Guide to Successful Meet My Webkinz Family Picture Threads and Webkinz Blogs (COMPLETE! Has Everything YOU Need to Know!)
Rainbowwebkinz gave me permission to make a new guide, and I wanted to make one because I've been asked so many times for tips and such, and yeah.
Read the entire guide because mastering both ways of the 2 threads will create a nice balance to make your thread more successful, like the balance of the 4 elements in "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Basically, they both have points that apply to each other too.
In This Guide...You'll learn how to make successful MMWFPT and WB.
Learn tips and tricks for a successful thread!
How to get pictures up on WI.
Learn how to star up a thread right.
Learn how to find out if there's someone pretending to be you and/or plagiarizing your thread.
How to make banners for your thread.
How to make pets cooperate for your pictures.
AND MORE!
Last Updated: August 20, 2009
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You've got to do it.
Every little bit.
You've got to do it, do it, do it, do it
And when you're through,
For you can know you did it, you did it, you did it.
...
It's not easy to keep trying
But it's one good way to grow.
It's not easy to keep learning
But I know that this is so.
When you've tried and learned
You're bigger than you were a day ago.
It's not easy to keep trying
But it's one way to grow.
- Fred Rogers
Remember this if you've got a thread.
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Table of Contents
1. Key Words
2. Credits and Thanks
3. How to Make a Successful Meet My Webkinz Family Picture Thread
4. How to Make a Successful Webkinz Blog
5. Other Information
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Key Words
MMWFPT (Meet My Webkinz Family Picture Thread): A thread where the person posts a list of their Webkinz and picture stories starring their Webkinz and maybe other peoples' Webkinz.
WB (Webkinz Blog): A thread where the person has themself and/or their Webkinz post diary entries/journal entries of what's going on in their life and such.
Thread: The common term for a Meet My Webkinz Family Picture Thread and/or Webkinz Blog.
Update(s)/Episode(s): The common term for a picture story or a blog entry of a MMWFPT and/or WB.
---Okay, before this guide goes any further, I'd like to thank rainbowwebkinz for letting me recreate the guide. I'd also like to thank the previous contributors (Lunagrrl, Redinky, SmileySarah, Happygirl15, Nimash, Koalakinzforever, and Tinybluesmiley) and I'm putting this in larger letters to make you guys feel special.
(Have any contributions? Tell me!)The original thread: http://www.webkinzinsider.com/forum/...ebkinz-492305/
Also, the following people sent tips in for this thread: Sararoxmysox and Happygirl15
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How to Make Successful Picture Threads
"Kat, how do I make a good thread?"
Do you know how many times I get that question? A billion and 4 times. It's a tough world, so I'm going to make a little guide of what to expect, because mostly, people expect what they see in my thread, and it always goes out differently. Also, people really don't get messages about threads unless they come from me, so this will hopefully get attention.
"Who made the first Picture Thread?"Karebear36 made the first picture thread, and her thread was the first in the section.
First of All, What is a Meet My Webkinz Family Picture Thread?
It's a thread in this section where you post a list of your Webkinz, and some picture stories, and the picture stories helps Webkinz Insiders learn about your Webkinz. Some do real life pictures, and some do virtual pictures. Both can be successful. The most successful real life people are me and KKF, and the most successful virtual picture threader is 1701mk.
It's mostly referred to as a "thread," and the adventures are referred to commonly as "updates," and some people call them "episodes." Do whatever you wanna call it. But in this guide, I'm calling the threads a MMWFPT to be more specific. Get me?
And I'm sorry if I get repetitive. I'm just making points.
Also, I am not trying to offend anyone or make anyone upset. All threads are awesome. These are just the rules I go by. Remember, I like your threads just the way they are, but these are just the rules I follow, and everyone has their own rules.
Getting Ready
When you feel that you're ready to get started on getting into the picture thread business, there are many things to consider.
1. Probably the most important decision to make first, is what do you want to be called? Here are some common things people call themselves:
When they just use their username: I could just call myself Blackie_Lab2003
When they use a part of their username as their nickname: I could call myself Blackie or Lab or Blackie_Lab
When they just use initials of their username: I could call myself BL, B_L, or BL2003, or whatever.
