Welcome to Gaia! ::

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3nodding **FRIENDLY REMINDER** 3nodding -- Nobody in this post is selling pets. Don't ask to buy any or if we can get you one. We are not a shop, just an informative sticky. Please only post here if you have a question or a helpful post to add.

Also, bear in mind that we do not camp out in this sticky so posting five or six times in a row demanding we answer your question won't get it answered any faster. One post is all you need to make and someone will answer it when they see it. If you don't get an answer, that probably means your question was answered somewhere on this front page and you should go back and try reading again.

We do not need bumps and if you got a pink link/box/trunk from this post, great, we're happy for you. You don't need to post to tell us. It just creates more spam for the mods to have to delete later.

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If you're a newcomer to this forum, you're likely wondering what exactly pets are, how you can take part in owning and selling them, and where to find the little buggers.

Well, you've come to the right place to get started! My friends and I have compiled an extensive guide that compiles and answers the most common questions asked by newcomers in an effort to give everybody a better understanding of how things work! 3nodding

To navigate this guide, please refer to the table of contents above. The number in front of each topic indicates which post number it can be found in.

If you have any questions that have NOT already been addressed in this guide, please respond to the topic with your questions/concerns and they will be addressed when convenient.
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WHAT IS A PET?

A pet is a graphic of an animal/person/object that is displayed in your Gaia signature. They are purchased on this forum and are often used as key elements to roleplaying that takes place herein. To make things easier, I will address each point in a Q/A format.

Q: Where do I get a pet?
A: From the shops in this forum

Q: Where are the shops?
A: Almost every thread in the Breedable/Changing Pets forum is a shop. Explore a few threads and you'll figure it out.

Q: Why doesn't my pet appear next to my avatar after I buy it?
A: Because pets are not an official Gaia item. They will not appear in your inventory or on your avatar. You simply put them in your sig or on your webpage after buying them and roleplay them here.

Q: I have a pet, how do I get it into my sig?
A: Go to: http://www.gaiaonline.com/profile/profile.php?mode=editprofile and scroll down until you get to the text box reading Signature. Once you're there, take the URL your pet is being supplied at and put in the following code:

Obviously you replace "put the URL of your pet in here" with the actual URL of your pet or it won't work. Your pet should then show up in your sig.

Q: I'm at a shop I like. How do I get a pet?
A: First, check to see if any are available. Then, if there are, follow the instructions the shopowner has set for obtaining one. Each shop is different.

Q: I don't like any of the pets here. Am I allowed to make myself a one-of-a-kind pet to display in my sig?
A: You most certainly are. That's entirely up to you.

Q: Are pets like tamagotchis? Do I need to feed/water/clean up after/play with them?
A: For the mostpart, no, but this varies from center to center. If your pet is interactive and requires you to care for it as well as roleplay it, the center you got it from likely has instructions on how to do so listed on its front page. Never hurts to go back and re-read.

Q: Why do pets cost so much?
A: It all depends on supply and demand. Despite what people think, the shopowners don't set their pets' prices, the buyers do. If a pet is very popular, it is likewise very expensive.

Q: Can I take art from another site that isn't mine and put it in my sig as my pet?
A: Not unless you have the artist's permission. Otherwise you may be contacted by a mod and asked to remove it.

Q: Why am I not allowed to take someone else's pet, put my name on it, and put it in my sig? Its just a picture...
A: Because, despite the fact its "just a picture" that is considered theft. You are taking something someone else paid for fairly and claiming it as yours. This is something people have recieved an official warning and even a banning over in the past and...well...its just common sense that you shouldn't do it.

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So you have your idea. You feel confident that you are ready to go. Time to set up shop and start selling!

But wait! Stay awhile my entrepreneurial friend. We have some advice for you. We as buyers and sellers want to see your shop succeed. A successful shop is one that runs smoothly, with satisfied customers and a gracious and dutiful owner. Here we hope to provide some advice that will aid you in forming a shop that will withstand the test of time.

