INTRODUCTION

Everyone wants to make something amazing, get tons of diamonds and views and favourites and get famous and all that. But out of the hundreds of projects uploaded everyday many don't get a single diamond (apart from your own) leaving people wondering what in the world they did wrong. There is nothing worse than spending hours building and then uploading your build, excitement etched on your face to only discover that only 15 people looked at it. So heres my guide on the best ways (in my opinion) to build great things and get people to discover your work using techniques i have found from learning from my mistakes and seeing what works well!.

TIP NUMBER 1- know what your making

Even if its just sitting down thinking for 5 minutes before you begin, planning through your build before you start makes sure you keep on track and know what you are doing. Granted, some people ,most of the time including myself, can just set of and build. Personally i prefer to plan things out as i go, but i do from time to time do small sketches just to see how it would turn out. Now i'm not talking a really detailed drawing or something using professional drawing tools, just put pen to paper and plan through what your going to make.

TIP NUMBER 2- Check if it already exists

You never know someone may have already had the same idea as you and created more or less an exact replica to what you hold in your head! Im not saying you have to come up with something never before seen, revolutionary idea that completely reshapes the way people think about blocks just don't build things to close to whats been done before or people just wont want to click on more or less the same build 10 times. However having said that just because you see say a nordic town already made, don't be discouraged from making one yourself just make your own plan, lay it out different and incorporate some of your own ideas.. I know its hard to come up with new ideas to say that there are 118,739 projects ( as of the time i'm writing this) just think outside the box.

TIP NUMBER 3- boxes.....

Ok, i know i'm in a game made of boxes, but seriously there are way to many wooden or cobble boxes out there being uploaded everyday.. now i don't want to go off on a rant about creativity and my hatred of single material box houses as i know some people as hard as they try cant build much more and i don't want to put them down :) However experiment with various block types, find out what works together and what doesn't, after all look around you in local towns cities etc nothing is made from just 1 thing!. In some cases even just sticking a triangle roof and a chimney would improve the building no end but i would seriously recommend staying away from uploading boxes (unless for some sort of survival map type thing)!

TIP NUMBER 4- take your time.

Now i know how once you've started a new project sometimes you cant wait to just share it with the world get some feedback and stuff like that! However if there is one thing i've learnt on this site (and no matter how much i try i can never resist) is posting your project early doesn't really help! For one people are less likely to see it when it is done due to the fact that the majority of views tend to come when it is first uploaded! The other thing is take your time when you are building it, i have experience of racing through builds and realising it doesn't look as good as i wanted it too because i rushed it. Take your time and make sure you fly (or walk) back every now and again to get a sense of what you are building!

TIP NUMBER 5- Promote it.

Sounds simple but not very many people really do it. Now understand this there is a difference between 'promoting your work' and 'SPAMMING your work'. For example go into chat and simply put a link and say something like 'hey guys, i was just wondering wether you could check this out and maybe give me some feedback! thanks:)'. People are much more likely to give you some feedback it you ask nicely and whatever you do don't just post a link in chat and say 'GIMME A DIAMOND!!!!' or 'DIAMOND THIS AND ILL DIAMOND YOU!!' both are actually breaking the rules and wont get you a good reputation!. Another idea for promoting is maybe make a thread saying something similar to the first thing in chat, merely ask for some feedback and if they say ' its nice etc' post 'if you like it feel free to diamond! :)' that way it encourages and reminds them that diamonds are great motivation:)

TIP NUMBER 6- enter competitions

I have also noticed if you enter competitions its a great way to get yourself on the map as your submission is both in the projects section and on the competition section! People like to see what has been posted in the competitions even if its to get inspiration, just to look at some nice builds or just to see whats been posted. In effect if your post is technically in 2 places its double the traffic plus the extra drummed up by the competition! The other plus side to the competition is if you become a finalist you can bet that you will get tons of views as people will check through to see the winners etc.

TIP NUMBER 7- film your build, edit it and stick some music on

Not only does this help by getting more traffic coming in from youtube to your build it also shows people a larger view of your build!. sometimes there are small but nice details of your build that you don't screenshot and they can be picked up off the video. Also it gives the user a more personal touch as it feels as if they are themselves walking through your build and viewing it in real time. Also they can listen to some epic music making your build seem all the better as you can start of soft and slowly climax to an amazing finale! my personal favourite music for this is Requiem for a dream (also known as pax novus) it work extremely well if the video fits with the audio!

Requim for a dream- www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEOolYYe60k

TIP NUMBER 8- download

A lot of people like to have a look around builds themselves and maybe use it for something themselves. Also downloads gets you more XP and more chance to get on the popular projects section on the main page as competition is tough. For some users (some but not many) the thought of putting a project up for download confuses them but it is incredibly simple. All you have to do is upload it to a free site such as mediafire then link it on the download section of your project.

Thankyou for reading my first blog, it has taken me the best part of 2 hours to write this alone not including editing the picture! As this is my first blog please be kind but i do like constructive feedback. :)

As ever if you like feel free to diamond, favourite and subscribe!