Say Media yesterday opened up their Say 100 page which is, well… I guess I will let them describe it, from the top of their About The Say 100 page:
The SAY 100 is a collection of authentic and knowledgeable online voices that create engaging content, drive conversation and shape opinion. At SAY Media we believe the power to shape opinion is shifting from the faceless editorial voice of mainstream media to individuals, many of whom are taking advantage of simple technology to create their own properties and build their own media brands. And the best way to highlight that change is to show you who we’re talking about.
They went to 10 different experts, each in a different field and had them pick 10 influential voices in those areas.
The areas listed and experts picked were:
- Technology – Stuart Miles, founder and editor of the gadget site Pocket-Lint
- Style – Jane Pratt, founder of Sassy magazine
- Parenting – Dana Wood of Momover.net
- Business – Seth Godin of, well, a lot of stuff
- Food – Amanda Hesser, former food editor for the New York Times Magazine
- Design – Tina Roth Eisenberg of the design blog Swiss Miss
- Thought Leaders – Clay Shirky
- Travel – Nick Clarke of Hg2 – A Hedonist’s Guide
- Entertainment – Rich Juzwiak, of many things including the pop culture blog fourfour
- Games – Jeff Katz, a driving force behind Geekweek and producer of such films as Snakes on a Plane
Of course, I am bringing this up for a (selfish) reason. This site, and my Wilhelm Arcturus persona, was one of those picked by the luminaries listed above.
And as much as I wish it was for Thought Leadership, or maybe Parenting, it was, of course for the Games category.
My daughter was looking over my shoulder when I first opened up the site and her first words were, “You’re no expert!”
No, but I am old. I know how escrow works!
And they even grabbed a picture with my biggest mustache ever, appropriately taken at just a couple of years after the dawn of my online gaming career. Full disclosure with the full picture.
Geek Cred points of interest: Time-Con T-Shirt (complete with Face on Mars graphic), G-1 US Naval aviator’s jacket (which I still have, though it seems to have shrunk over the years), a name patch from the 1988 Air Warrior convention in Dayton, Ohio where I got to meet, among others, Kelton Flinn and Bill Louden (the big man at GEnie), and a freakin’ real, live baby kangaroo. Good times.
Anyway, Jeff Katz has apparently been here and read stuff and still wrote these very kind (and charitable) words:
Don’t take the name too seriously, Wilhelm Arcturus is no noob. With 20+ years of experience in online gaming, Wilhelm publishes one of the most thorough MMO websites online. He is the definition of hardcore and has been playing since before the world “massive” could even apply. A fun mix of gaming news and updates on his own online adventures.
Hardcore, for specific definitions of the word I suppose. The time expended on playing and writing keeps me out of the casual category I guess, but many of my posts should demonstrate how I approach gaming, often blithely ignorant of basic facts and depending on my intrepid readers to point me in the right direction when I am blundering about. Sort of the Jerry Pournelle/Chaos Manor methodology. (Is anybody here old enough to get that reference?)
Also honored with a place on the list were Keen & Graev (Yay!) who were described thus:
Two brothers and hardcore gamers who mix industry analysis, gaming reviews and their personal exploits to enjoyable effect. Their site offers a really deep experience and covers both consoles and computer gaming with equal skill. These guys are literally all-consuming gamers and it shows. A fun and informative site with a breezy feel. I highly recommend it.
Then there was Jim Rossignol of hella impressive Rock, Paper, Shotgun:
Rossignol’s site is PC gaming obsessed and PC gaming only and the staff own it to an almost amusingly militant level. He’s also smart and insightful and knows the space inside and out. While you’re at it check out his book, “This Gaming Life,” a look at the cultural impact and evolution of gaming.
And the much esteemed Tony Rice of Button Mashing was also among the bloggers on the list:
I actually stumbled onto Tony’s site when I was searching for available URL’s in the gaming space and now go back often. They always have clean and concise release schedules for new games, which is a plus in my book these days. A good site for gamers that tend to lean towards XBOX360, which is generally my go-to console. I like the site enough to forgive Tony his Ohio State fandom. ;)
For the sake of posterity, I took a screen grab of the list as it stands now.
I have to imagine that it will change over time, especially when somebody reads my stuff and realizes how rather introverted it all is. But for now, there I am!
Anyway, a big thank you to Jeff Katz for the recognition and to Michael Sippey of Say Media who is a driving force behind the whole thing.
I encourage you to go take a look at who else is in the other categories. The site is all hooked up into RSS, Twitter, and Facebook so you can follow your favorites from the list (or whole segments) with relative digital ease.
Anyway, now to get back to work on my own media brand.
Congratulations gaming thought leader. It’s a very well deserved kudo.
I get the reference too. I used to have a stack of old Byte magazines from the early to late 80’s. I’m not sure what’s become of them now, but I do remember the Jerry Pournelle column as being one of my favorite reads.
