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 Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:31 pm
This thread is still in progress. Obviously. Read at your own risk, ha.
^ __^
Edit; Came across a nice thread:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/gaia-guides-and-resources/tips-and-pointers-to-a-successful-quest-thread/t.86905739/
add games
incentive for bumping - art to donators, bump on this page, bump certain number of times, rng games, have friends chat there
include this info for sure:
Why you're questing the item(s)
Your progress -- I'd suggest keeping records of your progress. It shows more about your activity.
(Your methods)
Your funds
your donators/donations
what you're questing (items/gold/avatar)
Stuff you can add
A post that links the charities you've gotten help from
links to your friends' quest threads
put effort into the thread - shows that you're dedicated to quest, will be sticking to it for a while, this wasn't just a whim. help separates it from just saying, "hey! give me gold!"
example of bad -- too many pics, flashy, emoticons, light text
too many rules
extra tips and tricks:
Don't go overboard with the format.
You want your thread to look polished. look complete. But simple. ... But you.
spoiler tags
indent posts using list
color your text
delete unnecessary posts
Include images of the items. Link to the marketplace.
Leave yourself room to grow. Extra posts are good for whatever you decide to do in the future. You can reuse the thread for your next quests.
Keep your thread updated with your progress
Eye-catching title. While something like "my quest thread" will definitely suffice, it's not likely to grab someone's attention. Your thread is just one among many others. A good title will help it stand out.
A theme is nice.
intro
what it is
how to post/make
content to include
formatting options
once it's made, what to do
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:32 pm
Quest Thread Guide Post Two: Quest Blurb Quest Blurb
Not sure how to quest or what a quest thread is? Start here. • • • • There is not just one correct way to make a quest thread. Your thread should have your own personality strewn through it. No two quest threads should be the same.
However, there is some content that all quest threads should include. Here are some sections that you should include in your thread. The order and arrangement you put them in is up to you.
What is a quest?
A quest is an unofficial term that Gaians have been using for years. You'll often see users say that they're questing. But, how do you get one?
Easy. If you're saving up to buy an item, you're questing.
It's just a term that Gaians use to say that they have a long term goal of saving up for a certain item, items, gold, art, or whatever.
Typically, when one is questing, they are putting effort into earning gold. Maybe they're playing the market, playing Gaia games, drawing art, etc.
What it all boils down to is that it will take them a lot of time and effort. Wouldn't it be nice if someone helped them out a little? Here's where the quest thread comes in.
To make it clear: If you're saving up long term for something, you're questing.
There is no official button to click or option to check to start a quest.
Just pick something, save up for it and say you're questing.
What is a quest thread?
A quest thread is a thread specifically created to be your questing hub. Quest threads let others know that you're serious about and dedicated to your quest. And that you'd appreciate a little help, if possible.
Why have a quest thread?
It's not technically necessary. You can still save up for your goal without making a thread about it.
It can be motivating to make updates on your progress.
It can be nice if others do check out your thread and send a gift.
It also can be nice when friends or strangers stop by to chat and keep you company as you quest.
But most of all, quest threads show that you're dedicated to your quest. This isn't just some whim. And you're not likely to just up and quit Gaia tomorrow. A quest thread shows that you're putting time and thought into your quest. And having a well thought out and formatted quest thread shows that you're very dedicated. Why does this matter? Users are often more likely to randomly donate to someone who's dedicated to their quest.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:34 pm
Quest Thread Guide Post Two: Quest Blurb Before you Start
• • • • You'll need to figure out some things before you create your quest thread.
You should have some idea of:
the number of posts you'll need
your post content
your post format While it's not necessary to have every detail completed ahead of time, it sure makes things easy. You will definitely need to know the number of posts you will use.
Quest thread layouts are flexible. The number of posts you'll use, what you fill them with and how you decorate them is all up to you.
There is some content that is expected (see post 6). Past that, you can add whatever suits your personality.
Please read through this guide to get an idea of how you'll make your thread.
I recommend that you also skim other users' quest threads before making your own. DON'T COPY ANYTHING. People put hard work into making their threads. Just get a general idea of what you liked or didn't like about the threads.
Like, do you like all the info spread into multiple posts? Combined into a few posts? Bright colors? Rich, deep colors? Pictures? Centered Text? Etc. What was easy to read? What made you want to keep reading? What made you want to stop reading? Were you compelled to donate? Why or why not?
