I wrote this blog based on things I've learned so far during my PMC experience. I picked the top 5 topics I felt were most troubling to people, and found good ways to cope with them. You don't have to read all 5, maybe just scroll down until you find the one most interesting to you. Pease let me know if this blog helped you, or if there is anything I can do to improve it :)


Enjoy!

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If PMC is Offline, do something constructive


I know it may be annoying whenever Planet Minecraft shuts down at random times, but it happens. There's really nothing you can do about it, so why spend your time worrying? Trust me, Cypress isn't deliberately manipulating the site, so don't blame him. The source of PMC going offline sometimes can be traced to the amount of traffic that comes in. In other words, its getting pretty popular. Also, sometimes the site has to be shut down by the staff for maintenance to improve its performance when were on. Whenever PMC randomly goes offline again, use it as an opportunity to do something constructive like work on your next project to upload or play a game you like until ito s up again. Just because the site shuts down right when you needed it to isn't a very good reason to quit.


If you don't believe me, look at what I started when PMC was down





Giving Diamonds



Now, who here loves diamonds?



(Everyone says yes...lol)


Show me how much you love em'!!!!



(Crowd goes crazy for hobo)


I know we all love to get heaps of diamonds on our posts or minecraft in general, but, now what do they really mean? Here is the definition of a "diamond" from Webster's online dictionary:


DIAMOND (n.): native crystalline carbon that is the hardest known mineral, that is usually nearly colorless, that when transparent and free from flaws is highly valued as a precious stone


Pay attention to the part where it reads "precious stone". On PMC, you as a member have a way of rewarding someone with a precious stone so you can tell them to keep up the good work. Honestly, nothing is ever perfect, infact the imperfections make us human (don't worry, that's actually a good thing :). Give someone a diamond so you can tell them they really did their best, even if their best may not be 110%. Also, if you see a post that already has heaps of diamonds, its most likely because many people saw that someone was able to really make something amazing, so don't feel shame in adding another diamond to the post if you truly liked it.


There's no such thing as a "somebody" or a "nobody"


Everyone who joins PMC is part of something big. We are all a community of creative thinkers that individually represent why minecraft is such an amazing game and idea. Planet minecraft is a truly fun experience in the sense that everyone has the opportunity to be recognized for their work. But if you ever find yourself in a position where someone has gained more recognition than you, it does not necessarily mean that person is better than you. All it means is that they got more experience points.


Eliminate the idea from your head that you need to compare yourself to others to see where you stand amongst them. STOP, because if you ever compare yourself to someone else, then you focus more on them than yourself. It is when this happens that you begin to fall short because you haven't spent enough time working on your own projects. I agree that sometimes ranks are fun to keep working up, but it should not be your main focus. The moment when you are able to lose interest in group standings is the time when you gain interest to succeed.

Dono t be judgmental


I understand that sometimes if you don't know someone, you may create a judgment based off of who they appear to be. Believe me, I have. But, what if they're not all cracked up to what you make them to be? Lets say someone had a profile picture of a gun: I would personally think that this person isn't someone I should associate myself with, or should I? Maybe there is a reason that person picked the picture they did, to symbolize something whether is a hobby or serving as part of the military. It's never safe to assume when all you can see is the surface, because there is much more depth than you could imagine.


I'd like to leave this topic with a quote from the beginning of The Great Gatsby. Take it how you want.


"Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had"


-F. Scott Fitzgerald


To report, or not to


I just want to say that I know this next topic is kind of a "big deal", but before you leave a comment, please just read this little paragraph.


I completely understand that reporting is sometimes needed to keep people from stealing other's work or breaking regulations, and I agree that it is important to regulate the site to keep it clean of spammers and griefers. When it comes time to where you see something that needs to be reported, just do it, but make sure your final decision is fair. Guys, to keep it short and sweet, reporting is not a game. I cant tell you how flustered I get when someone tells a moderator on chat that they spent the good part of an afternoon to report 10 projects. To reflect on what happykeystv mentioned about reporting something:

"First: How hard will this affect the other person
Second: Am I doing this to clean PMC, or for my own pleasure."

Also, it is definitely not a way to "blow off some steam". Reporting something is just about the same as dialing 911, only do it for a real reason.

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Guys, thanks for reading this post. It means a lot to me that you care enough to read this far. I understand that not many people will fully read a blog, but if you've got this far, click here to obtain your cookie. Please tell me if you liked it or if I need to fix anything :)









As always, Keep Crafting,


-HJ