Fireside Interview #16 xat Cupim

It was now the turn of interviewing one of the oldest Volunteers on xat, I hope you all enjoy this interview. Thank you!

Hello Cupim, thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. Please, try to be as descriptive as possible when you answer these questions. Let’s start with some private questions.

What is your real name, where are you from, how old are you and what are you studying?

My name is Bruno. I’m from Brazil. I was born in December, 1997. I’m studying to prepare myself to graduate on International Relations.

What words would you chose if you had to define yourself?

Jack-of-all-trades

When and how did you discover xat?

I found it in 2008 when browsing on blogspots, forums and gaming portals (MMORPG).

What was your first impression?

It’s the same impression that I have of it today. xat opens way for you to meet people from all over the globe, the possibility of meeting cultures you never ever imagined that existed. And of course, the chance to read what they think about their nation, politics and ways of life other than reading it from random journals.

What is your global impression of xat now?

I think xat should provide more assistance to users from very distinguished cultures, such as the Arabic, Thai, Turkish, Egyptian, Moroccan, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Polish, Swedish, German, Kazakhstani and many others that use xat and deserve a taste of their cultures drawn in powers and other xat products.

What do you think about the xat community?

The community as in whole is impossible to describe in a phrase or even in a book of a thousand pages. But I can speak for my community, the Brazilian. I think we’re addicted to chatting, addicted to exchange cultural knowledge since our country is continental. We learn new things about ourselves everyday and that is fantastic, just awesome.

Do you speak any languages other than English, Spanish and Portuguese?

No but I’m interested in learning German, Mandarin and Russian.

Who do you trust a lot on xat?

“Trust no one”, a phrase from one of my favorites TV-shows, “The X-Files”.

What is the best year you spent on xat?

Every new year that I’m still around turns out to be the best-year.

Have you ever met someone from xat in real life?

This is incredible because I had two friends from high school and after talking a lot about games, we found out that we were using xat. I’m trying to say that we never found each other on xat until we talked about it in real life. Funny, right?

How long do you think you will stay on xat?

That’s an answer that only my doctor can give after a full diagnosis.

Let’s drop it to things more funny and let me ask you the things you like or liked on xat.

What is your favourite power?

Every new power that xat releases, as long that it’s a power that I have made. Ha!

What is your favourite chat?

xat_Test because then I was the only main-owner picked by xat staff to stay for two months (back in the monthly-main system).

What is your best memory on xat? When was it?

When xat admin (“42”) asked me on private chat, in 2011, if I was interested on helping xat with tickets. I’ll never forget that day.

Now, let’s come back to serious things, especially on what you do and have done on xat.

When did you become Volunteer on xat?

I’m a volunteer since 2011, I joined in April from that year.

Did becoming a Volunteer change your chatting experience on xat?

It only allowed me to do much more than I could. Before getting the volunteer position I was already part of Ajuda and I was really interested in helping other people. So hundreds and hundreds of users looked for me then to learn things, to get their problems resolved. Becoming a volunteer only allowed me to do more for them and I was very happy with that, so were the people.

What’s your favourite help support?

Ajuda.

We all know that you are a smiley maker, when and how did you become one?

I used to “spam” xat with hundreds of ideas. After you write up thousands of them and you see only a small portion getting made, you ask yourself: “Why not make it happen instead of waiting other people to make it?”

Can you say what powers/smilies did you design?

*My powers: nerd, school, peace, sparta, magicfx, heartfx, carnival,monster, nursing, moustache, poker, zombie, farm, stylist, patrick, broadcaster, travel, fitness, samba, heartbreak, cups, pizzas.

*Powers that I worked in partnership with another smiley maker: NERD (brain) (nsci) (read) (calc), STYLIST (shair1) (shair2) (shair3) (shair4) (shair5) (shair6) (shair7), ECO (globeback), PATRICK (ihat) (ihat2) (ishoes) (patrickbeer), HEARTBREAK (bucket2) (halfangel) (heartrain) (heartthrow) (lookaway).

*My suggestions (made by 42 or other smiley makers): work, jail, egyptian, pets, nick, ranklock.

Note: I may have missed some! We’re talking about 7 years of development. Sorry.

Who is your role model?

Ronald Reagan, Napoleon Bonaparte, Auguste Comte, Cândido Rondon, Adam Smith, Guy Kawasaki, Steve Jobs, 42 and of course… Myself, self-confidence is everything. Being humble about your merits only make you weaker.

We know that you are the main owner of Ajuda and Loja, tell us about your experience as the main owner of these chats.

I’d rather show off than talk about the achievements over the years. See how active the chats are, see how dedicated the teams are. I’m proud to be the leader of these teams.

You are a Volunteer, Smiley Maker and a Chat Manager. What is your main role on xat?

My main role on xat is to make sure that xat is original and loyal to its customers and users in all means. After that, my duty as volunteer comes in 2nd, that duty is to answer tickets. In 3rd, my chats are of great responsibility to me because of the teams I lead and the guests that depend on our competence. Making powers, pawns, hugs and other products need patience and authenticity so that would be 4th responsibility as I try my best to invest in quality of service instead of quantity.

What are your opinions on the Contributor system?

I think contributors can speak for themselves. I just hope the group grows to be more diverse over the course of the upcoming years.

What do you see for the future of xat?

An optimized version of HTML5, running fast with all powers implemented, a better and safer trading app and more in-chat games!

We have come to the end of this interview. Do you have any special message to end this interview?

If you’re reading this and you have any other question, just look for me on xat. I’m often online and available to chat.