The cB Newspaper 2nd issue, July, 2005 Options

[cBNewsStaff]

Members, please do not post any comments in this thread. Any questions/comments/suggestions, may be PMed to one of our editors listed in the editors' notes for both your convenience and ours; we will answer your comments accordingly. Again, please do not post any comments in this thread; they will be deleted and you will either receive a verbal warning or a raise in your warning level - you may even face suspension.

Editors’ Notes

First, the cB News team would like to thank our readers, especially those who took the time to give us encouraging comments and suggestions as to how we can improve in the future. Those messages provided us a sense of accomplishment and pride in our works. Again, we thank you, and we will always look forward to serve the cB community to the best of our abilities.

As with any service, ours has the potential to excel or stagnate, and while we aim for the former, we welcome any constructive criticism as much as we welcome praise. Any thoughts about the newsletter can be sent to a member of staff, and rest assured that your ideas will be discussed and, where possible and practical, gelled into our current routine.

Also, please note that we are still interested on taking on more staff, so if you enjoy journalism and want to become more involved in the CreateBlog community, please PM an application form (which can be found here) to either Fae (uninspiredfae) or James (Marchhare2UrAlice). We welcome all serious applicants!

Now, enjoy the read!

- The cB News Team (sans reporters, who are listed next to their articles)

Administrators: Fae [uninspiredfae], James [MarchHare2UrAlice]
Editors: Anna [Azarel], Justin [CrackedRearView], Meli[ChasingLife87], Nicki [tweeak]
Runners: Kiera[mzkandi]

(Note: Recent additions to the cB News Team are not listed.)

Table of Contents

01 Editor's Notes
02 Unveiling: xquizit - cB News Staff
03 The createBlog Health Forum - cB News Staff
04 createBlog Superlatives Results, Issue #2 - cB News Staff
05 It's Getting Controversial - Radhika [not_your_average], Kiera [mzkandi]
06 Flamboyant Rockstars and World Leaders End Poverty - Carolina [ichigofan]
07 File Sharing: Taking a Placemat from a Garage Band - Justin [CrackedRearView]
08 An iPod Society - Justin [Sadolakced Acid]
09 Losing Close Friends: Inevitable or Impossible? - Carolina [ichigofan]
10 The Offspring's Greatest Hits Album Review - Brie [Despise]
11 Today's Films - Sammi [Headphones]
12 Featured Poems - cB News Staff
13 The Ramblings of a Server - Justin [Sadolakced Acid]
14 Advice Abby - "Abby"

Discuss and reply at this thread, if you must.

This post has been edited by xquizit: Jul 18 2005, 12:56 PM

[cBNewsStaff]

Unveiling: xquizit
cB News Staff
July 2005

Unveiling: xquizit

"Who's xquizit," you ask? She is createBlog's most popular female member, according to cB's Yearbook Superlative results; she's also a well-known web and graphic designer and was recently promoted to administrator status. Though many members have seen xquizit, aka Roxanne, roaming the forums, and perhaps some may even have communicated with her in the past, the cB News team hopes that this interview will give you all a clearer picture of who this lovely lady is and how important she is to our community.

cBn: When did you begin graphic designing and making websites? Who, or what inspired you to learn?
Roxy: I started back in 2002, which was about the same time I first started using computers and the internet; I was 18. A friend told me about AsianAvenue and BlackPlanet and encouraged me to sign up. I stumbled across some really well designed pages, and that's when I took an interest in web/graphic design. I also signed up for a blog at OpenDiary and soon realized that I wanted more freedom to design and code my layouts. That's when I opened up and designed my first website.

cBn: What is your favorite website (other than a message board if that
would be your first choice)?
Roxy: This is tough considering I don't really visit too many websites, mostly just message boards. Hmm... I do spend some time at Yahoo! Launch just watching music videos and listening to music. I also like HowStuffWorks. More recently, I've gotten really addicted to playing iSketch.

cBn: On schooling: what was/is your major, and what is the name of the university that you attend?
Roxy: I currently attend Marymount University and major in graphic design. I've also attended UMBC and Montgomery College in the past. I studied web technologies at Montgomery College and also completed my associate degree there. I've changed my major several times; from chemical engineering to chemistry to computer science to web technologies before settling on graphic design.

cBn: How do you find the time to work on createBlog, have a job, as well as being in college?
Roxy: I have no idea. Actually, not having a car helps so I actually don't have much to do when I'm at home. Also, because I am a web designer and a graphic design major, a lot of my time is already spent on the computer, so I often "sneak" on Createblog whenever I really feel like procrastinating. Which is most of the time.

cBn: How did you find CB and become such an important member?
Roxy: My sister was the one who introduced me to Xanga, and I was excited for her because she was just starting to get into designing and stuff. I wanted to help her out and create a neat layout for her as a favor, so while searching for Xanga resources, I landed on cB. I needed to get my post count up for the tracker so I posted frequently. I saw that people were submitting their skins/layouts, and I thought it would be neat to submit my own. I enjoyed the feedback I was receiving and felt very appreciated, and I guess that's how I got addicted to cB. I genuinely wanted to contribute, and I guess thats how I got to where I am now on cB.