Use the threads you liked as inspiration. And, again, DON'T STEAL THE LAYOUT OF ANYONE ELSE. You'll understand once you've made your thread. You wouldn't want anyone to steal and copy your thread either.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:35 pm
Quest Thread Guide Post Four: Quest Blurb Quest Blurb
Not sure how to quest or what a quest thread is? Start here. • • • •
Creating your quest thread
1. Pick a forum.
2. Click the yellow "New Topic" button to create your thread.
For a title, be sure to write something like "Please don't post yet"
"Setting up"
"Under construction" All of those things should tell others not to post.
Submit your post (creating your thread).
3. Reserve posts!
You'll want to do this quickly. Your post should be consecutive, starting with the first post of the thread.
You don't want people to make a post in between yours. Sometimes people do this on accident, sometimes people do this on purpose. Move quickly to try to avoid this. If someone accidentally posts, you can PM and ask them to delete their post. Just know that your first page would then have 14 total posts, not 15, to work with.
How many posts do you need to reserve? That's up to you and your format. I also recommend saving at least two extra "reserved posts" at the end. That way, you have room to grow.
If you have everything written up ahead of time, you can just copy/paste right into each post. If you don't, don't worry. Just save posts now, and spend time editing later.
4. Edit the posts and pretty up your thread.
5. Remember to edit your first post again to change your thread title to what you actually want to title your thread. You can also make another post letting people know that your thread is now open. (This is especially a good idea if it took a while for you to edit the posts.)
6. Be sure to put a link to your thread in your signature.
• • • •
Alternate Method: Test Forum
If you're worried about people posting in your thread while you're saving multiple posts, this method will help you.
You can create your thread in the Test Forum. This is a special, slow forum that you can use to set up your thread. Once it's ready, you can have a moderator or forum assistant move your thread to your desired forum. (Follow the directions in the sticky.)
This method is especially useful if you're creating a joint quest thread with a friend. You know, if you're trying to alternate posts.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:37 pm
Quest Thread Guide Post Six: Formatting and Theme Content to Include
These sections are generally expected in quest threads. • • • • There is not just one correct way to make a quest thread. Your thread should have your own personality strewn through it. No two quest threads should be the same.
However, there is some content that all quest threads should include. Here are some sections that you should include in your thread. The order and arrangement you put them in is up to you.
A small blurb about yourself and why you're on your quest
At first glance, this may seem unnecessary. However, this personalizes the quest thread. Why should the donator care about you?
Don't write out a whole biography about yourself. If someone's that interested, they can just ask.
You don't need a sob story. In fact, that can often be off-putting depending on how it's written. Many Gaians have heard too many people beg for gold with sob stories like, "I need this item because I have a bunion and my hair is frizzy today and because my brother's dog ran away." Don't do it.
This is usually added near the top of your thread (first, second, third post).
What you're questing and the gold needed to complete your goal
This is important. What are you saving up for? Someone might donate the actual item to you and complete your quest in one shot. (Lucky you!)
What you quest can be one item, many items, an outfit, or even other things. If you're questing multiple items, it's generally good to say what you're focusing on first and include what you'll be questing next.
Included marketplace links for each item you're questing. Gaia has a ton of items and it's easier for people to find item information that way.
A list of donations and who donated them
This shows appreciation and gratitude. It's an extra way to say thanks.
You can also include in this list (or a separate list) any items/gold you obtained from charities and user-run games.
Your current funds
This isn't technically necessary, but it is nice to see. It helps donators understand how far away you are from completing your quest.
Like, if you're rather close to a goal, sometimes people donate a large chunk of gold that will finish out your quest.
Progress and Updates
Have a section for updates.
Yes, you should update each section in their respective area. Like, keep the "current funds" section up to date. However, use the updates section to say, "I've updated my current funds from x to xx amount thanks to a few, fine donators and some Booty Grabbing."
Another example is to update the "current quest item" to the new quest after completing your old quest. Use the updates section to say that you've completed one quest and have started the next.
This helps avoid confusion. It also shows a track record of progress.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:40 pm
Quest Thread Guide Post Six: Formatting and Theme Other Content to Include
Here are some other ideas of content to include, but aren't necessary. • • • • Here are some sections that are often included in quest threads. Whether you include them is up to you. So is the order and arrangement.
Your gold-making methods
This can help people understand just how hard you're working towards your goal. Some examples include: Playing Booty Grab for x time per day, Playing x game and selling the prizes, selling art (link your shop), bumping, doing alchemy, etc.
This can be a section of its own or you can include comments about how you made your gold as you write progress updates.
Affiliates and other links out
It's nice to link to affiliated threads. For example, does your friend also have a quest thread? You can include a link to their thread. Someone might click it, visit their thread and donate to them. And vice versa. Affiliating with others gives you more chances of your thread being seen.
