Community Engagement Guidelines For Our Ambassadors

10 min readJul 26, 2022

Welcome to the Neopets Metaverse ambassadors! This document serves to describe the guidelines when engaging with our community. While all situations will require judgment to adequately handle, these guidelines should serve as a good framework for dealing with situations that occur on our Discord server and other social media channels. Please always keep these in mind when interacting with other users, resolving conflict, and handing out warnings.

Guideline 1: Lead by Example

Users learn how to act from their ambassadors. As such, you should be familiar with the server rules and always exemplify them to the highest degree. If you think to yourself, “Is this really ok?” then you should consider not doing whatever you are considering, or ask an administrator first. However, it is encouraged to be regularly active and chat with server members about NFTs. Being a part of the community is one of the most important things an ambassador can do.

This professionalism should also extend to your interactions with your fellow ambassadors and the usage of the ambassadors' channels. Ambassadors should be open and honest with each other in regards to their opinions of the project management and each other, as open communication is key to creating a healthy team and community. However, criticism should always be constructive and never used to demean another person. If you feel that a situation is getting too personal or heated between you and another community member, step back for a bit or ask an administrator to help mediate the issue.

Guideline 2: De-Escalate

The most important thing is to treat other users with respect and patience and always de-escalate a situation before applying harsh punitive measures when possible. It is easy to lose one’s cool who is starting to break the rules, but everyone else on the social channels is a member of the community just like you and should be dealt with tactfully and professionally.

In most cases, users should be officially warned for all offenses. However, exceptions can be made for cases where user behavior is non-malicious and borderline or “group” behavior, such as

The on-topic chat starts to go off-topic (give them 10–20 messages and/or a couple of minutes to get back on topic before interfering)
Two people start arguing, and it begins to get heated (without devolving into a full-on cursing shouting match)
Someone starts making suggestive remarks that could lead to decidedly NSFW text/pictures being posted

In these cases, the offending party or parties can be gently reminded to steer away from the rule-breaking behavior without issuing an official warning. Please do not hesitate to tag moderators/administrators in the ambassadors chat to request backup, if need be, especially if your personal bias towards users in chat may prevent you from interacting fairly. Under no circumstances should you engage in toxic behavior that is in violation of these guidelines while working with the Neopets community.

Guideline 3: Dealing with a Disruptive Chat

The next thing to know is how to deal with a situation where it is not one or more users definitively breaking the rules, but rather the general conversation is becoming unsavory or treading close to rule-breaking territory.

In these cases, a simple “Hey there, this conversation is getting pretty close to breaking the [rule name], why don’t we talk about something else?” is usually sufficient. If individual users refuse to comply, you can deal with them according to Guideline 1 and take it directly to the “final warning before being muted” step based on the situation. If groups of people continually tread close to breaking the same rule, it may be worth bringing it up in the ambassador chat so that we can address any shortcomings in the rules or deal with instigators.

Guideline 4: The Spirit of The Rules

Remember that enforcing the spirit of the rules is more important than following them to the letter. Critical thinking is encouraged over blind adherence to the rules. If you think that someone should be warned for behavior that isn’t covered by the rules, or that the rules dictate you should warn someone for something that you don’t think they deserve to be warned for, please bring it up to the rest of the mod team before taking action. The rules below are a living document, and the ambassadors should ensure that they exist for the good of the server.

1. Neopets is family-friendly

Neopets has players of all ages, so inappropriate content doesn’t belong here. This includes content and discussion relating to sexual content, violence, hate speech, self-harm, alcohol, drug abuse, or anything else that’s not rated PG. Don’t allow posts with text (including stories, roleplay, or song lyrics), imagery, symbols, or anything else with this kind of content. If a post is prevented by the filters, don’t attempt to get around them.

2. Treat your fellow users with respect

Do not allow harassment or bullying of players in any way. Harassment can include calling people names, threatening others, using racist, transphobic or homophobic words/phrases/images, hate speech, spreading rumors or public shaming, filing false abuse reports, doxxing, facilitating targeted harassment, and in general giving or bringing about unwanted attention.

