Interest in an academy type forum?

[J The Ripper]

It's been an on going discussion on EFG about how PTC used to have PWA - Primetime Wrestling Academy. So would anyone be interested in doing something like that? Being a teacher and teaching and on the other end of the spectrum actually joining and refining your writing ability especially for newer players coming into the game and wanting succeed?

 

[Biron]

I don't think the numbers are here for that sort of thing ... if beginners want to get their feet wet, they should join a current fed and the members there (if they're smart) would help them along.

 

[LQJT86C]

It sounds like a cool idea, but honestly...this is e-fedding, not nuclear physics. I'm not sure that a fairly simple hobby needs it's own training academy. Like Biron said, just create a character, join a league, and read from the people who you enjoy most to get a sense of where the benchmark for quality is. Posting tips and guidelines is one thing (NFW has a style guide that is helpful), but an academy? I don't know about you guys, but if I was running a fed, and someone told me "Sorry, can't join your fed now, want to devote more time to the academy", I would flip a shit. Motherfucker...MY LEAGUE IS THE TRAINING GROUND! WHAT TRAINING DO YOU THINK YOU NEED?! WRITE!

 

[J The Ripper]

lol All valid points. I just think back to the days when I made the transition to "big feds" and PWA was a huge help. I don't know, it just seems like if someone wanted the help to get better it'd give them some one on one time with some old heads and such.

 

[brusch]

My personal method for getting experience has been "go all over the place and do shit", and I think it's something that has worked for me better than an Academy would.I do think a one time "crash course in not being terrible at this" could be a useful tool, especially if you get lots of well-respected efedders to contribute. It may be more useful than a class-type setting.

 

[BeautifulLeopar]

Hey guys,

So I was on the EFG when J, Ryan Dangerous and Ernie were discussing this very topic and part of it I think stemmed from the column I did over at EWZine.

Here's the thing that I think we all need to kind of realize. We are in a hobby that is pretty much cyclical. People come and go pretty quickly and sometimes I think its the older vets of this hobby that happen to go away. When this happens whom is there to replace some of the "veteran leadership" as it were and how do you fill the holes?

You could say that its as easy as joining a fed and just doing whatever but sometimes I think that leads to more frustration than results because people that might have wanted to stick around generally will get pissed off and frustrated before too long. I admit that I wasn't in the PWA when it was around and I had to learn by making mistakes and all that but do I want the other handlers to have to do that? No because I want this hobby to continue with growth more than just be the same people in the hobby. Not that there's anything wrong with that but if we want fresh faces and these people don't know the first thing about putting together ANY kind of promo/RP then we might have a problem and that's where I think something like what Ripper is suggesting could work.

I understand the way a lot of you might be looking at this but I look at it from this perspective: I am a writer first and in some cases a handler second. I want to get people to come to our hobby from the creative writing background and look at our hobby as something that can be fun and sometimes I think a little help would be nice or at the very least a good starting block and the Academy concept could work but again I do understand everyone else's views on it as well

Have a good night

Joshua Curtis

 

[J The Ripper]

Hey guys,

So I was on the EFG when J, Ryan Dangerous and Ernie were discussing this very topic and part of it I think stemmed from the column I did over at EWZine.

Here's the thing that I think we all need to kind of realize. We are in a hobby that is pretty much cyclical. People come and go pretty quickly and sometimes I think its the older vets of this hobby that happen to go away. When this happens whom is there to replace some of the "veteran leadership" as it were and how do you fill the holes?

You could say that its as easy as joining a fed and just doing whatever but sometimes I think that leads to more frustration than results because people that might have wanted to stick around generally will get pissed off and frustrated before too long. I admit that I wasn't in the PWA when it was around and I had to learn by making mistakes and all that but do I want the other handlers to have to do that? No because I want this hobby to continue with growth more than just be the same people in the hobby. Not that there's anything wrong with that but if we want fresh faces and these people don't know the first thing about putting together ANY kind of promo/RP then we might have a problem and that's where I think something like what Ripper is suggesting could work.

I understand the way a lot of you might be looking at this but I look at it from this perspective: I am a writer first and in some cases a handler second. I want to get people to come to our hobby from the creative writing background and look at our hobby as something that can be fun and sometimes I think a little help would be nice or at the very least a good starting block and the Academy concept could work but again I do understand everyone else's views on it as well

Have a good night

Joshua Curtis

Exactly Josh.

The core idea isn't "you suck you need classes." or even "You need to spend two months here first". Essentially what we'd do is have a certain amount of writers that have been around for a while, different styles, and help people refine their craft. I don't mean just "role playing" either. This could be used to help people with match writing, segment writing, carrying feuds and keeping it fresh, etc. You'd have a variety of "teachers" who look at whatever an individual is interested in. You then have the "teacher" maybe read over a roleplay, a match, a segment, or whatever the person wants to improve and critique it and keep doing so until the teacher finally says "You've got this". At that point the person would "graduate" so to speak and even get their name added to the graduates.

I feel that this is a way to give back to the game and it not be another set of forums or a column or a news site. It'd give us a chance to say "Hey, this is what we've learned, maybe it'll help you" and allow us to help build some younger talent which helps the game as a whole thrive. That's generally what the whole thing is about: Giving back and strengthening the game.

 

[Biron]

Question for you, Justin ... would you rather someone join Jolt and you help/teach them the game there? or would you rather they join an "Academy" and you do the same? Seems like this is only going to split what is already a thin handler base ... get these new guys in your feds and help them there. It strengthens your fed and it adds to the handler base. Two birds, one stone.

If I had the choice between writing in Jolt or in an Academy, it's a no brainer. I'll learn on the fly - my work is put out there immediately and it wouldn't feel like such a gigantic waste of time. However, if you guys get an Academy going and it works, well done.

