Bulbagarden Staff AMA Thread

[JollyYoshi]

What are y'all's fav Pokemon?

Hmmm, I think my favorite Pokémon would have to be Ampharos. Too many to choose from. Ha ha

 

[Calvinッ]

What are y'all's fav Pokemon?

Definitely Mareep, then Bulbasaur, and I think Rolycoly / Umbreon would probably round out the top 3 but that could change, kinda an on the spot answer so I could easily be forgetting a Pokemon or two for that 3rd place haha.

 

[WyndonCalling]

What are y'all's fav Pokemon?

As you can tell, many of the Staff here enjoy cute, beautiful or delicate Pokémon, and I'm no exception:

Spoiler

 

[Juliyet]

What are y'all's fav Pokemon?

Meowstic. Both designs are soooo cute

Ninetales is close behind. Very majestic mon.

 

[Salmancer]

Do you eat when watching movies? If so, what snacks/food do you have?

 

[DawningWinds]

Do you eat when watching movies? If so, what snacks/food do you have?

If I'm at a movie theatre or watching with my family, for sure; popcorn always. Once or twice pizza as well. On my own no not really. Mostly cause I'm too damned lazy to make it.

 

[kiwichu]

Is it hard to constantly make sure that no one is breaking cardinal rules?

 

[Zexy]

Do you eat when watching movies? If so, what snacks/food do you have?

When at the movie theater, popcorn, nachos or chips. When at home, usually not eating.

Is it hard to constantly make sure that no one is breaking cardinal rules?

Some of us have already replied on whether it is stressful. Hard is not something objectively measurable I guess, we sure try to do our best though. The reports system is super handy and we encourage you all to use it, as it helps us notice some cases faster, of course (just please don't abuse it).

 

[Lone_Garurumon]

Do you eat when watching movies? If so, what snacks/food do you have?

At the movies I'll always get a box of popcorn, it's just the rules. At home it really depends. Sometimes I'll grab a bag of chips or a box of biscuits or something, but sometimes I just won't bother.

Is it hard to constantly make sure that no one is breaking cardinal rules?

A bit, there's a lot of website, after all. Across the whole team I feel like we generally do a pretty good job of catching most stuff. As Zexy says though the report system is a huge help for making us aware of something we might've missed.

 

[DawningWinds]

is being a mod stressful?

Occasionally, but for the most part I feel like not too much.

Is it hard to constantly make sure that no one is breaking cardinal rules?

Honestly, not really. We only get reports that are seriously major every once in awhile, I feel like for the most part what we deal with is fairly minor stuff and a sizable handful of spambots (it's the internet, bots come with the territory).

 

[guzmania]

these are all really dumb questions that you probably get asked a lot but... how do you become a mod? what are the prerequisites and expectations? how much time do you have to dedicate to being one (as in, when you're a mod, how much time do you spend... doing mod stuff i guess)?
sorry for asking things that are probably really obvious, i just think this is really interesting
(also... what are you guys' favorite rival(s)? i'm curious about that too. (i won't get mad if you don't say silver))

edit: i found the answers to the stuff i crossed out!

 

[ZekromMahDad]

What kind of genres of movies do yall like?

 

[Zexy]

these are all really dumb questions that you probably get asked a lot but... how do you become a mod? what are the prerequisites and expectations? how much time do you have to dedicate to being one (as in, when you're a mod, how much time do you spend... doing mod stuff i guess)?
sorry for asking things that are probably really obvious, i just think this is really interesting
(also... what are you guys' favorite rival(s)? i'm curious about that too. (i won't get mad if you don't say silver))

edit: i found the answers to the stuff i crossed out!

Most mods are recruited through staff drives, but sometimes staff has reached out to specific people without a staff drive if they believe they are exceptional contributors to the site and show enough traits that would be beneficial for the position. There are no hard prerequisites except having common sense, understanding the rules, being fluent in English, having some time and interest in the position... applications have several questions, any experience of moderating other Internet places and/or when it comes to volunteering/teaching/HR/social studies/customer support/retail social skills/sales and marketing/anything related to mental health and other similar skills is definitely welcome (but not necessary). Even computer studies/tech/code/programmer knowledge can be a plus. Also being good at organizing/planning events, having a mindset of to-do lists/timelines/taking notes etc. has its uses. There is no one clear cut answer on exactly how much time one spends, it really depends on a lot of factors: but you are expected to spend a decent share of your free time here, of course. That said, it is a volunteer position, so of course it does not demand ALL your free time or having too many qualifications like a paid job would need, people can take a leave of absence for a while if need be. An interview may happen too after the application process sometimes.