3. No Stealing

Never, ever scam (or allow others to scam) anyone. Scamming can take many forms — attempting to obtain someone else’s account information or access their active or abandoned account, tricking people out of their hard-earned in-game currency, items, pretending to be someone you’re not, etc.

Do not steal Neopets player’s content or creations, or attempt to claim ownership of something that isn’t yours. Any attempts of scamming or violation, whether successful or not, will result in a permanent ban.

4. The Neopets Metaverse is not the place to discuss “heated topics” or world issues

We know there are important issues in the world, and people want to discuss and debate those issues, but the Neopets Metaverse Discord is not the place for those conversations. We want everyone to feel safe and happy here, free of worry. However, more often than not, these types of discussions deteriorate and end in harassment or threats.

Off-limits “hot” topics include:

Religion
Politics
Violent Real-World Events (past or present)

Guideline 5: What Constitutes NSFW Content

NSFW content, or Not Safe For Work content, refers generally to sexually suggestive or pornographic images, but may also refer to images with excessive gore or violence. While moderating the latter is not usually an issue (due to gory images being easier to judge and less frequent in nature), what constitutes “too sexual” is a line that is drawn differently for different people.

While some things, such as full-frontal nudity, exposed breasts, and other definitively pornographic materials, are easier to classify as NSFW, many cases will be in a gray area. When considering if something in this gray area is too sexual to be considered SFW (safe for work), ask yourself the following

Is the art more sexually suggestive than what is in Neopets itself?
Does the art focus on sexual body parts, such as breasts, butt, hips, or genitals?
Is the subject making a sexual pose?
Is there a significant amount of skin exposure outside of a normal context?
Is any underwear visible?

If the answer to one or more of these questions is yes, then it is the image is too NSFW for the server. However, you can always ask moderators for second opinions.

Text-based messages should be judged based on how explicitly sexual they are. Sexual innuendo is not appropriate for Neopets, and explicit comments are not appropriate for the server. The text-based justification also applies to “pictures of text,” such as memes or pictures of conversations.

Guideline 6: Remember Your Position

Remember that as a Neopets Metaverse Ambassador, people will see you as an extension of the Neopets brand, so do not make any claims or even jokes regarding the future development of the brand without being clear that it is not an official stance. You should pass along any concerns people bring to you regarding the game to Neopets Metaverse staff or direct them to the appropriate feedback channel and make it clear that you yourself are not part of the Neopets Metaverse Team.

Similarly, when answering any questions about the server or the game (especially in regards to its development), do not make guesses, but instead, consult with administrators before giving an answer. If you are actively chatting with a user when such an issue comes up, you should inform them that you will find a definitive answer and get back to them.

You may express your own personal opinions about the state of the game, the development company, etc., but always be respectful when doing so. Finally, please do not make any announcements about Neopets or the Discord server without consulting with an administrator.

Guideline 7: Engaging with Players

There are some basic best practices to keep in mind when you are engaging with the Neopets community. Remember that our mission is to be player-centric when engaging with community members.

Community language is designed to, one, not provoke a reaction, and two, to hopefully soothe those who might be upset, agitated, or angry so that they can begin to transition to a better place emotionally.

Players will see you first and foremost as a representative of Neopets when engaging with community members on Neopets branded channels.
If you are unsure about how to proceed, it is best to ask a peer or lead for assistance.
Do not share personal information (real name, photos, etc.) with players without prior approval from the Neopets team.
Do not share private company or product information.
Never utilize confrontational language, profanity, or otherwise be unprofessional when speaking to community members.
Strive to be friendly.

Language

All messaging should be clear, concise, and grammatically correct.
Be genuine, empathetic, and compassionate.
Tone should be friendly, nurturing, and professional.
Game lore is welcome in a playful manner where and when appropriate.

