Welcome to Gaia! ::

Allright now, the first post is the most important post but lets begin a little more simply. Before you open a thread, it's important to know what you want your thread to be about, and per the first post here, let's say it's about your quest. Here are some questions you should ask yourself, and possibly put down on paper, or in a notebook file.
What are you questing for?
What is the item's worth?
Do you plan to list how much money you've raised so far, and if so how?
Will you be posting pictures of the item(s), and will you post it on your avi?
Will you be holding any contests?
If so, you should write out any rules and/or prizes.
Will you have an updates / current events section?
Are their any other sections, or points of interest you wish to have? (art you've been given, bumpers, donaters, etc...)

It is much easier to accomplish the creation of a neat, and attractive thread if you possess the for-sight to get everything laid out beforehand, in as much detail as possible, so that when you're ready to open your thread, you need do little more than "copy and paste", so to speak.

EDIT: it is probably a good idea to "reserve" most if not all of the posts on your first page.

And now, on to the next section...

Order!

The order of your sections is also very important. It's difficult for a reader to follow along, if they're confused by the order of things.

Let's say this is what you've decided on:
post 1: welcome
post 2: quest info
post 3: rules
post 4: thank you's (to bumpers and donaters)
post 5: contests
post 6: updates / thread log
post 7: Links (so people can link to and from you)

now, a small explanaiton-
I've already explained the first post, and it follows that the second should include the information concerning your quest / what you're questing for.
If you plan to include thread rules, it's important to list them fairly quickly, this is why they've been given the 3rd post. Everything after that is entirely up to you.

Make sure you don't try to include too many sections in the same post, or it will likely leave people overlooking much of what you've given them to read. That is why I've listed so many different sections. Also, it is likely to leave people feeling like they're looking at one, giant, run-on post that they've decided they're not likely to find the end of. It's not a good situation to say the least. Especially if you insist on using such poor forms of communication as "chat speak" or "leet / 1337 speak". Proper grammar is definitely important. Poor grammar can leave visitors concentrating more on deciphering each separate word in your post rather than understanding what it is that you're trying to say in the first place.

Also, try to avoid words like "I need" such and such an item. These are only pixels after all. Don't demand or beg, either. It's demeaning, and it just causes people to ignore you. Don't expect people to just give you anything beyond bumps and maybe wishes of luck. Yes, people do exist who will likely donate to you. If you're really lucky someone may even give you the very item you're questing for. But, don't expect it to happen.
and...

Colors!

Color can play an integral part in your thread's success or failure. Be wary of using the color red, or any variation there-of, as it tends to be off-putting. Still not really sure why, but then I'm not a psychologist. Suffice it to say that much like sound, color can have a sub-conscious effects on your readers.
Black is likely to make people see you as lazy, and not willing to put forth much effort.

So, to sum up. Black and Reds are more or less bad. Your best choice is some shade of blue or green... This is mostly referring to your opening post.

Do you mind if I post a few additional tips I've worked out?

Mmkay, this is some of the stuff I've worked out (mainly by trial-and-error xd ) regarding threads.


If you decide to put your progress/goal in your thread, use a visual marker like the tektek gold-tracking bar. It's a lot easier to spot.

If you don't want to reserve ALL of the first page (which can look a bit intimidating), you should at least reserve a minimum of 8 to 9 posts. If you can't use them now, you probably will later.

A "past donators" post is ALWAYS a good idea. Aside from giving them recognition and thanks for their posts (especially good for charities), it makes you look good!

If you're like me and got donations before you made a thread, remember to state if the donors are ALL your donors, or just those since you started the thread. It can be really hard to remember who all donated to you before the thread started!

Regarding pics...

I've found that a good guideline for pictures is no more than 1 per post, with a few exceptions:
--Items, such as your wishlist and current quest items. Item pics are usually so small that they won't cause delays, unless you post 10 or 15 of them.
--Banners/affilliate posts. They do take a long time to load, but people looking at these will expect that. Also, they'll probably be towards the bottom, so they'll have time to load while the viewer is looking at the rest of the thread.

Try to stay reasonably restrained in your pic content. Aside from TOS requirements, freaky pics are likely to scare off potential users/donors. You may like having Alucard from Hellsing, but having him glaring out from your intro post is going to scare people (or make them question your mental state. Or both).

Of course, this doesn't mean that you can't use Hellsing (or similar animes/games/whatever) for your images. Just be a bit more selective of who you choose. In this case, most of the other characters would be fine.

Outside art is another good reason to have a 'thank you/donors' post. It's the perfect place to give credit for your artworks. You can either place them as 'donations' or give artwork and other non-gold contributions in a separate category.

Wow, all of those are very good points! I'll have to get them added in somehow... prolly just quote you directly. whee