Silver, Barry, Hugh... for very different reasons.

What kind of genres of movies do yall like?

I do not watch that many movies, but I would say mostly comedy and action (especially detective and espionage ones). Also sci-fi, space opera, and fantasy are cool too.

 

[Okido]

these are all really dumb questions that you probably get asked a lot but... how do you become a mod? what are the prerequisites and expectations? how much time do you have to dedicate to being one (as in, when you're a mod, how much time do you spend... doing mod stuff i guess)?

A few more I'd add onto what Zexy already mentioned are the ability to work cooperatively with a team, and ideally, being passionate about Pokémon in a more general sense. Everything else is really just an added bonus; I mean, in the past we've recruited people who have come back after years of hiatus, and we've recruited people who were pretty much newbies at the time (myself included)! There's not really a defined list of requirements for every single person, it's a very subjective thing.

When you're a mod, technically you spend all your time here doin' mod stuff :P Okay not really, though there is some truth to that. It kinda depends on the time of year; when new mainline games release, for instance, I'm sure you can imagine it gets a lot busier around here than usual, so we're usually rushing around a bit more during those couple of weeks. We also hold some seasonal events throughout the year that the staff can choose to participate in if they want to!

As for me, on an average week I probably spend only 30%-50% of my time here doing what would be considered actual behind-the-scenes moderation duties. The rest of that is just spent keeping an eye on things to see how they're going, and enjoying the forums as a regular ol' user! It obviously varies from person to person, and as ya go higher up the ranks you have more and more responsibilities to tend to, but it is a volunteer position of course — so we're very conscious of the fact that everybody's got a life outside of the forums, and no one will always have the time/energy to be on top of every single thing. It's why our team is so huge, so nobody gets shouldered with too much on their own; and in turn, that's how things run so smoothly around here.

(also... what are you guys' favorite rival(s)? i'm curious about that too. (i won't get mad if you don't say silver))

From the games? Blue I'm absolutely not proud to say that I've gotten his friendship level on Masters EX to nearly over 200 now lol. But I also very much like Gladion, Silver, Barry, Hau, and Bianca. Nemona was also such a kooky exuberant sweetheart that I ended up liking her a lot while playing Violet.

And from the anime? ...well, er, let's just say you won't win anything for guessing. Though some runners-up would be Zoey, Drew, Paul, Ritchie, and maybe Horace if he counts?
To be honest, I tend to gravitate towards the rival characters in just about any form of Pokémon media anyway. I guess I just think that "annoying dork with a heart of gold" is the best character archetype there is, and a lot of them seem to fit that bill in one way or another... heheh

What kind of genres of movies do yall like?

I don't really watch a lot of movies either, buuut I guess for me it'd be a toss-up between horror, comedy, and the vague umbrella genre of "animation" that all animated movies get lumped into by default. All of 'em can be pretty hit-or-miss, but those are just what usually catch my interest (and as an art student, animation is the only one that I'm really invested in or have any actual knowledge about lol).

 

[Zexy]

A few more I'd add onto what Zexy already mentioned are the ability to work cooperatively with a team, and ideally, being passionate about Pokémon in a more general sense.

Of course, sorry for omitting these but it probably looks more obvious to me than it might have to others, both of these are an integral part of being truly interested to help as a volunteer on a Pokemon-themed forum

 

[Nanulak]

Is there a Pokemon Showdown thread?

 

[mastermind lissi]

What kind of music do you listen to?

 

[guzmania]

Is there a Pokemon Showdown thread?

hmm i'm not sure but i know there is Corsola Beach, our newest section - it's dedicated to Corsola Cove which is a fan community centered around the vgc! i bet showdown content would be appreciated there

What kind of music do you listen to?

i like metal and edm!! with a bit of grunge too :D

 

[Catz]

What kind of music do you listen to?

VGM, Jazz, and Latin American Music mostly ^^

 

[TheCapsFan]

What kind of music do you listen to?

Mostly alternative rock, electronic pop, and indie music

Some of my favorite artists include, but are not limited to: Soccer Mommy, Magdalena Bay, Porter Robinson, HAIM, Charli XCX, Lizzy McAlpine, and, of course, Paramore.