:]
Friday, December 18, 2009
Happy Birthday Marc Minardi and Tommy Liotas!
:]
Monday, December 14, 2009
Gifts that Give Back: Planet Dog
Planet Dog is a company that makes toys and other useful items for dogs. Including the Glow for Good Ball 100% of the proceeds from the sale go to the Planet Dog Foundation - which supports services dogs (search and rescue dogs, therapy dogs, bomb sniffing dogs etc.) It's like an infinite chain of helping-ness. You give a dog a ball, buying that ball helps service dogs, and service dogs help other people. The Pay It Forward kid would be proud. Even if you don't need a dog toy, but maybe want to get a leash, or travel doggie bowls - a potion of what you spend will go to the Planet Dog Foundation. You also have the option to directly donate a dollar (or five, or however much you like) when you checkout from their online store.
I can personally vouch for the toughness of these dog toys. One Christmas, all three of my step-siblings had recently adopted puppies - so I decided to give everyone dog related things for Christmas. Two of the dogs were apparently big dog toy chewers, they'd shred those doggy newspapers in an hour. I got them both the light bulb toy (which is only a 3 out of 5 on the chew-o-meter, mind you,) Both step-siblings were convinced the toys would be torn up by New Years. It's been 2 years, and both light bulbs are still fully intact.
Planet Dog also has a great selection of items that are made in the USA and/or Eco-friendly.
Ideal for:
Your dog
Anyone with a new dog
Anyone who's crazy about their dog
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Nostalgia Alert!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Gifts That Give Back: World Wildlife Fund
In the World Wildlife Fund's Gift Center you can "adopt" a huge variety of animals. Depending on how much you donate, you can receive a photo, gift bag, or stuffed plush version of the animal you're adopting. The money you donate goes to conservation efforts and can help preserve the animal you "adopted."
Ideal for:
Younger siblings, cousins, other little kids you know
Friends with a favorite animal environment
Happy Birthday Kate Todd!
Today is Kate Todd aka Lily Randall from Radio Free Roscoe's Birthday!
If you're lucky enough to have a Lily Secret Avatar - use it today. If not, head over to the RFR Message Boards and reminisce about all of the good times you've had with Radio Free Roscoe and Lily.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Today is Internation Human Rights Day.
In support - here's my favorite Human Rights Cause:
You may have noticed me swooning over their awesomeness on twitter lately. The best way to introduce them is through their videos, but I can attempt to summarize the whole thing as well. It started out as the friends going to Africa to film some of the stuff going on in Darfur. By a bizarre twist of fate (seriously almost seems like some kind of destiny, if you remotely believe in destiny,) they ended up in Northern Uganda where they saw thousands of kids night commuting, walking miles from their homes to sleep in abandoned buildings and people living in displacement camps - all in an effort to stay safe from the L.R.A. or Lord's Resistance Army. The L.R.A. used to be a resistance movement against the current Ugandan government, but over the years their tactics fell out of favor with the public - and to keep the movement going, the leader Joseph Kony started kidnapping kids and forcing them to find child soldiers. This shocked the filmmakers. Here's an entire section of the world, where people are being forced into displacement camps, where there's no food, work, clean water or access to education. And children are forced to walk away from their homes at night, to sleep in the streets of a city, to avoid being kidnapped. And hardly anyone knows about it. No one is doing anything to stop it. That was 2003.
When the filmmakers came home, the started telling this story - they released a rough cut of the film they made, and started a non-profit to help the kids they'd met in Northern Uganda. Today they've got several programs to help the people of Northern Uganda
Visible Child Scholarship Program - Puts driven kids in back in School, and will pay for their University - they also get mentors
Schools for Schools - Students at Schools in the U.S. and Canada raise money for partner schools in Uganda. You can literally see where the money is going in real time. It's also a competition, a student from each of the schools that raise the most money in each cluster will win a trip to Uganda to see the change all their fundraising has brought.
The Bracelet Program - IC provides employs adults in the displacement camps to make bracelets, which are sold on IC's website, the profits then go to fund scholarships for kids. The bracelet makers also receive training on managing money and some even start their own businesses after leaving the program. (And when you buy a bracelet you get a DVD with a short film about a child in Uganda.)