 

[LQJT86C]

Personally, I think e-feds need more "out of network" promotion. Feds do a piss-poor job of promoting themselves as it is, and when they do, it's usually among the same pool of e-fedders. I rarely see any attempt to bring in people who have never done this before. My best frame of reference is 90's Prodigy: the f-wrestling bulletin boards were packed with people, there were always new converts to the hobby, and it was primarily because of the strong wrestling community. All the f-wrestling people hung out in Wrestlechat rooms and Wrestling bulletin boards, so they were able to promote the hobby to an audience who a) liked wrestling, b) had an interest in "fantasy booking" since many discussions centered around that topic, and c) had a demonstrable ability to write.

So I'd say before anybody opens up the eW equivalent to the Jedi Academy, they should figure out where all the current mainstream wrestling fans hang out, join their community, and siphon off the more creative among them to communities like this one. Otherwise, you're talking about giving lessons on the hobby to people who have already been here for ages. Where is all the new blood that could benefit from this? That's not rhetorical, I'm really interested in knowing: are there actually people who are new to this hobby, how many are there, and where the F are they coming from?

Here's an idea: perhaps sites like ours, or other e-wrestling communities, could re-brand themselves as fan sites to draw in people who have an avid love for WWE, Impact, ROH, Chikara, etc, expand the forums for wrestling discussion, and connect them to the separate e-wrestling forum entity. I bet you would see a ton of crossover then.

 

[Ford]

Here's an idea: perhaps sites like ours, or other e-wrestling communities, could re-brand themselves as fan sites to draw in people who have an avid love for WWE, Impact, ROH, Chikara, etc, expand the forums for wrestling discussion, and connect them to the separate e-wrestling forum entity. I bet you would see a ton of crossover then.

I like that idea.

My suggestion would be to have "Mentors" in feds rather than a dedicated fed / community.

IE: Every fed has a few "veterans." Have them rotate in a mentoring capacity with any new recruits that need help. IE: For the next four months, or until i get sick of them or they get sick of me, I mentor NEW WRESTLER A in NFW.

Gives a new signee to a fed not only someone to bounce ideas off / get feedback from, but IMMEDIATELY ingratiates them into the fed with a handler who can ultimately become their friend.

An academy web site with tutorials is a good concept. That same web site listing various mentors in various feds would be an asset. But having a separate "community" just for teaching just splinters our hobby further.

IE: Web Site could have like...

NFW : 3 Mentors, 2 Spots Vacant. Mentors Pants & Ford Available.
EPW : 4 Mentors, 1 Spot Vacant. Mentor Mike Stanton Available.

etc etc. *shrug*

 

[LQJT86C]

Mike Stanton is still my mentor. He is like my Darth Sidius, showing me aspects of the force that the rest of you dare not mess with.

 

[J The Ripper]

Biron - I'd love for them to be a part of jOlt of course but at the end of the day we've brought in talent that's used to that walk out, trash talk, no substance style and eventually they feel overwhelmed which leads them to leaving. I'd rather see a prepared handler say "You've helped me a lot I'd like to give jOlt a try."

About the rest: We've already been reaching out to other outlets and actually found handlers in the 15 to 20 demographic that's never heard of this place. They don't know us and we don't know them. They're unrefined/unpolished. So that pool of new blood is sitting there we just have to tap into it and one way we've done that is to try to get these guys on EFG.

 

[jediPREZ]

I'd let any rookie/FWC first-timer into my fed.

It's the non-rookies I'm more prone to be leery of.

 

[Justin]

"Strong Wrestling Community"

Does not exist.

This isn't the nineties.

 

[LQJT86C]

"Strong Wrestling Community"

Does not exist.

This isn't the nineties.

It's a stretch to say they "don't exist". PWS, Lords of Pain, ROH World, Chikara, WWE Universe (Yeah, I know) are all active with a ton of people on their forums, and that's just naming a few. Internet wrestling fandom isn't what it was, for sure, but there are still millions of fans out there who are all on the net. Are they younger? Probably. Are they retards? Probably. But I don't know where else this hobby draws from if it remains so insular. I say just bite the bullet, get a bunch of crazy fucking 15 year olds, and show 'em how to play without turning it into some weird Bob Ryder, Jerry Sandusky, Boyscouts of America shit.

Anyway, good on Ripper for finding some new faces. Their first assignment for the Wrestling Academy: dress in standard issue purple Hornets jumpsuit, and appear on Jamar Nicholas' front step ready to learn.

 

[J The Ripper]

It's a stretch to say they "don't exist". PWS, Lords of Pain, ROH World, Chikara, WWE Universe (Yeah, I know) are all active with a ton of people on their forums, and that's just naming a few. Internet wrestling fandom isn't what it was, for sure, but there are still millions of fans out there who are all on the net. Are they younger? Probably. Are they retards? Probably. But I don't know where else this hobby draws from if it remains so insular. I say just bite the bullet, get a bunch of crazy fucking 15 year olds, and show 'em how to play without turning it into some weird Bob Ryder, Jerry Sandusky, Boyscouts of America shit.

Anyway, good on Ripper for finding some new faces. Their first assignment for the Wrestling Academy: dress in standard issue purple Hornets jumpsuit, and appear on Jamar Nicholas' front step ready to learn.

Lesson 1: Hornet always wins?

 

[LQJT86C]

Lesson 1: Hornet always wins?

No, Charlotte Hornets. As in: the Hornets that always lose.

 

[J The Ripper]

No, Charlotte Hornets. As in: the Hornets that always lose.

Gotcha, it's very important we get the guidelines covered.