Phrases to use

“Happy to help!” …
“I understand how (blank) that must be.”
“As much as I’d love to help …”
“Thanks for bringing this to our attention!” …
“Great question! …
“May I ask why that is?” …
“I completely understand why …”

Phrases to avoid

“I don’t understand/You misheard me” …
“Calm down” …
“There’s nothing we can do” …
“That’s impossible” …
“I’m not sure / I guess” …
“You’re wrong”
“Actually … “

Do…

Respond playfully and respectfully
Use respectful emojis when appropriate
Offer support and solutions to every user
Encourage people to play the game
Encourage positive brand engagement (liking, retweeting, etc.)
Follow dedicated Neopets Metaverse pages
Follow Verified Accounts & interact when appropriate
Be nostalgic
Reply to users if they respond to us; don’t leave conversations unresolved
Engage with positive comments
Use game lore
Always be firm, but fair when dealing with very upset community members

Don’t…

Use profanity of any kind
Antagonize users or engage in conflict
Encourage negativity
Take comments personally
Speak in tones that are overly juvenile
Provide specific ETAs for ticket responses or feature releases
Refer to pets as “Artwork”
Retweet inappropriate users or content
Be afraid to ask questions if you’re unsure

Neopets Terminology

The following terms and phrases are commonly used amongst Neopets players and can be used in conversation when appropriate to make conversations feel more fun and genuine.

Neopia
Lands (such as Altador or Shenkuu)
Faerie (Air, Earth, Fire, Water, Light, Dark)
Petpet (Also petpetpets)
Paint Brush (such as Burlap or Baby)
Plots (Such as the Obelisk War or Faeries’ Ruin Plot)
Economy (As in the stock market/item inflation)
NeoMail
Neoboards
Spotlights (Such as the customization contest or mystery picture)

Updated Discord Server Rules

We’ve provided these rules of conduct to provide guidelines for new and old members alike on behaviors and activities that are acceptable and encouraged as well as those that are not permitted. Your continued use of the Neopets Metaverse Discord is based on your adherence to these rules.

Content and discourse must be civil, and where possible, it should be courteous. The Neopets Metaverse Discord is a place for positive and constructive interactions between people that play Neopets or that have an interest in NFTs.

Content must not:

Be abusive, disrespectful, harassing, or hostile and must not haze or attack others.
Contain obscene or sexually explicit remarks or images; threatening or defamatory remarks or images; hateful, racially or ethnically offensive remarks or images; descriptions or promotions of illegal activity, self-harm, drug/alcohol abuse; or provide links to sites that contain any of the aforementioned content.
Contain threats towards others, racist, transphobic, homophobic words/phrases/images, targeted harassment, or doxxing.
Discuss politics or religion as they do not relate to NFTs and have a tendency to provoke disagreements.
Contain personally identifiable information.
Members and their content must not impersonate or attempt to impersonate Neopets employees, channel admins/moderators, or other members.
Contain viruses, adware, spyware, worms, or any other malicious code.

All the above behaviors will result in being instant banned and removal of your ambassador role without any warning onwards.

Additional Rules:

Do not steal Neopets player’s content or creations, or attempt to claim ownership of something that is not yours.
Do not spam or post off-topic content.
Posts should not contain links or advertisements for non-Neopets NFT products or services.
Posts should not contain content that encourages other discord members to participate in commercial activity or scams that violate these rules of conduct.
Admins will never PM you first. We will never ask you to connect to unverified wallet connect links that require you to key in your seed phrases. Please let admins on duty know if you have such experiences.

We may revise these Rules of Conduct at any time by making changes to this page. You should check this page from time to time to make note of any changes.

Finally…

If you would like to become a Neopets Metaverse Ambassador, you can sign up here!

Do not forget about our litepaper release on the 29th July 2022! You can read our past Medium articles to catch up on all our Neopets Metaverse updates, including all our 3D visual reveals, core game loop, website updates, and Genesis Neopian perks!

Website: https://neopetsmeta.io

Discord: https://discord.gg/neopets-metaverse

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NeopetsMeta

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neopetsmetaverse/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZoiGSOZbBkFw121fm0hf4Q

Disclaimer:

This article is issued on behalf of, and with the consent of Neopets Inc. and is intended for informational purposes only regarding potential future plans. It is not intended to be legally binding, nor is it intended to be an offer, solicitation, or advice of any kind. Any forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual events to differ materially. No reliance should be placed on any such forward-looking statements or information. The initiatives in this article, if they proceed, may not be available to all persons in all jurisdictions and are subject to change. No regulatory authority in any jurisdiction has examined or approved this article or any part thereof. Please always read any applicable terms and conditions carefully and seek trusted advice as needed.