Mend - The newest program, and one of the coolest in my opinion - former child soldier make reall kick ass bags in Northern Uganda and when you buy one, not only are you supporting the woman who made you bag, but her name is stiched into the bag, and you can go to IC's website and watch a video about her.
Citizens Arrest Warrant - There's been legislation introduced into Congress (our congress) called the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act - it would require the U.S. to lend intelligence resources to help capture Joseph Kony and to take interest in the recovery of Northern Uganda. The Citizens Arrest Warrant is a petition that will be delivered to Obama this December, urging him to sign on to the bill.
There's a ton more stuff, which you can discover on Invisible Children's website. (Be sure to watch some of the videos - they're the most powerful/inspiring/awesome part.)
When the filmmakers came home, the started telling this story - they released a rough cut of the film they made, and started a non-profit to help the kids they'd met in Northern Uganda. Today they've got several programs to help the people of Northern Uganda
Visible Child Scholarship Program - Puts driven kids in back in School, and will pay for their University - they also get mentors
Schools for Schools - Students at Schools in the U.S. and Canada raise money for partner schools in Uganda. You can literally see where the money is going in real time. It's also a competition, a student from each of the schools that raise the most money in each cluster will win a trip to Uganda to see the change all their fundraising has brought.
The Bracelet Program - IC provides employs adults in the displacement camps to make bracelets, which are sold on IC's website, the profits then go to fund scholarships for kids. The bracelet makers also receive training on managing money and some even start their own businesses after leaving the program. (And when you buy a bracelet you get a DVD with a short film about a child in Uganda.)
Mend - The newest program, and one of the coolest in my opinion - former child soldier make reall kick ass bags in Northern Uganda and when you buy one, not only are you supporting the woman who made you bag, but her name is stiched into the bag, and you can go to IC's website and watch a video about her.
Citizens Arrest Warrant - There's been legislation introduced into Congress (our congress) called the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act - it would require the U.S. to lend intelligence resources to help capture Joseph Kony and to take interest in the recovery of Northern Uganda. The Citizens Arrest Warrant is a petition that will be delivered to Obama this December, urging him to sign on to the bill.
There's a ton more stuff, which you can discover on Invisible Children's website. (Be sure to watch some of the videos - they're the most powerful/inspiring/awesome part.)
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Upcoming Stuff
So December is upon us, and all of our TV shows are going to be taking a little break soon. What to do? Sure we may have relatives to visit with, food to help make, presents to wrap, and a house to "holiday-ifiy" but what do we do once our realtives are driving us crazy to no end, you've been helping with food so much you've lost your appetite, you've decided the whole 'wrapping things up all pretty so they can be torn apart' idea is stupid, and you just can't take anymore of the holidays!
My answer to that - some good old fashioned TV. Sure Degrassi may be on hiatus, Glee may not be returning until next April - but there's plenty of awesome shows you can pick up at your local video store, library, or add to your Netflix que, that can cure a case of the holidays. In addition to me reviewing and suggestion some of my favorite shows, I'll also be catching up on some of the shows I've gotten behind on this season, (90210, Vampire Diaries, Melrose Place etc.) AND I want you to sugest a few teen-oriented/teen-related shows to check out. I'll try to take a few suggestions - watch them and review them (good or bad).
Along with some show suggestions, I'll hopefully be throwing in a few "gifts that give back" ideas - for those of us that still have a little holiday spirit. Gifts that give back are my favorite - they're gifts you give where a portion or all of what you spent went to help a cause or person in need. I'm trying to focus on ones where you still have an item to wrap and put under the tree, but that item also give back in some way. (You'll see more once I get the posts up.)
There are also a few more The-N/TeenNick stars' birthdays coming up - so we can turn those in some Happy Birthday mini-Spirit Days as well. :]
My answer to that - some good old fashioned TV. Sure Degrassi may be on hiatus, Glee may not be returning until next April - but there's plenty of awesome shows you can pick up at your local video store, library, or add to your Netflix que, that can cure a case of the holidays. In addition to me reviewing and suggestion some of my favorite shows, I'll also be catching up on some of the shows I've gotten behind on this season, (90210, Vampire Diaries, Melrose Place etc.) AND I want you to sugest a few teen-oriented/teen-related shows to check out. I'll try to take a few suggestions - watch them and review them (good or bad).
