Hey there everybody!
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to put fingers to keyboard for this here website, so I wanted to take the opportunity to put on my big boy pants and talk to everybody.
*clears throat*
Let’s go over some new things that have happened since I’ve taken on the Online Content Coordinator position:
1.) Editor’s Notes
So here’s the thing! When I was a wee lad, there was this guy named Ted Knutson. You may know of him as Teddy Ballgame, but I believe that was a self-given moniker so I refuse to ever call him that [Editor’s Note: Suck it Ted.] When Ted was the Content Coordinator for this website, he inserted Editor’s Notes as a way to poke fun at his writers. There were various reasons for this, but at the end of the day, it was to simply have fun.
Not draw attention to himself.
Not undermine the credibility of the author.
To. Have. Fun.
This probably isn’t the first time you’ve seen or heard from me. [Editor’s Note: If it is, it’s very nice to meet you.] If you know anything about me, I’d like to think your opinion of me is a person who is passionate about what he does but who has no intentions of keeping things the way they always were.
Understand that if the authors on this website did not want to have Editor’s Notes in their articles, they would not be there. Did I overdo the amount of Editor’s Notes in my first week of content coordination? Absolutely. But let me ask you this:
Were you perfect at your job on your fourth day?
You’ll notice that some authors have begun putting things in their articles for me to respond to with Editor’s Notes. I have not instructed any of them to do that. The reason they do it is the same reason I began inserting them in the first place.
They. Are. Fun.
So for those of you who have voiced your opinion on Editor’s Notes—both positive and negative—you have been heard. All I ask is that you consider the other side of things. If my authors are ok with it, the people who employ me are ok with it, and the majority of the audience is ok with it, maybe those fragments I insert in articles occasionally aren’t the end of the world
Ya know, like Cavern of Souls was. [Editor’s Note: This is awkward…]
2.) Guess Who?!
For those of you who read the Guess Who?! column last week, I hope you enjoyed it. If you didn’t know by now—I have no idea how that is even close to possible—our first author was Shaheen “The Expensive Sorcery Master” Soorani. Your feedback on that article idea was appreciated last week and is still appreciated in both the comments of this article and in the future. Leading with Shaheen, someone who writes for us monthly, was a calculated decision. I really wanted to see my idea in practice, and it worked out great for all parties.
So what does that mean for you?
That means we can really ramp up who we put in that slot when we run that column in the future. I don’t want to give away some of the people we have on tap for Guess Who?!, but know that you will be excited to see them make their return. Promise!
3.) The Industry Standard
One thing I always felt the Open Series has lacked is the ability for more players to make a name for themselves. Of course, the Open Series has done its fair share of star building (Ross Merriam, Brian Braun-Duin, Joe Lossett, etc.), but I thought we could do better. And if Alex Mitchell article is a sign of things to come, I really think it’s a column that you will enjoy for the foreseeable future.
I know that when I was coming up I would have loved to be able to write an article documenting my experience playing in a tournament or why I made the choices I made for an audience to read—not to just to stroke my own ego [Editor’s Note: 90% ego stroking] but for feedback from those who are far superior to me to enhance my own game. The Industry Standard allows both of those things and then some.
Some have asked me if I’m going to have a Legacy version of this column once the Open Series returns to Legacy on Sundays. The answer to that? Absolutely.
What do I want from you guys?
Feedback! I absolutely love feedback.
Do you have ideas for the Guess Who?! column? Let me know!
Want to see more articles on Commander or Modern? I’m your point of contact!
Want Gerry Thompson to change his hair back to a respectable color? I’m working on it. I promise.
We are a community here. I can’t do my job the best of my ability if I don’t know what people want to see—so tell me!
The other thing I want from you guys?
More comments on articles. Like myself, our authors want to know what you do and don’t like about their pieces. Use the comments section in the articles and let them know how you feel. They want to interact with you, but—believe it or not—they cannot read your mind.
It has been a fantastic first fifteen days of doing this job. I’m busier than I ever thought possible, but I’m doing what I love. I hope you’ve enjoyed the first few weeks and are excited for things to come.
Because trust me. I am.
Sincerely,