Announcement The Newspaper's Second Anniversary!

[Lhamster 4,081]

 

At the start of May, the newspaper reached its second anniversary. To mark the occasion, some of the reporters both past and present reflected on the past couple of years:

 

Welcome Faithful and Constant Reader. We are happy to announce the coming of the English Community Newspaper's second anniversary. Hard to believe how quickly the time has come and gone. Seems like only yesterday that Koolwalky was telling me about how plans were hot on the press (pun intended) for starting up an English newspaper. Being a teacher, albeit science, I signed on as the Editor. I believe there were six of us for that inaugural issue:  cablaz, skitee and Tommy60 (writers), Les_Alterman (designer) and our boss, Bruce.  

 

24 months. Met a lot of great people along the way, spending time with reporters, enjoying reading their work, playing battles with them and having social chats on Skype. We have faced our problems and slow times, mistakes have been made. One thing to keep in mind is that all of the people who are involved with this endeavor have lives (hard to believe I know) outside the game, and in my opinion, these reporters have done fantastic and wonderful things over the last two years. I am confident that the next two years will see our Newspaper continue to improve and grow. 

 

To all the current and former reporters -- Thank you. Thank you for your time, your efforts, your frustrations and, most importantly, for your talents. It has been a real pleasure working with you and I look forward to the future and what wonders it will bring. 

 

A very special and heartfelt thank you to you Constant Reader. Without you, we wouldn't be what we are. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

 

conanthedestroyer

 

The Tanki newspaper is quite an asset to Tanki itself, as it allows for certain players to step up, and take on the role of reporter. Sharing their ideas, thoughts, feelings, and skills with the rest of the tankers is a great way to unite a community, as everyone can have something in common to talk about. As a former reporter, the newspaper has not only given me a great opportunity to explore my creative writing, but also to share with the community the stories and lessons I have learned from the game. Reporting has been a lot of fun, as there were many ideas that I didn’t even know I had about the game. From my very first article, the style of the newspaper and the freedom to write what I want has always fueled my passion for writing. What made it even better was that I had the chance to work alongside other amazing writers in the reporting team. Their creativity and unique ideas, as well as their willingness to share their knowledge of the game, is what sets them apart from the whole community. A lot of help came from the fellow reporters, to improve ideas, writing styles, grammar, and it is just another example of how important it is that unity exists within staff. Away from Tanki, the little creative writing assignments I get really limits the usage of my own creativity. From this experience of being a reporter, I have found a passion for freestyle writing, as there are no restrictions at all, and you can let your creativity run wild. Being a reporter doesn’t exactly mean that you’re looking for appreciation in the work you do. It means helping someone without expecting any return, with the hope that you can build a better community.

 

A little over a year ago I served as the Tanki English Community's Chief designer for the Newspaper. Aside from the nice crystal bonuses reporters received, participating as the TO Newspaper's Chief designer taught me many skills that have greatly enhanced my artistic abilities in electronic media.

The deadlines for designing various reporters' pictures forced me to overcome the learning curve of different programs, not only including Photoshop, but also other graphic design and modeling software like Blender, Sculptris, and ZBrush. The ability to use these powerful software tools are very marketable skills and will undoubtedly serve me well in the years to come. I have no doubt that without serving as a reporter for Tanki Online, I would never have gained the interest, ability, or inspiration necessary to be an effective digital artist.

-Chris

 

So when new positions in the newspaper were advertised just over a year ago, I instantly applied. Up to that point, I'd had some success in newspaper contests, and it sounded like a great opportunity. I qualified for the interviewing stage alongside a few others, and then came a nervous wait as the applicants were interviewed one by one - I recall practising for it with Selena12121, who'd also applied at the time. Then finally, the wait was over; and it was revealed that a total of five Reporters were hired - myself, Selena12121, Valletta, jokjinari, and SwagBoy11 - with Raphael2 joining the team soon after.

I wrote my first couple of articles for the Tanki newspaper back in April 2013, and they were released at the start of May 2013. In total, I wrote 11 articles and ran 2 contests during my time as a newspaper Reporter, before I departed from the newspaper team. In terms of what I gained from this experience, well I gained quite a bit - I improved my writing skills (and my organisation skills, though that's debatable), I got the chance to work with some of our community's most respected veterans (Lhamster and hogree, just to name a couple), and I found a new clan (yes, Lham's clan - The Ironclads). But most importantly, I guess I got to know some great people - in particular, the 'Issue 11' Reporters who joined when I did.

