The Galactic Files Good afternoon agent and welcome to the secret platform of the pentagon where all of The Galactic Files make their home. Who am I? You will never know but I have been given the sole task of de-briefing you on the essential steps to owning a high quality website here in Neopia. This is for your eyes only. It is of the utmost importance that you keep your mouth shut and your eyes peeled and ready to fight off sloths at every corner. It is their top priority to steal this information and it is your job to keep it safe. I wish you luck in carrying out your duties agent. Use your Virtue Cell to keep in touch so that we may address the beginning and end of your next assignment. With that being said, I salute you. Happy travels... Signed, Agent 02568 Phase 1 The first step to owning a high quality site is always organization. Let's start with a simple question, what kind of site do you want to own? There are many different genres and some of the most popular are review sites, graphics sites and directories because they are some of the easiest to maintain. You can find a full list of all the genres by clicking here. You do not have to be restricted to the genres that you see because uniqueness is highly appreciated by all neopians. If you have an idea for a site, go for it! A great example is Flare created by Purple and Find A Laugh courtesy of Weapon. Site name will come next and you should do your very best to make your site name relate to your genre and be unique. Our site name has to do with the theme of our site which happens to be space. You are welcome to use that idea as a way to name your site but be fore warned that if your site name matches your theme and you change the layout, it won't match your theme anymore! Here is a list of site names that might come in handy when naming your own site. •Apples to Apples •Once Upon A Petpage •Everlasting •The Miracle Worker •Famous Reactions •Embrace It •The Snack Bar •Virtual Bliss •The Complete Package •Cravings •Cloud Racers United •Touched •Angels In Waiting •Forever Changing •Evolution •The Marauder's Map •Crash & Burn •Blink of An Eye Phase 2 Now it is time to beautify your site. First impressions mean everything to a visitor or reviewer. If your site is organized and the layout is high quality it is most likely that the person will want to dive into your site and see what you have to offer but if your layout lacking in organization and style, they are most likely to run for the hills. We are going to work on that right now. First you have to choose a petpage to display your site on. Click here to edit your petpage of your choice and follow along as you read this tutorial because we will ask you to refer back to this link. Some people use premade layout from sites like the following... That is always a simple thing to do but if you get a premade layout I reccomend, if the owner allows it, to customize the layout in some way to make it more unique. If you do not have HTML experience then I suggest getting a friend or the site owner to help you out. You could also click here to learn how. If you can, I reccomend making a custom layout for yourself. The color palette shouldn't be boring. I would reccomend basing your color palette around your theme and possibly the current season. Fall brings warm reds, oranges and browns while spring pulls in baby pink, blue and yellow. Now, the banner or focal point of the whole site, is one of the most important parts of a layout and I have seen to many people mess it up horribly. Your banner should be 600 x 300 at the largest and I suggest going even smaller. It should not be overdone meaning that you shouldn't use fifty different brushes and gradients. Make it simple, clean, add the site name and you are on your way to the top, my friend. Phase 3 Ring, ring, ring!(Hello agent. This is Agent 02568 expressing my highest praise at your accomplishments so far. You are doing a marvelous job and I look forward to seeing you continue on with your mission. Until next time...) Now is the big moment. Time to add the content. Every site has content of some kind. This site for example is full of through information that helps the average neopian own a high quality site. It is time to hit the books to see what each and every genre requires... Pixel Popularity: Pixels are small images that normally range from 10x10 to 50x50 in size. They are cute images that sort of fall under the category of graphics. Many site owners have given them their own identity so they are considered to be more unique than average graphics. These sites requie the pixels themselves, normally made using MS Paint and normal site stuff. You can be creative like Amber if you like by adding vectors & scribbles to your arrangment of goodies. Directory Popularity: A directory is a place where people can post their site links so that people can come and see their sites. The owner links to you and you link to them in return. Personally, I think that directories are really boring to own. All you do is answer neomails, post links and hope for more listings everyday. I wouldn't reccomend having a directory unless you run it as organized as Adz does at The Faerie Compass because constantly rooting out dead links gets pretty boring. Graphics Popularity: Graphics sites require alot including high quality graphcis like icons, banners, siggys and fake avatars. You might also find button bases, backgrounds and gradients to go along with everything else. You should constantly update and keep the site running because if you are popular and the content is great like Kimchi & the gang, you are bound to be on the A-list of sites. Guide/Tutorial Popularity: A guide is basically directions on how to do something the right way like owning a site or playing a game. Sadly, they are not the most popular and more are needed which was my sole purpose for creating this site. Guides require thourough knowledge on the subject at hand and an organized mind. Rachel does a great good and I know you could too! Dailies Popularity: Dailies