| 
Give
a man a fish…When is helping not helpful?
Long
ago (when I was a little girl), I came across a poem
by Shel Silverstein that ended:
And some kind of help is the kind of
help
That helping's all about
And some kind of help is the kind of
help
We all can do without
It
describes a situation where one person was always helpful and another
person, well…was not. On Neopets, this can take on all sorts of problematic
or troublesome dimensions. Here are a few examples that I’ve come across.
Glance at them and decide if they are helping or hurting:
- I’m working on the new Altador plot and I can’t find my constellation anywhere.
I’ve posted my star chart on my pet’s page. Can someone help me? Helping
or Hurting
- I really want the new game avatar,
but I really stink at this…can someone get
it for me? Helping or Hurting
- I’m feeling generous and will
help the first 5 players find their Dreamer constellation for the new
Altador plot. Helping or Hurting
- I love the game for this new
avatar and I’m really good at it. Want me to get it for you? Helping
or Hurting
- I need to be gone for a few
days. Could you sit my account and pick up my dailies for me? I’ll pay
you well. Helping or Hurting
- I just got a Dark Faerie quest.
Can someone look up “Yo-Yo” on the Shop Wizard for me? Helping or Hurting
- I’ve got some extra time on
my hands, want me to pick up your dailies for
you? Helping or Hurting
- I’ve found/created a really
good guide for the game the new avatar is based on. Would you like to
see it? Helping or Hurting
- I’ve been trying to find my
constellation for HOURS! Can someone find it for me? Helping or Hurting
- I’ve been scammed! Can you give
me a few items to help get me back on my feet? Helping or Hurting
- Ok…I’m totally lost with the
newest _________ Can someone help me out here? Helping or Hurting
- Great…the Air Faerie just asked
for “Conditioner”. Can anyone give me some? Helping or Hurting
How
do you think you did? Let’s discuss:
- I’m working on the new Altador
plot and I can’t find my constellation anywhere. I’ve posted my star
chart on my pet’s page. Can someone help me? Helping
If you are feeling generous and have some time to kill, there’s no reason
not to give them a hint or two…like the starting point of their constellation,
where they can see a screen shot, etc. DO NOT go into their accounts to do it for them.
- I really want the new game avatar, but I really stink
at this…can someone get it for me? Hurting There is a world of difference between offering game
tips and actually going into another player’s account. Any time you
go on to another player’s account, you are breaking the Terms and Conditions
you agreed to when you signed up (For easy explanation, see Terms and Conditions – FAQ).
Even if that were not the case, you should avoid doing so for one very
simple reason: Not everyone is as nice as you. If you go into an account
that belongs to another player, they can accuse you of scamming/hacking
and you may lose your accounts.
- I’m feeling generous and will help the first 5 players
find their Dreamer constellation for the new Altador
plot.
Helping If someone is feeling generous
and wants to help, there’s no reason for them not to give a hint or
two…like the starting point of the constellation, where they can see
a screen shot, etc. DO NOT let them go into your accounts to
do it for you.
- I love the game for this new avatar and I’m really good
at it. Want me to get it for you? Hurting
Never, ever let someone else use your account. At best, you are cheating.
At worst, it could be a scammer who will ruin your account. Any time
you allow someone access to your account, you are breaking the Terms
and Conditions you agreed to when you signed up (For easy explanation,
see Terms and Conditions – FAQ).
- I need to be gone for a few days. Could you sit my account
and pick up my dailies for me? I’ll pay you well. Hurting Any time you go on to another player’s account, you are
breaking the Terms and Conditions you agreed to when you signed up (For
easy explanation, see Terms
and Conditions – FAQ). You are allowed one account for dailies and
if you go onto another account to do it for someone else, even if they
don’t accuse you of trying to scam/hack that account, you could still
be frozen for abusing the rule about doing dailies on more than one
account. Refer the player to the NeoLodge. You
can read more about this in the November 2005 article: NeoHolidays mean NeoLodge Stays!