Along with some show suggestions, I'll hopefully be throwing in a few "gifts that give back" ideas - for those of us that still have a little holiday spirit. Gifts that give back are my favorite - they're gifts you give where a portion or all of what you spent went to help a cause or person in need. I'm trying to focus on ones where you still have an item to wrap and put under the tree, but that item also give back in some way. (You'll see more once I get the posts up.)
There are also a few more The-N/TeenNick stars' birthdays coming up - so we can turn those in some Happy Birthday mini-Spirit Days as well. :]
Black Out Day!
It's the last day in the Unofficial TeenNick.com Spirit week. Make your avatars as dark as possible today.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Mod Appreciation Day!
(Sorry, couldn't come up with a banner-type thingy for this one)
Appreciate your Mods on teennick.com today. Well, A mod, since @M-A is really the only one we know about.
Appreciate your Mods on teennick.com today. Well, A mod, since @M-A is really the only one we know about.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Happy Birthday Charity Shea!
Degrassi Day!
Watch some episodes in The-Click! Watch this funny, yet kind of creepy Degrassi spoof! (If you haven't already.)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Unfortunate Avatar Day!
Today is Unfortunate Avatar Day! Make your avatar look as unfortunate as possible. If you need a little guidance, you can check out some pictures of the winners of the 2006 Unfortunate Avatar contest here & here. Or the April 2007 contest here. (Some made by the "The-"s here. Or the October 2007 contest here. Or the original N'Sider entry here.
How do I transfer things between accounts on TeenNick.com?
Transferring things between accounts - honestly I disagree with the practice for the most part. It seems like cheating. If you're transferring items to one account from the other - you're essentially getting the items without putting in the effort to earn creds (which in result earns TeenNick money.) 97%* of the users on TeenNick.com earn creds to buy things on their alternate accounts, or saved an outfit for months to have a Halloween skin - you can imagine that they can get ticked when other users forgo the effort (and support of the site though earning them money through looking for creds) and just transfer items to their account. However, I have had a few questions about how the process works so I'm going to explain it. But first let's get a few things straight:
1) NEVER, I repeat, NEVER give your password to someone else to get other items for your avatar. It'll get your account permanently disabled without any warning. This also is a big safety risk - they'll be able to see your personal info, and you don't want a random stranger seeing your personal info. They could also go around and spam the board with rule-breaking stuff on your account - no one wants that to happen.
2) Don't transfer things from your friend's/brother's/boyfriend's/anyone you know in real life's account. Doing so will result in both accounts being disabled. (The compromised account rule is zero tolerance, you may tell the mods that you let your sister on your account and not some random stranger - but they're not going to take the chance.)
3) Don't ask for anyone else's password to transfer things - even to give them your things - your account will be disabled.
The only way this works and doesn't result in people getting into trouble, is if you transfer things from one account that you own (totally yours, registered with your email, no one else uses it) to another account that is totally yours. The process goes like this:
1) Sign in with account that has the item/skin you want to transfer (we'll call it "Account A")
2) Go to your Avatar Closet
3) Open a new window or tab in the same browser - in this window/tab go to Teennick.com, log out of account A and into the account that doesn't have the item (we'll call it account B.) Go to the Avatar Closet on Account B.
4) On account A, customize the avatar to have the item/skin you want
5)Save the avatar - it'll show up on Account B
Things to know about transferring items - items won't show up in Account B's inventory/closet - you may be able to save the transferred avatar as an outfit, but customizing you avatar with items that were transferred and items you already have could be difficult.
Also, if the mods even suspect you shared a password/let someone who is not you on your account you're running the high risk of it being disabled. It might be a misunderstanding - but the mods have to be safe rather than sorry - make sure you're OK with this risk before you try transferring things.
Also Teen Nick may change it's policy at anytime and decide transferring things between your own accounts is against the rules and requires immediate account deletion - be ready to take that risk before transferring items.
