Your jnAccount: The Neoboards
At some point in your Neopian life, you may be tempted to click on that button at the top of your screen entitled 'Boards'. Quite possibly you have already done so. Perhaps you go there often. Or maybe you took one glance at the cliquey board titles and the rude comments and ran for your life!
Though the Neoboards may often seem like a chaotic and scary place, there is much fun to be had and knowledge to be gained from visiting. Each board has its own focus, slang and by-rules - what is acceptable or normal talk in one forum may be quite unacceptable in another. In any case, it helps to be familiar with the workings of some of the major boards. You never know when you might need to drop by!
For a discussion of general board etiquette and vernacular, see the Newbie Etiquette article. For a list of Neoboard emoticons, see the Emoticons article.
Art
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The previously named Beauty Contest Board (often abbreviated to BC) used to be universally dedicated to discussing users' BC entries. For all those who are familiar with such discourse, 'discussing' usually equals 'begging for votes'. Though such vote-soliciting is theoretically confined to this board, users are free to post 'Spare a vote?' or equivalent in their signatures and haunt other boards, thereby contributing to a significant chunk of Avatar Chat spam. You can now discuss things like the Art Gallery and Pet Spotlight as well as other artistic topics! |
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Avatars/NeoSignatures (AC)
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The Avatars and NeoSignatures board, known as the AC, is one of the largest and busiest boards. Discussion here usually (but not always!) revolves around the acquisition of avatars and the formatting of fonts. Colloquially known as the AC (not to be confused with the Altador Cup or the Advent Calendar), this board is not exactly renowned for its serious Neopian discussion. The AC was once aptly described as 'the equivalent of a gossip magazine'! Crazy, off-topic boards are commonplace, with a double-sided approach to spam - questions considered stupid and/or irritating are by turns flamed and answered kindly, while users being silly and providing entertainment are generally tolerated, if not encouraged. Item lending is the main business conducted on this board. Depending on the rarity of the item, lender availability ranges from common to non-existent. Often lenders will ask for collateral (that is, Neopoints or easy-to-sell items equal in value to the item you wish to borrow) that you offer in exchange for the item. This collat will be returned to you upon a safe lend. Unfortunately, scams are very common and lenders are now hesitant to lend for free. Be careful! In short, the Avatar Chat is an unpredictable place. Head in armed with a thick skin and a smile. |
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Battledome (BDC)
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Another often-frequented board. The Battledome Chat or BDC (so as not to confuse it with the Beauty Contest) is populated by serious battlers with serious money. Many posts relate to pet training, selling Battledome items or discussing wars of yesteryear. Occasionally experienced ACers will venture here to ask to be lent expensive avatar items such as MSPP and SuAP, as it is widely known that Battledome chatters are more likely to own them. A friendly (?) rivalry exists between the AC and the BDC, with the two sides frequently poking fun at each other. Battledome chatters also delight in playing practical jokes on an unsuspecting Avatar Chat, including (but not limited to) giving away 'invites' to the Chocolate Ball and spreading the (false) news that Punchbag Sid was in the Battledome. Such jokes are usually not appreciated by Avatar Chatters, though many on both sides enjoy the joke once it is over. The BDC is also widely known for its harsh treatment of newbies who aren't used to the way the board is run. It has been remarked that 'if you try to close a board [i.e. request that people stop posting] on the BDC I heard it gets bookmarked'. This means even more people post on the board in question and generally make the newbie's life miserable. Definitely another place where you will need a thick skin! |
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Customisation
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At the Customisation board, you'll find any and all talk related to that great innovation of Neopets 2.0: dressing up your pets. Common topics include pet rating, clothing sales, fashion shows (without Neopoint prizes, of course) and discussion on what clothing items suit various pets. As you'd expect with dressing up, the Customisation Chat is overwhelmingly girly, so the more macho among you may find other boards more to your liking. However, the inhabitants of this board do give wonderfully helpful advice on clothes and pet rates, helping your Neopet look the best it can. |
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Evil Things and Monster Sightings (EMS)
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If you are searching for deep, meaningful, scintillating conversation with some of Neopia's finest minds, well, this is the wrong place. The Evil Things and Monster Sightings board is almost always filled with talk about Twilight, Halloween and scary things at school. Much of the talk here would reasonably be classed as spam, but the people here are friendly enough. It's easy to jump into a random convo and get involved. |
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Fan Clubs (FC)
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Like so many other Neoboards, the Fan Clubs Chat has long since lost much of its original purpose and vigour, instead falling into the spam-infested doldrums. Only a few long-running boards survive, held together by a band of stalwarts. This is a shame, really, because it could do a lot better than imitate other well-known brands of Neoboard spam. Why not drop by and see if your presence can give the FC a bit of spark? | |
Games (GC)
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The Games Chat is a lively board where any and all discussion of Neopian games (excluding Key Quest and NeoQuest, which have their own boards) is welcomed and promoted. The main function of the GC is to provide help and support for various popular games. These include Food Club, the Kadoatery (also on the AC), Plushie Tycoon, Brucey B Slots and Krawk Buried Treasure. People here are more than willing to share tips and tricks with these games, setting you on the road to gaming glory! |
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Guilds
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There are exactly two varieties of board to be found on the Guild Chat: those seeking a guild and those with a guild to offer. The vast majority of posts here are guild advertising, so don't expect to find a whole lot of threaded conversation. Posting your guild interests is bound to net you a few replies, so if guilding is your thing, don't be afraid to have a look! |