When they use their real name: I originally used Katie, my real name, but I started calling myself Kat because with Webkinz Cats, and you kinda get the idea. There were also a couple of other Katies, and so far, I'm the only Kat active.
You can call yourself whatever you want. But remember, whatever nickname you choose, sticks with you, even outside the MMWF forum. People call me Kat all across the forum now. Also, you can change your nickname later (like I did), but it may take a while for people to get used to it.
2. Are you planning to use pictures of the plushes, virtual, or both?Do whatever you can. I do both, but mostly real life.
3. What will your Webkinz be like?Will they want to destroy you? Do they want most of the spotlight? Do they assist you however they can? Or whatever your style is. Make sure you have personalities for them ready. No one wants to read about your personality-less Webkinz. Also, what a lot of people tend to do is give their Webkinz some kind of disorder. I did that originally because I was inspired by family members of mine who have disorders (I come from a family of disabilities), and it ended up spreading out because my Webkinz with disorders were so loveable, as are real people with disorders. (And it is true, disorders originated from me.) It makes sense to give your Webkinz a disorder, because disorders are so common, but people tend to rely on disorders, to the point where it's just annoying. Make sure to have a bunch of Webkinz with personalities. If you're stuck, Ganz generated a lovely biography for your pet that tells a couple of characteristics. If they like camping, make them an obsessive camper. If they want the jigsaw puzzle, make them love puzzles. If they're smart, make them a smarty pants. Also, show how your Webkinz interact with others and things. And make sure to make it funny! People will remember and come back!
4. What will your thread be called?I originally called my thread "Come See Katie and Her Webkinz," but when I decided I wanted to be called Kat, instead of making it "Come See Kat and Her Webkinz," I wanted to give it a twist to match the new nickname, so I called it "Share a Meow With Kat and Her Webkinz," but I hated how that sounded, so after a while, it became "Share a Meow With Kat and the Webkinz." My thread title used to be unique because I was the only one who had that title at the time, but so many more "Share Something" came out, that it just became so common and annoying, and that makes me sad. If you want to be creative, which is a key to a successful MMWFPT, then make the title something other than "Share Something." Emma (emscales) came to me for a title idea, and I helped her come up with "Chirp it Up All You Want With Emma and Her Webbies." Please make it a unique title. There are so many possibilities, so don't just go with my now common idea.
5. What will the first post and first update be like?Make your first post nice and pretty! Give it a banner (read Other Information for more info) to make it look pretty, and use some colorful text! (Don't use red or blue text, for that is against WI rules, and don't use yellow or any other unreadable colors.)
Also, make it nice and organized! Separate sections if you have to, use spoilers if things get long, make a table of contents if necessary, etc. And also, you ALWAYS need links to all the updates and a list of your Webkinz, because that will just make the thread better. And if you need something to stick out, bold, italic, or underline stuff.
And your first update. Has to be exciting, and awesome, and unforgettable (for a while). If your feeling in the mood, make it absolute nonsense, like tinybluesmiley and the update she had about the meowing krill or whatever it was.
How to Get the Pictures Up
Oh boy. You're ready to go, but you don't know how to do it. HELP! Don't worry, I've made that mistake too.
I don't know how your camera works, so you'll have to ask your parents if you're clueless about getting the pictures onto the computer.
1. Here is a guide of how to take screenshots and put them on Webkinz Insider. (Even if you do real life, it shows you how to upload pictures to the internet.)(You can use TinyPic.com, PhotoBucket.com, Imageshack.us, and more!)
2. Getting small pictures? Try going here.
So the MMWFPT and First Update is Up. Now What?
Wait, and post more updates.
Now let's get some more tips and such up!Getting the Word Out
I know you want comments. I know that the desire is secretly burning up inside you. Here's some things you can do!
1. Advertise!
I have never really advertised on another person's thread. They advertise me because they love me or because they asked me if I wanted one. Having someone advertise for you is a good idea. There are a lot of people who offer ads, so start requesting! You can also post a link to your thread in your signature like I did. (For those who want clickable links like mine, click here.)
