LIKE A BOSS
Wanye
July 20 2011 03:09PM
You may be shocked to learn this, but since the departure of bingofuel there has been very little in the way of adult supervision around Nation Central Command. The writers continue to write, the radio continues to radio and thankfully the advertisers continue to pay their bills.
But your ol’ pal Wanye can’t very well be counted on to be “on the ball” or “awake prior to noon.” It just doesn’t work that way. We are far too concerned about Angry Birds RIO HD releasing the next 2 levels or the fact that HMV hasn’t carried any of Gucci Mane’s last three mixtapes to be any sort of help on a regular basis.
And this was starting to be a problem – until the heroic Kent Wilson stepped up to the plate. Under his watchful eye, FlamesNation has grown 16 fold in 16 months and CanucksArmy has been upgraded from “dead” to “very much alive.” TheLeafsNation has seen traction from the start and continues to grow and recently JetsNation had the highest launch of any of the Nation Network sites.
This ain’t your ol’ pal Wanye doing much of much. This is all Kent Wilson being everywhere all at once – and getting it done 24/7.
And getting it done is the name of the game going into this 2011-12 season. There are grand plans for the Nation Network if we can ever get our act together. GRAND plans indeed. We are in 5 Canadian Cities now and are redeveloping NHLNumbers.com for the second time in the past year. The radio show is going to hopefully grow and we have a secret plan being developed in the most underground part of Laboratory Complex C that will take years to come to light if it is even possible in the first place.
There are many miles to go before we can sell out, mail it in and put the glory years of the network in the rear view mirror as it turns into a forum for the hardcore fans of the Klingon Chess Association.
THE PLAN
Yes, there are still a great many things to be done on the Nation Network business plan.
Currently this plan is merely the word “KILL” written in lipstick on a napkin and stapled to the wall over the computer in Wanye Manor. But with the addition of Kent Wilson as the editor of the Nation Network, we will now have the brain power and chemical engineering needed to turn this napkin into a proper plan and then turn that plan into something being killed.
THE INTERVIEW
To capture the historic rise to power of the Editor of the Nation Network we emailed our new boss a couple of respectfully worded questions.
Wanye: Lay your biography out for those of us who are unfamiliar with your gunslingery please Sir.
Kent: I began writing about the Flames at the start of the 2005 season, mostly as a hobby. I wrote about 1,000 articles between 2005 and 2010 at my home site of fivehole fanatics. I eventually began picking up freelance work as well, including a couple of years at fanball.com providing fantasy analysis as well as Hockey's Future covering the Flames prospects.
In 2009, I was approached by Sports Blog Nation to establish and manage their Flames site, Matchsticks and Gasoline. A year or so down the road, our own irrepressible Wanye managed to convince me to leave the site I had so carefully built for SBN to take over Flamesnation. He plied me with wine, women and psychedelic mind-control agents. He also threatened to decapitate my prize race horse. Offers that couldn't be refused, clearly.
I've been annoying my co-bloggers and angering Flames fans at FN ever since.
I also currently contribute to both Hockey Prospectus.com and The Score blog "Houses of the Hockey", but the Nations is my true home.
Wanye: How does it feel to be in control of the Nation Network after your bloodless coup?
A bit like herding cats. In the dark. And some of the cats don't care for me very much.
Wanye: What are the plans of the new regime?
To grow things rapidly and aggressively. Think Genghis Kahn. Also, to give the same sort opportunities to aspiring writers that have been afforded me through the Nations. Finally, in the far-flung future, I would like to grasp total power over the company by leading a bloody insurrection over the current ownersh...err wait. You should probably ignore that last one.
There you have it. All Hail the new overlord.
Congrats, you magnificent bastard.
congrats to mr wilson!
dear jebus wanye you let a calgarian take charge....ooooh myyyy lord!
*sets hair on fire and runs away screaming mommy*
Congrats Kent - absolutely fantastic choice to have you run the big ship.
Effective immediately: ALL OILERS FANS ARE BANNED.
Also, thanks everyone.
Wilson's CorsiRel is going to take a hit but he should he better on the powerplay. Did we sign him before giving him the new position? He doesn't get the big office does he? DOES HE?
Right on Kent! CRUSH IT. And remember that Wanye is harmless. I used to placate him with empty bottles of scotch right across the jaw.
Also, does this mean he's going to refuse interviews on the Nation Radio show like lots of Nation writers? Does it? DOES IT?
Can we pool the vast number of contributors at the Nations sites (who cover 5 Canadian teams) to collectively cover the one playoff team this spring?
What's your thought on this, Kent?
...
lol. I call "Dennis Kearns: HHOF?" article. :-)
YES!!!!!!!!!!! BAN 'EM ALL!!!!
oh wait. they're the only ones who comment.
Congrats to you, fearless leader. You're keeping things running hot.
Required:
#1 - create a negative props button for this comment only!
#2 - Congrats
#3 - Goilers
#4 - Prepare Tim Erixon Hall Of Fame Article
Congrats. When did they start educating Flames Fans?
Wanye... who's
gonna keep screwing upbe in charge of things like posting the nationradio on a timely basis or tweaking the websiteGooeeyGUI?Congrats Kent.
Does this mean my comments about Glen X being an overpay by the Flamers are going to be deleted now?
