I have two major announcements today. I’m ending the Tycoon Mania series and shifting the entire channel’s focus to a brand-new theme. I also have a critical message about the future of the Swagnilla Ice community website. Please watch the entire video to understand what’s next for the channel.
Tag Archives: community
Episode 56: Hidden Addictions
In this week’s deeply personal episode, Swagnilla Ice explores the quiet struggle of hidden addictions, from a lack of societal support to the challenge of breaking free. Sharing his own courageous story and faith-based battle plan, he offers a powerful message of hope and community, reminding listeners that the church is a hospital for sinners, not a home for saints.
Why You Should Join the Swagnilla Ice Community
I started Swagnilla Ice to create a fun, engaging space for everyone who is above the age of thirteen (13). While you might be here for our shop or the creative content, becoming a member of our community gives you so much more.
Everyone who joins starts as a Free Member when you sign up via BuddyPress. This tier is completely free and gives you basic access to our site, which includes comment posting and basic forum privileges. This tier is supported by ads. It’s important to know that these aren’t third-party ads. The ads displayed on Swagnilla Ice are paid for by other members of the community and are controlled by the same staff that produces our content and moderates the community. From there, you can choose to upgrade to a paid tier at any time to unlock more features and support what I’m building.
I believe in the power of public discussion. By keeping all conversations in our community forums and in the comments, I have created a secure and transparent space for everyone to connect and share ideas. This approach is especially important for protecting our younger members. No one can hide behind a private message, because there are no private messages.
Upgrade Your Experience
- Tip Jar Member: For just $1 a month, you can become a Tip Jar member. You’ll still have ads, but you get to show your support for me and the community. As a thank you, I’ll place a sign with your name or username in my public Minecraft worlds!
- Full Member: For $5 a month, you’ll get the full Swagnilla Ice experience. This tier removes all ads from your Browse, gives you full access to all exclusive content, and includes a sign in my public Minecraft worlds.
Beyond the Tiers
As a member, you’ll also get access to other valuable features, including our shop, where you can buy exclusive merchandise and impressions packages to advertise your own projects. Additionally, if you’re a member in good standing, you could be selected for the extremely rare and prestigious Northern Lights Tier. This is a free, invitation-only tier I hand out once a year to 0-2 members on June 1st to recognize their outstanding contributions to the community.
Becoming a member is the best way to get the most out of Swagnilla Ice. Whether you’re here to browse, support me, or advertise your own content, it all starts with a free membership.
A Promise to Our Swagnilla Ice Community: Maintaining Control, Ensuring Quality
Hey everyone,
I’m writing this post today to talk about something really important to me, and I believe, to all of you who are part of the Swagnilla Ice community.
Lately, there’s been a lot of discussion in the creator world about online channels being acquired by larger equity firms. As I’ve seen these conversations unfold, it’s made me think deeply about the future of Swagnilla Ice and what truly matters to us all.
And that’s why I want to make a clear promise to you: I will never sell Swagnilla Ice in a way that would cause me to lose creative control or quality control over our content.
What does this mean for you? It means that the unique voice, the dedication to quality, and the community-first approach you’ve come to expect from Swagnilla Ice will always remain our top priority. We won’t sacrifice the integrity of our content for external pressures. My vision for Swagnilla Ice has always been to create something special and authentic, and that vision is directly tied to being able to steer the ship and ensure every piece of content meets our standards.
This commitment extends to everything we do, from our free content to our member-exclusive experiences. Our Free Member, Tip Jar Member, and Full Member tiers exist because we want to offer various ways to engage with Swagnilla Ice, all while maintaining the high quality you deserve. And of course, the incredibly rare Northern Lights Tier is a testament to the special bond we share with our most dedicated community members.
This promise is about safeguarding the heart of Swagnilla Ice. It’s about ensuring that we continue to grow and evolve on our own terms, always with your experience and our shared passion at the forefront.
Thank you for being such an incredible community. Your support is what makes all of this possible, and I’m excited for everything we’ll continue to build together.
Consider becoming a member today (it’s completely free with optional paid upgrades) and let me know in the comments what you think about this!
Gradually Embedding My YouTube Content Here
I’I’m excited to announce that I’m gradually embedding my YouTube content here for everyone to enjoy, and you don’t need to be a member to watch any of it (at least for now). I’ve planned out a schedule to make this process smooth and engaging for you all.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Daily Episodes: I’ll be embedding five episodes per day.
- Current Series: I’ll start by finishing the embedding of Swag’s Mini Peaceful Pack, as that series is already halfway done.