2. Get to know other picture-threaders.
If you just started WI and you just started a picture thread, not a lot of people are going to visit you. Go and visit some other peoples' threads and COMMENT OFTEN! If you talk to them a lot, they'll see your thread, recognize you, comment, and if you're their friend, they'll remember to check out your thread!
Time to Expand! Make More Bigger Updates!
People will order Big Macs at McDonalds, Whoppers at Burger King, and they'll wish they had a bigger house. Face it, people like bigger! So, make some multi-post updates! (20-30+ pictures) The people LOVE it! I actually became more popular when I started posting bigger updates!
Make it Readable!
1. Imagine you picked up a book in an alien language. Even if it was the best book ever on their planet, you don't know how to read it. Would you take the time to read it? Probably not. You would probably pick up an awesome book in your language (like Twilight for Twilight fans). So, use good grammar, good spelling, good capitalization, good whatever!
Would you read this:
can i hav a cheezeburger said sophie
Or this?:
"Can I have a cheeseburger?" asked Sophie.
2. Also, separate the stuff the Kinz say by pressing that enter key on your keyboard! It's just easier to read!
3. Also, follow EVERY SINGLE RULE that is used to write a book. Don't know what I'm talking about? Pick up a book.
Looks like this:
Lacey landed from the sky.
"Believe I can fly now?" Lacey asked.
"Nope," Shuffle said. "Labrador Retrievers can't fly."
4. Also, color-coding what the Webkinz say can get confusing sometimes.
Don't Forget to Be Unique!
1. Be sure to come up with your own ideas. For updates, features, whatever. I come up with a lot of my own ideas. Hundreds and hundreds! I also have made up my own unique features, like the Postcards From Gummy and Cupcakes From Sophie (which will become a hit soon). When you come up with your own ideas, the people will remember your thread easier.
2. What also makes threads unforgettable is their unforgettable Webkinz. Each Webkinz should have a good and unique personality. But that doesn't mean disorders! I gave some of my Webkinz disorders because I was inspired by my family, and I also wanted to raise some awareness that not everyone has a seriously healthy brain. Usually when someone comes to me asking for tips, I tell them to make sure they have unique Webkinz, they usually give their Webkinz some sort of disorder like OCD automatically. Also, if you decide to give a Webkinz a real disorder, make sure you REALLY know what that disorder is all about. If you don't, ask someone who knows someone with that disorder. (Example, when I gave Nicole OCD, I asked Onlychild1999, who has a mom affected with OCD, if I made Nicole right.) But, don't go crazy on the disorders. There are many people out there with a disorder (just look at my real family!), but it's not really as unique as it used to be. If you're stuck on finding a good personality, Ganz has randomly generated a biography for every one of your Webkinz, so take a look at it. If your Webkinz likes camping, then have them want to go camping a lot. If they want a Zingoz Switcherooz game, then have them get it and be seriously addicted to it. There are so many personalities! And nobody is perfect, so go crazy making your Webkinz crazy!
Is There a Secret Ingredient? HUMOR!
You want people to remember that you have an awesome thread and come back? Humor is key! Humor will make your thread memorable! Want an example? One weekend, I posted two very long updates: one was about what my Webkinz did on a Saturday, and one was Franny, Lily, and Joey's really wild trip when they went to the computer. More people liked the trip to the computer one. Hey! It was wacky! Lily got arrested and ran from the police, Barbie the Barbie Doll came along and kept lecturing Lily and Lily kept on yelling at Barbie, and it was just plain funny!
When it Comes to Ideas, to Infinity, and BEYOND!
