Union Interview - The Final Fantasy Fans Union
Why did you create your union? What was your inspiration?
Actually I did not "create" the union. That credit should be attributed to the former leader, kinetic-core and her group of friends who were the charter officers. However, from the talks I have had with her throughout the years, I know that the FFFU (Final Fantasy Fans Union) was created with the primary objective of being a meeting place for friends.
The FFFU was not created to compete with other Final Fantasy unions or even with any RPG unions; there were simply too many at that time. The goal was for the union to be a peaceful and healthy place in which you could share your favorite games, have fun, and literally serve as a "house" for everyone. At that time, Final Fantasy was already one of the most important video game franchises in the world of gaming, its compelling story, extremely motivating soundtrack, diverse and wonderful characters, unique battle system, etc. All of these aspects were simply just fantastic things that you needed to share with as many friends as possible. So I dare not say that the very essence of the series solemnly was the main inspiration for the union's creation.
Can you give us a brief history of how your union came to be?
The Final Fantasy Fans union was established in March 2006, from the initiative taken by kinetic-core and a group of other members who decided to create a place that could bring together all those who enjoyed Final Fantasy. Some of the first members of the union, were Jordina, TheOdinson, ffxjunky06, Thorpe1988, Liquid_s, maa4208, Spurs_Fan, gman56, Final_Horror and a little later, AlbeadFFx and Darmi, all of who were part of the beginning of the activity and growth of the union. However, because the union was still at an early stage, the topics were a bit random and did not capture the attention of all the union's members. However, by April of that year, something amazing happened... its name was the Final Battle
The Final Battle was originally created by TheOdinson and later managed by AlbeadFFx. This was, and still is a fun and original game that was characterized by moving the excitement of a Final Fantasy game into the forums. The idea was simple, survive the threat of one of the most iconic villains of the gaming world, through the posting of actions (based on the Final Fantasy games of course) with the control of timing and especially teamwork that is incorporated into the game.
Despite being a simple idea, the Final Battle had an incredible success and an amazing reception from the past members and the many new that joined solemnly for this specific purpose. The idea was clear and the vision was defined... the FFFU would be characterized by its activities, its games and mainly by its increidble atmosphere and teamwork. And even after more than 5 years of its establishment, these precepts remain intact.
I first joined the union a month after its creation, though I was not active until later that year. The union still had a lot of activity and was gradually becoming one of the most important unions on GameSpot.
Unfortunately though, in October of 2008, the FFFU suffered a great loss and lived one of its most emotional moments. The leader who created and made of the union a true "house", had to leave the leadership in order to pursue her personal dreams and grow as a bigger and greater person. This was one of the most difficult episodes for the union, and myself, because as expected, each transition involves risks, and demands much effort. At that time, it was suggested that the second administrative officer, -Darmi- would take charge of the union, but because he was very busy with college, he had to step aside as well.
At this point, I had been an officer for several months and had helped kinetic-core, managing certain events, creating new ones and taken a very special affection for the leader, the officers and the union itself. So I took a step forward, and with the blessings of the previous leader, I took charge of the union until today.
Did you expect the union to be a success?
As I mentioned before, the FFFU was not created to compete with other unions, not even with the vision to be the best Final Fantasy union, besides, with all the Final Fantasy unions on GameSpot at that time, you couldnt really expect the FFFU to be a success right? However, I firmly believe that the FFFU is proof that with hard working members, a well put together administration team and a good environment, a union can be very successful.
What is unique about your union?
As the previous leader said one time, "the unique thing about this union is the bonding of all the members in the union. I would say that this union has a great system of democracy. Everyone respects each other's opinion and it's not authoritarian like some unions are, with the leader making most of all of the decisions. That's what makes everybody feel important, and at home. And that, is the greatest challenge all this time".
Even now, for this interview, I contacted the union officers and members so that together, we could work on the interview as a family, because that is what this "house" is all about, to make everybody involved.