 

I had always enjoyed writing, though felt limited to the essays and constraints of the prompts of schoolwork. For a few months I had been working as a cybersport commentator for Tanki and that was a really fun experience, although occasionally wanted to express myself through text (allowing for more in depth analysis in many cases). Thus, I wrote a short piece, and although there was not a contest to get accepted or anything similar, I was added to the team. Though I already knew many of the reporters, I got to know more great people and have an amazing experience improving my writing, putting my creativity into words, and getting feedback from the community (which is what really empowers all the services like cybersport and the reporting team)

 

Aside from improving my writing, I have gotten much better at time management (though I still typically put off articles until the very end if at all possible). I occasionally even turn in large projects early now, which was unheard of for me to do prior to this experience. The time I have spent learning as a reporter is invaluable and will no doubt help me in life. The ability to convey thoughts and recall experiences and ideas into words is an amazing skill that is difficult to master and paramount to communication in life. It is hard to believe that the English newspaper and reporting team is now celebrating two years since its creation, and I am glad to have lent a hand in providing quality content for the community to read and enjoy.

 

18 Months. I've been a Reporter for a long time now, but if I'm honest, I've never really considered quitting. Naturally, earning crystals by writing is a win-win situation for me. I love writing as it stimulates a lot of exciting ideas which I do find great fun to put down and share to the world. And not just that, but writing for this newspaper really helps me to get a clear perspective on different forms of writing. And I love crystals. I won't need to give a reason on that part. :P

 

Reporting is something that has had quite an impact on me as a person. It's given me a lot of knowledge on how to deal with "Writing under Pressure". (Mainly because I'm quite useless at finishing my articles by the deadline, particularly when we used to write in Issues!) Also, writing humour, persuasive material, guides and even a narrative all provide a wonderful base to a solid understanding of English. Even though I recently haven't been able to do too many articles with this new form of publication, I hope to stay on reporting for as long as I possibly can - because it's totally worth it.

 

Keep reading and commenting. It really is what spurs us on.

Hog ~

 

I've been part of the newspaper for a long time, and it's a privilege to have worked with many talented people. My newspaper career started when I mentioned my interest in joining the reporter team and was asked to join after the success of the first issue. I have really enjoyed writing articles, and surprised myself with how quickly I can write quite a lot, especially as I didn't like English at school, as Maths and Physics are more my thing. I got involved on the design side about a year ago, starting by pulling an all nighter to get an MT done for publishing the next day. A couple of issues later I became the main designer and over the past year this has helped me learn a lot about graphic design, progressing from the first design made in Word and screenshotted, to fully fledged MTs which I'm pretty proud of. Aside from the writing aspect, as a group of people we've also had many great times together. Being part of the newspaper has been a great experience, I have thoroughly enjoyed being a part of it. Here's to many more years!

 

~Lham

 

I joined Tanki in August of 2012 and quickly became addicted to the game, meeting loads of awesome people in battles and on the forums. I joined the newspaper back in April 2013, and was a part of the reporting team for three months. I wrote some articles which were pretty rubbish even though my readers claimed that they were enjoyable. I also released some contests and did some graphic designs as well. I had a wonderful time being able to work with all the great lads from the reporting team. Even though I don’t visit tanki all that much these days because of the business of school, I still miss the awesome community and thank them for everything.
 
 
God Bless,
SwagBoy11   :)

 

I am very happy that the newspaper has reached its second anniversary. I started my job as an Arabic reporter in the newspaper almost two months ago and it has been great as I've got to know new people as a family. I was interested to earn some crystals for writing, but after joining the newspaper my outlook changed, my experience of writing has increased and I enjoy writing more than earning crystals. I am proud of what the newspaper has achieved and the people who work for it.

