Interviews with Stars of the Community Volume 16: Luke

[Drizzy_Dan]

I think these are getting so late that I've actually skipped a week. But whatever because this one's new and it's fresh! This interview was put off a while back because of some issues but those issues are done and Luke is back now and was ready to be interviewed! So here it is!



DD: "How to start this off? Ok Luke, for as long as I've seen you on the site your avatar has been what it is now. Has it ever changed in the past?"
LUKE: "No, I've always kept my avatar the same. The reason for this is quite simply really. I often recognize a member of the forum from their avatar, as that's usually the first thing you see. I think most members, when they see my avatar, will hopefully know it's me! Plus I personally think it's a pretty funny avatar and I really like it!
Originally though, before I uploaded it as my avatar the white background was in fact black, and I thought it looked a bit odd, so I had to change it.
I did consider changing it when I became a trusted member, and again when I became Staff, because I thought it might not go with my name color, but I decided not too in the end :)"

DD: "I thought so, it has never changed for all the months you've been here haha. So when you were Staff, which position did you hold?"
LUKE: "I was in communications, working very closely with One and Absolute Dog on the forum YouTube channel. It was absolutely great, and I don't regret it for a second!"

DD: "Those were the good old days when everyone was on the forum haha. What do you think of the Staff's newest additions that run the Youtube Channel?"
LUKE: "I think that they're great! I really respect both Undead and EGYPTIANGHETTO hugely and have no doubt that they'll continue the (hopefully) high standards I set. I also think its a brilliant idea to have two people working on it, because there is actually a lot of work and communication involved, and I'm sure with two people on the job we'll all see loads of new videos uploaded!!! It's been a shame recently to see some inactivity on the channel because it has so much potential, just waiting to be filled of course by Undead and EG."

DD: "I like Undead and Egyptianghetto very much so Luke if you were ever asked to become Staff again and were able to choose your position what would you want to take up?"
LUKE: "Oh, that's an easy answer! It would have to be Communications again - specifically running the YouTube channel, because it's where I work best and I love doing it as well! When I ran it I had so much fun finding videos from members and uploading them, and I really enjoyed working with Absolute Dog and One. It was a great experience during which I hoped I helped the forum grow and flourish If I had the chance that's where I'd go without a moments hesitation!"

DD: "I expected that answer haha. Now in all my interviews I like to talk about an issue that has been going on in the current week and this week I wanna talk to you and get your thoughts on Spectral Jester. How close were you two since you've joined the site and how do you feel about his absence?"
LUKE: "I like to think that Spectral an I were quite close. We always used to love PMing each other and he would always crack hilarious jokes, no matter what the subject is! He was always wiling to listen though, and would always try his best to sort things out, and I really liked that about him. I like to think we got a lot closer as I became a member for longer. In fact, there are so many funny memories I have which we shared together; Calling his name three times to "summon" him, "Can I has recon," and more! Only some other members will get those, but I certainly remember the laughs we shared!
Obviously with Spectral Jester gone there's a big gap which I'm not sure will ever be filled. But I don't that the site is suffering, in his absence, by a lack of moderator, but the lack of a great personality, and a humorous and friendly guy. But I understand why he has left, and I knew about it for some time. Time will tell whether he comes back, but we're all hoping he returns! One's jokes aren't quite the same!"

DD: "Jester was extremely funny and I thoroughly enjoyed his sense of humor. Who didn't is the real question haha but One is a different kind of comedy. He's more of a 'I can't quit Moderating because they'll kill my family' type of comedy . So Luke what is your favorite thing about coming on the site?"
LUKE: "Haha, I love One's comedy really ;p Satiric humor at its best.
There are many things that bring me back to this site, so I'll list just a few of them!

The Community. Everyone says this every time and that's because this is, without question, the best community I've ever been a part of online. Ever. It's friendly, funny, understanding, helpful, just, everything you could ever ask for. I have made so many good friends here, friends I could share my deepest worries with, and be 100% Confident in their ability to help me out and keep it private. I love how welcoming it is here. As a new member, I was made to feel very welcome before immediately getting into an argument with One over when Day and Night actually start. (There's a reason I have that "Grenade" award, you know!) I know that new members here pretty much always stick around and I think that's really great for a site with over 20,000 members.

Another thing that keeps me coming back here is a smaller thing, which doesn't get picked up on much. It's the relationship members have between each other, no matter what User Group they belong too. On a lot of other sites Moderators and staff are almost cut off from one another, yet here, well. Here I am, talking to Dan, a member of the staff, whilst he asks me questions. It's great! Another thing that's made this possible is my next point:

The Shoutbox. This is perhaps one of the best features of this site; It's the first thing everyone sees and I'm pretty sure they always get a good impression of the site from the Shoutbox. It allows instant contact with other members and I'm extremely glad that chat in there isn't limited to Halo discussion.

The actual layout of the site and the forum software - this isn't mentioned much actually, but I think it's worth a mention. This site is easy to navigate and great looking, and the Forum Software, IPBoard, has high functionality. If 343i.org was a clunky, slow loading, horrible looking site, then I'm sure not many people would even sign up. So I thought that was worth a mention.

The Moderators and Staff: They do a great job, and it goes without saying that the site wouldn't be the same without them. The dedication you guys put in is fantastic to see, and really encouraging as well. Another point I really like about these guys is the promotions and events put in. I don't think I've ever been a part of a site that has so many promotions, events, and more. Take these interviews for example. They're an absolutely fantastic idea, one which I'm sure not many other sites have. The Forge contests, Playdates, Survivor Halo Style, all of these and more, it's simply fantastic. I could go on for hours!

