, video game etc etc?

Upcoming media...hm. For years it was The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Or the sixth Paramore album. But now that those have both released, it's hard to tell. Maybe just...the sequel to the Switch in general? Or Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. And Enzap makes a good point about Spiderverse 3. Probably those three things actually.

What makes you loyal to this community?
I quite enjoy browsing through your threads from like 2005, reading the "evolution" of Pokémon over the years.

Bulbagarden is quite literally where I grew up. It gave me an outlet to discuss my favorite series of video games at a time when i didn't have any other outlets to do so. I've been here since my foundational years and I've loved being able to engage with this community and help it prosper. And some of the people I've met here have become some of my best friends. So it's awesome to be able to give back, to this site and to the Pokemon community as a whole.

 

[Calvinッ]

What makes you loyal to this community?

I’ve been here for 2 years, and I really like the people here. It may sound corny, but they’re what make this community a community

This would probably be my answer aswell, I've been here a bit but took a couple year absence up until very recently. Like Zexy said, it happens. But one thing that kept me here was the community, predominantly in TWR (and in turn F&G) as that's the area I was in most. I'd say part of the reason I came back even though not being a huge Pokemon fan nowadays is the people here. A lot of people I knew before I left are still here and they make it feel like I never really went anywhere which is great! I don't think i've ever had a negative experience that I can recall on here.

 

[Orchid]

A question to my other staffers:

What piece of media are you most looking forward to currently?

Geez I don't know actually, there's not much at all coming up that I'm interested in. I think I'm most looking forward to Super Mario Bros. Wonder right now — it looks fun and has some really nice art direction, so I hope another trailer for it gets shown off soon. Other than that, nothing I'm excited for comes to mind other than the next few chapters of Deltarune.

What makes you loyal to this community?

For me personally, before I joined Bulba, the last time I felt like a real part of any online community was almost a decade prior — it was something that I missed a lot and kinda figured I'd never get back in this current day and age of the internet. So imagine my surprise when I turn here and I'm immediately greeted by so many nice people who all shared my interests the same way I did! I've stuck around ever since because it's not every day you find somewhere you feel like you belong; and I think being here has done a lot to get me back out of my shell, so to speak.

Bulbagarden and the forums in particular also have a lot of history behind them, so as a staff member I want to help preserve the site that people have made so many memories on before me, and help it grow so more people like myself can find a welcoming place to turn to.

 

[lisianthus]

A question to my other staffers:

What piece of media are you most looking forward to currently?

That's a good question... probably the finish to the scenario of my (current) favorite anime, Stars Align? It got cancelled/shortened to 13 episodes halfway through, but the producer is writing the 'second part' in order to shop it around to different studios it seems. I really love the story and honestly everything about it... I watched it all in one day a year ago, so I've been wanting more LOL.

What makes you loyal to this community?
I quite enjoy browsing through your threads from like 2005, reading the "evolution" of Pokémon over the years.

Hoooonestly... at first it was probably because it was the first online community that really stuck with me? I've done a lot here, and for a while the F&G threads were just time-killers for me LOL, especially when I was younger.

But — as time went on, and I got older, I got to know a few of the people here. Now, Bulbagarden has became my home, my favorite (and only) community, honestly mostly for the social aspect of things.

Personally, the forums (I don't mesh well with large Discord servers) are my perfect place — I love helping out in a variety of different ways, for one (like how I take care of our official Tumblr), but it's also a place where I can catch up with those I'm friends with and close to, even though we already talk a lot outside Bulba spaces. Aside from that... of course, it's nice to be able to see lots of Pokémon fans enjoying what they love in all sorts of ways here. Simply put, it's nice... there's a lot of history here, and I hope to make my mark on it by helping to further the presence of this amazing organization.

But being real here — I've made friends and even (just one person, but) family (points at my very own subway master of a sister) through Bulba, and I want to give back because of all I've gained through it — so that's why I'm committed to sticking with it for as long as I'm able.

 

[toastghost]

is being a mod stressful?

 

[Zexy]

It can be sometimes, if something is urgent and/or particularly egregious. But most of the day to day things are not as much.
It gets slightly worse with each rank up, though, more responsibilities and people that look up to you and you need to make sure are also not stressed with what they have on their plate. This is actually something I would like to see seniors answer too, since idk just how much exactly worse it can get above admin.

