Aspiring to Be a Better Neopian

1. Keep your trade wishlists friendly. Trade wishlists have gotten so hostile with some commonly used comments like "no noobs," "junk will rot" and "no stupid offers." Try to keep in mind that you were new once too. Just because someone makes an offer that is not even close to the item's actual worth in NP doesn't mean that they are a stupid person. They could have made a mistake or they might have just genuinely thought that the item was worth less. Maybe you could politely point out to the person ways to find out what an item is selling for. Anyway, how hard is it to hit reject if you get an offer that is below what you want? Instead of being harsh with your wishlist comments, just list what amount of NP you'd like for the item and chances are you'll get very few, if any, substantially lower offers.

2. Remember to say thank you. Unless your shop is selling hundreds of pricey items a day and it would take up more time than you have, take a couple of minutes to send a Neomail to thank your shoppers. You'll not only improve your shop's image and gain the loyalty of your customers (more NP for you!), but you'll probably make some Neofriends in the process.

3. Speaking of Neofriends... Make lots!! Join a Guild that shares your interests and goals. The other members will help to keep you motivated to reach those goals. The members will probably also have great tips for improving in the areas where you would like to excel since they have some common ideas about what playing Neopets is all about. Then one day you can return the favor and help out the newer members of your guild with their goals!

4. Don't abuse the Neoboards. The Neoboards can be a great help for lots of things. Need to find a shop selling your Faerie quest item? Need some tips for getting a high score on a game? It's all out there to be found. If you spam the boards and generally make a nuisance of yourself, not only are you risking losing your account, but you're detracting from the usefulness for others by creating a lot of junk posts to sort through to get to the real content.

5. Get involved in the plots. Some parts of the plots may seem super challenging, but stick to them and try to get as far as you can. You usually earn really cool prizes that you may choose to keep as souvenirs or sell for NP! Plus, you almost always get a sweet trophy to really glamorize your user lookup and impress current or potential Neofriends.

6. Read the Neopian Times, especially the editorial. You will learn so many new things from reading the editorial every week. There are always really great questions you may have never thought to ask or have been wondering about and a few "secrets" that will really surprise you if you do not already know about them.

7. Play Games! Lots of people make Neopoints by restocking their stores, trying to find deals then reselling the items at a higher price. Some people make Neopoints by buying stocks in the hopes that they can sell them later for more Neopoints. Those are great ways to make Neopoints and there are many other valid ways to make NP, but the most reliable way is to play games. Find a few that you're really good at or enjoy and play them every day. Getting really good at the games is another way to get lots of shiny trophies for your user lookup also.

8. Make sure your Neopets are taken care of. Do not let your Neopets' hunger and mood levels get to critical levels. That is just not very nice. You might come on the site for the games, the guilds, or to Neomail your friends, but don't forget you chose to create your pet and so you're obligated to be responsible for it. Always make sure your pet has plenty of food. There are lots of places to get free food if you can't afford it, like the Soup Kitchen or the Giant Omelette in the Tyrannian Plateau. (And maybe even some nonexistent places to get free food too!!) If your Neopet is unhappy, try buying an inexpensive toy or grooming item. If you know you're going to be away for a while, put them up in the Neolodge. Giving your Neopet a Petpet or customizing their backgrounds, clothes and Neopet pages might even win you a prize!

9. Become familiar with Neopia! Instead of always using a "dailies" list on your guild page, or a non-Neopets site, try actually exploring the map. You may discover something new. Another benefit is that you will start to learn the names and appearances of all the places and notable Neopians. A lot of the educational games like Word Pyramid, Spell or Starve and Word Poker accept Neopets specific words (like some Neopet or Petpet species names for example) as valid words. Knowing what Neopia and its inhabitants look like is almost a requirement for a lot of the competitions like the Lenny Conundrum, Mystery Pic and the Caption Contest.

10. Most importantly... Have fun!!! Sometimes Neopets can get intense, but keep in mind it's just a game and we're all here because we enjoy it. So be nice and follow the rules, but make sure to have a good time!