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Eloquent Inquisitor

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What is the Charity forum intended for?
This forum serves two purposes. Firstly it is for donation seekers/questers, and secondly it is for donators/charities.

Donation Seekers: This is a place for you to come and ask others for donations to get you started on Gaia. Additionally, if you have an item in mind that you would like to have but cannot afford, then this is the place to begin the quest to achieve your goal.

This does not mean that you can beg in other people's threads! Start your own thread please. Begging in other people's threads is considered spamming and you will be warned for it!

Donators: This is also a place for Charities to give away gold or items to needy Gaians. And of course any Gaian can choose among the threads and donate to whomever they would like.

Table of Contents
First Post: Intro
Second Post: Rules of the Charity forum
Third Post: Guidelines for what fits in the Charity forum
Fourth Post: Helpful Recommendations for Newbies
Fifth Post: Helpful Recommendations for Questers
Sixth Post: Helpful Recommendations for Charities
Seventh Post: Charity forum Etiquette
Eighth Post: How to Set Up Your Quest Thread
Ninth Post: Contacting a Moderator

Eloquent Inquisitor

Rules of the Charity forum

If you see any posts or threads that you feel violates these rules or should not be here, please contact a Moderator via the Report a Post or Report a Thread functions.

1. Contests and Donations
1a. Highest Donator contests
2. Advertisements
3. Begging
4. Bumping

1. Contests and Donations:

It is not allowed for contest and donation type threads to require that if a trade is not labeled a certain way then the trade will be taken as a "donation" to themselves.

For example:
Quote:
If the trade does not say banana in it, I am taking it as a donation, no whining.


You may request that when gold is sent in for a contest or charity donation that it is labeled so that you know what it is for. However, if the person makes a mistake, or neglects to label per your request, you cannot refuse them entry to a contest or take what is supposed to be a charity donation for yourself. To do so and keep the gold for yourself is exploiting users to gain gold and this is not allowed.

Threads that contain such requirements should be reported to a moderator using the Report a Thread function. Thank you.

Updated:
If you mistake an entry fee and discover that it wasn't a donation, you still need enter them into the contest or refund the fee. The essence of the rule is that you cannot enforce trade labelling by mentioning the potential of taking a trade as a donation (accidental or intentional).

It's best not to mention donations at all in relation to trade labelling. That is:
"Please label trade as ____, or I might mistake it as a donation."
should simply be
"Please label trade as ____."


1a. Highest Donator contests:
Any contest in which donations are used as a means of selecting the winner, or to increase the chance of winning is not allowed. You can find more information about this here.


2. Advertisements:

Please do not advertise in another person's thread unless it clearly states that you may do so as this is not allowed.

This includes but is not limited to "bump for a bump" spam as well as the normal "bump! come visit my thread!" You can advertise in your signature and in your www link, but posts in user threads are reportable and will be removed if seen, accompanied with a warning.

If someone puts an advertisement in your thread and you do not want it there, please report it using the Report a Post function. Thank you.


3. Begging Posts:
Making threads asking or begging for gold/items is encouraged in this forum. However, making individual posts in other people's threads begging for gold/items is not permitted and may result in a warning for spam. Please be considerate of your fellow users and make use of your own thread for quests and asking or begging for donations.

Use the Report a Post button to report begging posts in your thread so that a moderator can take care of it.


4. Bumping:
Bumps are posts made, generally using the word bump or an emoticon or an image, for the purpose of moving the thread to the first page. If your thread is on the first page there is no reason to bump it up.

Eloquent Inquisitor

Guidelines for what does and what does not fits in the Charity forum

Donation seeking/Quest threads are allowed here:
  • Threads asking for donations
  • Threads where the author is questing on their own, keeping track of their goal, but not asking for donations
  • Donation seeking threads that contain raffles or contests are allowed


Charities are allowed here:
  • Threads that give away gold or items to other Gaians


This type of thread is not allowed:
  • "I will strip/cyber/WHATEVER for gold" threads

Eloquent Inquisitor

Helpful Recommendations for Newbies

People like giving donations but they would also like to know that you are going to stick around and use it. You may wish to try to acquire some posts and a bit of background before you start to ask for donations. This will let people know that you really want to become a part of Gaia and they might be more responsive to your requests.

When entering a charity to ask for donations please read the entire first post and follow the instructions carefully or you may lose out. Don't demand gold (LOLZ I NEDZ GOLZZ!!) but try to ask for it respectfully. Use correct grammar. Be polite.

Please express your gratitude to the donator. Donators love to hear that their gift was appreciated. So send the donator a thank you note, or at least change the trade window title to say "Thank You".

Quest for something realistic. If you are new and want an Angelic Sash it just is not going to happen. But perhaps if you are asking for gold for a pair of goth boots you just might get it.

Eloquent Inquisitor

Helpful Recommendations for Questers

If you take the time to make a good quest thread then your chances of getting donations will be greater. First I would recommend taking a look at other threads in the forum to see what works and what does not work. You do not need elaborate banners to have a good quest thread. Just try to organize it and perhaps add some color to it with different type. Remember your quest thread is like your home, you want it to be nice and a place where others will enjoy coming to visit you.

When making your thread put the title as "Do not post yet" or something like that and then post the word "reserved" for the rest of the page. Then edit your posts and add in what you want. You can do this right in the charity forum, or you can do this in the test forum and ask a moderator to move it for you.