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Habitarium
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The Habitarium board does exactly what it says on the tin - it's a place to gain advice, secrets and, it appears, lots of free ink. There's even a board for those who are currently locked out of Habi altogether! You'll find lots of keen players and old hands ready to help out anyone who needs it. |
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Help (HC)
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Over the course of your Neopian life, you will most likely need to call on this board at least once. Something not working right? Desperately need the answer to an obscure Neopian question? Never fear, the Help Chat is here. This board is exactly the right place to ask every question you'd ever dreamt of asking. Every facet of Neopia, everything that may not fit in another board. Most of the time, there are a few good people here who are happy to take care of whatever queries you may have. The rate of newbie-flaming here is considerably lower than many other comparably busy boards, mainly because the vast majority of people here are newbies as well. A great place to meet a few familiar faces. |
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Ideas/Suggestions (I/S)
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If only this board were as good as it sounded. The Ideas and Suggestions board is a place for people to contribute ideas, to get them sounded out before passing them on to TNT. Except it, too, appears to have fallen by the wayside a little. There is precious little in the way of community here, with the I/S chock-full of the same tired off-topic topics, the same half-hearted suggestions that everyone knows will never happen. Like the Fan Club Chat, I/S could do with a little TLC. |
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Jelly World
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If you're a complete Neoboard novice, you may be wondering exactly what the Jelly World board is. 'But I can't see it on the index! I can't make a new board in it! What's going on?!' Well, strictly speaking this board doesn't exist. But through a, er, technical glitch, we Neopians are able to see what's going on and join in the fun. 'But how can we do this?' you ask. Well, unfortunately, you can only post a new topic using certain browsers. Internet Explorer 6 and Google Chrome both work for this, but Firefox and IE 8 don't. 1) Go to the Jelly World board. Click on the New Topic link in the top-right-hand corner of your screen. 2) Copy and paste the following code into your address bar (making sure to take out whatever was there first) and press Enter. Make sure it's exactly right! You'll get a pop up that says "[object]." Click "OK." A new option 'Jelly World' will appear in the boards drop-down list. 3) Type whatever you wish and create your board. Most posts here are simple exclamations and inane chatter, as the Jelly World board is still something of an oddity - despite the broader Neopian population knowing about it for years. But in all seriousness, there's really not much to talk about. After all, what on earth is Jelly World? |
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Key Quest (KQ)
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The KeyQuest board is, as the name suggests, devoted to the wildly popular multi-player board game KeyQuest. If your computer chokes on the thought of this game, there is apparently a lot to miss out on - the fun interaction with other players, the great prizes from gold keys, the never-ending line of quitters... okay, so that last part isn't much fun. Certainly the Quit Victim's Lament gets a lot of airplay here. But you'll also find chatty individuals who want nothing more than a friendly game of KeyQuest. Why not take a peek? |
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Merchandise
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At the Merchandise board you will find discussion of real-life Neopets products, as well as the seemingly obligatory spam that invades the smaller boards. Except there is hardly any discussion going on - it isn't uncommon for topics to stay on the front page for four or five days. Yes, days. Compare that to the AC, where in peak hour a front-page life of five minutes is a rarity. If actual people are more your thing, consider heading elsewhere. |
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NC Mall
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The NC Mall board is where any and all discussion of Neocash takes place. It never seems to be without the requisite 'Get rid of the NC Mall' topic, though thankfully they're not all like that. There is often a 'For people without access to NC' area where kind people who have Neocash will purchase items and send them to people who cannot (for whatever reason) buy their own. Their generosity is legendary, but not endless. A lovely place to go for a chat - the people here really make this board. |
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NeoQuest and NeoQuest II
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The NQ and NQ2 board is where you will find all discussion related to (arguably) Mr. Insane's finest contribution to Neopets. Not to be confused with the Quest board (but often is anyway). This board is quite small and hosts a group of dedicated NeoQuest and NeoQuest II players who are always happy to help with queries. When they're on, that is. Often this board is all but deserted, meaning you will need to refer to one of the many wonderful guides floating around Neopia. |
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Neohomes
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Just like the title says - the Neohomes board is a place for all home things. Much board space is occupied by house-proud Neopians searching for a rate, though there are a few decorators as well who are happy to offer tips. Interestingly, there are also a couple of long-term Classic Neohome boards, where old-school virtual bricks and mortar are displayed in all their glory. Guess some things never change! |
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Neopian Pound (PC)
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The Pound Chat is arguably the scariest and most intimidating board of them all. Yes, it even beats the AC. Neopet trading (one-for-one, of course) is now a serious business, and if you aren't prepared, chances are you'll be ripped off faster than a Gnorbu mane on Shearing Day. For starters, this board is always incredibly fast. Even at 3am NST when everything else is quiet, the PC roars ahead at full steam. This means board makers have to bump up their board frequently if they want any chance of being seen on the first page. The lingo used by PCers is often incomprehensible, as is the logic behind many successful trades. Add the fierce competition for the rarest pets and you have what might be thought of as barely organised chaos. But all is not lost! With a little experience, even the newest pet trader can be successful. Make sure you know exactly what you want here. Do not be afraid to say 'no thank you' to an offer. Above all, go nuts with the board bumping! This board isn't so much rude and nasty as huge and, to be honest, a little scary. Don't be fooled! |