 

I joined Tanki Online in March of 2010. Wow, that was nearly four and a half years ago! I remember the mine had just been introduced to the game around that time.  The English speaking community was just starting, after having gotten a few subforums of its own: General, Off-Topic, and Rule Violations.  And, for mine and pretty much everyone else's low rank at that time, we were content with what we had. (Though we did have the same in-game chat lobby as those crazy Russians for a while! ;) )  Eventually, clans started to form, among the first eventually being PhantomMeat's clan, and Dare Devils soon after.  They were pitiful compared to the Russian clans, whom had staff members on their rosters, so we mostly stayed to ourselves.  But one day, I saw a familiar face in a Madness CTF battle, a Les_Alterman, so I joined and started talking to him. He was a Russian staff member whom I had seen from time to time on large Russian projects in their own forum, namely, their newspaper.  After getting to know each other and sharing contact information, he agreed with my proposal to start a newspaper for the growing English speaking community, and so it started! Bruce Lunga, an old administrator to the English forum, had gotten conanthedestroyer to be the editor, and I was the first reporter for the team. We quickly got a few other people who I had known for a while to be reliable writers and workmates, such as cablaz, skitee and before long, Issue 1 was published! I recommend stopping by the Newspaper Archive to check out my first article, 'Our Stories,' which was the tipping point for the newspaper, after Bruce Lunga had read it and decided it was publishing-worthy.

 

On my own, personal note, being a reporter has been a good experience for me, as I have been able to budget my time expenditures more appropriately for my ever-busy schedule. Also, getting to write in my own style (and not for a grade! :D ) for a community of people to read and analyze, has helped me to improve how to write, and how to better appeal to specific audiences. Also, learning to be part of a team, where everyone has a part in the end product, has positively affected me as well. The pay, paint, and recognition are all nice, too. ;)

 

-Tommy60

 

Even as one of the newest additions to the Tanki English Newspaper staff, I am still very pleased to be a part of the project and to help this great group of guys celebrate 2 years of entertaining and informative content. I had always enjoyed the monthly paper when it was first created back in 2012 and read almost all of the articles in nearly every issue. As reporters have come and gone, I have seen this paper evolve and change in great ways. It’s gone from a small group in a tiny subforum to a nearly professional grade organization getting published on the main page for everyone to see. Being able to be in the position I am in now is quite amazing to me with all of the talent I am working with. I have really enjoyed being a part of this project for the past two years and I hope that I can continue to along with all of you readers for a long time to come!

~Fjelstad1678

 

When I first thought of joining the newspaper I was thrilled to taste "higher ranks" of the game hierarchy, as I always wanted to climb up from simply being a regular player and forum member. The position offered precisely this ability to expand, to gain some sort of popularity, to yield your own income from your work from the game. And so it did. I fortunately got to meet and interact with the reporters I looked up to, and later on with other moderators, cybersport members, consultants, etc. In a nutshell it's gaining the most out of my presence in this community. 

 

This is probably the reason everyone would want to be part of any staff group. But at one point you start to realize that you are now working for something, for someone. My colleagues and I are representatives of ourselves, of our countries, of our community, of the game we are part of. The responsibility is truly immense and it certainly helps to budget my otherwise busy time schedule. I've noticed that I've changed my personality remarkably much from simply working for a forum in a game. The newspaper has helped me mature into a person who is certain he will work with language and text in the future, hence my interest in English in school and my joining of the school newspaper. I am forever grateful to the wonderful colleagues and friends I stumbled upon here and I'd love to continue making this community a place with more reason and more fun for a long while ahead!

 

~ Valletta

 

I remember seeing the first issue, reading through it, and thought the idea and content of it was magnificent. A great way for tankers to show off their writing talents and incite lively discussion. I continued to see the team change, which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it; however, it has not failed to entertain and satisfy. Though I didn't join the reporter team til a year and a half after its formation, I had wanted to for a while. The opportunity for me to write for the community was one I couldn't pass up. So, I submitted a piece, during the most recent open application period, and fortunately got accepted.

 

As you've probably seen, I struggle with bringing my articles up to par. But being reminded of the great writers before me, I strive to obtain the same level of quality and knowledge they had once displayed, also those that continue to (and I can assure you, I will only get better). So I would like to thank the former members of the team, for helping build what we have today, and inspiring me and other prospective writers. And of course, thanks the devoted readers that have followed the paper for the past 2 years. We wouldn't be where we're at today without you. So let's celebrate these things and look forward to many years to come with the English Newspaper!