Protecting your pets while you are
gone for the holidays. In addition, you are not allowed to ask for a fee for helping. That
falls under the first section of the Terms and Conditions.
- I just got a Dark Faerie quest. Can someone look up
“Yo-Yo” on the Shop Wizard for me? Helping
By all means, look the item up for them. It’s frustrating to be locked
out of the best item research tool (the Shop Wizard).
If you don’t have time yourself, refer them to the special chat board
that Neopets has created: Quests
- I’ve got some extra time on my hands,
want me to pick up your dailies for you? Hurting
Any time you allow another player to go on to your account, you are
breaking the Terms and Conditions you agreed to when you signed up (For
easy explanation, see Terms
and Conditions – FAQ). At best, you are cheating. At worst, it could
be a scammer who will ruin your account. If you are planning to be away
for a few days, use the NeoLodge. You
can read more about this in the November 2005 article: NeoHolidays mean NeoLodge Stays!
Protecting your pets while you are
gone for the holidays.
- I’ve found/created a really good guide for the game
the new avatar is based on. Would you like to see it? Helping Guides are great. Most help sites have them, many players
use them. In fact, you’ve already passed one in this newsletter. As
long as the player isn’t trying to charge for the information and has
it posted on a safe site (most use their pet pages), then I say kudos
to them.
- I’ve been trying to find my constellation for HOURS!
Can someone find it for me? Hurting
Any time you go on to another player’s account, you are breaking the
Terms and Conditions you agreed to when you signed up (For easy explanation,
see Terms and Conditions – FAQ).
If you are feeling generous and have some time to kill, there’s no reason
not to give them a hint or two…like where they can see a screen shot
of a finished constellation.
- I’ve been scammed! Can you give me a few items to help
get me back on my feet? Hurting
I know this seems harsh, but you’re not helping when you give someone
items to help them ‘get back on their feet’. What they need more than
items is information so they can learn how not to let it happen again.
In fact, many times they have been scammed as a result of trying to
cheat the system with get
rich quick scams. I realize this is not always the case, and do
have genuine sympathy for those players. If you are already their neofriend and want to help real victims out, by all means
go ahead, but for the random posts on the chat boards, the best thing
you can do is refer them to the information on how to keep their accounts
safe and wish them better luck in the future. You can find this information
on the Neopets Safety Tips page, their
Terms and Conditions
– FAQ page, and in the October 2005 article: Common
Sense is not that common: Keeping your computer, account and yourself
safe.
- Ok…I’m totally lost with the newest _________ Can someone
help me out here? Helping If you are feeling generous
and have some time to kill, there’s no reason not to give them a hint
or two…or even talk them through the whole process of whatever they
are confused about. In fact, why not refer them to a particularly helpful
game of plot guide or create your own? DO NOT go
into their accounts to do it for them.
- Great…the Air Faerie just asked for “Conditioner”. Can
anyone give me some? Hurting
If this is just a random post on a board, they really are simply asking
for free items (also known as ‘begging’). By all means, look the item
up for them, but unless you are their neofriend,
there is no reason that they should even consider asking you for a free item…and if they are a
neofriend, you may want to examine that to be sure they
aren’t just in it for the items. If you don’t have time to look it up
yourself, refer them to the special chat board that Neopets has created:
Quests
How
did you do? Did any of them surprise you? Often it boils down to item
vs. information. Many of us are familiar with the old saying:
Give a man a fish and you feed him for
a day.
Teach a man to fish and you feed him
for a lifetime.
In
short, any time you ask or are asked to go onto another players account,
don’t do it. You are setting yourself up for problems. Also, don’t let
your generosity get the better of you. If all they want is information,
by all means help them out. Don’t forget, however, that charging for information
is a scam and can get you frozen. If you’re not doing it out of the goodness
of your heart, best stay away from helping.
As always, play safe and have fun!
~StaggPub~
|