Okay. I have made HUNDREDS of updates. HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS. And yet, there are still plenty more ideas to be done. So how many update ideas are there really out there? INFINITY! I have a word document where I write down all of the ideas I come up with and get (and write down who gave the idea so I can credit!). If you're the type of person who gets stuck, make a word document that holds your ideas. I still have so many updates left to do. It's also great for updates that you don't really wanna do. It may be a silly idea to you now, but it may be one of your best updates when you do it later! Like "Lacey and Shuffle: Friend or Foe?" It seemed like a silly idea I came up with when I was watching the SpongeBob episode, but I wrote it down, and when I did it later, it turned out to be a great update! Also, ideas can hit you randomly. If it does, be sure to write it down!
Also, if you want to use an idea that another person used, don't copy it completely! That would look silly! It's okay to be inspired, but twist the plot! (And credit the inspiration too so they feel special and you don't look silly!) (For example, if Rainbow made an update about a fight over a cookie, and I was inspired, I would twist the plot like have the cookie fall into a cup of water or have the cookie talk. (I'd also credit her!
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How to Make Successful Webkinz Blogs
I know, my third thread (one with the blog too) started a while ago, and you probably think I have no right to start a guide on blogs yet. Especially when my first blog here made it nowhere.
But the thing is, I started a blog on another website. It was a Tamagotchi log, but it was sooooo popular!
And you know what they used to tell me back in '08?
"Squiddy, your log is so good! I wish mine was as good! Can you give me some tips?"Deja vu or what?
So, now do you feel you can trust me? Okay!
"Who made the first Webkinz Blog?"Bigchickie made the first blog in the Creative Writing section about her Lil' Golden Retriever.
Getting Ready to Blog!There are many things you need to think about when starting a Webkinz Blog.
1. Who's blog will it be?
A lot of people like to make it the blog of just one of their Webkinz, and some people are like me and make it everyone's blog.
2. What will the blog be called?Make a really cool and creative name! Like how Pupcake called her blog "Fun Fridays" for her Jack Russel, Friday's, blog. (And don't do something like "*Webkinz's* Blog: Blahblahblah." I'm pretty sure poor Cinnabon138 is sick of people using her idea like me and a bunch of other people were sick of people using "Share *something* with *person* and the Webkinz"!)
3. Plan a nice, long, and interesting first entry!Feed the hungry, stray cat a lot of tasty food, and the cat will be sure to come back to your house to be fed again! I know, random, but it's the same thing for blogs. Make a nice, long first entry, and the cats, er, I mean people, will come back for more! And make it funny! People love humor! You could talk about what life was before the blog, why you wanna start the blog, information, and more! And include a few pictures! That's like throwing a cat treat to the hungry cat! Yummy!
Colorful, Colorful Entries Makes a Rainbow Blog!Wow, random, but the point is, use some colors! And don't use blue or red ink! It's reserved for the staff. Use maroon and navy blue instead. And don't use colors like yellow and light colors you can't read. Why strain eyes of the reader? (If the cat doesn't like the food, bye, kitty!)
Be Sure to Add Pictures!People like pictures. Be sure to add at least 1 picture to each entry! It will make the entries look better! Whether it's a screenshot, a plushie picture, or a drawing on Paint, people will love it! (And I even did pictures on my old Tamagotchi log.)
Add Some Toppings to That Ice Cream!Out of ideas? Add something special! Something fun! Back on my Tamagotchi log, I wrote a "Hopping Song" because the Tamagotchis would hop, and everytime I got a new generation, I wrote another part to the song about them and their hoppy-ness. People LOVED it! I would always get mail saying how much they loved the song and how they couldn't wait for the next part! Or you can have your Webkinz get mail from "anonymous senders."
Interact With Other Bloggers!Another great thing to do when you're out of ideas is to send a letter to the Webkinz of another blogger, or ask them to meet you in the Clubhouse for pictures, or to have an interview, or invite them over, or some other kind of entry! Pupcake and I are doing this, and it's fun! It will add extra content to your Webkinz Blog, and the other person will appreciate it too because they can get their word spread around a little more and extra content for their blog too! (Also, talk to other bloggers often so they remember to check your blog!)
Leave the Cat's Dish Full Often!Okay, that may not apply to real life because raccoons will come around, but if the cat knows that the dish of food will be full often, the cat will come back. What I mean is, UPDATE OFTEN! Post an entry daily, almost daily, or whenever you get a chance! My Tamagotchi log was updated whenever the Tamagotchis did something, and people loved that!
