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Exploring the Guild Chat { For Beginners }


by bluemadam

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When looking for a guild, of course one place comes to mind immediately - the guild board (commonly known as the gc). Well here are some hints and tips from a very experienced guild owner that'll help you find the perfect guild and help you understand the gc!

First, let me familiarize you with the gc terms! (: When someone is looking for a guild, they are usually referred to as a 'guildless' Neopian. Guildless Neopians either look through guild advertising boards, or they make one of their own. Whether you are making your own board or looking though others, it's important to understand what the following words mean, so here I composed a list of common gc words that usually describe a guild.

Literacy - the ability to read and write, basically how strict a guild is on your spelling and grammar.

Some guilds are fully literate (meaning they are quite strict and don't tolerate chatspeak), but most guilds are semi-literate which means they are more laid back, but avoid using chatspeak (such as thanx instead of thanks), and there are guilds that have no literacy requirements, so you can chatspeak and do anything you'd like. Be sure to read the rules of your guild to find out, although most guilds mention this in the first post of their advertisement. Be careful - some guilds (though very few) don't allow the use of smileys or repeated messages. What does literacy say about a guild? It usually established the atmosphere and highlights the target age category. Literate guilds are usually intended for more meaningful chats and are targeting the older audience while non-literate guilds are more playful and have a 'phone texting' atmosphere and target the younger audience.

Theme - there are many themes, but most guilds are neorelated. Neorelated (NR) guilds are based around neopets, although its common that people chat about their regular lives, but basically it means that the activities and layouts are neo-based. The next two biggest categories are roleplaying (RP) guilds and movie/book themed guilds like Harry Potter (HP) and The Hunger Games (THG). These guilds have their activities and discussions based around their specific theme, rather than neopets in general. There are also themeless and chat based guilds, which are exactly what they sound like, they have no theme. They are very laid back on what you discuss and can be a good choice if you are a newbie to the gc! There are many other unique themes, but you'll just have to explore and see what you are interested in.

Guild Age - most guilds are divided into two categories: established & new. Established guilds are more than a few months old, some even several years old, and usually have more members and activities. Brand new guilds can also be exciting to join because they are still growing. The benefit of joining an established guild is that it has a proven concept that members enjoy it and that it will stay up for a long time, unlike new guilds that come and go every day! New guilds however have their own benefit, usually new members have a bigger say over what is happening around the guild and can help out a little more because its a growing guild.

Your Age - although most guilds nowadays accept anyone, there are several guilds that are strictly for the older audience, like 16+, 21+ and such guilds. Most guilds don't mention the age, which means anyone can join, but if it is an age restricted guild then its one of the first things that is mentioned.

Publicity - a guild can be either private or public. Public guilds don't require an application and you just join in whenever you'd like. Private guilds sometimes (but not always) require an application to join and if you are accepted, you'll receive an invite. Some private guilds have account requirements which are usually mentioned on the website. There are many pros and cons to both. Private guilds are usually more tight knit and there are fewer members which are easier to keep track of (but this varies from guild to guild), and public guilds are more laid back and there can be a bigger group of members to chat with.

Now that you know what every basic GCer knows, lets get to what you should avoid around the gc!

Giveaways & contests (of np/item prizes): they are not allowed, avoid guilds who offer either one of these things.

Donation shops: there have been many cases when the guild owner takes all the money and leaves, so be cautious.

Demanding guilds: A guild is supposed to be fun, don't forget that. Don't try to fit into a guild that demands you to be online every day and participate in every activity they offer, at the end of the day you'll realize that this just takes away all the fun!

Inactive guild owners: The entire guild rests on the shoulders of the council, so its extremely important that the council and owner(s) are dedicated and active.

Premade layouts: Its fine if the guild has a few premades, but important pages like the website and the portal (described next) are supposed to show the uniqueness and 'personality' of a guild, and should have custom layouts.

Pretty graphics are always a plus in a guild; but there are wonderful guilds who aren't very strong in graphics, and that's just something you decide for yourself if its important to you or not. Every guild is unique - take your time and look through all the available options. I also recommend that you chat with the members and/or council of the guild before deciding to join, you wouldn't want to join a guild with unfriendly members, would you? One last term to remember - guild hopper. People who switch guilds often and don't stick with one guild for long are called guild hoppers, and they have developed a pretty bad reputation. Avoid being a guild hopper, there are no perfect guilds, but there are many wonderful guilds out there.

Lastly, before choosing a guild, you should look though two pages: the website (web/webbie) and portal. The website mentions everything that a neoboard does but much more in detail. Usually websites include the requirements and basic info about the guild and many include board games, their ranking system, preview of the layout and stats. The portal is a list of the pages the guild has, each portal has a link to the guild homepage and website, and then all the activities that the guild offers.

Important Note: Guilds aren't for everyone! If you are on neopets only a few days a month, perhaps joining a guild isn't a good option for you. Many guilds do member sweeps, its when they remove members who they believe are not active in the guild, and you never want to be the person who gets swept. However in my opinion, guilds are amazing! XD You are not losing anything by joining a guild, but there is so much you can gain. You can meet a lot of amazing new friends in a guild, have fun participating in unique activities, enjoy meaningful and/or relaxing chats that'll clear your mind, and in general, guilds have so much to offer. If it weren't for my guild, I would have quit Neo a long time ago! (=

So that's it! I wish you best of luck on your search for the perfect guild! My philosophy is that a guild is more than an online group, its a second home, so don't be afraid of declining guild offers, taking your time and being a little picky - it'll all be worth it when you find that one place that you'll enjoy and where you belong. What kind of a guild you prefer is completely up to you, I'm not here to tell you what is good and what is bad; every guilds have their strengths and weaknesses, their benefits and their flaws, so you are the only person who can decide what guild fits you. Let me know if you need any help, I'd love to help you with your guild search. Have a lovely day browsing through The Neopian Times! (:

 
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