 A Snowball Affect
by emo_angel48
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Many times I wonder, if I could, how would I get my offline friends to become Neopians? Many people of my age and around it believe that Neopets is a site only for children! Yes this is true, while the demographic is children, there are many adults, college students, and older teenagers who make up most of the user database. With that stipulation gone, your friend might be more inclined to listen and learn more about the wonders of Neopia! I will talk about some of the things and perks of the site that new users might be interested in.The Community Lots of people lurk the online world and internet for sites where they can make friends, and chat online. Not only is neopets great for chatting, and making new friends, it also has a cute private message system called neomailing! When introducing new users after they have made an account, make sure you send them a friend request and a friendly hello! Making friends on neopets is a huge benefit of being on the site. From my personal experience I’ve been friends for people for years on here, and I’ve never held friendships for this long in real life. Make sure they aren’t too shy! It would be good to introduce your real life friends to the topics you make. That way you aren’t throwing them straight in to the deep end! Remember the newbie boards exist, where there will be other people just like them. It’s not too difficult making friends, just start conversations with what you might be interested in! Even if the person you are directly talking to isn’t interested, maybe there’s someone out there who is! Topics can be games, music, pets in real life, and anything else exciting you can think of! Maybe ask what someone’s favourite food is, or talk about a nice memory. Events, Plots, Games Make it clear to your friend, that neopets is not a main goal aimed game. Everyone finds their own interests, makes their own goals, and works towards them. There is no way to ‘win’ on neopets, but you can have a go at playing all the games! Introduce them to fun and rewarding plots, and don’t forget to mention awesome seasonal events such as the advent calendar and negg hunt! Get them coming back Many times I’ve tried to introduce someone to the site, they make an account and never log in again. Give them incentives! Show your friend how they can build their account by saving up to make pets they like, and achieving avatars and trophies. Show them a list of dailies that they need to do, and get them going! The pets The most important thing on a virtual pet site, the pets! Introduce your friend to the various species, and show them the rainbow pool with all the colours in existence! They might find a pet they love, and they might not like the pet they have created… yet. A huge part of the site that many users have taken up on, is customization! Explain this to your friend, and show them how rewarding it is to dress up their pets! Competitions Who doesn’t like a little friendly competition? Depending on your friend’s skills, you can show them how to write for the neopian times, draw for the art gallery, enter the beauty contest and more! Are they are fighter? The battledome is always a great way to let of steam! Don’t forget to show your friend how to increase their pets stats! This again works to keep them coming back! Giving them incentive to log in. It rewards them because it give’s their pets stats. You might even give them a friendly challenge. Take it easy on the newbies though! The Creativity As mentioned before, neopets is a great creative outlet! Not only is there the beauty contest and the art gallery. It’s also good for writing. There are many pages where you can add your own personal content. Lots of neopians enjoy creating both visual and descriptive characters for their pets. This gives them a unique touch! I personally enjoy this, and have been urging artists I know to give it a go too! Not only do their characters have unique pages and pets that represent them, it’s also a good way to get art trades with other users, and even learn how to use html! Then you can take your characters to the roleplay boards, or just make friends with other users, and roleplay together. Explore the site and worlds It would be a good chance for your friend to learn about the site by showing them how to explore neopia and showing them the neopedia! They will see there are heaps of heroes, villains, and interesting characters with the lore of neopets. There is a great history with the site, and immersing yourself in it is great. The Depth There is really so much depth in neopets, and I try to urge everyone who joins to follow their own path, and make their dreams come true. Even if they are unrecognizable at first. Perhaps this article might even encourage quitting users to stay, or remind users who haven’t used the site so much lately the amazing content it has! And get doing things they maybe forgot existed. It’s never too late to start a new path, make new friends, and goals. Remind them That being a loyal neopian gives them rewards! In time they get more transfers, access to age limited parts of the site, such as the abandoned attic, and features in the nc mall and more. Some Commitment Required Maybe your friend might even want to play because they feel like they achieve something and like to overcome challenges. Neopets can be challenging, if they want it to be, or it can be easy if you choose to put in no effort. But the more you give to neo, the more you get in return. The sense of fulfilment, life long friends, and more. Then, once one friend plays, another might join in too! Soon your whole group in real life might regain their interest in this wonderful site, and it will be a fun thing to share. I hope that it snowballs for you, and that you and your friends have fun!
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