are simple to explain because they are a way to get rich quick. These sites require links to all of the neopians freebies on the site. The more freebies you have, the better and more popular your site will be. just like Starspring you can succeed. Premades Popularity: Premade sites were never really popular two years ago but lately they are popping up everywhere. Sites like these require advanced knowledge in HTML/CSS, good color palettes and other average site stuff. You can add premades to a graphics site if you like to make one big site very popular but don't go to big or else it might seem unorganized. Sra has done it and continues to do a great job! Reviews Popularity: A review site requires alot of your time and energy because you have to get on almost everyday to clean off your waiting list because review sites are in high demand right now. You have to have criteria, waiting list, constant updates & awards and what do you get out of it? Popularity maybe but pretty much nothing else. Apple is a good example of someone who has the time for reviews and does a good quality job at it. SOTM Popularity: SOTM means site of the month and they are tons of fun and one of my favorite site genres. You compete with other people to see if your site is popular enough to win an award and a spot of honor on another petpage. These sites require full time maintenance and vote counting but it is tons of fun in the end when you get to award the winner! Phase 4 Listings are very important for a site because it is a simple way to advertise your site and all you are required to do is link back to the directory that is advertising you. One of my favorite links is located here where you can get listed and find other directories to be listed in as well. We are also going to clean up your site by following this simple checklist of required site needs... Organized Layout Graphics & Resources Updates Box Site Rules Affiliates Listings Link Buttons Wall of Shame Like we said above in the previous stages, the quality and quantity of the layout and content will make or break a site. When starting a site you have to be commited to keeping it in tip top shape like some site owners here on neopets. You will find update boxes or sections on almost every single site. Not so much on dailies and guides but definetely on review sites and things like that. Everytime you go onto your site and update something, you should post a note saying that you have updated a part of your site and it will encourage the visitor to look at your new content. It is also a great way to show off your hard work! Site rules are guidelines for what a visitor should and shouldn't do with your content. If you don't want anyone to edit your premade CSS layouts then add that as a rule to your list. Most people will be gracious and follow your simple set of rules but there are trouble makers, what we like to call sloths, who like to steal and remove credit. That is the reason for a wall of shame so that other site owners will know to watch out for that person. You definetely need affiliates because that is another way to be advertised and to make great friends here on neopets. We are not talking life long commitments but small friendships are very important. Link buttons are images that are 88x31 in size and are quite simple to make. If you feel that you do not have the time or experience to make them you can always visit Sparks of Magic and Buttoness to have beautiful buttons made just for you and your site. Those are also great places to see examples of site rules and update boxes. When you have finished this checklist you are ready to be reviewed which by clicking here and applying to see just how great your site really is. Post-it Notes Have you ever wondered what tips other site owners use to make their site the best and most popular on neopets? Well, now is the time for you to figure it out. These site owners have scribbled some notes in the back of the file just for you and they would love for you to take their opinions, tips and tricks to use on your own site. If you are a site owner and you would like to reveal all of the tricks up your sleeve, please neomail Agent 02568. (Talent Goes A Long Way) by serromance Owning a site can be really rewarding, yet stressful all at the same time. I was the previous owner of SRrequests, a site for userlookup and button requests, and it got very stressful when I fell behind in completing requests. However, once I actually did finished requests, it was rewarding in 2 ways. One, the satisfaction of my customers made me feel accomplished. Another reward is when you look at the finished project and you can't help but think, "Wow! I do good work. This is something that not alot of people can do, but I can! I'm proud of myself and what I can do." Actually, a couple of times, my mom would walk in the room as I was coding a lookup or animating a button and she would just stand there, in awe, proud of me, because what I do is something that she or my sisters could never do. So commit to your site and be proud to own such a fine establishment! --Lexy (Previous owner of SerRomance Requests) (Concerning All Graphics Makers) by flying4you (1)Concerning graphic makers - Before you get too far into your graphic making process, I would suggest getting reviewed. This is of course, after you get your layout up and some of your graphics on your site's page. Getting reviewed is an extremely rewarding experience even if the reviewer says that your graphics stink. This is why I suggest that people get reviewed early on in the stage to insure that their graphics are any good. Wouldn't you hate it to have created 200+ graphics only to find out that they stink? Yes, that would stink. (To be continued...) (First Impressions Matter) by flying4you (2)Another tip I would suggest you do as a site owner is get a good layout that's appealing to the eye, organized, and all-browser convertable. I mean think about it, if you have a crummy layout, the first thing someone's going to think when they visit your site