I don't want to make this too long, so one last thing, is the range of people you get here. From the old Granddads like Absolute Dog ( ), to the young 'uns like Shadow, Bullet, and Dog, you get all kinds of people from all kinds of backgrounds, and it's great to see the contrasting opinions, way of speaking, etc. It's clear really, from the variety of people that we get, that we obviously attract many different people, showing just what a fantastic, friendly, and fun site this really is."

DD: "I thought you were going to just name a few?? Well those are pretty much the best things about this site listed in detail haha. So in your signature you mention the now gone Twinreaper. Were you and Twin especially close?"
LUKE: "Sorry, but I know I could have written more, and would have, but I didn't want to make people fall asleep so early on in the interview

I wouldn't say that I ever was particularly close with Twinreaper. In fact, for the most part I ignored him and he ignored me, and we were both happy that way. We weren't "enemies" by any stretch of the imagination but we also didn't really know each other. To me, he was just a guy who wrote loads of random gibberish in far too long threads. Then, one day, we got talking in the ShoutBox about some technical stuff, web design and such. This moved to frequent PMs, with us exchanging site links etc. We then become much closer and talked regularly, and I could genuinely call him a great friend, and I'm sure he felt the same. It wasn't too long after that when he asked me to code and build his site, as he was unable too due to his hectic life, and I happy complied, delighted to be able to help him out. When he left, we remained in extremely frequent contact via said site and have many great memories. He's a fantastic, fantastic guy, one of the most genuine, truthful, and wise person I've ever known, and I know now we are great friends and have been through a lot.

That kind of brings me on to my next point. You bought up my mentioning him in my signature, and there's a reason for that. Not only is he a great friend, but at the moment he is going through a low patch and needs all the help and support he can get. He's truly wonderful and I hate to see him so down. So Twinreaper, this is for you

DD: "When you were new to the site who was something you immediately looked up to and when was the first time you met them"
LUKE: "Hmm, well the first person I 'met' was One, and we met during an argument about the sun, and when it's truly dawn and disk. Very interesting, I know! The first person I looked up too was probably the forum's resident Mr. Of course, Biggles! I saw his huge post count and just thought, from Speaking to him, that he was a pretty awesome guy. When I got in a party with him and One once I swear I couldn't stop laughing. The main time I looked up to him however was when he got MoM. If I remember correctly he was the first member I had actually seen in the minus green and I knew what a nice guy he was - of course some of you older members will remember our little 'disagreement', but I think for both of us the way we become better friends after showed just what a great person he is."

DD: "Biggles is one of the best mannered Staff members on the site I believe. Nowadays he hardly gets into any altercations with any members and it provides a good example to the newer members. As Halo 4 nears, do you think the site should be changed visually Luke?"
LUKE: "Mr.Biggles is great, and is someone loads of people look up too! ♥
That's a tricky question. I really like the site how it is now, I think it has great functionality and still looks modern and fresh. It's really pleasing to the eye aesthetically and also loads really quickly. There are a few places that I think need a complete overhaul though. For example, the News page. I still, really don't like how it looks. Some rounded corners wouldn't go amiss now would they?!
But I think that come Halo 4, it would be suitable to have at least some change in the site's styling. As a designer and webmaster of multiple forums however I know it can be hard work to create your own themes, however Twam is lucky, as he knows the owner of a premium IPBoard Style company who created the current theme, and I'm sure he would be happy to do another more up to date one, to perhaps coincide with the release of Halo 4. I do love how the header changes with certain events though, and actually I would be happy, come the release of other Halos, if the header was just changed - for example, if the Spartans were changed to Spartan IVs!"

DD: "It is quite a shame that this interview is coming to an end but before we close the curtains can you please give members reading this advice on how to behave around the forums?"
LUKE: "It's over already! What a shame!
Well I have one piece of advice really, and it's to be yourself. Don't try to pretend to be someone you're not - it won't get you anywhere and people will just see through to who you really are. So be yourself and don't be afraid to have fun - I know I always enjoy a good laugh here! (April fools ). Of course, following rules is essential but I think that's fairly self explanatory - and goes hand in hand with being yourself. It may surprise a few members to learn that trolls and people you don't like aren't really like that - at least not in real life anyway. So be yourself, and let people like you for who you really are!

One more piece of wisdom I'll impart before I go, more for the newer members - don't be afraid to have an opinion and don't let other, higher ranked members put you down. When I was new blood here I didn't let any higher ranked members (Except moderators of course) "pull rank" on me - and I think it's important to realise that every member here is important, no matter what rank or value they hold.

Thank you Drizzy_Dan, it's been an honor being interviewed, now we've finally got round to it after I put it off for months! Really enjoyed the questions, they're well thought at out and really make me delve deep into my memory! Hopefully I've answered fully and to the best of my ability, and I hope that at least some members are still awake right now!"



Thank YOU very much Luke for the great interview. Like Mystic becoming MoM, this was a long time coming. As usual, I'd like to thank the entire 343 Industries Community Forum for supporting these even though there are so many and they're gradually becoming later and older. Watch out for next week's Interviews with Stars of the Community!

[Azaxx]

Not happy, this was wayyyy to much wall of text lmao

 

But on the serious note. This has to be one of my favourite Interviews. i'm very glad Luke came back to the forums, and is even lucky enough to be interviewed, fantastic job to you both!

[Lᴜᴋᴇ]

Thanks for this opportunity Dan - after 12 weeks of putting it off

But really, it was great fun and Dan here is a natural!

[Drizzy_Dan]

I guess you could say I've had some practice haha

[Mr Biggles]

haha, this was a great interview mate

 

 

they're getting better each time!

[Baby Boo]

Awesome interview! I cant believe i missed this, Thanks for linking me!