Welcome to Gaia! ::

What is the Charity forum intended for?
This forum serves two purposes. Firstly it is for donation seekers/questers, and secondly it is for donators/charities.

Donation Seekers: This is a place for you to come and ask others for donations to get you started on Gaia. Additionally, if you have an item in mind that you would like to have but cannot afford, then this is the place to begin the quest to achieve your goal.

This does not mean that you can beg in other people's threads! Start your own thread please. Begging in other people's threads is considered spamming and you will be warned for it!

Donators: This is also a place for Charities to give away gold or items to needy Gaians. And of course any Gaian can choose among the threads and donate to whomever they would like.

Forum Etiquette
DO be polite
DO use good grammar
DO say Thank You
DO have patience
DO acknowledge your bumpers
DO have some fun


DON'T advertise in other's threads
DON'T say "bump me back"
DON'T stretch the page with your bumps either sideways or vertically.
DON'T use too many emoticons when bumping

How to Set Up Your Quest Thread

1. Stand out from the crowd
Many people are questing for or seeking the same items as you are. Think about this when you choose the title to your thread and when you consider the layout and wording. Use spellcheck, proper grammar and of course be polite. The first post contains the title, so put the item you want in the title and think of a way to make that as interesting as you can.

2. Think about your layout
How many posts will you need? How do you want to organize your thread? What goes where? Take a look around at some of the other threads in the forum and get an idea of what you want yours to look like. Do be an individual, don't copy others, just get some idea of what works and what does not work. Most good quest threads have at least the first 3 posts (if not the entire first page) for the quester to use for various things like the donation page, the bumper page, progress page, etc.

3. Style: Banners and art
If you can make a banner that is great, but it is not needed for a quest thread. You can make some of your sections have a title that is a different color or in a different size, bold or underline. Use these tools to brighten up your quest thread and make it more attractive. Remember to keep the font readable. Nobody wants to come along and try to read your 9pt yellow or orange type.

4. The first post
This is your first impression! Try to make it clean and easy to read. Get out all the important information like what item you are seeking and why. Maybe make a short story about why you want the item. Perhaps you can tell a little bit about yourself. You might want to put a table of contents here so the viewer knows where to look for things. Especially if you are going to be questing for a while.

5. Sample Table of Contents
Introduction with Table of Contents and Rules
Current Progress/Current Offer
List of Donators
List of Bumpers/Contests
News and Updates/Announcements
Items for Sale
Links to Friends and Charities (maybe ones that donated to you)
Reserve a few posts in case you need them


6. Quest Progress/Status or Current Offer
Be sure to let people know how your quest is doing in one of your first posts (Current Progress/Status/Current Offer). Keep up to date with the current price of the item you want. List the gold and the items you have in your offer so far. It's ok if it is far short. But you want to list where you are at so prospective donators may know that you are serious and may be more inclined to donate to you. Also, you can never tell. A friendly person may come along and accept your offer.

7. Bump Your Thread
This is something you want to do in the friendlies manner possible. Don't bump with scream or stare emoticons because you are frustrated. Bump with something friendly like a smile or a heart. Speak to the people who drop in and bump with you and say Thank You. Be polite because you do not know when a donator might be passing through.

8. Advertisments
Advertise in your signature. Make sure there is a link to your quest in your sig. Then go out and be friendly and enjoy Gaia and maybe some people will drop by your thread. But do not advertise in other people's threads since that is rude and not allowed anyhow.

9. Monitor the Exchange and the Marketplace
Keep abreast of current prices. Watch for good deals for your item. You may find it cheaper than you would have thought.