The 'Shroom:Issue XLV/Special Interviews/Marcelagus

Special Interviews

<SMB> Hey Marcelagus, thanks for letting me conduct this interview with you. I suppose we should start from the beginning... When did you join the wiki, and how did you come across it?

<Marcelagus> No problem. If I remember, I joined the wiki around May of 2007, and I probably found it through a reference in Wikipedia.

<SMB> When you joined the wiki, what was it like? What was the community like, and who were the major "leaders" of the community (like, those who held quite a bit of influence)? And what were the articles like in terms of quality?

<Marcelgus> It was quite different from what it is today. There were the two immovable bureaucrats in Steve and Wayoshi, and it had been like that for what seemed like forever. Wayoshi was basically the head honcho of things that went on most of the time. As for article quality, it's improved quite a bit since then. Especially the standards and quality of Featured Articles, which at the time we had just implemented the current system.

<SMB> When you joined, what exactly did you have in mind in terms of contributing? What was your first edit? Are there any notable edits you have made that give you that nice feeling of accomplishment inside?

<Marcelagus> I didn't really have an idea of what I would be contributing at the time. My first mainspace edit was on "Laki." The biggest feeling of accomplishment I get is from working on a badly-written article or one that's too short, and fixing it to the point where it gets featured. There's a thing on my userpage that shows the articles I nominated for Featured status and won, many of which were articles I made major rehauls of.

<SMB> Looking at the wiki now, do you think it has come a long way? I mean, you were here for past and relatively recent events alike, such as being a dedicated staff member to The 'Shroom in 2008 and also having the opportunity in helping NIWA form together back in its earlier days.

<Marcelagus> It's definitely come a long way. The community started out pretty compact but now the wiki is exploding with activity compared to then. NIWA was also a big event that I was fortunate to be a part of, but haven't been able to work with in recent days. Hopefully I'll get enough time to help out with that along with Metroid Wiki, which has also come a long way since its creation for NIWA.

<SMB> Just to break away from the subject of the wiki for just a bit, what is your favorite video game or video game series?

<Marcelagus> Super Mario 64. It was the first video game I owned (the first one I played is Super Mario World). I can never get tired of playing Super Mario 64. I've beaten it countless times with 120 stars.

<SMB> Do you have any hobbies or activities that you like to do outside of the forum and wiki? I'm sure I've seen you mention that you play trombone. How long have you been playing?

<Marcelagus> Mostly soccer and trombone. I've been playing trombone since the 6th grade, and it's a lot of fun. I play in the wind ensemble and Jazz band at my high school.

<SMB> What kind of foods do you like?

<Marcelagus> Garlic.

<SMB> Alright, back on to the topic of the MarioWiki, and to be a little more specific, The 'Shroom. When did you start writing for The 'Shroom?

<Marcelagus> Can't remember exactly when, but some time in 07 or 08.

<SMB> Certainly, you must have been extremely dedicated to the job, as you eventually ended up volunteering to help out Glowsquid (when he was director) by helping him with his directorial duties (which put you into the position of sub-director). What was it like being sub-director when you were? What duties did you relieve Glowsquid of when he agreed to appoint you to this position?

<Marcelagus> Ah yes, back when Blitzwing was the director. He was pretty stubborn about it at first but he let me do the sub-director job. At the time, the sub-director didn't have nearly as much flashiness as it does today. It was mostly archiving, making the single page, and proofreading, or the "dirty work" that was time-consuming for the director to do by himself.

<SMB> I see that you were a candidate in the Director Election of 2008. What was it being a candidate back then? I remember when I ran my campaign for director in December 2009, although we ended up having a few things differently than it seems to have been in 2008; the biggest difference probably being the debate that was held between the candidates in the 2009 election. Do you feel that holding debates between the candidates is a good idea?

<Marcelagus> I was? Wow, I was. I don't even remember that. Who knows what I was thinking. As for the debates, sure, anything that makes it easier for users to make the decision as to who to vote for is good. May the best man win.

<SMB> What exactly did you plan to do for The 'Shroom had you won the election back in 2008? Who would you have had appointed to sub-director and Fake News director had you won?

<Marcelagus> I guess I never really thought about a sub-director after me. I never would have expected the position to last this long haha. As for Fake News director, I likely would have gone with what we already had.

<SMB> Speaking of the elections, we have one that's coming around the corner for December 2010. Stooben Rooben (the current director) and Tucayo (the current sub-director) have both announced that they will most likely not run again in this election. It is currently thought among some that our candidates for this election will most likely be Marioguy1, Ralphfan, and me. What advice to you have for the potential candidates, and which of these individuals would you like to see win (if any)?

<Marcelagus> My advice to you three is to give up because I'm going to enter the race and steal the show (joke). In seriousness, just be genuine about your intents and be smart about it. I won't pick favorites as to who I want to win, but I'm sure any one of you three will be a successful director.

<SMB> Before we wrap up this interview, I have just a few more questions. What is your opinion on the current state of The 'Shroom?

<Marcelagus> Looks much better than what it was a while ago. Back then, half the sections were written only half-spiritedly with little entertaining content. I think it's good that we have dedicated and experienced writers now.

<SMB> What time frame do you feel was the best in the paper's history, and do you think The 'Shroom can ever exceed its quality that it had in that time period?

<Marcelagus> I can't pinpoint the best time of the paper's history, but I can tell it's continuing to improve to this day, so yes; the possibilities are endless.

<SMB> Well, I think that just about wraps up our interview. Thank you, once again, for allowing me to interview you! It was an honor and an opportunity that I am glad to have had.

<Marcelagus> My pleasure. Peace.