Mini-Guide to Making a Quest Thread!
First off, I'm making this mini guide to help you on your quest to the Chyaku Norisu scarf, Ancient Katana, Dark Halo, or whatever it is you're questing for. In the years that I'm in Gaia, I've come across many quest threads, some successful and pleasing to the eye, others that just lie there collecting dust, lonely and abandoned. I hope this guide will serve you well, and hopefully will be able to attract more people into coming, reading, and perhaps donating to your cause. Or at least giving you a word of support.
We'll start by covering the basics.
A quest thread is as its name says - a thread/topic you make which contains your dream avatar/items that you reaaaally want, but have not the money to buy. Its purpose is to get people to donate/give you stuff/money so you can get to your dream faster. It is NOT a way to beg/make people give you money/annoy/scam others. And it is NOT a place for you, if you think that just by making one and saying "omfg plz help me and giv me ur unwanted stuff, i rly wnt this" you will get massive amounts of gold in a short period of time. No.
People do not donate just like that. So what makes people donate? A lot of things, which I am about to cover below. These several things are what I managed to compile over the past few months. Granted, it might not apply to everyone, but it does the job often.
First. I'll start by explaining the structure of a quest thread.
What should be there, what may/may not be there. What's a good addition and all, and what makes it appealing.
The avatar/item you are questing for, preferably from Tektek, and if possible, complete with the prices and a progress bar on the item you are currently working on. Naturally, it needs to be updated regularly. Do not forget to strike the items that you have already bought.
Make an introduction about your dream avvie. Or at least a description or a story. 1 paragraph is generally okay. Tell us, tell the world why you want it. Why do you like it? Why should we help?
No more ""omfg plz help me and giv me ur unwanted stuff, i rly wnt this" or "donate plz or ill eat ur babiez"
These are lazy and makes people less interested in you and your epic quest. From my observation, threads like these are (most of the time) ignored.
Do make your quest thread organized - make it look all tidy and spiffy. Eye-catching, yes, but no rainbow fonts, please. Proper grammar and spelling helps a lot, you know. That's right, no more 1337speak, no txt talk, and proper punctuation. Try to use a word processing program, if you have one, and use the Spelling & Grammar check feature.
Now that that's out of the way, you actually have a 90% completed thread. What about the 10%, you ask? They are additionals - extras that will help you draw in the attention of people.
Show gratitude.Have a "Thank You" list to show gratitude to everyone's that donated to you. It's not much, but it's waaay better than stating "plz donate, ill give back when im done". Show us that you're worth donating to.
Lastly, this is not necessary, but it helps. Have additional content that will make people frequent your thread. Mini-contests (but NO bump contests in this guild) such as a 'Tektek Me' contest. The prizes don't have to be big, but what if you have no gold to spare? If you are good at art, offer artwork, even if it's only an ugly chibi or headshot, but try to make it worthwile. No n00b offers please. And NO scam! Do as you stated, and dish out the prizes to the winners if you're making a contest/raffle. Don't run away with people's money or entry fees. Violators will obviously be banned and reported, for scamming.
You want that 7 mil. dream avatar? Want the Angelic Sash? Work for it! We can help you, but you better be making progress too.
Don't rely on donors only. That just scares away people from your thread, when it's obvious you ain't serious.
And... That's all for now. If you feel you have something to add here, or that something doesn't belong here, PM me. I'm always open to comments and critiques.
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