In the fast-paced world of Ingress, where the need for information is crucial, there’s one channel that stands tall for the UK Resistance: Home Guard. Misseff and LewisB, its dedicated runners, share the story behind the channel, highlighting its importance in keeping Resistance informed and united in their battle.
Disclaimer: In the spirit of Home Guard we will be using emojis in the article. We apologize in advance.
A Journey of Resistance
Before we jump into the story of Home Guard, let’s get to know Lina (Misseff) and Lewis a bit more. 👨🦳👵 Both seasoned veterans in the game, they’ve persevered since its early days
A year one 2013 closed beta invite joiner, I read an early article or something on social media, joined the waiting list, kinda forgot all about it until the email came through weeks later – I’m not much of a day to day player grinding the AP, took ages to get to lvl16 first time round, back on the lvl15 grind to 16 – #Forever15 – I’m more about anomalies, fields, events and socials
Lewis
While Lina’s story into the Resistance could very quickly have turned out differently 😱.
I started playing at the end of the second year, so latter part of 2014. I was introduced by an Enl agent and was expected to choose the green side, but I much preferred the Resistance description and so a new smurfling was born, much to the dismay of my friend when they saw my beautiful blue scanner 😇
Lina
Defining Home Guard
Home Guard isn’t just a channel; it’s a community hub dedicated to spreading news, fostering community, and organizing events for the UK Resistance. Misseff and LewisB pride themselves on infusing their broadcasts with a touch of humor (and a lot of emojis!), making Home guard a unique and engaging space for Resistance agents.
We like to be a little different in having giveaways, and competitions and always try to support the extended global Resistance family with special events such as anomalies and Res event days too.💙
Lina
Originally established in 2016 to support Resistance efforts during the Birmingham Anomaly, Home guard quickly evolved into a cornerstone of the UK Ingress community. When the reins were passed to Misseff and LewisB, they recognized the vital role Home Guard played and vowed to keep the flame burning. 🔥🔥🔥
Crafting News for the Community
🤓 The duo shares insights into their collaborative process of creating and delivering news content. From receiving information through various channels to working together on post creation, every aspect is a labor of love aimed at keeping the community informed and engaged.
We receive information content mainly via our channel bot @HomeGuardRESbot, private messages and through cell or national channels.
Lina
We work together often, sometimes a post needs to be put together really quickly so one will work on graphic and another on text, then we come back together quick review then it’s go go go!
It’s a real collaborative effort, back and forth, re-crafting things, although one person may post something it’s often been tweaked by us both.
Lewis
Impact on the Community
💙 Misseff was already busy with many administrative roles across different Resistance platforms, like managing events and being part of previous anomaly organization, so she was used to people reaching out. But for LewisB, it was a new experience.
I think I wouldn’t be so involved in the community without the Home Guard platform. I think my evolvement in HG has allowed me to be more involved in other places – for example mine and Lina’s participation in the Brighton orga team.
Lewis
Running Home Guard has not only enriched Misseff and LewisB own Ingress experience but has also served as a catalyst for community engagement and collaboration. By showcasing the achievements of fellow agents and keeping everyone informed ℹ️, Home Guard fosters a sense of unity among UK Ingress players.
With a busier and faster paced world we all need little reminders about what’s going on. That’s where we come in, if there’s a Niantic or UK led event then we have it covered. Which helps with bringing more remote, isolated and even returning older players into their wider community
Lina
Unique Offerings: Weekly Competitions
🏆 One of Home Guard’s standout features is its weekly competitions, offering agents a chance to showcase their skills. From Double AP 2sdays to UKRES collaborations, these competitions add an extra layer of excitement to regular gameplay.
I was originally brought in during Belfast Anomaly when helping to create and run competitions for RES attendees via our g+.
Lina
Lewis saw an opportunity to renew the challenges with Double AP Tuesday, like all new changes it started off with a small following but built momentum and is ticking along very nicely now with new contenders joining every week
They have now also included an international Halloween 🎃 competition and a special month long collaboration with the UKRES community.
Memorable Moments
🕰 Talking about their favorite moments, one highlight that stands out was bringing the Brighton Echo anomaly mascot, Bob, to life. The lovable seagull with the catchphrase “take their chips” has become a recognizable figure in the anomaly scene.
People are still sharing images of seagulls with just ‘Bob’ as the caption.
Lina
To help have that impact is very rewarding!
🏅Also reaching 500 subscribers was a huge milestone!
500 was a big moment for us! Another memory was when we were finishing Brighton anomaly, completely spent of weapons and energy. Taking not the best way to the post party up and then down a hill, Lina with a nasty blister struggling to walk and me desperate for the toilet seeing the results refresh on the ingress website and seeing we’d won desperately crafting the HG announcement to trying to be the first to post!
Lewis
🌎 To those considering starting their own news channel, Misseff and LewisB offer words of encouragement: persevere, stay committed, and above all, be willing to embrace feedback and adapt to the needs of your audience!
As for the future of Home Guard, Misseff and LewisB have ambitious plans for the channel, not only creating more emojis 😅😆, but also expanding its reach, hosting more competitions, and enhancing community engagement.
While world domination remains a tongue-in-cheek goal, their dedication to empowering the Resistance community knows no bounds!