Another important thing that makes the union unique are the union events, activities, contests and other special events that involve the entire GameSpot community.The union games are mainly one of the most important and, as I mentioned before, prevalent characteristics of the union. An example of this is the Final Battle; even after 5 years, it is still one of the many activities that constantly attracts past and new members to the union. The success of these activities have been so prominent, that even some unions "borrowed" these ideas and adapted them to their own unions.
The last thing we've ever wanted was having conflicts, arguments, and other negative aspects in the union. Due to this, we monitor all posts closely, so that no one creates a foul atmosphere, and so that the union remains fun at all times.
Finally, we try to update the union with news every 2 or 3 days, so that members are up to date with the happenings in the world of Final Fantasy. That is why today, thanks to the continuous efforts of the officers, we have become the most informative and reliable Final Fantasy union on GameSpot.
Do you do anything special to attract new members? Or do they just come naturally?
A little of both, most of our events bring back members and keep the activity up, but we also have many interesting topics on our board that make the members being attracted to the union quite natural. Besides this, Final Fantasy is a world famous series and continues to attract new people of all ages, which is why there are always new people joining the union.
Have you considered moving your union off-site? If you have, how did that go?
We have never really ever considered it or thought about it, but all of us think it might be a great idea. The only thing that worries us is the change and how many people will actually like the change. For the time being, GameSpot seems to be a very convenient and great place to host the union, so for now we pretty much want to keep it here. If we happen to get more active members and have a larger audience, then maybe that can be a consideration.
Have there been any times where you just wanted to give up?
The truth is that there have been many times when I wanted to give up, especially last year, and I think this is something that happens to all union leaders at a certain time. The activity was not doing very well, I was having many personal and family problems, my work was consuming all my time, and there were not too many news to watch for. Despite all this, I always had the support and assistance of the officers, members and friends on GameSpot who far from believing just in me, believed in this dream called the Final Fantasy Fans Union.
Now that I look back, I'm sure that it would have been a bad idea, and that I would have betrayed not only my family in the union, but also the trust placed in me by kinetic-core; I'm sure I would have regreted it forever too. If at any time I should have to leave the union, I don't want it to be because I have given up, but rather because it is my turn to follow my dreams, knowing that the union will continue with the same strength it has been working with since the beginning.
Do you have any members with whom you owe part of the success to?
There are several officers who have put forth an abundance amount of time and effort into the union, but even with that, the FFFU could never be what it is today if we would never have had any active members. So yes, part of the success does go to our officer team and administration, but the members play a huge role in the success as well.
In fact, there are MANY members whom I owe the succes of the union to. Without wishing to leave anyone aside, I would first and foremost like to thank the tirelessness, hard work, constant support and valuable friendship of maniamsmart. I'm sure that had it not been for him, perhaps I would have given up a long time ago. It is thanks to him, that the FFFU has returned with greater force after a terrible period of inactivity. His organization and his constant initiative are some of the things that make this union what it is today. He is like what you would call "my right hand," but in fact, he usually acts as both of my hands.
Similarly, I want to thank AlbeadFFx, one of the first members of the union and the myriad amount of games and entertainment he has provided in the union. He has always been there in the times of great need, and when the union needed to laugh and have fun. His creativity and loyalty to the union is something I personally consider remarkable. I would also like to highlight the continued support of Vincent, (DeradDLorD) who through the years has worked and supported the union even more than many of its officers. If there were members who ought to be officers, I do not doubt that the list would be headed by him.
Similarly, I owe much of the union's success to Balmane and fs_metal, who even in times of inactivity, were there supporting, commenting, being positive, and with the best disposition to participate in any of the union's activities. I would also like to highlight the creativity and artistic design of two great designers. On one hand, Joeadonis1, to whom we owe the page design, banners, signatures, tags and countless of other contributions to. And in the other hand, Skye89, who likewise became the graphic designer of the union, and despite her short stay, has greatly contributed in the redesign and relaunch of the union, especially with the monthly newsletter.
