Neomail Etiquette: Part II by leb388 |  |
AIR FAERIE CLOUD - All right, so after reading Neomail Etiquette, now you know
how to send and reply to feedback mail. But what if you just want to send a
letter to someone who isn't famous? What do you say? What do you do when someone
Neomails you out of the blue? And how do you use other features of Neomail,
such as folders, your diary, and Neofriends?
Well, I've outlined everything for you, so read on.
Neomail
As a summary of my last article, Neomail is mail you can send only to other
users of Neopets. It's very similar to e-mail, but there are a few exceptions.
For example, you only have to know someone's username to Neomail them, and there's
no "@neopets.com" needed. You can also Neofriend and block users, something
you can't do in most e-mail programs.
I. Neomailing to "Common" Users
It's the commonfolk that keep Neopia running. After all, not everyone on Neopets
is famous (not even me!)--I estimate that out of about 15 million active users,
only about 100 or so fit the title of being "famous." So if you're not Neomailing
someone to congratulate them--what can you Neomail them for? Well, you can Neomail
someone with the same interests as you (same species of pets, like the same
genre of writing, are both good at drawing) even if they aren't famous. You
can Neomail someone you spotted on the chat boards, or to send a simple hello
to a new member of your guild. Neomail has a wide range of purposes--but to
use it properly, you have to know a few things.
- Always check a person's userlookup before you Neomail them. They may specify
if they don't want one of the Four Frustrations: Battledome requests, guild
invitations, Neofriend requests, and even all Neomail. Also, if you're under
13, you can't send or receive Neomail unless your parents sign a release form.
- If you just want to send someone a simple Neomail, you again have to view
their userlookup. Have they been on a year but don't have a single trophy?
Have they been on two or three months but don't have a shop yet? If so, they
may be inactive, and will probably not respond if you Neomail them.
- If they seem active, give them a quick Neomail explaining how you found
them, what you like about them, and a question (so you'll be more likely to
get a response). For example: "Hi, my name's Lebki, and I noticed that you
have a banner to one of your pet's pages in your shop. It looks awesome, and
I also like to draw. Have you ever entered the Picture Competition?" will
usually get your point across, and you can probably strike up a good conversation.
- If you have an insult or complaint to voice with the person, do so respectfully.
If they've been posting offensive material, don't even bother to Neomail them.
Instead, report them to abuse@neopets.com. If it's something else--like you
disagree with something they said--put it in a way you can calmly get across
to them and they can calmly reply to. Something like "You keep donating useless
Tombola items to the Money Tree--that's stupid and you shouldn't be allowed
to play Neopets!" is insulting, and they'll probably delete it without replying.
But something like "I've been trying to get something from the Money Tree
lately, and it's hard because you're donating mostly Tombola items. I know
you're not the only one, but would you be offended if I asked you to stop?"
isn't rude and is more likely to get an even-headed response.
- If you know someone in real life who plays Neopets, but haven't talked to
them in awhile, a simple "Hi! I haven't talked to you in awhile; what's up?"
is all you need to get a conversation going again.
II. Replying to a Neomail From Another "Common" Person
If you just got a Neomail, good or bad, how do you reply to it? As I said
before, anything especially insulting or offensive should be reported to abuse@neopets.com.
Other than that, refer to the following tips:
- Replying to "Polite" Mail
Always make an effort to reply to complimentary mail. Something as simple as
"Thanks--it's really cool that you like Aishas, too. Have you checked out my
web site at _?" is simple, and lets them know you appreciated the Neomail. It
also opens a window to more compliments and conversation on both sides.
If someone just sent you a Neomail that shows that they're clearly upset with
you, but isn't report-worthy, handle it in a calm manner. Something like "I
know my prices are too high in my shop--I've been away from Neopets for a week
or two and I haven't gotten around to lowering them yet. Sorry" is a great way
to humbly resolve a conflict.
Can't tell if someone's bashing you or admires you? This usually comes in the
case of "famous" people, but I can see where people featured in something like
the Neopets Merchandise Testimonials could be caught in this case. If someone
said to you, "I thought your Testimonial was good, but it could've been better,"
then what do you say? A good way to respond is a simple "OK, then. How do you
think I should improve my writing?" and it may even help you find ways improve.
Another way you could be caught in an iffy case would be if someone sent something
illegible. If you simply can't read what someone said, or just don't know what
to say, then don't feel like you have to respond. Just delete it.
II. Sending and Receiving Neofriend Requests
Neofriends are your buddies--you can see features of Neofriends, such as
their age, that others can't see. It's also sort of a "Buddy List"--it doesn't
keep track of when your friends last logged on or out, but it has all of their
names so you can remember them. Some people specify that they don't want Neofriend
request from strangers in their userlookups, so be sure to check.
My policy for Neofriend requests is that I don't send someone a request unless
I know them in real life or really well online. And even so, I give a Neomail
saying "Hi, what's up? Want to be Neofriends?" in advance. I accept all requests
from people who Neomail me first, but if someone sends a Neofriend request but
doesn't Neomail me at all, I feel like they want to be my friend without wanting
to get to know me, and I just refuse.
You may have different standards, and that's OK In fact, you can block all
Neofriend requests or only let your Neofriends Neomail you--or both at once,
if you want. Just go to the "Help" page, look for the "Change Password" icon,
and go to "Site Preferences."
Also, if someone's particularly bugging you and they can't take a hint, you
can always block them. They won't be able to Neomail or contact you at all on
Neopets.
III. Folders and Diaries--What Do They Do?
I all but overlooked these in my last article about Neomail, but many people
Neomailed me asking why I didn't include more about them or how to use those
features. So here you are:
Whenever you receive a Neomail, it goes straight to your Inbox folder. This
folder can't be deleted, but you can add new ones. For example, in the Neomail
section of the Neopets yellow sidebar, go to "Folders" and type in a name of
a folder--such as "Stuff." Then, from your Inbox, you can check off all the
Neomails you want moved to that folder, and select it from the dropdown menu
at the bottom of the page. Folders are pretty much for people who get a lot
of Neomail--at least one a week--and if you want to sort them out so you don't
have a lot of scrolling to do every time you get new Neomail.
Your Neodiary can be used for two things--tracking your progress on Neopets,
or as a sort of schedule for dates you need to remember, such as certain pet
days, Half-Price Days, or something like "Dentist appointment--Monday at 2:30."
You can use it for only your Neopian business, only your real-life needs, or
even both at the same time! It's accessible from the Neomail section of Neopets,
and the features and how to use it are pretty much self-explanatory: You enter
the note and/or date, and choose what picture you want to display with it.
IV. Conclusion
Well, I hope my article has helped you. If you have any questions or comments,
feel free to Neomail
me. Happy chatting! |