<center>BEFORE YOU OPEN SHOP</center>

Yes. There are steps you must take before you even secure yourself a thread on the forum. Here is a check off list for your reference. If there is even one item you have unchecked seriously reconsider starting your shop until the item is taken care of. Some of these items will have a recommended treatment


1. I have read through this first page of this thread in its entirety.
Yes indeed, even posts that seem at first to have anything to do with selling. It will help you understand some of the common problems that sellers have with buyers so you can make clear and concise codes of conduct in your shop


2. I have an new and interesting changeable/breeding pet that will not be another drop in the bucket and is my own work, intellectually and physically.
We are looking for new and fresh! Flying kitties and faeries are stale, bring in the power-tools, the armadillos, and kobolds! If your pet does not change, does not breed, or is the same cookie cutter image with a single hue adjustment this is not the forum for your shop.
Recommended Treatment: Read Good Pets vs Bad Pets and browse the forum not for what has been done, but for what has not been done. If your pet is non-breedable/non-changeable/or mass produced then consider moving your market to the main Minishops forums
Red Flag: If your product is not your own, be it the concept or the art itself DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SELL IT. No matter how obscure you think the source is remember that there hundreds of thousands of users on Gaia. Chances are that someone will catch you, you will be punished if not banned, and all your customers will be required to relinquish their pet. There is no fury like a customer scorned or an artist ripped off. Just. Don't. Do. It.


3. I have a reliable host for my images

The dreaded X should be banished from your kingdom, lest your frighten the good townsfolk of Gaia

Recommended Treatment: Read Where to Find Good Image Hosting.


4. I am confident I have time to run my shop and even have several of my pets ready to go.

Nothing makes us sadder to see a wonderful idea spring up sending us scrambling for an infant just to see CLOSED in the thread title a month later. Such an event permanently damages your credibility as a seller. We understand that real life takes precedence over a forum, but with a little forethought and planning they can live in harmony. Think about what events you have coming up in life. Finals? A vacation? Think about when you want to sell the pets, grow them up, or begin breeding. Plan how many pets you can handle at a time. If your pet is not a custom made to order, make the first 2 stages of all the pets you are planning to offer for your first sale before opening shop. If your pet is custom made to order, consider having a friend be a guinea pig and make an order. This has two great benefits. First, it will let you see how much energy goes into a pet. If you are already gritting your teeth on the third pet then rethink your desire to open a shop. Secondly, by having these pets done ahead of time you will have more time to spend answering questions for prospective customers, guiding the atmosphere of your shop and preparing future events.


5. Have your text, especially Code of Conduct, ready to go.

"Coming Soon," while titillating, should not be the motto of your shop. Having write-ups ready to do when you open shop shows your potential buyers that you are serious and dedicated to your pet. A code of conduct, simply put, is an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure. When you have rules ready to go you n** the common problems in customer relations in the bud. Make your rules clear and to the point and stick to them!

<center>RUNNING YOUR SHOP</center>

So now you have your shop up, you have lurkers and well wishers, there seems to be a general air of acceptance of your wares. How do you go about running your shop now? Read on my friend. Read on.

1.)How to sell your pet

There are many ways and methods by which to sell your pet, but here are some of the tried and true methods. You are not limited to these methods alone, in fact a unique selling method is a big draw for a pet.

-Flatsale
A flatsale is any event in which a large batch of pets are sold to the public for a set, or "flat," price. Price suggestions are available later in this thread. The flatsale is the best method for a shops first sale, as it gets several examples of your pet out into the public. A flatsale might be a contest of speed (who can post first after a signal,) cunning (who can answer a question first,) or creativity (who can write the best post within a set time frame.) Always announce your flatsales well ahead of time for the best turnout and always stick to format you have advertised.

-Auctions
Auctions are usually reserved for special/custom editions of your pet. Users bid gold, items, or a combination thereof until the time limit or the autobuy (a high price set by the seller that a bidder can offer to instantly win the pet) is met. Use auctions in moderation! Too many auctions can alienate your customers and potential buyers.

-Raffle
In a raffle tickets are sold, traded, or given away and a winner is chosen at random. This method can be combined with the flatsale to create a more random manner with choose who will be able to buy your pet

-Events
Anything goes! Art contests, character creation, RP contests, and scavenger hunts! Be creative and have fun.

-Pet trade
Last but not least the pet trade option. See a pet out there you like? Maybe they like your pet too! Consider offering a trade but like the auction use this method in moderation. Just as a pet should not be made for the sole purpose of making gold, a pet should not be made to obtain other pets. It's good to have a set number in mind of how many pets you are willing to use for trade and remember that you do not have to accept every offer you receive.

