GRISHNO.com

As the forums reach their 1,000th post I am starting to realize that they're in need of a pretty big overhaul.  There are a lot of sections that just aren't being used and even more sections that could be overhauled to be of better use and make information much more accessible and easy to sift through.

So my question to you gentle reader is this: What would you like to see on the forums?  Is there a specific section that you'd like to see?  Are there different features that you would use?

Let me know if the form of a comment and I will do what I can to make these forums something to be proud of.

This week I'd like to give a shout out to a member here at grishno.com, Emma. Her video was very well done and I hope to see much more great stuff on her channel.

That's right, I finally got a new poll up.  I realize that I've been slacking a bit on the weekly polls, but hopefully I can fix that and make that be a more regular/consistant thing.  In the mean time feel free to take the new poll about discrimination and review the results of last "months" poll.

Read more about these results after the break:

H: And now for the final part, i hope you could share a bit about yourself and your life.

7. I notice in your vlog you talk alot about your music or photography. I'd like to hear more about what kinda projects you have on the go and what other interests and talents you pursue. I also love when you just post videos of just playing around on the guitar. How is the band doing? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wPgEgRZ-1Y

Ah yes, music. I discovered a love for music when I was 13. As soon as I was 16 and could afford to buy an instrument, I was hooked for life! Photography too has been a keen interest of mine, but sadly as my health has been in decline its becoming harder and harder to carry the equipment that I need. I used to be a professional photographer and really enjoyed doing a lot of photography for the magazine that I used to run. Now its much more difficult for me and I feel like a small part of my career prospects have died along with it. Its not too bad I suppose as Im always a very busy body!

I really love to draw illustrations, particularly manga. I realise that its really difficult to break out into the professional world of illustration and I have my music, so for me its more of a hobby than anything serious. Of course, I do a lot of artwork for my bands promotional material and then it becomes serious, but I could never place drawing as more important than my music.

Im also a real geek when it comes to anything technical. I build or heavily modify a lot my musical instruments and Im also the sound technician and do all the recordings for my band. I have my own studio, which is in fact my bedroom. Its not for general commercial hire, but more for making the music that I make and sometimes for recording other artists. I used to be an avid gamer too although if I sit down to play computer games, I forget that I have a life with important things to do, so I try to keep myself active. Computer games are really, really fun, but its no substitute for real life! My Nintendo DS gets a decent workout though. I love my DS and find that I can pick it up whilst travelling or waiting for people and put it down when I please. Its great because it generally goes where I go and theres a tonne of great programs for it that make it fabulous for more than just games! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HqTGBZQkxc

I love making videos (of course) and if I had more time, money and better equipment, I'd seriously consider making much better Youtube videos!   I tend to spread myself a little thinly sometimes over these things because my music and Japanese studies take up so much of my time. But I find at least that a lot of my hobbies tend to lend themselves towards inspiring me with my music or learning Japanese. Oh, and as much as Im sometimes shy to admit it, Im also a real anime and manga geek. I tend to stick to the really dark stuff. Or the really girly drama ones: Im a sucker for a good, tear-jerking romance!

Catch the last couple questions after the break.

And now the thrilling continuation of yesterdays Almost Famous - Part 1 and Hollys interview with MercuryNeedle.  Part 3 (the final part) will be coming tomorrow, so look forward to that.

4. What do you think the trans community would be like if it wasn't for youtube?

The trans community without youtube? Thats a difficult one. Ive met a lot of trans people both in person and online and often I find theres little crossover with the various online communities. In person can be really difficult too as many trans people dont want to be noticed as being trans.

Forums and BBSs are great places for transgendered people looking to remain anonymous and those hoping to explore their transition safely. Youtube is very interesting because it cuts a fine line between an internet safe-space and a loss of anonymity. People cant physically harm you on Youtube, but they can know your face and your voice which adds a much more personal interaction from the perspective of the people in the video. It gives you a chance to be heard and to be listened to. You dont get that kind of intimacy with forums, but you reveal a very personal part of your identity. Personally, weighing the advantages and the disadvantages, I find myself enamoured with the idea.

The Youtube trans community is mostly really positive and a great way to find support for those who have none or close to in their area. Its a fairly unstructured community too and it can be quite a joy to keep discovering new people and videos that youve never seen before. You really dont know what one video to the next are going to bring by following related video links, so its really exciting. You can obviously find out specific information too, which is great.

The open, unstructured nature of the Youtube community is a really positive thing and without it I think people within the global trans community would be more bottlenecked into smaller communities with less eclectic ideas on transition, gender politics, etc. The Youtube community really lends itself to new thoughts and I think thats nothing short of progression for the wider communities. And progress is usually powerful, especially in the hands of an uncensored and vocal minority.

Find out more after the break as we delve deeper into topics of international importants (seriously).