Add a List of Your Webkinz!I wasn't able to list an entire list of the Tamagotchis that existed during the Tamagotchi log because I could no longer edit the first post, but it really saddens me how bloggers don't usually add a list of Webkinz to their first post. That would make reading it so much better!
Banners Make Things Pretty!It also saddens me how a lot of bloggers don't have banners! It would make their first post a lot less boring! (For more info on banners, visit "Other Information.")
Get the Word Out!To get the word out about your thread, do some or all of the following things.
1. Post a link to your WB in your signature.
2. Chat with other bloggers so they'll recognize you when they see your thread.
3. Send a letter to another blogger and their Webkinz and tell them they can post it in their blog!
4. Ask picture threaders who offer ads to advertise your thread!
Readability, is Key!If the cat doesn't think that the cat food isn't good for him, then he'll leave and probably not come back. If your entries aren't readable, the people will leave and probably not come back. Don't use light colors or yellow, and separate stuff.
Example, don't do this: Hi everyone! I'm Lacey! Hi guys! It's Madeline! Today we'll discuss fireworks!
Do this: Hi everyone! I'm Lacey!
Hi guys! It's Madeline!
Today we'll discuss fireworks!
Seems better, doesn't it?
Humor, is the Secret Ingredient!People LOVE humor! Add some silly stories or some people like to add funny conversations between them and their Webkinz (I used to do it with Tamagotchis).
For example of the funny story: Hey guys. It's Nick. Lily and I got in trouble last week because we rolled in Kat's money, and Kat doesn't like us doing that. Lily and Barbie also got into a fight, and we paid Barbie $5 to leave us alone, and Kat wasn't happy about that either.
And an example of the funny conversation thing: (Lily) Barbie makes no sense! She wanted me to play with Nick, and now she's yelling at me for it!
(Barbie) Well you should know better than to just roll in Kat's money like that! You've been here longer than he has been so you take responsibility!
STOP LECTURING ME!---
Other Information
"Is There Someone Out There Pretending to Be Me?"I'm sure most of you guys remember the incident where someone on another website copied my "Share Another Meow" thread, pretended to be me, just because she wanted attention. We got that settled, but it took a bit. Someone found that for me, and informed me. But someone could be pretending to be you right now and stealing your work! So, how can you find out?
1. Go to Google.
2. In quotes, type something about your thread. (For example, I'll type in "kat and the webkinz" WITH QUOTES or I'll copy a caption from an update and put it in quotes.)
3. Put in "-webkinzinsider" WITHOUT QUOTES! This will take out all of the search results with the real you in it.4. If you get any search results, and if there's a thing on the bottom you can click on that lets you see omitted results, CLICK IT!
5. There's your answer.
"Kat, Did You Train Your Dogs to Do That?"My dogs are the absolute stupidest dogs on the face of this Earth. They're not genius dogs that are trained to work in the updates like you see in movies. I'm sure a lot of you guys would love your pets to cooperate with you so you can include them with pictures, but they don't want to cooperate with you. The trick is to bring them over with their favorite snack. Pet treats usually do the trick, but if you don't have any on you at the moment, I know that dogs will go loopy for lunchmeat. How I got Sparky to "rescue" Evelyn when she got lost is I got a piece of bologna and lured him over to where she was, and held it in back of her, so it looked like Sparky was looking at Evelyn. Then with the bologna still in my hand, I put Evelyn on Sparky's back, and when we made it to the door, Sparky got the bologna.
Banner InformationI DO NOT take banner requests, but if you want to make yourself a banner yourself, go here to download Paint.NET, the program I use, and click here to download the Transparency addon I use. Then, click here to read the picture story I made of how I made my banner, so you can see how it works.
How Am I Doing?
Surveys help with letting you know how you're doing. Gotta make everyone happy! And also, let people be honest. Criticism of what you're doing wrong may hurt, but it helps you in the long run.