Be sure to control how many of your pets are out and about. This will help keep users interested in your pet and keep your workload manageable

2. Keep your workload manageable

I just said it and I will say it again, KEEP YOUR WORKLOAD MANAGAEBLE. Do not sell more pets than you can keep up with, don't make commitments you can't keep, and limit the number of obligations you have to other shops. This can be very hard if your creative mind keeps tugging your sleeve with new ideas. Did you get a new idea for another pet while running a current project? See if you can't work it in some how with a new form, accessory or event! This will help you remain interested in your pet.

3. Keep your customers notified of your working status k

If you are going on a vacation or will be away from your computer for even just a few days, let your customers know as a courtesy. If you are not accepting pet trades, make a note of it. If finals are coming up and you are going to be too busy to do some hatchings, breedings, or a other changes say it loud. A vanishing shop owner puts customers on edge and taking the time (as annoying as it can be) to inform them will make them more accepting of your absence and cut down on nagging PMs or possible complaints.

4. Don't make your pet your personal bank

Which is to say don't make a pet just because you want to put some more gold in navigator bar and items in your inventory.

Of course you use your gold from your pets to buy items or services, but resist the urge to hold a special auction or flatsale every time you see an auction on the horizon, a new item release, or have a new quest item. Pets should be for their own sake first, community second, and maybe gold third. Having a "benefit auction" or two in the course of running your shop is just fine, but if every week you are holding a "Help me get my minis!" or an "Help me get a *insert pet here*" auction you can come off as greedy and using your customers.

5. Use special benefits in moderation

Of course we all want to help a friend, and we certainly aren't going to hold it against you if you give a pet or two to your best bud, sister, significant other, ect. But if it seems that most of the pets on your owners list were given as gifts or that only certain close pals of yours have the nicest coloring jobs or unique accessories then you might want to rethink who you are really trying to serve.


6. Keep your temper in check.

Oh it is so hard! I know it is. There is always that n00b of the week who wanders in asking "HOW CN I G3T A PET???" or that one pet owner that seems to always seems to be pushing the envelope. The customer isn't always right, it's true but hollering and throwing them on the blacklist on the first offense won't solve a thing. If a newbie wanders into the thread and disrupts your RP take a minute to direct them to the first page. New people are starting on Gaia every day and while it's annoying at first, you never know who might be your next star customer. If a pet owner is causing you trouble, send them a tactful PM voicing your concerns. Don't punish them without first offering an explanation of what where they went wrong. The blacklist of your shop should be reserved for repeated offenders and thieves.

Above all!

Keep your pet enjoyable for your customers and you!


~ Wasabineko

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Running a successful shop on your own is a very big task. It takes dedication, time, patience, and above all, lots and lots of work. If you are up to doing everything on your own, (lineart, coloring, breeding, story, RP monitoring, managing the thread, events, raffles, auctions, and so on and so forth) then kudos to you. However, if you're human like the rest of us, you may want to think about the possibility of having a co-owner, or at least a few staff members to help you get your project running smoothly.

Co-Ownership: The concept behind it.

The meaning of co-owning a shop with another person is splitting everything 50/50, or in special cases, whatever the two of you agree on. That means the work gets split in half, as well as the pay. If you are two complete strangers, things tend to go icky, so make sure you choose someone you can trust, someone who is willing to help you out and participate openly, and someone who is reliable. If you are even the least bit uncomfortable with your co-worker, don't be afraid to speak up and say so. Keeping grudges bottled in only results in bigger outbreaks later on, and will not only hurt your business, but it will probably hurt your feelings as well.

In the case of co-ownership, usually one person takes the dominant role while the other ends up being more submissive. Often, the person who originally thought up the 'idea' of the pet becomes head-owner, and the person who backs the head owner up become the co-owner. However, regardless of your 'position', you should be able to comfortably discuss how you split the profits and work, and you should also be able to come to a solution rather quickly. Once again, do not hold grudges or tamper with the pets directly just to get back at your partner for doing something you were unhappy with, it's your fault in the first place for not bringing it up to them sooner!

Hiring staff members: Who to choose...

