Newbie

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The Newbie shield that goes in a new User Lookup.

A Newbie is a new player or beginner, to Neopets. The title is not Neopets exclusive, and is in wide use around the internet, particularly in internet gaming communities. Newbie is usually not a derogatory remark. Neopets, and some guilds, will provide a Newbie Pack to new users. New users will also sometimes introduce themselves in forums as a newbie.

What makes a Newbie?

There is no formal boundary between 'newbie' status and 'non-newbie' status, although the User Lookup shield stops saying 'newbie' three days after the account is created. Despite this, it is possible to remain a 'newbie' depending on the context, for example in the context of plots or games, players who have been playing for six years or more may be considered a "newbie" compared to newer players based on there experience in these specific instances.

Referring to an account whose actual age is longer than the age of your own account as a 'newbie' is generally seen as bad practice, regardless of whether the older account may still be classed as one. When newbie is used this way it is usually being used as a derogatory remark.

N00b

N00b is the leet variation of Newbie, and is used to indicate a player is not just new, but immature or naïve.

Sometimes this is used unfairly, when a player who has just joined does not know about a past event or how a system on the site works, and players more well-versed in this aspects consider them to be time wasting.

N00b should not be used interchangeably with newbie as the former suggests some sort of ineptness even if the latter is also so.

N00b Crimes

Acts which some users commit that are likely to cause them to be branded a n00b include:

• Flaming or Grieving - that is, insult or making a personal attack on another player, continually or on a single occasion, especially an attack which is unwarranted.
• Spamming - that is, posting or NeoMailing nonsense or repeated off-topic messages.
• Unsolicited Item Requests - that is, users who, unsolicited, request rare, useful or expensive items, including but not limited to paint brushes, codestones, and items needed to obtain an avatar; generally offering little in return for the privilege. Frequently, they will consistently repeat their demands, often growing aggressive, until they receive what they ask for or are frozen or blocked.
• Unsolicited Pet Requests - as above, users who, unsolicited, demand a user's pets for one of a variety of reasons, such as it being a rare colour or species; possessing high stats; or being well known.
• Unsolicited Guild Invite Requests - as above, users who, unsolicited, request an invitation to a user's guild with no prior contact, or one who sends guild invite requests unsolicited to a user without prior contact.

Further acts include acts of scamming.

Variations

While n00b is a corruption of newbie, due to the continuing evolution of leet, new variations are appearing, such as noob, n000b, nub and noobie. This enter and leave common usage over time, but newbie and n00b remain common throughout.