I'm glad you made this XD I can talk without feeling like I'm spamming now.

I'll copy this over from the other board and add to it.

Rowena wrote:

Misago I can't tell you how much I agree with the clique thing. Seriously... they are completely ruining any chance of a nice community on the boards. The OLDPD changed things forever on the boards really. They were the first clique... and after that, other people decided it was "cool" to create their own chatboards. Its now so heavily out of hand... you can't make any friends unless you are in one. Its a vicious circle. Even the BC boards (they were always open and lovely to everyone, even first time BCers with horrific art) has now got it's own chat group, which is terribly cliquey. I've never understood why chats have to be organised anyway o_o WHY do you need boardmakers?! Its not a freaking exclusive club where you feel that you're better then everyone else because you have permission to make a board -_-. Anyway... yes... I'm a firm believer in the fact that chatboards have killed the boards.

Rowena wrote:

I used to be part of a chat group with a group of friends. It started that one of us just happened to make a board, and we'd all kind of find eachother having a random chat on that board (we all seemed to go there to meet up automatically). When that happened, we decided to create a board under a random name each night in order to be able to chat. We all HATED chatgroups (including the OLDPD, we did spam them now and again *grins evilly* That was back when you had to be part of LDP to join), but eventually we decided we were going to be one with a difference. We called ourselves the National Neopian Board Asploders, and our titles were NEVER written in a certain way, they were merely random with Anyone welcome! somewhere within it. We had no rules. No introduction posts. No boardmakers. No cliqueyness. We ended up being close friends, but anyone was welcome to come chat to us and they felt it. We proved that you didn't have to be cliquey to have fun.

I STILL talk to some of the people from that now.

Since when we made that group, the creation of chatgroups has exploded into action. They are everywhere o_o

Sadly, now nearly everyone is in a clique from desperation for people to talk to. I know that because I happened upon an anti-chatgroup board, with legitimate reasons for why he felt chatgroups were ruining the boards. That person was flamed to australia, the board lived for 2 weeks as someone always revived it o_o Thats very very sad.

Neopets community = gangs and cliquers. The boards are more like gangs of people, who begin fights with anyone not of their gang, and are not open to anyone not in their gang. There is a hierarchy in these gangs, so you feel intimidated and stupid within your gang o_o Neopets is no longer somewhere to socialise -_-

I'm brinking on now being an anti-cliquer. I have spammed boards I hated in the past (a long long time ago), but I usually just don't get involved. I just don't go on the neoboards.

Chatgroups are NOWHERE near neccessary. NOWHERE NEAR. In their current form, all they do is set you up for a fall, especially really bad ones like Misago mentioned on the other board.

Misago wrote:

So all these things remained, and the only thing that changed was that I joined a clique. I noticed the change after a while; my friends who used to regularly contact me stopped, and others blatantly told me they couldn't stand me anymore. It's like being accused of being a witch and then being shunned. I view their actions as no better than the clique's itself.

I certainly disagree with cliques, but I also disagree with people who break of ties and hurt people just because they're in a clique.

Cliques have now changed the overall experience of neopets. Instead of making friends, you end up talking to one group of people, unable to make any other friends. I makes some hate you because you are in a group, meaning you actually make less friends. Chatgroups are now exclusive clubs, an unhealthy obsession. Chatgroups would be FINE if it was combined with talking out side of it, but these days that doesnt really happen.

I don't think it really matters, if the clique bothers you just stay off the board.  Just go to the site for the games.

I didn't really have too many problems with this in the past. I wasn't really a huge avatar collector, so I can't say I participated in any avatar cliques or groups. I was big participator in "siggy pet" roleplays, however, and that could get ugly sometimes with the cesspools of immaturity going on.

I could understand how it was a problem though, and how I almost/probably/could have gotten involved. I'm lucky I didn't have to experience that clique web - though I glimpsed it, what with the constant "invite only 200+ avatar" chats.