is, "Wow, not worth my time..." That's the very first impression the visitior gets from visiting your page, so make sure it's a good one! Be sure you don't have any purple borders around your image links - this looks ultra-sloppy! (To be continued...) (Be Respectful Please) by flying4you (3)Thirdly, be respectful to all people who neomail you concerning your site or a request. I don't care if they chew your head off for no apparent reason at all - just don't blow your top. If you do blow your top, the knowledge of this event will most likely spread like a fire to a forest, it's not good for your business whatsoever. We must be patient to all. Yes, yes, it is very hard, but it is possible. I'm speaking from experience here! (To be continued...) (Last But Not Least...) by flying4you (4)Last, but not least, get your name out there; your site name that is. Get some good affiliates, not to mention a good link back button... Anyway, affiliate with some good sites, get listed at a few places, maybe even enter some contests? Who knows, just advertise. This will enhance your business tenfold! --Stephanie (Owner of The Goodie Box) (Browser Friendly is Very Friendly!) by umbra Well, firstly, make sure that whatever site you own is browser friendly. There are many people using different browsers now, and to accommodate to them is a sign of a good site. Secondly, make sure that your content is always something that displays the best of your ability. Thirdly, advertising is always good. But only pick high quality affiliates, and not just go for the number. Lastly, make your site different. Make it stand out, and not just follow the crowd. --Kazuki (Owner of Final Destination Designs) (Noobish is a No-No) by neonxtiger If you own a graphics site, I'd suggest saving your images in a good format such as a .png file. Saving images as .gifs or .jpegs can make your images appear grainy. This is bad quality and will make your site look n00bish. A big part of a site's popularity is the quality of it's content, not just quantity, and if you're lacking in that area, no one will want to come to your site. --Amber (Owner of Amber's Pixels) (50+ is Way to Much) by srawasfrozen 1) Make sure your layout works in as many of the main browsers as you can. (IE, FF, and Google Chrome are the most popular I think). It makes it so more people can enjoy your site! 2) Don't copy others! If you are going to make a site, then you have to make it about something YOU are good at - whether its CSS, graphics, pixels, advice, help, etc. Be unique! Don't just make a pixel site and then copy other people pixels to put on your site. Its not fair to others. 3) Don't be afraid to use a premade layout! Unless you own a graphic or CSS site, then you are by no means required to make your own layout! Not everyone knows how to code or make graphics. Some people just want to review others, or give advice. They should not be required to make their own layouts. (: 4) Don't have TOO many affies. I know some people think it looks cool to have a block of 50+ affies, but in reality its just messy and unneccessary. You want to be affies with people who get a lot of views so that you will get a lot of views too. The problem is, people with big sites don't want to be affies with sites who just put their button in a small marquee with 70+ affies. No one will see your button that way! I think 20-25 affies is plenty. Try to pick good quality sites too, not just anybody. --Sra (Owner of Kill The Lights) Final Phase Welcome home agent! You have succeeded in completeing what was believed to be one of the hardest, most difficult missions know to man. You created an amazing site and kept the sloths away in the process. A round of applause goes out to you for being such a brave citizen. You are now know as Agent 07893, official agent of the CUC organization. Any and all of us would be proud to fight to the finish with you on the battle field. Wait, you thought that this was the end of your life as a secret agent? Absolutely not! Keep your Virtue Cell so that we may call you again whenever trouble strikes. Once again, I salute you, until next time! Signed, Agent 02568

Updates November 23, 2009: So, as you can see I decided to change the layout after all and this is simple yet it follows the color code that I am trying to keep. The banner is gone but I am looking for a new one so cross your fingers. November 21, 2009: I got reviewed by Extravagance and I recieved a 47/50 which makes me really happy! I also got an awesome award. I am looking for a new layout. I am not totally in love with this one. I can't make any promises that there will be any new stuff added to the site until after the first week of Dec. November 17, 2009: I got reviewed and I am now an Elegant Dancer with a score of 8.5/10. You can check out my award in the Site Information area. Cass gave me some good ideas that I will incorporate into the site later on. Thanks to all of my visitors for coming! November 15, 2009: Happy 10th birthday to Neopets. I am thinking of adding an avatar guide and maybe some other guides to the site. I don't know though! November 14, 2009: I updated the site by applying for some reviews and oh yeah in case you didn't notice which means your blind, we have a new, more organized, layout. I got a 93/100 on both of my reviews Woohoo! November 13, 2009: Yesterday was my birthday which was very much fun. I got a new laptop which I can now take with me to play Neopets on. I am seventeen baby. I still love neopets though! Link Back If you feel that The Galactic Files has really helped you to improve and invent your site(s), feel free to add our link button to your site for others to see. Thanks to Stephanie at The Goodie Box for making such an incredible button for us. <a href="/~greenbean423"> <img src="http://i37.tinypic.com/s2urkh.jpg" border="0"></a> Listings If you would like to affiliate with, list or review The Galactic Files feel free to neomail Agent 02568 at anytime. Reviews Awards Credits Edited alot by Katherine. Layout by Exclusive.