So you've got your breedables going, you've got the first batch grown up, they're ready to breed, and... onoes! You're burned out and really not in the mood to color for a little while. So you decide to hire some colorists/breeders to take some of the weight off your shoulders. Except, who.. do.. you.. choose?

There are several ways to choose who you hire for a colorist position. The first way is to hold a contest and offer the pet lineart, and judge based on who's coloring job you were most impressed with. This method is useful for finding talented artists that will make your pets look beautiful with splendid coloring, however, hiring someone you don't know well, regardless of how great their coloring is, might be a bad idea.

Before hiring someone, you should get to know them. Are they trustworthy? Do they seem like someone who is going to stick with you and your project? Have they been genuinely interested before? Consider all these factors before quickly hiring someone, otherwise you may be hiring yourself someone who really won't stay interested for long.

Another factor you have to consider is how much money you are going to pay your colorists. Most shop owners hire a few colorists and tell them that they can keep 100% of whatever profit they make off of breeding, and most colorists are satisfied with that. However, some may demand more, such as cuts from auctions or raffles. If you are not comfortable with this, talk it over, make sure that you aren't getting bossed around by your employees.

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okay, this is an oft-overlooked part to owning a breedable petshop- affiliates! advertising! linking!

the best way to make yourself known is to have a well-drawn, well-managed pet. but even the best drawn pets can stay underground because their managers refuse to kiss the babies and wave at other forumers (read: potential buyers). as a petshop owner, you want people to buy your pets, and contribute in your community- what better a way to do this than to draw people into it in the first place!

that's where advertising comes in. it's easy to do! the first thing you'll want to do is make a banner.

a banner can be of any size, but there are a few 'norms' that have been accepted socially.

<examples go here along with the sizes>

these banners, in their varying sizes, get across just enough information to lure people into looking at the pets. the smallest has a tiny thumbnail example, along with the name of the pet. the larger versions have clearer examples of the art, along with a 'tagline' or informational line, and the name of the pets.

you don't have to make your banners exceptionally flashy, but don't make them boring, either. a visually-appealing banner will easily make someone want to investigate your pets. a boring, run-of-the-mill banner will cause someone to flip over your petshop like it were just another one in a thousand.

okay, so you've made your banner- what next?

you have to 'affiliate' with other people. affiliates are two shops that agree to host each others' banners and links. if you ask another shop to host your banner, you should expect that shop to ask you the very same thing in return. it's common courtesy that your shop should host the banner of an affiliate. if you don't, you risk getting groups of people upset at you. don't be a jerk! return the favour. it WILL pay out in the end.

if you have an appealing banner, and an appealing pet, don't be surprised if you end up seeing your link banner in another thread! shop owners usually put up links to pets they have their eyes on, in their own threads. if you like a petshop, don't be afraid to put up its link. it might be a good idea to ask to affiliate.

as for the advertising end: there are a few unspoken rules that you should follow.

DO feel free to PM shop owners to ask to affiliate with your shop.
DO put up links to other petshops in your thread
DO make appealing and informative banners for your pets
DO put up a link to your pets in your signature, whether it's a text or banner link, it will do wonders to bring traffic into your thread!

DON'T make obnoxiously large banners that stretch the tables (500 pixels wide is the MAXIMUM you should make your banner, but even at that- 500 pixels is pretty wide!)
DON'T demand other shop owners to affiliate with you, or deny specific shops affiliation unless you are very opposed to linking them back. (i have seen cases where people don't want to affiliate with other shops because the shop's banner may be unappealing. if you don't want to affiliate with them, tell them why! it may sound rude, but would you want to be turned away and not know the reason why?)
DON'T use a crappy image hosting service, unless you want to see an 'Error: Bandwidth Maxed Out" error instead of your banner.
DON'T POST IN OTHER PET SHOPS ADVERTISING YOUR PETS WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM THE SHOPOWNER.

if you follow those rules, you shouldn't have a hard time linking up with other shops, and getting more traffic into your thread.

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Randomizers are script that allows, when linked into a signature like if you where posting an image, allow random images to be shown at each refresh. They are, thus, good way to show off many pets at once while keeping your signature in the 500x500 pixels limit. Many different ones exist, and ill post a few there along with how to set them up correctly without any problem.