 

[Enzap]

is being a mod stressful?

As someone who has worn about every hat you can around the forums I think I'm in a pretty unique position to answer this lol.

Being a regular old mod really wasn't that stressful. At the time I think the biggest thing for me was wanting to make a good impression on the rest of the staff, but that was 10 years ago now and I don't think we're as intimidating as we used to be lol.

The stress got gradually higher as I climbed the hierarchy, especially as I got more involved in big-picture planning, training new mods, organizing events, etc. My current role is definitely the most stressful I've had, but also the most rewarding in some ways. I don't know how much the average user knows about what I do, but I basically have two titles right now: Forum Head Administrator and Bulbagarden Chief of Staff. The former is the top ranking member of forum staff, so I technically have at least some responsibility for everything that goes on here. Think like a store manager for the forums. The Chief of Staff title is site-wide, which means I support staff across all of our projects. That's the one that typically gives me the most stress, especially when time sensitive things pop up that only the Chiefs of Staff can really deal with and I'm already busy with other things.

 

[colours]

This is actually something I would like to see seniors answer too, since idk just how much exactly worse it can get above admin.

you called??? crashes through thread

i'll answer the mod question first:

is being a mod stressful?

as zexy has stated, it very well can be, but it largely depends on where you mod. if you mod a particularly quiet area, the day-to-day upkeep is definitely not going to be stressful, but your main concern isn't necessarily keeping track of user behaviours, but how to make your section interesting and inviting users to participate in your threads. i think as mod, the expectation becomes two-fold: there's the janitorial part of upkeep which most are aware of, but the other half is maintaining activity and presence. just because one is promoted to mod, doesn't mean they're consigned to deal with reports forever - to me, it's ideal if users are familiar with staff of the section they frequent, so it's nice to have a frequent face in there that cares about the section and actively maintains it and makes it fun and interesting.

people who are big on making the community a friendly and more discussion-oriented place i think are the types to do well at being a mod since it's focusing on one (or even a few, if you have the time/energy/motivation!) section so it's not really a big deal.

now, the second part.

since idk just how much exactly worse it can get above admin.

this is going to be kind of a lengthy response, but i think being comprehensive is important so details don't get lost. in making this response, i want to preface that i'm aware you've been admin before but i'm detailing my own experiences with the position:

admin+ stress directly corresponds to how much free time you have to deal with the responsibilities of the position. i think it can be rather daunting if you're a normally busy individual, but if you're someone who can carve out free time to dedicate to forum and staff management, then the position would fit like a glove. and personally, this is what i "specialized" in. any matters that directly correlated to forum management or staff matters would be something i took a shot it. and it didn't matter that every idea was more or less spaghetti thrown at a wall, here. ideas that don't quite make it tend to lend themselves to other ideas that might. in other words, the position shines especially for an "ideas" type of person, but be ready to execute on those ideas and how those ideas are executed is also a skill in and of itself.

now, for my personal responsibility as DHA...

i wear two hats, actually. i feel it's best to be transparent about this because my position and Enzap's position as head admin is actually really interesting. my first hat is DHA, and i do the same things i did when i was a regular admin: staff/forum management. i gotta be honest, my personal stress is rather minimal here, if only because the changes i've wanted to have happened already have happened, are in the process of happening, or have a high likelihood of happening somewhere down the line. this is kind of the whole point of DHA actually - collaborating with the head admin to effectively manage the forums and to ensure high staff morale and productivity. as long as those two things are met in my eyes, there's not much if anything to worry about.

my second hat, and the secret of effective DHAs in my eyes is that the "D" part is in parenthesis. although i am not official head admin like enzap is, i think effective leadership is taking the reins as if you were in charge. there may be situations in which the head admin may be absent, too busy, or on leave, or any combination which would make them unavailable, so it falls in me to act in that capacity. as i mentioned before, the relationship is a collaborative effort, so although i am deputy, i essentially co-run the forums with enzap and do basically the same things, which makes us a pretty good team, i think. c:

 

[TheCapsFan]

is being a mod stressful?

It can be, but it's really kind of what you make of it. If you're more involved with your project stress level can rise, but if you keep a healthy balance between Bulba responsibilities and everything else, it's really not that bad! I'd also agree with Enzap and Zexy and say that stress increases with rank and with commitments to more than one project.

