SmallWorlds Forum Awards

Hello citizens, I'm Ruby Rush here to give you a special report on a cool competition that's being run on the forums by Jake Zellwegger.

Whats more - it's not just located ON the Forums, it's actually ABOUT the Forums. Yes, it's the next edition of the SmallWorlds Forum Awards! The competition is open until March 12th, and the winners ceremony will be held at 12.00pm SWT on March 13th in this space.

If there's someone you would like to nominate, place your nomination today on the Competition Nomination Thread to make sure they are in with a chance to win some great prizes, as well as some very well deserved publicity.

Theme: "Giving Back" (and the prizes...!)

Giving back is the overarching theme of the competition. Nominations are all about honoring those in the SmallWorlds Forums who really do give back to the community within the forum environment. Far from being a popularity contest, this is something that enables those who really make a difference to the community to be given the recognition that they deserve - oh, and you can't nominate yourself. Jake is offering some great prizes too:

• 5th Place - 1k tokens
• 4th Place - 5k tokens
• 3rd Place - 10k tokens
• 2nd Place  - 15k tokens
• 1st Place  - 20k tokens

A Chat with Jake Zellwegger

The Forum Awards gives a chance for the very active SmallWorlds Forum community to come together as a group in-world and celebrate each other.I spoke briefly with Jake Zellwegger and asked him a little about the Forum Awards competition. This is not the first one he's run, and neither will it be the last by the sounds of things.

Ruby: Hi Jake, thanks for making the time to talk! How many SmallWorlds Forum Awards comps have you run and why do you run them?

Jake: This would be my 5th Awards competition I have hosted. They are so fun to do! I noticed some other awards ceremonies, but they were all for in-world things. So it occurred to me that a lot of the SmallWorlds community is on the forums, so I decided why not have an awards ceremony about people on the forums!

Ruby: How long have you been playing on SmallWorlds yourself - and what do YOU love about the forums?

Jake: I've been playing SmallWorlds since February 2009! It's a great game and I suggest it to all my friends. I love how the forums are just like people in the real world. There's some people who are mean for good reasons, some people who are good for mean reasons, some people who are good, and some people who just plain old mean, LOL! The forums are pretty fun and when everyone comes together, it's very cool. You also meet a lot of people on the forums, and I've made a lot more SW friends by being there!

Ruby: Do you spend more time on the forums, or more in-world... or a balance of both?!

Jake: I spend a lot of time in-world and on the forums. I am a complete SmallWorlds addict!!!

Ruby: Will you keep running these awards comps? Can we expect to see more of them throughout 2010?

Jake: I am thinking of hosting loads of more competitions with lots of new and cool themes!

Ruby: There are lots of citizens who do not spend much time on the forums - any words for them?

Jake: You should TOTALLY check out the forums! Forum people are very friendly (most of the time). Make sure you read the Forum Guidelines before you post, though. People don't like it when you break the rules! The forums don't bite!

Some Nominees

I also managed to catch up with a couple of people who had been nominated on the competition nomination thread. Here I talk to Shane Fahey & Karissa Country, as well as True Heroes who instead is a "nominator"!

Shane Fahey

Shane is from the UK and has been playing in SmallWorlds since November 2008. Shane told me that he loves almost everything about the forum! "From the new players seeking advice to the most random threads ever made! It's also a place to look when you're feeling down, and you need cheering up, just head straight into Off-World and you'll be sure to get a laugh."

Shane finds the forums to be a really enjoyable place to be, "not only can you meet awesome people on there, you can catch up on news, get a few chuckles and find new things out constantly. Even though I've been here since 2008, I learn something off the forums almost every day. If you don't use the forums, then you have no idea what you're missing out on!"

Lastly, I asked Shane how it felt to be nominated and why he thought he was... "It felt great! Ithink I was nominated because I usually get straight to the point, I don't stall I just say what I think on the forums, and give people constructive criticism whenever possible". Thanks Shane, and good luck!

Karissa Country

Karissa is one of the competition nominees. One this she loves about the forums is the freedom to express your own opinion, and also to read other's opinions to see their point of view. "I also love the variety in the forums. If you're an artist, a mission maker, a decorator, a techy, or simply someone who loves to read, the forums are for you!". Karissa thinks that the forums contribute a great 'help resource' to the community. "If a new player needs some help with figuring out the game, the forums are a great place to go to read advice from more experienced players"

True Heroes

True has been playing on SmallWorlds since June of last year. One of her favorite places on the forums is to go looking in Off World Discussion, "but I have been REALLY into Creativity and Art. I just love seeing the different arts on there. It's amazing what some people can do with a mouse!" True spends more time actually in-world, but "if I plop my head in a Pool Table I just go to the Forums and start posting like CRAZY!"

Drop in to the SmallWorlds Forum sometime!

If you're familiar with the forums, perhaps there's someone you'd like to nominate... remember it's all about people who really "give back" to the SmallWorlds community. On the other hand, if the SmallWorlds forum represents a whole new, uncharted world for you, perhaps this story might well inspire you to dip your toe in and take a look. It's a lot of fun, so what are you waiting for!