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Heh, the guy would complain about how something wouldn’t work one month, then the next there would be an update on how they company contacted him, sent out a tech, and so on, so now everything worked great. I used to read it, laugh, and swear it was all a scam.
Now, do you have the Byte magazine with the Star Trek cover around? I’d pay money for that one.
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Possibly an early instance of product placement.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I still have them. Back in 2003 when I was preparing to move to the US, I was completely brutal in what I threw out in order to not have to pay to store (I’m a obsessive horder.) I ended up dumping three big trailor loads of furniture and other stuff. I fear the Bytes were in that lot.
You may however be able to find a copy on eBay.
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The….the…..mustache???
Reading this on the small screen of my phone while bouncing up and down on public transport so apologies if it is obviously drawn on.
Apart from that hearty congratulations on your well deserved accolade.
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Signs that the MMO genre is dead: TAGN is declared hardcore.
I’ll miss you MMO land.
(Congrats and all that, well deserved. Time to work on making my site more breezy)
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@SynCaine – In hindsight, “And Then I Was Mistakenly Declared ‘Hardcore'” is a much better title. Simple physics can prove that just my mass exerts some tiny influence via gravity, but proving I am Hardcore. Gankers QQ’d.
@MPB – That mustache was REAL. Men feared it, women wanted to touch it, and wax could not tame it.
My boss made me trim it back to mortal dimensions. First he jokingly said it. Then he was serious. Then he told me not to show up for work with it again.
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They are buttering you up to ask for a well to a corpse.
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Apparently your blog is also considered an influential gaming site by the company I work for which bans access to it.
Tobold I can read, but not TAGN.
/grats
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Love the pic from ’88. Don’t take this the wrong way, but it made me laugh! Congrats on being considered influential.
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I like the way your daughter makes sure to keep you grounded by telling you that “you’re no expert.” Leave it to kids. Congrats on being freshly pressed! Now you’ve been plucked for fame twice in 48 hours. Very cool!
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congrats!!! love the photo – very Beastie Boys sabotage video.
By the way – wondering if you have seen the trailer for this game http://bit.ly/gfhwgc Thoughts?
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Congratulations-no doubt they were aware that marsupials are the foundation of all gamer credibility.
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Congrats with everything :)
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Grats on your influence, unless you subliminally made me want to say that…
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A gamer with influence? Wait! Stop that! What’s happening! NOOOOOOOOO!!!! Where can someone run when the universe implodes? ;-)
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^^ My thoughts exactly.
This is actually a pretty big step for gamers everywhere.
Congratulations!
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=) smiles- I have no idea about the gaming world but, it is always nice to be recognized for commitment and devotion so, good for you!
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hello your blog is very interesting
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lol… 20 years…. what possible value could that have..lol
i was told once at a 2003 GDC by the sun java3d game flunky of the moment that “nothign from the previous century could possibly have any importance to him”…. it took me 2 seconds to realize he meant the 2oth century…not the 19th…
:)
nice stache… i remember designing a 3d portal “rendered” “room” for air warrior in 95 for kesmai delphi fox…. i saw it online last year….lol it was the 3d room in sony home for warriors to gather..;)
same stuff.. new kids… new delusions. new food issued
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How wonderful!! Congrats! Well deserved – you’re an expert in my eyes, even if my granddaughter can’t see it now. Wait til she’s older, you will suddenly become very smart.
Love the photo.
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I enjoyed the story very much and found much amusement in the way that you perceive yourself.
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Well written Write-up. Glad i am able yo locate a site with some knowledge plus a great writing style.
You keep publishing and i will continue to Keep browsing
Thanks Again
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That’s a pretty good story. I doubt I’ll ever be labeled as an expert, but I guess I can dream…
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Whoa… and I thought I was an old-school gamer! I need to check out more of your blog… but man, that photo is epic!
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cool and more funtastic, i can enjoy with your’s blog
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First of all, kudos for being picked to the list as an influential blogger, and second…LOL!!@your daughter…. I suppose no one is truly a prophet in their own land…lol.
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haha, congratulations on your being featured! I loved your daughters comment, she’s very funny.
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nice post!!!! way to go on so many views and being freshly pressed!!!!!
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That’s some interesting news. Congrats for being picked and for FP! I checked out the other influentials apart from yourself as well. Any tips on how to get myself to that stage? ;p …
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Congratulations! I myself know almost nothing about gaming, which is a shame, as I would like to appreciate more- It’s interesting to read your thoughts on your success. It’s neither boastful, nor too modest- that’s refreshing.
http://thingsofhappiness.wordpress.com/
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Well, two for the price of one. Here you are Freshly Pressed! Congratulations on both.
NOW I hope your daughter is suitably impressed. No, don’t hold your breath!
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I suspect that picture was taken mere moments before you got that kangaroo drunk.
… and kangaroos can be mean drunks.
;-)
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