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Neopian Writers (NW)
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Previous recollections of the Neopian Writers board (from a long time ago, mind) were of a close-knit, special community, overflowing with writing talent and eager to share their stories with Neopia. Unfortunately, a recent visit blew that dream out like a flickering candle. Instead, this board now features a selection of the finest spam Neopia has to offer, as well as a couple of the longer-term writers' boards. Given the quality of Neopian Times and Poetry Competition entries, the standards for this board had been set high. Perhaps a little too high. There is definitely a glut of writing talent out there - let's bring the Writers' board back! |
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Newbies
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Like the title implies, the Newbies board is usually filled with chatty newbies. Most of the chat here would be considered spam on any other board - indeed, if one spams elsewhere one is often redirected to the newbies board. If you're new to Neopia, the advice here is: skip the Newbies board. Head to the Help Chat instead, where you'll find plenty of welcoming people. |
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Other Worlds
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During the Altador Cup off-season, several close-knit chatboards moved to the Other Worlds board to continue their lively discussions. Why the Other Worlds board? Well, to tell you the truth, it was rather devoid of other discussion. And still is. Below the Cup boards is - yes, you guessed it. More spam. -sigh- |
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Petpet Park
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The new Neopian venture Petpet Park doesn't yet have forums of its own, instead renting space on the Neoboards, as it were. The Petpet Park board appears to be a happy and helpful one, if a little on the slow side. (By the way, Jellyneo's Petpet Park guide is really neat-o, check it out!) |
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Quests
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If the faeries have disrupted your Neopets business with a sudden demand for a particular item, despair no more! The Quest board is where you go to ask kind Neopians out there to find you a shop for the item. Unfortunately, as quest-searching is largely a thankless task, this board is usually deserted. If you desire a faster response, the Avatar Chat (as off-topic as that seems) is usually the place to go. |
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Role Playing (RP)
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The Role Play board is one of the more obscure Neoboard hideouts, populated by a group of hardcore Role Players. For the uninitiated, role playing involves taking on a character (usually of your own creation) and taking it in turns to act out a story on the boards. In theory, all RPs are supposed to be Neopets-related, but usually that rule is quietly ignored. Participants here have their own lingo, which may seem off-putting at first but is easy to get the hang of. Why not try something a little different? |
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Shop Ads
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Exactly what the title says. There simply isn't much to the Shop Ads board aside from, well, shop advertisements. Even then, you are almost certainly better off looking for a good deal on the Shop Wizard. |
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Spotlights and Galleries
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The Spotlights and Galleries board is almost exclusively devoted to the construction of galleries, often at the expense of spotlights. Which is unfortunate, really. Galleries are also sometimes discussed on the Avatar Chat (even though there is no gallery avatar). This board is a little on the slow and dead side. Guess you had better start collecting! |
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Stock Tips
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The Stock Tips board is serious stock discussion takes place. Also, inexplicably, a Liverpool FC supporters' board. If a low-spam, serious board appeals to you, then stocks might be the go. Many people here have untold riches invested in stocks and really do know their stuff. They're usually happy to help newbies or give out tips, though frequently-asked and -answered questions are likely to be met with stony silence and a disinterested link to a petpage. Isn't it nicer to talk to real people? |
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The Official Neopets Team Message Board
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The Official Neopets Team Message Board (*official music plays*) is where TNT staff members will post about technical glitches, things going unexpectedly wrong etc. in order to give players more real-time feedback instead of waiting for the news or the Editorial. In practice, however, they're more likely to post on their Facebook page or tweet than use this rather shiny new board. |
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Trading/Auctions
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The Trades and Auctions board appears to be a lost, forgotten little hidey-hole, sitting at the end of the list. As you would expect, this is a place to sell things that don't really relate to any other board concerned with buying and selling. Again, mostly advertisements. Not much else to see here. Move along now. |
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Virtupets
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Home to most of the Altador Cup chat boards in the off-season (largely because, like the Other Worlds board, it wasn't being used for much else), the Virtupets board is a place to talk about all things Dr. Sloth-related. This makes Dave's continued absence from this area all the more suspicious. Those who populate the off-season boards are a tight bunch who all know each other, but that's no reason to say hello to your fellow Altador Cup supporters! |
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Well, that's all of the Neoboards for you. Wouldn't it be great if you picked a board at random and dived in... who knows what you might find?
Did you find what you were looking for on this page?
Awesome! Glad you found what you needed. :)This article was written by: Torratz
