Being a good guild member

First Impressions

There are several very important things you should do before posting on the guild board. First, find the rules page and make sure you understand them. You certainly don't want to be thrown out of the guild on your first day, now do you? Next thing is just read everything you can get your hands on. Skim through the guild webbie to get a feel of the guild and the current activities. Do not, for any reason whatsoever, ask about Newbie Packs. Why? Well firstly, if newbie packs were offered then it would be on the website somewhere. Secondly, you are labelling yourself as a n00b when the first thing you do is ask for a newbie pack. That makes it sound like you are just in the guild for neopoints, which (hopefully) you're not. This generally bugs guild leaders and that'll ruin your first impression.
Your very first post! Oh how exciting! Now that you know a little about the guild you can post something intelligent. Be sure to state your name in your post and a little bit about you. Maybe mention how the labray just turned your adorable little Uni into a Moehog! Also mention something about the guild activites like how you'd love to participate in the 45 member bash or the Spring Fling. This lets other members know that you actually bothered to read the website. Do ask questions. If you can't think of anything then maybe congratulate on the awesome guild layout and ask what program was used. You get what I mean, just show them that you're eager to be a part of the guild.

Participation

In order to be an important part of a guild, you need to participate. This means take a chance and enter that shop layout contest even if your's isn't the best. This goes a long way to making yourself noticed and liked. No one likes a lazy bum who only joined the guild to have a chance at the Paintbrush giveaway. What's important is that you take a part in all the activities you can, and that you even suggest hosting something of your own. Offer to make a Stock Market tutorial or a blog coding guide. This lets the guild (and its members) know that you are more than willing to invest not only neopoints but also time and effort into the guild. Volunteer to do things! Offer to make a guild-advertising lookup or donate a Bottled Faerie to the guild giveaway ect. It is great to donate, but you should never have to donate to be a great member.

Chatting
Of course, being active on the boards is uber important. Try to post at least once every 24 hours and try to make your post at least 5 lines long. This is really important because you are showing that you are willing to invest time and effort. It also helps to have people to get to know you. Joke around, have fun and hang out. You want the other members to know you and maybe remember "oh she's the funny one who hates carrots" or something of that sort. Basically you want your name to bring some sort of a (positive) connection to other guild members.

Neomail is also an important tool. Try to make contact with all the friendly guild members you cross. This doesn't mean sending a "Hi my name is Billy and I am new to your guild. I am saving for a lab ray. Care to donate?" message to every single member. Try something more along the lines of "Hey, I'm Billy, you might have seen me on the message boards. Anyway, I saw that you needed help finding a background for your shop? Well, my friend Sammy absolutly rocks at graphics so I'm sure I can organize something for you. And I just wanted to tell you, your avatar collection is absolutely stunning! I am still working on mine."

The Do Not's
Ah, this is kind of obvious: don't beg, don't bug, don't spam! Also, don't drive members up the wall. If you ask about something and the answer is an "inside joke" then it's ovious that you aren't going to find out the inside joke. People who keep pestering others are VERY annoying. If you have a problem with a certain member, just neomail the leader about it in a positive manner. Don't just go "She started it!" or something, explain what happened and why/how they offended you. There's no need to be an over enthusiast. Don't neomail the leader every 3 minutes. It will just bug him/her and leave you looking like a complete n00b.

Afterword
Please understand that this guide just sketches out rough guidelines for you. Every guild is different. Something that is "OK" in one guild could be considered offensive in the next. The best thing you can do as a member is inform yourself of the rules and just be polite. Don't expect everyone to love you on your first day. Personally, in my last few years of neopets, Guilds were basically the only thing I did on there. I was absolutely in love with those things. Anyhow, if you have any questions, suggestions or comments, please email them to me at kathrin433@yahoo.com. I'd would love to receive your feedback.

~Kathrin