It's also nice of you to provide the links to the charities that may have helped you out.
This is usually included in the bottom portion of the thread as the last topic.
Rules
While many threads include a rules section, it's definitely not necessary. You're not setting up an art shop. And, really, why would you want to impose rules on potential donators? "Post three times before you can give me my item!" Seriously? They won't donate to you.
"Follow ToS" Seriously? That's a given. You don't need to state that. Gaians must do that anyway. If you do have a game or contest running, put those rules in that area.
If you do find that you need a list of rules, add them. Add only what you need. Don't make a long list of rules that are tricky or hard to follow.
Index
An index is a listing of each section and in which post they're located in.
This is helpful, but may not be necessary. If you have few posts and your thread is easy to navigate, you may not need this. If you have a lot of posts, this can help people locate what they're interested in. It's also nice for getting bearings straight before reading through a thread.
A white and black list
This... may not go over well.
By all means, including a white list isn't so bad. Maybe you want to acknowledge users who have contributed to your quest by just hanging around or by spotting users who are selling your item (very helpful if the item is rare).
Including a black list of users you've banned from your thread just looks... petty. Put the user on your ignore list and move on.
Incentives
You can include an incentive for donating. For example, many people will make art for users who've given a donation worth at least x amount.
You can also include incentives (games and contests) for enticing people to post (bump) your thread. Examples include: random number generator or dice games, being rewarded per bump or for a certain number of bumps, a prize for being first to post on x page.
Your Shop
If you have a shop open, you might as well link to it. Hey, maybe someone stopping by your thread will by some goods or services.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:41 pm
Quest Thread Guide Post Seven: Formatting and Theme Formatting and Theme
Some suggestions for setting up your thread. • • • •
The main goal is to make your thread easy to read. Embellishments should make it easy to quickly find each section. The secondary goal is to make your thread look pretty (or, in other words, polished and complete). And the the other goals are to show your own personality and help your thread stand out from all the other quest threads.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is consistency.
Pick one idea and stick to it. This makes your thread easier to read. If your thread is hard to decipher, a donator is likely to just move on and find someone else rather than try to unravel the clutter that is your thread just to find what you're questing.
Number of Posts
This one is up to you. It depends on the amount of sections you're including. It also depends on whether you want to put each section in a different post or whether you'll combine sections.
Use more than one post, for sure.
Generally, threads are easier to read when each section gets its own post. You don't want the thread to be too long, though. Do you have a lot of sections? Maybe you can combine similar sections together. For example, your "current funds" section probably doesn't need its own post.
Reserve extra posts. I'd suggest at least two. This will give you room to grow and change your mind. Did you use all 15 posts on the first page? That's way too many for a quest thread. Condense or remove sections.
The amount of posts totally depend on what you want to do. However, I'd say between 3 and 7 posts should generally be a decent size. (Not including the reserved posts.)
Color
Color is one way to personalize your thread. Avoid any bright, neon or light colors that might hurt people's eyes. They won't stick around your thread.
Color is especially important when it comes to the text. Don't use a font color that's hard to read.
If you're really set on using a light color because it's your favorite, consider using that color in the embellishments. Don't use it as your text.
Unless there's a very good reason that pertains to your theme, keep the same color scheme from post to post.
Theme
Basically, this can just be sticking to the same color throughout your thread. Or, maybe you like owls and title your sections with owl-like puns and images. Up to you. Simple is good. Done well, themes can be humorous. Don't make the theme so distracting that people can't find the main content of your thread.
Title
Item Images
Include the icon of the item(s) you're questing. This isn't necessary, but it usually makes threads prettier and tidier. You can also include an image of what your dream avatar will look like once it's completed.
You can even link each item icon to the marketplace listing. This is a way to gain space as users can click the item for more information. You won't need to include the item's name.
However, you can't expect people to recognize items by the icon. Plus, you can't expect them to click on every item to see what it is.
A general rule of thumb is to include an item image, name and average buy price for the item you're actively pursuing. Possibly for all of the items if you're pursuing an outfit of items. If you include a list of your upcoming quests or generally items you want, then you can include just the linked image icons for sake of space.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:42 pm
Quest Thread Guide Post Eight: Formatting and Theme Embellishments
More stuff you can do. • • • •
The main goal is to make your thread easy to read. Embellishments should make it easy to quickly find each section. The secondary goal is to make your thread look pretty (or, in other words, polished and complete). And the the other goals are to show your own personality and help your thread stand out from all the other quest threads.