However, I just want to make something clear. Scripts are awfully easy to bug up. I've explained how to do so without messing up, but I can understand things could happen. If you really are stuck and don't know what you did wrong, then pm me and ill'd check it out and see if something messed up. BUT. You need to show me that you read the post conpletely and tried to fix the problem. I don't have the time to set up everyone's randomizers. If I see that the problem is something I warned you to check out... at best, ill tell you to reread. At worst, I won't answer you at all. So please, please, PLEASE for the love of GOD, read completely before starting to edit ! And if you have a friend that knows how please go to them before you go to me. I don't have time to help everyone.

Without further ado...

1 : ASP

This script is probabely one of the most known since it was the one Relikk had up in her sticky, but since it was unstickyed some time ago I will repost it here. First, to use this script, you will need an host that support the execution of .asp scripts, like www.1asphost.com. Keep in mind that they tend to block direct-links during the weekend, so your randomizer might stop working then. I've yet to find another good, free asp host, so if someone knows one, please pm me and ill put it up here.

First of all, copy this code into NOTEPAD (Not Word. Not Wordpad. NOTEPAD. Mac users, whatever allows you to save as a specific extention, im not too knowledgeful in that area.) :



Now, to edit it... take this line :



And change the 4 to the number of images you want to randomize. Next... those lines :



Change the url for the url of one of the image. If you have more than 4 images, copy/paste that fragment and change the case number, like this :



And so on. Do not edit ANYTHING ELSE ! The rest need to stay as-is for the script to work !

After you make sure everything is okay, save as and save it as something like random.asp, using notepad's file type as any so that it doesn't add the .txt ending, and then the server would see it as a text file and it won't work. This is why Word won't work. I repeat. WORD WON'T WORK. (Can you tell im sick of getting PMs about it when I said it black on white to use Notepad ?)

Then, if you don't have one allready, register an account on www.1asphost.com . This should be pretty self-explainatory. Then upload the file, and direct link it in your signature like if you where simpely adding an image, like...



And everything should be fine. If you get a red x, then make sure the numbers match in the code, then make sure each case has their own numbers.

2. PHP

This is personally one of my favorite scripts, since you don't need to always go back and edit it, all you have to do is dump the images you want in a folder, and the script will pick it up. The two downside is to find a good host that runs php and allows you to direct-link, and the fact that you cannot put direct-links into the randomizer. All the images that show up HAVE to be in the specified folder, so its completely useless to monitor hatchings/growings, and you will need to save the new image each time for it to update. It also will only pick up the jpg, png, and gif file types. Trough why would anyone want to use a bmp in a randomizer is beyond me. o_O

First, copy this into Notepad :



All you have to edit is the $path = 'random'; part. Random here is the name of the folder that will have the files. Just use whatever folder name you want, as long as that specific folder has the images you want to show up in the randomizer. I don't know if you can link to a folder on another host, since I've never tried it, so I don't recommand it. Save is as something like random.php

Once you found an host, create the directory you specified in the script, then upload the images you want randomized in it. Then upload the script and link it in you sig like you would for an image, exemple :



And everything should so smoothly.

Hope those tutorials where helpful, and feel free to ask questions ! Myself or someone else that knows scripts is sure to help.

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Now what does this topic entail you might wonder? Image editing tends to fall into two categories; Editing with Intent to Sell and Owner's editing.

When you make a minute alteration to an image that is not your own or have not been given explicit permission to use, place it on a tag, and offer it for sale, this is not only unfair to the original artist, but it is severely against Gaian Guidelines and can result in the termination of your account.

Don't sell other artist's work unless you have their clear consent.
Don't sell screen caps, artbook images, or other published works as pets.
Do, if you use a photo or other image for a texture or pattern, be sure that your product is still 95% your own.

The second realm of image editing is done by owners or those who desire to own. To understand the ettiquitte of this situation it is best to know the mind of an artist. The majority of artists are very protective of their works. Alterations and theft are generally frowned upon.

Don't erase a name on a certificat and replace it with your own. This is disrespectful to the artist and the true owner of the pet
Don't edit your pet out of its cert unless you have recieved permission from the shop owner
Don't change your pet's eye color, fur color, give it extra features ect.
Do ask for permission from the owner before cropping or resizing an image for a randomizer or signature collage

There is a Golden Rule in all this.
When it doubt, leave it be.