Similarly, I would like to highlight the support and teachings of Darmi and the friendship and news coverage of mztazmz.
Finally, I think not only me, but the entire union as a whole owes much to the former leader, kinetic-core. It is thanks to her efforts and dedication that the union became what is now. Her kind heart and charisma has helped achieve the transformation of the union into a true "home." Similarly, it is thanks to her confidence and encouragement that I could become who I am today in the union. Since from the first moment I became a member of the FFFU, she was there to support me and believe in me, always respecting my ideas and giving me the opportunity to grow. Her friendship is one of the most precious treasures I have found through these years, and has been a constant motivation to keep working for this dream.
What was the hardest choice you had to make about your union?
One of the hardest decisions we had was the revival period of the union when the activity was very low. At that time, we felt very frustrated and were not very optimistic and enthusiastic enough about reviving the union. Making that choice of whether we should continue to put the effort in or not, was probably one of the hardest choices we had to deal with.
Have you ever made a mistake that you regret?Part of becoming a great union has to do with mistakes. It takes mistakes for a union to improve, and it certainly takes mistakes made by myself and everyone in the union to learn and become better as a whole.
Personally, I regret having given up to my personal problems and my work, as these affected my dedication to the union and the activities that were of my responsibility. For example, I stopped sending the welcome letters to new members and weekly newsletters periodicity which demanded much time and effort, but yes, I do regret that.
Also I regret that some of our most active members, have been banned from GameSpot. It is true that this was not my responsibility, but in spite of all, I keep thinking that I could have helped them not to commit any of the offenses of which they were blamed for.
So yes, there have been mistakes in the past that many of us and the union in general regret doing or making, but it all just made the union better and taught everyone a lesson for everyone to improve. After all, I think it is not until you realize that something is wrong in your life that you have a chance to grow up and improve.
When you think about the union system, how do you feel about it?
I like the union system a lot, actually. It is a great way to meet new people with common interests, make new friends and build an organization to inform the GameSpot community of Final Fantasy news. I do wish that the leveling system would come back, as well as the union emblems. Some more customization options would be nice as well.
The union system is a great system but can be greatly improved as well. I think unions are not only under the responsibility of union leaders, officers and members, but also the GameSpot administration. To this end, I think that GameSpot needs to consider giving a greater role and importance to unions. Sync, Spam Filter, Union of the Week and of course these interviews are some significant attempts to try to restore the importance and recognization of unions. There is still room and time to improve, but if action is not taken soon, I fear that we will continue to see unions growing and becomimg lost.
I didn't think FFFU was such an old union. I thought it rose up in competition to FFE.lancelot200
Well, it rose up more as a complement than as a competition to FFE :)
Btw thank you very much for the interview siberian! :D
[QUOTE="lancelot200"]I didn't think FFFU was such an old union. I thought it rose up in competition to FFE.angelblessWell, it rose up more as a complement than as a competition to FFE :)What would be the rationalization behin that? Making a union about the same thing to divide the fan base.
[QUOTE="angelbless"][QUOTE="lancelot200"]I didn't think FFFU was such an old union. I thought it rose up in competition to FFE.lancelot200Well, it rose up more as a complement than as a competition to FFE :)What would be the rationalization behin that? Making a union about the same thing to divide the fan base.
Not to divide, some members wanted to try a different approach, just that. :)
Well, it rose up more as a complement than as a competition to FFE :)What would be the rationalization behin that? Making a union about the same thing to divide the fan base.[QUOTE="lancelot200"][QUOTE="angelbless"][QUOTE="lancelot200"]I didn't think FFFU was such an old union. I thought it rose up in competition to FFE.angelbless
Not to divide, some members wanted to try a different approach, just that. :)
Exactly, FFFU focuses more (at least in my opinion, having been part of, an officer, and active member in both unions) a more family orientated union.ÂThanks for the interview also, was waiting to see this up, and I forgot to post a while back :PÂ
Better sometime than never, haha. :Psiberian142
Thats whay I say :P
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