Text Formatting
Spoiler Tags [spoiler] [/spoiler]
These hide enclosed text under a spoiler tag. This can de-clutter your thread. Hide old progress updates in a spoiler tag. Hide completed quests in a spoiler.
Code Tags [code] [/code]
These tags can be used to separate sections. (The titles of each section placed in the code box.) This looks nice in the main forums and doesn't look good in guild threads. The guild forums have an outdated code when compared to the regular Gaia forums.
List Tags [list] [/list]
List tags are great for making bulleted and numbered lists. They're also great for adding style.
Indenting your whole post can look interesting.
Indent sections under titles.
If using images on the side of your post, indenting text can often help keep text look consistent.
List tags can be stacked. Using more and more tags will indent your text more and more. Example of how: [list][list][list] [/list][/list][/list]
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:48 pm
Quest Thread Guide Post Nine: Formatting and Theme Clickable Images
• • • • You'd think that having a ton of various item icons would detract from the overall sleekness of the thread. Instead, including item images actually makes it look more polished.
Include the icon of the item(s) you're questing. This isn't necessary, but it usually makes threads prettier and tidier. You can also include an image of what your dream avatar will look like once it's completed.
You can even link each item icon to the marketplace listing. This is a way to gain space as users can click the item for more information. You won't need to include the item's name.
However, you can't expect people to recognize items by the icon. Plus, you can't expect them to click on every item to see what it is.
A general rule of thumb is to include an item image, name and average buy price for the item you're actively pursuing. Possibly for all of the items if you're pursuing an outfit of items. If you include a list of your upcoming quests or generally items you want, then you can include just the linked image icons for sake of space.
Bonus points for sticking to theme.
The image you use should match the theme and colors of your thread.
Text
Add the name of your thread to the image... or at least make it obvious that this banner would link someone to a quest thread.
Size
You could make the banner any size you want. However, there are some common sizes that are used. This is especially nice when affiliating with other threads. It helps the banners section look more uniform.
Be active!
Continue to post in your thread whenever possible. Each post brings your thread to the top of the forum. Being on the first page increases the amount of exposure to Gaians and therefore increases your chances at getting a donation. The problem is that other people are also making posts, pushing your thread off of the first page.
• • • • Make a banner for your thread.
While it's not necessary, this step does make your thread look polished. The banner will look spiffy in your thread. Plus, it's easier to affiliate with others since people like adding banners as opposed to just text.
Bonus points for sticking to theme.
The image you use should match the theme and colors of your thread.
Text
Add the name of your thread to the image... or at least make it obvious that this banner would link someone to a quest thread.
Size
You could make the banner any size you want. However, there are some common sizes that are used. This is especially nice when affiliating with other threads. It helps the banners section look more uniform.
Be active!
Continue to post in your thread whenever possible. Each post brings your thread to the top of the forum. Being on the first page increases the amount of exposure to Gaians and therefore increases your chances at getting a donation. The problem is that other people are also making posts, pushing your thread off of the first page.
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:49 pm
Quest Thread Guide Post Ten: After It's Complete After It's Complete
You've assembled your quest thread. Now what? • • • •
Add a link to your thread in your signature.
This way, people might visit your quest thread even if you were posting in another forum.
Adding it in banner form is a plus.
Keep questing!
Keep doing what you were doing to earn gold. Don't rely solely on handouts to get your items.
Update your thread.
Be sure to update your thread at regular intervals. Update: current funds, donations, donators, and general progress you've made.
Be active!
Continue to post in your thread whenever possible. Each post brings your thread to the top of the forum. Being on the first page increases the amount of exposure to Gaians and therefore increases your chances at getting a donation. The problem is that other people are also making posts, pushing your thread off of the first page.
Don't be discouraged.
You're not entitled. No one has to donate to you. Be thankful for any gift you may get.
And be positive. People are less likely to donate to those who are whining... especially if you're whining about not getting donations...
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 4:54 pm
Quest Thread Guide Post Eleven: Links Out Links Out
Here are some other guides or informative topics that you may find useful. • • • •
Further Reading
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:07 pm
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:09 pm
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:21 pm
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Posted: Tue May 26, 2015 5:25 pm
post 15
The TL;DR version:
+ Make your quest thread easy to read
+ Make it easy for donors to see your goal (what you want).
+ Example content to include:
+ The amount of effort your put into the quest thread layout translates to how much effort you're putting into your quest (how serious you are). ... In other words, a nice thread shows effort. An extremely plain thread shows laziness.
+ Be kind and thank the donors! ... Do not expect donations. No one is entitled to donations.
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