I've been hurt by honesty, but it has totally helped!Keep Track of All Your Ideas!Write down ideas as soon as you get them, and write them somewhere like a notebook! I use a blog from Blogger to keep track of all the ideas I come up with or what people come up with for me. It could be ideas for picture stories or blog entries!
REGARDING REAL-LIFE DISORDERS!!!!!!!!!!!Please, if you are going to diagnosed your Webkinz with something, do the research first! That means, look up on Google about the diagnosis you are planning to use. Look up symptoms, definitions, and treatments and whatever else you can find. KidsHealth.org is a great tool for learning about certain disorders!No, OCD is NOT where someone has an obsession with something like Twilight or cookies!Nicole cleans so much and thinks about it so much because she has a fear of contamination!
No, Dyslexia is not where people see things as something like "jhffgjgjksffkj"!With Dyslexia, words are either all squished together to them kindalikethis, and they get letters mixed up, especially b's and d's (lowecase) so some words like "happy" to them might look like "haqqy," and "words" to them may look like "worbs." Or the letters are sometimes mixed up, like "juice" to them may look like "jiuce." (Saw those examples on KidsHealth.) There are also a few other ways how people with Dyslexia see words.
HAVE UNIQUE FIRST POSTS!Yes, this is a problem. I'm not trying to be mean, but I've noticed that a few people have been copying and pasting content from other first posts and pasting it on their first posts and replacing the information with theirs. It makes you look very silly, and the more unique you are, the better chances there are of you hitting 1,000 posts.
How do I have such popular threads? I have the most unique ideas!
Patience, is Also Key
People often come up to me after three days asking me what they did wrong because they barely have any comments. It totally takes time. I've even done my share of waiting myself. I used to sit there and wonder why MMWFPTs that are younger than mine got more comments. And remember how I'm one of the oldest picture threaders still active. Be sure to post plenty of updates, keep chatting with others, and it will come naturally. (Also, a notification club will help remind people to check out your MMWFPT and WB.) I am very experienced with amazing others, so it came a little earlier to me, but it will come to you someday. It's like trying to win a trophy in Wacky Zingoz. There are no real tips to help you except patience and practice.
Don't worry.
Hang in there.
And remember, picture threading is not for everybody. You need to be willing to put in the effort.
Remember to Follow WI Rules!
1. Don't use red or blue ink! It's reserved for the mods! Use maroon or navy blue or some other color instead.
2. Something popular in this business is dating. Dating and marriage is not allowed. Webkinz are too young to date, according to Ganz. But crushes are okay in WI rules. That's as far as you can probably go. (And my pups are just pups in love like in Disney movies.)
Some Tech Tips From Me
Yes, there are tech tips that apply. If your a geek or not, I still want you to see these tips.
1. A lot of people use Internet Explorer, but I recommend FireFox for picture threading. Why? It has spellcheck: a great thing. Also, another thing that will be totally worth it later. Were you ever in the middle of a long update, and you accidentally press the back button? GAH! If you were using Internet Explorer, you'd have to start over again! It happens to me so much, but luckily, I use FireFox, so, I just press the "Forward" button, and when I go back to the page where I was posting the update, IT'S A MIRACLE! MY WORK IS STILL IN THE BOX!
2. Also, a lot of people ask me, "Why do you use PhotoBucket? Why not TinyPic?" You know why? PHOTOBUCKET IS A LOT FASTER WHEN YOU UPLOAD AS MANY PICTURES AS I DO WHEN YOU USE THE BULK UPLOADER. Also, did you know, that if one of your pictures you uploaded through TinyPic for 90 days, it may be deleted? GASP! Two of my pictures I upload on TinyPic (not for updates though) have been deleted because they weren't viewed. So, it's better not to take the chance. "But PhotoBucket asks all this personal information!" I currently have 4 PhotoBucket accounts, all with fake information. You don't even have to fill in the really personal stuff like your phone number.
DONE! *pants* I hope you enjoyed! If not...I'll be mad. And remember, this is not to offend threads. This is just some tips for those who want them, and to save me A LOT writing.
And remember, every thread is awesome in its own way.
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