 

[kiwichu]

How had this forum survived all these years? I read threads from 2005. I'm glad it's here now, I'm learning a lot from reading em.

 

[WyndonCalling]

How had this forum survived all these years? I read threads from 2005. I'm glad it's here now, I'm learning a lot from reading em.

I think there's two main factors, the first being the success of Bulbapedia and the fact that millions of visitors are just a click away from stumbling across the great little community we have here. I'd wager that very few of those happenstance visitors will be fully cognisant of the history of the site and the fact that the forums pre-date the wiki, but there may also be a certain element of prestige associated with being 'Bubapedia's official forums', as many will see it. I suspect the reason many standalone forums have gone the way of the Doduo is because they rise and fall entirely with the tide of interest in forums overall, without another form of anchor.

Secondly, the site's leadership have always placed a strong emphasis on having a large and professionally-organised moderation team that helps drive activity, keeps the place looking clean and discusses the community extensively with one another. This isn't a fragile 'site owner and their four mates' setup but a pretty extensive and resilient mod operation that's good at hiring, retaining, training and replacing people.

is being a mod stressful?

Others have said very similar things but I'll add my own take - no part of the site is stressful if you have the time and energy to put to it. I've really enjoyed my forum roles, my social media roles, event management and article writing, and wouldn't be doing any of it if I didn't find it a lot of fun. Even some of the tougher conversations can be fulfilling on a particular level in the knowledge that you're contributing to the health of the site and community here.

What gets me so much isn't stress per se - at least, it doesn't manifest that way for me - but a sense of guilt or at the very least an acute awareness of when I feel I can't fairly split my time across multiple hats. I've actually recently stepped down from a forum Admin role after a long time of not being able to spend time and energy in day-to-day moderation responsibilities; social media in particular occupies a lot of headspace. I still have lots of views behind the scenes about many facets of the site, but I do feel that I'm no longer unfairly wearing a hat that might fit others better.

 

[Kung Fu Ferret]

Favorite animated show?

 

[R.O.B.]

Would you still be active on this site if you suddenly lost interest in Pokemon? (Anyone)

 

[WyndonCalling]

Would you still be active on this site if you suddenly lost interest in Pokemon? (Anyone)

This isn't completely unheard of, especially for older Staff. Not only do people change as they age (if you joined this place when you were, say, 16, you'll be at a very different stage in life five years down the line when entering adult life proper) but the franchise has undergone transformation, too. When the Bulbagarden team first set up the wiki, the franchise amounted to three generations of 2D core series games with a handful of spin-offs, and now the nature (and frankly, quality) of the games and culture surrounding them can feel a world apart. There's many older hands who have been quite open that modern titles don't quite do it for them anymore, but the friends they've made here keep them coming back, as well as the fact that much of the site doesn't really need specialist Pokémon knowledge to keep it functioning.

 

[Torchic W. Pip]

Favorite animated show?

Goodness, I... have a lot. Mostly kid's animated cartoons because adult animated cartoons don't hold up as well

• Alvin and the Chipmunks (the 80s one, the most recent one is okay, I guess? Not as bad as the CGI movies)
• Darkwing Duck
• Wonder Pets (this show holds up so well even YEARS after watching it)
• Peep and the Big Wide World
• Little Einsteins
• Looney Tunes Show (I've seen this described as an adult animated show without the adult/inappropriate jokes and also not immature, and tbh that's a pretty apt description)
• Steven Universe (I only recently started watching it but holy cannoli it's so good)

Would you still be active on this site if you suddenly lost interest in Pokemon? (Anyone)

This one is a hard question for me to think about, because Pokémon is kind of a big part of my life. Not just in the "I have an entire shelf of Jigglypuff plush and another one for Quaxly plush" sense, but in the "Pokémon is literally how I interpret the world" sense. It's a special interest. From what I've heard, autistic people can lose interest in special interests, but it's usually the result of autistic burnout or losing the ability to engage in the interest. I don't think that I, personally, based on my own experience, that I could never really lose interest in Pokémon.

That being said, if I suddenly stopped having a special interest in Pokémon... I guess I would stay? I talk about non-Pokémon things here, and the community is nice enough that I wouldn't want to leave it.