 

~Viking

 

My time as a reporter was one of the experiences of my life from which I have benefited the most. It was a fantastic opportunity and one that I am very grateful to have been given. From it, there a number of skills which I gained, especially the ability to work in a team. Tanki cultivates the skill of teamwork a lot, in battles in general and especially in clan battles, but being in the reporting team this skill was also cultivated. As a team, we had to come up with ideas together and hit deadlines as a group and this was something which was a great experience, especially for a young guy like me with (at the time) no previous experience of employment. Being in an environment like the one we had in the Tanki newspaper was great for me, and I'm sure that the other reporters have felt the same way.

 

Another important skill which I learned from the newspaper is the importance of being innovative and working to clear aims. Doing this is really important for any person and team in any situation, to set aims and work to them, and in the newspaper it was what we did. We had our aims - to be interesting and to be high-quality - and we went about trying to do that as much as we could. We weren't perfect and I know at times we definitely weren't as high-quality as we could have been, but having aims and trying to succeed with them was something which we tried to do and is a skill which was very valuable.

 

I think that for anyone who has the opportunity to be a reporter, take it but use it and learn from it. Put your heart and soul into your job and realise that it is a responsibility which you have. The newspaper is not just something to do for fun but rather it is a responsibility which you as a reporter took on to produce a high-quality and interesting product for all the readers. For all the readers, do support the newspaper by reading it but also by giving feedback on articles which you enjoyed and (constructive!) criticism on those which you thought not so good. The newspaper is a fantastic institution which Tanki has and one which should be cultivated and appreciated.

 

~skitee

 

I feel like a kid compared to all my veteran colleagues, since I've only been a reporter for a little over half a year; and yet my job has very quickly become a central part of my life. I am not like the other reporters, I don't write many articles, and I don't get featured in the newspaper so much. But like the rest, my goal is to serve the community, to keep you entertained, interested in and excited about the game. I've always kept that my priority, and will continue to do so.

 

Being a reporter has encouraged me to push my limits and explore new horizons, which I have been doing - slowly but surely. When I started making my videos, I had no idea what I was doing - I knew nothing about screen recorders, editors, renderers, compressors or even youtube. That's not to say that I am a pro now, but I have grown and learned so much, mostly due to the expectation the community has placed on me. And for that I am thankful.

[I3loodShot 3,119]

'Gratz for 2 years :)

[blackopspaul 753]

congrats 2 years  :fire_r:  :fire_l:  :fire_r:  :fire_l: Good luck reporters !

[birthstone 147]

Archangei not L ok

[Valletta 834]

 

That's how its intended to be written :p

[stanzhang 3,291]

Raphael 2?

[Scientist 4,224]

Congratulations! 

Edited July 2, 2014 by Schism

[williew 1,999]

Congratulations :)

[B_A-R_T 493]

Gratzz ;)

[Raphael2 3,263]

Raphael 2?

I have been quite busy lately, and I don't really consider myself as an important person in the newspaper, that's why I didn't write my part.

[Raphael2 3,263]

Anyway, congratulations mates! 2 years :o

[Aero.v2.0 1,456]

Congrats guys, you've been an awesome part of the team!

[Eragon 13,876]

Arch is the best reporter of all. Following Goldrock, hogree, and Lamster  :tank:

[Musty9 51]

Deleted

Edited July 4, 2014 by Musty9

[miasne007 49]

Gratz ! 2 years :D

[Mr.SV.ENS 738]

Congrats :)

[Jamzz101 0]

Are there currently any free slots in the newspaper team?

If so I would like to help out.

Thanks,

Jamzz101

[snipe8000 5]

gratz

[lukey0 27,543]

Congratulations 2 years! :)  Wow time has went so fast. :o

[residenthack 11]

Congrats ;)

Edited July 8, 2014 by residenthack

[The.Skilled.Legend 1,459]

Congrats for the 2 wonderful years! 

[MarineMan2 1,164]

A job well done by the Reporting Staff! Thanks for all the time you put in to share all these cool things with us!

 

Thanks,

            MarineMan2

[I.Prince_of_Albania 278]

Great job guys and great intro hogree xD  :D  

i love crystals too :P

[Guest Maserati]

Nice keep the good work up

[ognjen556 231]

Wow... 2 years have passed already? you guys made me feel that time period like a month. Keep it up! 

"Don't limit your challenges,
                 Challenge your limits!"

~Oggy