As a whole - I think the process is pretty ridiculous - it's really pretty easy to get creds, not putting in the effort and just transferring the items is lazy. Maybe I'm a hypocrite for telling you exactly how to do something then telling you it's a bad idea, but I'm not against the information being out there (especially when it's accompanied with information about why it's a bad idea.) Just use your brain when deciding what to do. This is probably one of the riskiest yet not against the rules things to do on Teennick.com (which sounds really overly-dramatic, but it's kind of true.) I'm trusting you to make the decision.
*Made-up statistic - but probably pretty darn accurate if you ask me. Especially since the majority of users that started transferring things in the first place had their accounts disabled for sharing passwords.
Disclosure: Information is current as of when this entry was posted - please remember teennick.com may change/update at anytime and cause some or all the above information to become inaccurate. I can't control or be responsible for what Teen Nick does. If something changes, feel free to make me aware of it and I'll try to update this entry.
1) NEVER, I repeat, NEVER give your password to someone else to get other items for your avatar. It'll get your account permanently disabled without any warning. This also is a big safety risk - they'll be able to see your personal info, and you don't want a random stranger seeing your personal info. They could also go around and spam the board with rule-breaking stuff on your account - no one wants that to happen.
2) Don't transfer things from your friend's/brother's/boyfriend's/anyone you know in real life's account. Doing so will result in both accounts being disabled. (The compromised account rule is zero tolerance, you may tell the mods that you let your sister on your account and not some random stranger - but they're not going to take the chance.)
3) Don't ask for anyone else's password to transfer things - even to give them your things - your account will be disabled.
The only way this works and doesn't result in people getting into trouble, is if you transfer things from one account that you own (totally yours, registered with your email, no one else uses it) to another account that is totally yours. The process goes like this:
1) Sign in with account that has the item/skin you want to transfer (we'll call it "Account A")
2) Go to your Avatar Closet
3) Open a new window or tab in the same browser - in this window/tab go to Teennick.com, log out of account A and into the account that doesn't have the item (we'll call it account B.) Go to the Avatar Closet on Account B.
4) On account A, customize the avatar to have the item/skin you want
5)Save the avatar - it'll show up on Account B
Things to know about transferring items - items won't show up in Account B's inventory/closet - you may be able to save the transferred avatar as an outfit, but customizing you avatar with items that were transferred and items you already have could be difficult.
Also, if the mods even suspect you shared a password/let someone who is not you on your account you're running the high risk of it being disabled. It might be a misunderstanding - but the mods have to be safe rather than sorry - make sure you're OK with this risk before you try transferring things.
Also Teen Nick may change it's policy at anytime and decide transferring things between your own accounts is against the rules and requires immediate account deletion - be ready to take that risk before transferring items.
As a whole - I think the process is pretty ridiculous - it's really pretty easy to get creds, not putting in the effort and just transferring the items is lazy. Maybe I'm a hypocrite for telling you exactly how to do something then telling you it's a bad idea, but I'm not against the information being out there (especially when it's accompanied with information about why it's a bad idea.) Just use your brain when deciding what to do. This is probably one of the riskiest yet not against the rules things to do on Teennick.com (which sounds really overly-dramatic, but it's kind of true.) I'm trusting you to make the decision.
*Made-up statistic - but probably pretty darn accurate if you ask me. Especially since the majority of users that started transferring things in the first place had their accounts disabled for sharing passwords.
Disclosure: Information is current as of when this entry was posted - please remember teennick.com may change/update at anytime and cause some or all the above information to become inaccurate. I can't control or be responsible for what Teen Nick does. If something changes, feel free to make me aware of it and I'll try to update this entry.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Happy Birthday Cassie Steele!
Cassie Steele aka Manny from "Degrassi" aka Lucy from "The Best Years" aka Blu from "Instant Star" turns 20 today!
If you're not already participating in Dress like a TeenNick Worker Day (as a part of the Unofficial TeenNick.com Spirit Week,) Use a Cassie Steele Secret Avatar, or some on the Manny themed items in the Avi Mall.
If you are participating in the Unofficial Spirit Week but still want to do something - try adding a Manny quote or lyrics from Cassie's songs to your siggy for the day. :]
Dress as a TeenNick.com Worker Day!
