Ever see those well-known members with so many adoptables and a high post count? Do you wonder how they manage to post so much without receiving a single big red 'X', and where they manage to acquire such popularity? Here's a small guide filled with tips on how to better yourself in the community.

Quick links
•Basics
•Contribute
•Participate
•Communicate
•And the most important...

•What is a PokePlushies forum?
Gasp! If you have yet to check out the Pokeplushies site and forum, click here |x| for the main site and here |x| for the forum site.
Pokeplushies is an artist-based forum community where people from many different areas meet and chat it up about the adoptables available on the site, updates and comparisons of adoptable collections, or just about their everyday lives. It is a wonderful place to be, filled with such a variety of people that a spice rack would be jealous.

•What is an 'X' mark?
A big red 'X' is both literally and figuratively a scarlet letter. It is given by a moderator or administrator to a person who SPAMs, flames, or in any way breaks the rules of the PokePlushie forums. This brands the user for eternity, and so shows others that they have broken a rule or SPAMmed. Up to three in total can be given before a user is banned from the community. One is a warning, two forces a 3-day temporary ban, and three is the final straw, where said user is banned from the forums.

•What is SPAM?
The acronym SPAM stands for
Silly
Pointless
Annoying
Messages

If you want to become a respected user of the community, these posts are not a good way to start. Bad reputations can build up very quickly.

Reports
If you see a thread or post that is breaking the forum rules, report it. A moderator will take care of the rulebreaker, whether it be deleting the post and giving a warning, giving the person a shiny red 'X', or just banning them entirely. Don't report unless you're sure it is necessary, because an unneeded report will only make you look bad.



To report a post or thread, simply click on the 'Report' link at the bottom right of posts, which will take you to a box you can fill out. Basically, write why you are reporting said topic or post here. Keep your reports polite, courteous and eloquent.

There are many different ways to participate in the PokePlushies community. Some people are avid adoptable collectors, others love to draw and write stories, and still others are like treasure hunters, searching for that perfect trade lot that will satisfy their wants.

Adoptable collectors and traders
There are those out there that have been here since the beginning, adopting each month and adding to their families, keeping the unique codes and saving them as they were first told to do. Others were not quite so fortunate, deciding only later that they wanted to join in on the fun at PP, as we call it. Now they seek out those who have extra numbers of the adoptables they want. When you decide to look for a trade, the first place to look is the official PP Trading Center. There is a search function that will help you find the adoptable you want.


Official and Unofficial PokePlushies forum Competitions
There are constantly events going on at the PP forums. Quetzal and Cydewinder, the owners of the site, hold their own personal contests, whether it be for art, funny jokes, or fansites. Simply participating in these contests can earn you a Promo Adoptable, which in later times can become a very sought-after adoptable. If you win, however, the prizes can be grand; the Promotional Dragon adoptables Garchomp, Dragonite, Salamence, and Tyranitar are examples of winners' prizes from the two head honchos.
Another official contest is know as the Trainer Card Competition. Participants in this contest earn points towards the Promo dragons. Every time you enter, your Trainer card is evaluated on a scale of A to Auto F. Every passing entry (C- and higher) earns you 1 point, and an entry that places in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place will earn you three points on top of the first, making it a total of four for the round. When a large amount of points is accumulated it can be traded in for these wonderful prizes:


You can redeem the points for one dragon at a time. Your first promo dragon adoptable (of your choice) will cost you 20 points, and then the dragons will cost you 35, 45, and 60 points, respectively. So start on those Trainer cards early! Hard work and perseverance will pay off in the end.

Unofficial PP forum contests are held by members of the community themselves, and are not official; thus they may or may not have a prize. These contests can be riddles, codebreakers, storytelling competitions, or just giveaways. The prize, if any, depends on whether the holder of the contest wants to give one away. There are also contests held by people who have decided that Pokeplushies is no longer for them, and so they are leaving the site and giving away their whole collection, which in some cases may have some very rare adoptables. Participating in these contests and giveaways can further your collection. Remember, when entering contests with artwork or writing examples, make sure everything is your original work. If you steal someone's art and claim it as your own, there is a pretty good chance you will be getting banned.

Join a Clan!
If you REALLY want to find people who have the same tastes as you, you can join a clan in the Clans & Clubs section. There is a popular clan for adoptable fanatics, many fans of different pokemon and TV shows, and a few selective clans and clubs that you cannot get in without an invitation. There are different requirements and variations of forms that you use to apply for a place in a clan, but don't be shy. It isn't difficult, and once you're in, you can go ahead and post! Try to keep one-on-one conversations to Private Messages. That is what they are there for. Usually, when you make it into a clan, you will get access to a userbar or banner that you can proudly display in your signature to show you are part of it.

Get out there and show your personality! If you don't post or participate, people won't know you exist. Pokeplushies is a very friendly and accepting community of those people that aren't nuisances, although many of those that are don't stay very long. Remember to stay eloquent, polite and courteous. Let yourself be known; trade with people or start your own clan or club. Don't sit in the shadows and let yourself be looked over. Above all...

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