cBn: We're sure you've met a few... interesting characters during your
time on cB, have learned anything from them? In other words, have
any of them made some kind of impact on your life?
Roxy: I don't think so. I don't think I've really gotten close enough to anyone from cB to allow them to have that sort of impact.

cBn: You are quite the 'foxy lady' on cB and this staff is almost sure
that members have approached you because of your physical attractiveness. How did you deal with it?
Roxy: I find it amusing and flattering at the same time. I usually just say "thank you" and continue to carry on a conversation. But if they're one of those crazy, stalkerish kinds, I avoid or ignore them. Eventually, they get the hint.

cBn: Some say that cB thrives on drama... what are your thoughts? does it bother or concern you?
Roxy: So I've noticed. I think it's silly. I try not to get involved. I have enough going on in my life not to get involved with internet drama. It does bother me because I feel it takes away from other members' enjoyment including my own. CB is supposed to be a fun, friendly, and inviting community.

cBn: What do you enjoy the most on cB? What annoys you the most?
Roxy: I enjoy interacting with our members but that can also annoy me at the same time. I guess it's the unnecessary drama that annoys me the most.

cBn: How would you describe your relationship with Jusun (micron)?
Roxy: Minimal, unfortunately. I rarely get the chance to speak with him although I have a few times. We may have our disagreements, but, in the end, I feel that we both hold a high esteem for one another.

cBn: What about your relationship with Christina. Is there ever any friendly rivalry between the two of you?
Roxy: All friendly, no rivalry. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to chat with her much since I've been appointed to admin, but I think she's a doll and we get along with each other just fine. We actually agree with each other most of the time. We refer to ourselves as "Partners In Crime."

cBn: How quickly did you go from "n00b" to respected webdesigner/cB ddmin? That is, if you were ever a "n00b". cBn staff doubt that, but for the sake of other members, please answer as best you can.
Roxy: I joined cB in January 2004 and was virtually unknown. Most members had already formed tight knit cliques and relationships with one another and I didn't quite fit the mold. So yes, I was a "n00b". I learned my way around rather quickly and soon started contributing to the forums and developing relationships. I, then, joined design staff in April 2004 and was soon appointed to head staff in September 2004. I continued to show my dedication and commitment to CB and was appointed to Admin in June 2005.

cBn: You have kept relatively quiet about the situation with Trish, aka [2]nekked. What are your thoughts about it?
Roxy: I was quiet about it because I had rather not be in the middle of it. Trish was one of my closest friends from cB, and, to me, the truth and the outcome of the situation was irrelevant. I respect her as a designer and as a friend.

cBn: Would you care to disclose your political stance?
Roxy: I think the best way to describe it is that I'm somewhere in the middle. There are issues that I agree and disagree with from both political parties. I consider myself a conservative Democrat.

cBn: Name an absolute favorite band/singer.
Roxy: This is always a hard question considering that I listen and appreciate a wide range of music genres. I know you're asking for one answer, but I'm sorry, I'll have to give you 3: Alicia Keys is my favorite singer, Mos Def is my favorite rapper, and The Killers is my favorite band.

cBn: What did you do for your 'sweet sixteen'?
Roxy: Sweet sixteen happenned such a long time ago. I honestly can't remember. I don't think I had a huge "sweet sixteen" event, I probably just went on a massive shopping spree.

cBn: Where would you max out all of your credit cards?
Roxy: New York. Mwahaha.

cBn: Is there a certain someone in your life right now, if you get our gist? If not, are you looking?
Roxy: I recently just got out of a 2 year and 11 month relationship and the moving on stage has been rather awkward. I am seeing a few "courters" at the moment but haven't progressed into anything serious. Am I looking? Yes and no. I'm not really looking for anything serious at the moment but am open to it if the right person comes along.

cBn: You've been in relationships before, can you share with us some advice you may give to the young women on cB?
Roxy: I know this may sound cliche, and most of you have probably heard it before, but I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to love yourself before you seek love from another person. One of the problems plaguing many of us young women is our desire to be wanted. You spend so much of your time trying to fill that void that when that person leaves, you're left feeling emptier and lonlier than before. Before you can give yourself to another, take the time to do some soul searching. Learn to love yourself and accept yourself for who you are. Once you learn to do this, not only will you feel better about yourself, you will appreciate someone who loves for who you are, not your "representative" and you will no longer feel the need to settle or to rush into things.

cBn: And like we've asked Jusun in his interview, do you have any advice for those who aspire to be web and graphic designers?
Roxy: Well, I first started learning from books, tutorials, experimentation and practice before moving on to take college courses. To be honest, I think I've learned and continue to learn more on my own than from school. So my advice to those of you who are aspiring to do web and graphic design is to... you guessed it... read books, follow tutorials, experiment with web and graphic design tools, and practice in order to master the software and coding. It's not going to happen overnight and will take some time, contrary to popular belief, so be persistent!