Who are you dressed up as?
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Today is World AIDS Day
More than 25 million people have died from AIDS since 1981. Take some time today to learn about AIDS. Here's a video from ( RED ) to get you started.
Secret Avatar Day!
It's Secret Avatar Day! Day 2 in the Unofficial TeenNick Spirit Week! What Secret Avi are you wearing? What's your favorite Secret Avi that you don't have?
Wanna see a list of all the past Secret Avatars? Check on the one at the bottom of the How to get Secret Avatars entry.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sale's Here!
Looks like the make up sale has arrived in the Avatar Mall! And things are 45% off instead of 33% Score!
Happy The-N Shirt Day!
It's The-N Shirt Day on TeenNick.com Wear your The-N shirt all day!
Want the black The-N Tee? Here's how to get it:
While you're logged in to your TeenNick.com account, go to the Avi mall, copy and paste this URL into your browser's URL
http://www.the-n.com/games/avMall/avMall_buy.php?item=780
Then hit the enter key. It may look like the page just refreshes - but go check your Avatar Closet, and you should see it.
*Last I checked the shirt was free, but there's always the chance The-N decides to randomly add prices to items - so beware that you might end up spending a few creds.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
The Best Years Season 2 DVD Release Date!
According to TVShowsOnDVD.com Season 2 of the Best Years is estimated to be released on May 8, 2010.
Exciting!
As for Season 3? There's been no official word. (Despite what random strangers like to edit Wikipedia to say.) Granted, this has been a pretty long hiatus, but I think the whole TeenNick rebrand plays a part in it - they're having to make a lot of decisions about programming, what to keep, continue, get rid of.... personally I think having the show released on DVD is not a bad sign. I'm not sure if it's a good sign, but it would seem to indicate that they believe they can make some money from DVD sales. So everything about the future is speculative at this point, but maybe this means we'll get some more factual-like info soon.
P.S. If you don't know the story behind the long break after Season 1 and why Season 2 was only 8 episodes, here's an article that elaborates.
Exciting!
As for Season 3? There's been no official word. (Despite what random strangers like to edit Wikipedia to say.) Granted, this has been a pretty long hiatus, but I think the whole TeenNick rebrand plays a part in it - they're having to make a lot of decisions about programming, what to keep, continue, get rid of.... personally I think having the show released on DVD is not a bad sign. I'm not sure if it's a good sign, but it would seem to indicate that they believe they can make some money from DVD sales. So everything about the future is speculative at this point, but maybe this means we'll get some more factual-like info soon.
P.S. If you don't know the story behind the long break after Season 1 and why Season 2 was only 8 episodes, here's an article that elaborates.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
I might gleek out.
Some kind of sucky news about Glee - after the December 9th episode they're going on hiatus. For 4 months. If it makes you feel any better, here's a Facebook group where we can all be annoyed/pissed/sad together.
In more glee news - and also in support of my position that Canadians have awesome taste in TV - Glee is doing incredibly well, ratings wise, in Canada.
In more glee news - and also in support of my position that Canadians have awesome taste in TV - Glee is doing incredibly well, ratings wise, in Canada.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Where is the Black Friday Sale!?!!!
Surprise! There's no black Friday Sale in the Avi Mall. What do you do now?
This is what @Mary had to say about it in the @TeenNick blog:
DO NOT SPEND YOUR CREDS ANYWAY
Hey guys... I'm not sure what happened and I don't have the keys to fix it, but I know we intended to make your Friday Black in avi mall... and I don't think anyone's exactly reading their email today so I don't think I can get it fixed. I'm sorry. But I'm SURE we'll have a rain date avi mall sale once everyone is back in the office and all digested and rested and ready to rock.So on the upside you now have time to save up more creds.
But I already spent a bunch of/all of my creds! Agh! What do I do now?!
Well, you still have a whole weekend at least - maybe longer to make up for it. (Check out the How to get Creds entry to make sure you're doing everything possible to get creds.) Also keep an eye out for cred scams - they have a tendency to pop up around holidays or sales.
But What about Spirit Week? I need stuff for Spirit Week!