Does this mean I can look forward to a form of payment other than little Lego men with "OILERZ!" marked on them in felt?
(Not that I don't love those, Wanye.)
Congrats, Kent. You'll do a great job.
BITE YOUR TONGUE!
Stu MacGregor is the only magnificent bastard around here.
Yes, we do comment a lot, but I have to say I love the fact that we hockey fans have an outlet where we can read up-to-date articles about our favorite teams, vent and generally annoy one another.
Congrats Kent, keep the great articles coming you guys and most of all... GO OIL!
P.S. If Willis doesn't want those Lego men with OILERZ written on them, I will take them.
Being Honest... I'm scared sh*tless that someone from southern Alberta and a fan of the Fl*mes is now running the show.
**curles up in fetal position
*** let it be know that July 20th,2011 was the day SHMcSteeley started smoking Meth
Here's an idea. I'd implement it myself - as I'm a web software guy - but I'm far too lazy.
On game days, we all tend to follow games and post comments in the GDB posts in realtime. Hall scores a hat-trick? A Canucks player dives through the ice? A Flames forward suffers a heart attack from old age? We want to talk about it; and the only place to talk about it (on the Nation Network at least) is in the comments of the blog posts (usually the GDB).
This is not elegant.
Yous guys could create a message board forum. But it'd probably suck like the one that rhymes with "Fakish whores". Or maybe a live chat? But those suck too. I don't know. But I want something. Perhaps something that integrates with Twitter since fans are increasingly using that as a platform for game day rants/discussion. I don't know. But I'd use it.
Started? When did you stop?
@Muji 狗
We're investigating elegant solutions for just this issue as we speak...err, type.
If I've learnt anything from my time in prison* then it's that the new guy has to assert his power and kick the snot out of the toughest guy in the cell block. Brownlee awaits.
*By prison I of course mean the concourse of the Vancouver Airport between domestic arrivals and international departures. I did some serious time in that place, but I gained my GED and learned some hard earned life lessons.
@Soft Hands McSteeley - FIST Movement
How is the Smytty mullet coming?
And right off the bat Kent shows why it's good to be King!
Kent in the spirit of all that is Calgary lately, did you get a NMC?
Going to get its first shaping on Friday, have a work trip coming up and I need to find a way to make it look respectable without sacrificing any length from the back.
#79daysuntilopeningnight
#79mulletgrowingdays
@Vintage Flame
Didn't need it. No one would accept my contract in a trade anyways.
July 18th, 2011..... BUT THATS NOT THE POINT!
#flamessuck
#southernalbertaingeneralistaintedgoods
Pfft, I don't take guff from Oilers fans who work in the same office as mike_H.
You guys are responsible for NHLnumbers? Someone want to explain me why my realtor is slated to earn more than Karl Alzner in '12-'13?
so how long before sh*t really hits the fan in this comment section? Flames fans and Oilers fans commenting on the same article = fight to the death.
a twitter one would be awesome. very ahead of the curve compared to other sites.
how about a mobile site for the nations as well?
@Justin Azevedo
Will I be getting that bag of flaming dog poop previously threatened?
Yes.
Wow! Have been waiting to read an article all day and this is what you write! What a pointless article!
I'm not saying, but i'm just going to say.
~Red is the color of infection, we don't need no good fer nuffin Flames fan shutting down the liquor meters on a moments notice. Impeach Wilson and atleast appoint an overlord from Red Deer.~
Sweet. Retribution will be swift and severe.
You mean: Canuck fans.
There. That's better.
Habs Nation???
agreed, although aren't there only about 10 real canuck fans out there. the other thousands we shall see and hear (so so unfortunate) around late spring early summer.
by the way: everything not oilers...SUCKS!
Does this mean I have to change my name to "Wilsons bastard child" now?
This is a well-deserved promotion. Kent, I only discovered your writing at the beginning of the year and I've been thoroughly impressed. It's nice to read objective and intellectual thoughts on the Flames (that is very rare in the world of Calgary media).
Congratulations.
I for one welcome our Calgary overlords.
Wow!first day on the job and look at all the anarchy on the site.must be from cowtown.
Call a sex line (like a boss)
Cry deeply (like a boss)
Demand a refund (like a boss)
I prefer the Lonely Island version of "like a Boss"
The Flames-Oilers conversations this summer would have been a lot more fun if Calgary hadn't traded Ales Kotalik for Paul Bunyon.
your first order of business: getting a new g**d*** platform for us to converse on. i love kent wilson but seriously guys, this brand of commenting can be improved thousandfold.
ohyeah, and ENORMOUS congrats my friend. nobody deserves it more.
next stop: flames front office.
EVERYTHING IS HAPPENING!
Well, someone had to say it.
Congrats Kent, I'm stoked to be a part of it!
Congrats to you Kent
Multiple props would be nice
The Flamers still suck.
...5-7-5, get used to it Kent.
On a brighter note.....
SMYTTY SIGHTING
I was golfing with 2 buds this week, and 2 of us shot 94*
*NO MULLIES, that's cheating
You will have to check my website www.realtornumbers.com or if your realtor is Canadian www.realtornumbers.ca.
Smyth leaves: Birth of Oilers Nation.
Smyth comes back: The Nation is now in 5 Canadian cities.
Rad.