A catchy title is important too, not just "Another Nitemare Scarf Quest". *yawn*

Let people know what you are seeking and why you want it. List your donators so they know that you appreciate them. List where you are in your quest for gold and what the goal amount is. Use proper grammar and be polite.

When you bump your thread do not put in the stare or gonk/stress/yell emotes, or ask why people are not donating when you have only got to the second page. Nothing turns off a potential donator like your impatience and bad temper as you are bumping. Try to bump with patience and graciousness, knowing that everything you do in that thread tells the donator about how you are as a person.

If someone bumps your post thank them for it. Maybe even try to talk to them. Conversation is the best type of bump anyhow, it looks good and helps create interest in your thread.

Do not go around to the other threads and advertise your own quest. Do not say "I bumped you now please bump me". Those are really rude things to do. You can be warned for advertising in another person's thread. Don't PM people asking for donations.

Expect to be around for a while if you are questing for an expensive item. It can take months sometimes so patience is a virtue.

Eloquent Inquisitor

Helpful Recommendations for Charities

First off make sure you are ready to be a charity before you start. You need gold and/or items to start up a charity. What is the use of starting a charity and needing donations right off before you have even started?

Have a good layout that is easy to read and points people to the instructions clearly. State the rules for your charity up front so that people know what to expect and how to behave.

When making your thread put the title as "Do not post yet" or something like that and then post the word "reserved" for the rest of the page. Then edit your posts and add in what you want. You can do this right in the charity forum, or you can do this in the test forum and ask a moderator to move it for you.

Consider separating out the donators from the people you have donated to so they each have their own section. Remember you cannot state that if a trade is not labeled a certain way, you will take it as a "donation" to yourself. That is a skanky thing to do and you can be warned for it.

There is a good advice thread here for charities that explains how to set up a thread: Resources and Advice for Young Charities

Eloquent Inquisitor

Charity Forum Etiquette

  • DO be polite
  • DO use good grammar
  • DO say Thank You
  • DO have patience
  • DO acknowledge your bumpers
  • DO have some fun

  • DON'T advertise in other's threads
  • DON'T say "bump me back"
  • DON'T stretch the page with your bumps either sideways or vertically.
  • DON'T use too many emoticons when bumping

Eloquent Inquisitor

How to Set Up Your Quest Thread

1. Stand out from the crowd
Many people are questing for or seeking the same items as you are. Think about this when you choose the title to your thread and when you consider the layout and wording. Use spellcheck, proper grammar and of course be polite. The first post contains the title, so put the item you want in the title and think of a way to make that as interesting as you can.

2. Think about your layout
How many posts will you need? How do you want to organize your thread? What goes where? Take a look around at some of the other threads in the forum and get an idea of what you want yours to look like. Do be an individual, don't copy others, just get some idea of what works and what does not work. Most good quest threads have at least the first 3 posts (if not the entire first page) for the quester to use for various things like the donation page, the bumper page, progress page, etc.

3. Style: Banners and art
If you can make a banner that is great, but it is not needed for a quest thread. You can make some of your sections have a title that is a different color or in a different size, bold or underline. Use these tools to brighten up your quest thread and make it more attractive. Remember to keep the font readable. Nobody wants to come along and try to read your 9pt yellow or orange type.

4. The first post
This is your first impression! Try to make it clean and easy to read. Get out all the important information like what item you are seeking and why. Maybe make a short story about why you want the item. Perhaps you can tell a little bit about yourself. You might want to put a table of contents here so the viewer knows where to look for things. Especially if you are going to be questing for a while.

5. Sample Table of Contents
  • Introduction with Table of Contents and Rules
  • Current Progress/Current Offer
  • List of Donators
  • List of Bumpers/Contests
  • News and Updates/Announcements
  • Items for Sale
  • Links to Friends and Charities (maybe ones that donated to you)
  • Reserve a few posts in case you need them


6. Quest Progress/Status or Current Offer
Be sure to let people know how your quest is doing in one of your first posts (Current Progress/Status/Current Offer). Keep up to date with the current price of the item you want. List the gold and the items you have in your offer so far. It's ok if it is far short. But you want to list where you are at so prospective donators may know that you are serious and may be more inclined to donate to you. Also, you can never tell. A friendly person may come along and accept your offer.

7. Bump Your Thread
This is something you want to do in the friendlies manner possible. Don't bump with scream or stare emoticons because you are frustrated. Bump with something friendly like a smile or a heart. Speak to the people who drop in and bump with you and say Thank You. Be polite because you do not know when a donator might be passing through.

8. Advertisments
Advertise in your signature. Make sure there is a link to your quest in your sig. Then go out and be friendly and enjoy Gaia and maybe some people will drop by your thread. But do not advertise in other people's threads since that is rude and not allowed anyhow.

9. Monitor the Exchange and the Marketplace
Keep abreast of current prices. Watch for good deals for your item. You may find it cheaper than you would have thought.

Eloquent Inquisitor

Contacting a moderator

The list of forum moderators is at the top of the forum: View Forum Moderators

If you see activity in a thread that is violating the Rules please report the thread or post to a moderator.

Eloquent Inquisitor

~Reserved~

Eloquent Inquisitor

~Reserved~

Eloquent Inquisitor

~Reserved~

Eloquent Inquisitor

~Reserved~

Eloquent Inquisitor

~Reserved~

Eloquent Inquisitor

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