Fireside Interview #18 xat Lemona

I hope you all will enjoy Lemona’s interview! Tell us… what do you think about this interview?

Hello Lemona, 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?

Inside Help joke: My name is Karen.

I’m currently 20 years old, I’m from Canada (who doesn’t know this by now???) and I’m studying Business Administration/Professional Communications with minors in French and Digital Design/User Experience. It’s a mouthful, I know.

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

Probably sedulous, sensitive, funny and selfless.

When and how did you discover xat?

I think I discovered it around 2010. I found it through Club Penguin (RIP!!) and used to frequent all the CP chats.

What was your first impression?

I was pretty young, so my first impression was probably some huge fan-girl living her best life. I mean… maybe I still am? There’s certain things about xat that really interest me and it’s even more interesting now that I’m learning about digital design/user experience.

What is your global impression of xat now?

I think right now, it’s more-so about changing the business than worrying about the current status of it. Regardless if this place is dying, it is crucial that xat is able to transition into a more digital and modern model (AKA HTML5 and mobile) in order to compete with what’s out there. It has a long way to go. 

Obviously the current state of it is depressing to me, but I’m really trying to be optimistic and I wish them all the best.

What do you think about the current xat community?

It depends on how you look at it. I would say the English community has significantly changed for the worse: less people, same people getting involved and constant negativity or toxicity from ~60% of the community. It’s unique that there are many different communities.

xat is really what you make it and it’s about the people you surround yourself with that makes it enjoyable and worthwhile. Make your own community of good people and it will be much better, however it can often take time to find them.

What do you think about “trust”? Who do you trust a lot on xat?

It’s difficult to trust people online. I definitely don’t go by the “trust no one” motto. If I want to trust, I do. If I don’t, I don’t. At some point on xat, you will need to trust people after trust is earned. Just don’t break it, you often learn this the hard way.

I personally trust the people I talk to most and that I’ve been able to create strong friendships with– Bryan, Noah, Solange, Junior… to name a few. I think all my current friendships are probably the best ones I’ve ever had on xat. My friends and the people I work together with are one of the reasons why I’m still around.

What is the best year you spent on xat?

As much as I want to say the nostalgic 2011-2012 years, I have to say this one. I enjoy most people who I talk to on a daily/weekly basis. I finally have everything intact without any distractions or negativity in the way. Coming on xat at such a young age, it was hard to transition to what I really wanted on xat due to any sort of past reputation.

Have you ever met someone from xat in real life?

No, I once had plans with somebody, however they never worked out. I would love to meet a few people when the timing is right though.

How long do you think you will stay on xat?

I have no idea. Maybe soon, maybe not. I honestly feel like recently I’ve really grown out of it. My friends are keeping me going for now. Once I can no longer find balance with my real life and xat, it will likely be the time for me to leave. I have far bigger plans than xat, although it will always have a special place in my heart.

Who is your role model on xat?

I’ve always looked up to many people – Christina and Cupim for example. As for right now, I think I’m my own role model. I highly suggest everyone to read this Forbes article about earning your own respect.

Where do you see the future of xat?

Hopefully with decent HTML5 and mobile platforms. There’s still a lot of work to be done and the clock is ticking. xat really needs to find unique features and value in order to thrive. The design and user experience of their platforms is also key.

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

What is your favourite power or smiley?

Good grief! Too many. Smiley power wise it would probably be between diva, accessory or classic.

Is it true you suggested accessory power?

For the most part, yes. I really wanted a smiley power that allowed for a lot of customization and usage on various other smileys. I pitched my idea to Mike and he made it a reality. I’m proud that the power received many amazing reviews on the forum.

What is your favourite chat?

Help. I’ve been going there for a long time and it just feels like my home. I love helping and meeting people at the same time.

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

Probably my 2011-2012 Club Penguin chat days. Those chats were bopping!

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

You were added to the team of wiki editors recently. Was it a goal for you to become a wiki editor? How did that happen?

No, not really. It kind of relates to what I’m studying so I guess it’s fine. I probably got it from submitting edit requests over the years whenever I was bothered that something was wrong or missing.

What do you think of the xat wiki?

If you want an honest answer, I don’t like it. Is the wiki a useful resource? Sure it is. Is it engaging, easy to navigate and pleasing to the eyes? Not really. It would probably be a lot better if it was designed as a website in itself and not a Wikipedia.

It’s literally 2019 and it relies on MediaWiki software that looks super outdated. I dislike the layout of most pages and the content often overlaps or it’s written redundantly. Nobody on xat wants to read a long article full of text to get to a specific piece of information. It’s actually proven that users only read about 20–28% of the content on a given page.

I think it’s hard for the wiki to remain consistent when you have so many people with different writing styles. That being said, it’d be nice to have some sort of guidelines to improve consistency such as linking hyperlinks that are descriptive and concise. I feel like such a nerd when I talk about web content writing so I’ll just stop there.

You might be asking yourself “Why is she on the wiki team when she doesn’t like it?” Well, quite frankly, when you dislike something, you’re more likely to be vocal about it and suggest new changes.

You are also part of the Contributors’ group. When did you become a Contributor? Was it a goal for you to become a Contributor?

I joined almost half a year ago. It was a goal in the sense that I was frustrated and felt I deserved a bit of recognition. I’m not saying I really want recognition, but for the situation that I was in, it was about time.

What are your opinions on the Contributors group?

It’s nothing too special. I understand the purpose of it, however I still think the group needs enhancements.

You are also a Help owner! We would like to know more about your career on Help. When and how did you first become a Help moderator?

Come on, Solange. What kind of question is this??? I became a Help moderator through helping people (duh!). It was some time in 2014 when Spell/Jesse were the mains.

You are also a Trade moderator. Would you like to talk about your experience there?

I’ve been a part of trade since around 2015 when Christina was still main owner. I really love the people there, they’re all so sweet (except Bryan! :D)

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

Be kind.

Thank u, next!