These ten rules were compiled from what I have witnessed over two and one half years of HC work, as well as a quick scan of the Terms and Conditions. Any input will gladly be accepted at any time of the day or night - please neomail me here.
1. FLAMING = BAD. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM = GOOD.
The place where this rule comes most in handy is posts with a rating topic - Rate My Pets or Rate My Application, for example. These are simply a part of life at the HC, and most people accept and enjoy them. However, by no means should you type something along the lines of:
It's horrible. 0.01/10. What are you, a three year old? What kind of a guy uses pink? {etc.}
This is known as FLAMING, and is very rude and a little discouraging to the receiver! Constructive criticism is much better. In this form of rating, you acknowledge the bad parts but make suggestions on what the person could do to improve.
Your pets could do with matching petpets, and the filter in your shop freezes my computer. Could you do something about that?
To learn more about flaming, please read this petpage.
2. SPAM IS NOT THE WAY TO SELF FREEZE.
There is a magical little link that every Neopian should know.
The self freeze link.
Personally my favourite answer to all sorts of useless boards.
3. NO ONE WILL TEACH YOU HTML OVER THE HELP CHAT.
The answer to Teach Me HTML/CSS or any other question with an involved answer {like battledome guides} is likely to be a link to a petpage. No sane {or insane} person would take half an hour to risk getting you even more confused than you were in the first place. Take a careful look at the petpage you were directed to. It took a lot of time to make these petpages - time most Neopians simply do not have.
----------
Update 8/30/07: I have been notified of the existence of a group of experienced HTML and CSS coders, who may create a board with a title like this:
If you notice one of these boards in existence, that would be a great place to get your specific question answered. {Thanks, Amy!}
4. IT TAKES TIME TO ANSWER.
HCers are people, not computers, after all! It takes them TIME to see your post, TIME to look up the answer, and TIME to type out a response. So don't go bonkers if your question is not answered in a minute or so. Relax, and only bump if your post is in danger of falling off the first page. It's true that HCers go by how many replies a post is seen to have. If it has zero replies, it is their top priority. Bump too much and people will think you're already being helped.
P.S. Boards with titles like OMG AN ACTUAL NEOPETS HELP QUESTION! are every bit as annoying and obnoxious as everyone says they are.
5. 90% OF BOARDMAKERS ACTUALLY HAVE NO CLUE AND NEED HELP.
Just because you've seen the same question - and answered it - 30 times that day doesn't mean they have. Try to keep your temper, and just answer the question as they have stated it. On particularly bad days, you may want to type out answers to a few commonly asked questions and just copy and paste where necessary. And use basic language that even a raw newbie could understand - thousand instead of k, Avatar Boards instead of AC, and so forth.
6. REMEMBER NEOPETS IS JUST A GAME...
This means several things.
- Your account and Neopets are not real.
- Nothing on Neopets is worth getting into an argument over.
- If you do find yourself becoming angry over Neopets things...its time for you to turn off the computer and go outside and play.
Better to take a break for fifteen minutes than get carried away and lose your account for ever.
7. ...ALSO REMEMBER THE USERS ARE ACTUAL PEOPLE.
Before you post anything on the Help Chat, think about what the result would be if you said this in real life. Be prepared to accept the consequences. Feelings can and do get hurt every day in the HC. Make an effort to be at least somewhat courteous - word gets around quickly, and being cranky will get you nowhere.
8. LEARN TO HOLD YOUR TONGUE WHEN NEEDED.
If you find yourself on a truly atrocious spam board, or other board that needs reporting, please do NOT post anything close to Reported, you NOOB! or copy and paste the message you get after you report someone.
This has been cleared by TNT to be a reportable offence in itself.
Here are the exact words from the Neopian Times Editorial:
Please note, though, that simply stating your are reporting someone is NOT harassment if they have actually done something that warrants them being reported. It's only when it's taken a step too far that it becomes harassment.
As for witty comebacks, please refrain from making them. It bumps up the board and gives the spammer negative attention, which is probably what they wanted in the first place.
Acceptable: If no one else has posted, you could conceivably post a warning that what they are doing is against the rules, in case they don't know. If someone else has already posted a warning, no need to repeat.
If your better judgement tells you that this person is not just a clueless newbie, feel free to take direct action {and report the dude/dudette.}
9. JUST SAY NO TO SPAM.
Spam may be OK for the Newbie Boards, where the average maturity level is generally that of a hungry chimpanzee, but I would hope that HCers are more mature than this =( Spam is not only rude, it is stupid and detracts attention from those who really need help.
I have been asked to include four specific types of spam here that most people might not think of.
- Private Boards. The ones that say SO-AND-SO COME HERE PLEASE! or FRIENDS OF SO-AND-SO ONLY!! This is what NeoMail and third-party IMS were for. Not the Help Chat. Anyone has a right to go on any board, so it's not like they're private anyway.
- Chain Letters. Post this in ten boards and you get a free paint brush. I have it on good authority that these do not work. Never have, never will. And they are reportable. So, you know, lay off it.
- Begging. This probably deserves a rule in itself. If you beg on the HC, that states you are too lazy to even play games, which is mildly funny, because you are in fact on a gaming site.
- Advertising scam websites. To be safe, you should neither go to any offsite address {unless it's Google or something} or post it on the boards. You WILL be reported, and probably frozen for this.
10. SNOTTINESS HAS ITS PLACE, BUT NOT IN THE HC.
By snottiness I mean talking down to someone, automatically discounting what they have to say. There is NEVER a good reason for this. Common reasons {as opposed to good ones} for snottiness include:
- Having more avatars;
- Using chatspeak*;
- Being older/using better grammar or spelling;
- Having an older account;
- Having more or richer friends;
Among many many more.
Giving yourself airs simply because you think you're better than everyone else gets you nowhere and may in fact slip you down a few notches in popularity.
*Using chatspeak is not only NOT a reason to be snotty, it makes others assume you really aren't smart at all.
Well, guest, I hope you found my little page useful XD If you did, why not take a banner?
Ten Rules of the HC {text linkage!!}
Thanks, Patricia!
If you have any questions or comments, or would like to contribute a banner or petpage layout, please feel free to neomail me.
Counter started Monday, July 2, 2007.
Affiliates!
As always, neomail me if you'd care to be affies =) This section is in dire need of revamping, and will be when I have the time!