- Classic Seasons: After that, I’ll move on to the first seasons of Banished and Factorio.
- Current Seasons: Once those are caught up, I’ll start adding new episodes as I post them to YouTube.
- Creative Engineering: Following that, I’ll embed the first season of Creative Engineering, which currently has 24 episodes. After that, I’ll resume work on that series.
- Special Releases: I might also release Creative Engineering as a beta modpack for my Full Members and VIP Members. If I do, I’ll start releasing world downloads for them every twenty-fifth episode. However, I don’t anticipate this series reaching one hundred episodes.
- Other Series: After Creative Engineering is embedded here, I’ll work to embed the rest of my content from oldest to youngest, including my tech series, Swag’s Computers.
I hope this update convinces you to join our community and enjoy not only the embedded content but also our awesome forums and podcast, in addition to these blog posts. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!
The Site Has Been Moved
I have great news to share with you all today! My blog has undergone a significant transformation and is now a full-fledged community website. This means you can join, start posting comments, and participate in the forums (as long as you follow the posted rules). While there is still some work to be done to make everything perfect, I am excited to share this milestone with you.
In today’s post, I want to walk you through the changes, explain what you can expect, and provide some insights into the ongoing development. Stay tuned for more updates and feel free to dive in and start contributing to our growing community!
One area where I still need your help is completing the legal pages for the community and addressing the various issues surrounding them. I previously mentioned some of the challenges I’ve been facing in this post. Rest assured, I am actively working on these pages and will keep you updated. Once they are finalized and posted, I will share a dedicated post to inform you of the updates.
I haven’t added the arcades yet because I want them to be fully functional when they go live, and that requires some financial investment. The same applies to other features such as advertising (ensuring Full Members and VIP Members remain ad-free), implementing a “pay what you want” membership model, and adding video hosting and live streams via Vimeo. I am working on embedding my existing YouTube series into the website, but this will take some time—this year marks three years of posting videos on YouTube.
I welcome suggestions for other features you would like to see. Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments of this post or in the appropriate forum.
In summary, the transformation of my blog into a community website is an exciting step forward, and I am thrilled to have you all join me on this journey. While there are still some areas that need attention, such as the legal pages and additional features, I am committed to making this community the best it can be.
I invite you to explore the new features, share your thoughts, and contribute to our growing community. Your feedback and suggestions are invaluable, so please don’t hesitate to post in the comments or the forums. Together, we can build a vibrant and engaging community.
Thank you for your support, and I look forward to seeing you all around the site!
Starting to make changes…
I’m starting to make changes to how my blog looks in preparation of turning it into a community website when I get the money I’ve been waiting for (and I’m annoyed that it’s still not been deposited in my bank account). I’ve got all the necessary plugins downloaded already, so I figured I would start work on the changes the site will need to transition to a community website from its current status as my blog. (BTW, I have not written this post or designed any of new pages with the help of AI.)
I’ve also separated my podcast episodes from the main blog posts like this one, as well as the videos. I won’t add my YouTube series videos here until I have the series plugin added when I have a paid hosted site elsewhere, to make it easier for you to find each episode.
Swag Answers Questions
Level Up Your Status: How VIPs Will Shape Our Community’s Future
Greetings everyone! I have something quite exciting to introduce to you today: a new rank on Discord that will later transition to the community website when I shut down the Discord server and Fourthwall store in favor of the community website’s features. This rank is called VIP and you should know what that stands for already, but for those new to the acronym it means Very Important Person. Later in this post, I’ll explain how you can get this rank for yourself (but it’s not easy!).
On the Discord server, VIP status lets you stand out with a colored nickname and an exclusive VIP tag when online. But the true power of VIP comes from free access to the Supporters Area—a space packed with exciting perks! Inside, VIPs can enjoy private chats, behind-the-scenes livestreams (once I have enough Full Members consistently), interactive Q&A sessions via Stages, exclusive images, and polls. And if you’re a gamer, there’s something extra: early access to beta versions of the Minecraft modpacks I’m developing—giving you the chance to explore new content before anyone else.
One of the goals for the community website is to expand the VIP experience, offering even more perks—including exclusive discounts. While the Fourthwall store doesn’t currently support free ranks, moving to our own platform will unlock new possibilities!
When the transition happens, VIPs will retain all their existing benefits—but to keep your status, you’ll need to verify your identity on your new community website profile. On top of the previous perks, VIPs will receive special discounts on most shop items (except memberships—sorry, no one gets a discount on those, even as gifts!). The VIP discount will be slightly higher than Full Members’, giving you even more savings.
But that’s not all! VIPs will also get exclusive arcade tournaments to compete in, along with other future perks still in the works. Keep an eye on the community website’s blog section (which this blog will transition into) for updates as new benefits roll out!
You might be eager to grab VIP status for yourself—but hold your horses! This isn’t just handed out—it’s earned. If you want the prestige and perks that come with VIP, you’ll need to actively contribute to the community.
For now, I’ll personally be awarding this rank on Discord to those who consistently engage—whether it’s posting regularly, participating in discussions, or interacting with my YouTube channel through comments and community posts (yes, I do check if you’re subscribed!).
Once we transition to the community website, a dedicated committee within the company I’m founding will take over the process, granting VIP status once a year while revoking it for serious violations of community standards.
So what does being active really mean? It’s all about consistent participation—whether it’s chatting on Discord, commenting on videos, engaging with blog posts, or making meaningful contributions to discussions.
So if you really want VIP status and all the perks that come with it, start engaging now—earn it through genuine participation and become part of something exclusive!
From Faith to Food Banks: The Charities That Make a Difference
Greetings, everyone, and thank you for taking the time to read today’s blog post about my favorite charities. In this post, I’ll be dividing them into three main categories: Religious, Health, and Animal charities. In each section, I’ll explain why I choose to support these organizations, and I’ll include a link to their CanadaHelps page so you can donate if you’d like to support them as well.
I’d like to begin with my favorite religious charities. As a Roman Catholic, I support various institutions that guide the faithful both locally and nationally. The first one is my local parish, The Catholic Parish of St. Joseph’s Cathedral (St. Joseph’s Basilica). This is the church I attend for weekly Mass and occasionally on week days. It also serves as the main church of the Archbishop and Metropolitan of Edmonton, which is why it is designated as a Cathedral. Additionally, it holds the status of a Minor Basilica. If you’d like a refresher on the difference between a Minor and Major Basilica, I covered that in a past episode of my podcast—so be sure to check that out!
Another religious charity I’m proud to support is the National Catholic Broadcasting Council. This organization ensures that Catholic Mass is broadcast for those who are unable to attend in person. I’ve personally been blessed by their work—especially during times when I was sick and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Supporting them is the least I can do to show my gratitude for the comfort they provided!
When it comes to health charities, I’m especially passionate about supporting organizations that provide essential resources, fund research, and raise public awareness about health issues. One such organization is Diabetes Canada. While I don’t have diabetes myself, I know people who do, and given my family medical history, it’s something I need to be mindful of. Supporting research and awareness efforts to improve treatment and prevention is a cause I’m more than willing to stand behind!
Movember Canada is another health charity I’m proud to support. Every November, I dedicate time to raising funds for their cause—something I’ve been committed to for the past eleven years. This organization focuses on improving men’s health, both physically and mentally. Having faced my own mental health challenges, I know firsthand how important it is to spread awareness and work toward preventing male suicide. Additionally, Movember funds vital research for male-specific diseases such as prostate and testicular cancer, making their mission even more significant to me.
The final health-related charity might not seem like a traditional health organization, but for me, it has been an absolute lifesaver: Edmonton’s Food Bank. There have been times when I’ve worried about my next meal, and the free groceries I’ve received through their programs have been a huge help. Beyond just food, their Beyond Food program provides training and support to help people secure good jobs. Without the generosity of this organization, I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through the past few years when I was without steady work. My support for them is more than gratitude—it’s a commitment to ensuring others have the same lifeline I did.
The final charity I love to support is The Valley Zoo Development Society. As an animal lover, I want what’s best for them, and this society plays a vital role in improving my local zoo by funding enhancements for the animals that live there. They even offer fun merchandise featuring various animals—I’m hoping to get a Meerkat plushie for myself one day! I’ve enjoyed many trips to the zoo, and knowing that my support helps create new experiences for future visits makes it even more rewarding.
Supporting charities is more than just giving—it’s about making a difference in the lives of others, whether through faith-based guidance, life-saving health initiatives, or improving the world for the animals we love. The organizations I’ve shared today have personally impacted my life, and I hope they inspire you too.
Even if you’re not in a position to donate, simply visiting their pages, learning about their missions, and spreading the word can make a huge impact. Every small action helps create a better, more compassionate world.
So, take a moment to explore the links provided and see if any of these causes resonate with you—you might just find a new charity to support!