Hold off on buying stuff for now. Spirit Week doesn't start until the 30th, but you won't need anything that would potentially cost creds until December 2nd. (The first day is The-N shirt Day - which can be bought for 0 creds, Second Day is Secret Avatar Day - and those are free too.) Hopefully we'll see the sale before December 2nd. If not, try putting off buying stuff until the day that you really need the items.
But how will I know when the make-up sale is?!
It'll probably be posted about in the @TeenNick blog. You can also do the old fashioned check the mall every day trick. Also I'll post about it on here and on Twitter - so if you follow me, or regularly check my blog/twitter you could hopefully catch it. There's also the fact that the General Discussion Message Board will probably get clogged with "OMG Sale's here!" topics.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Unofficial TeenNick Spirit Week
Long-time users IbehJosheh and auburntygr came up with the brilliant idea for an Unofficial Spirit Week on TeenNick.com! I'm so in, are you?
The Unofficial TeenNick Spirit Week Schedule!
Nov 30- The-N T-shirt day:Every user who is participating where your The-N shirts.
Dec 1- (Why not) Secret Avi Day, wear your fav secret avi
Dec 2- Dress as a TeenNick Worker day. Dress up as your fav TeenNick worker.(Ex:Me dressing up as @M-A)
Dec 3- Unfortunate Avi Day: Dress your avi crazy, wacky, and wierd.
Dec 4- DEGRASSi day. Go Degrassi crazy with your avi
Dec 5- Mod Appreciation Day. If you appreciate your mod, let em know. Send givies, (n)Mail them, GB them, however you wanna express gratitude
Dec 6-BlackOut Day: Make your avi all dark.
Spirit Week is conveniently taking place after the Black Friday Sale at the Avi Mall, so you can easily take advantage of the low prices and pick up a few items for spirit week. Here's a bit of a shopping list:
Shopping List for Spirit Week
The-N T-Shirt Day:
(Last checked the shirt cost 0 creds, but there is a possibility that they've changed the price - buy with caution.)
OR
Old School The-N Tee: 0 creds
The-N Turtleneck: 50 creds
TeenNick Worker Day:
@Mary: Brown/black hair
@M-A: Crazy colored hair - blue or purple.
@Lisa: Pink hair, dog, boots.
@Seth: Glasses, Earth shirt (Since he's on a trip around the world)
@Alison: Short hair, cute accessories
@Emily: Warm accessories: Scarves. hats, coffee etc.
Unfortunate Avatar Day:
Anything that clashes. Items meant for the oppisite sex can be popular when making an avatar unfortunate. Items that glitch can also be popular. Saved Halloween skins can also come in handy.
Degrassi Day: Anything Degrassi. Or keep an eye out for items that aren't in the Degrassi section but could help with a character outfit. Or skip this and use a Secret Avi.
BlackOut Day: Dark items
Cheap ones include:
Eyepatch: 0 Creds
Goth Makeup: 0 creds
Black Mop (Hair): 10 creds
Black w/Straight bangs (Hair): 25 creds
Black Armband: 25 creds
Running Mascara: 25 creds
Black Bedhead (Hair): 25 creds
Black Mohawk (Hair): 25 creds
Black Flip Bop (Hair): 25 creds
Black Curly (Hair): 25 creds
Black Braids (Hair): 25 creds
Items that cover a lot and are also dark colors:
Ninja: 300 creds
Mourning Hat: 100 creds
Scary Outfit: 225 creds
Black Knitted Shawl: 185 creds
Black Dress - Long: 50 creds
Classic Black Tux: 250 creds
Also, to keep the switching between days easy - try saving a few outfits for certain Spirit Days to make changing your avi easier.
The Unofficial TeenNick Spirit Week Schedule!
Nov 30- The-N T-shirt day:Every user who is participating where your The-N shirts.
Dec 1- (Why not) Secret Avi Day, wear your fav secret avi
Dec 2- Dress as a TeenNick Worker day. Dress up as your fav TeenNick worker.(Ex:Me dressing up as @M-A)
Dec 3- Unfortunate Avi Day: Dress your avi crazy, wacky, and wierd.
Dec 4- DEGRASSi day. Go Degrassi crazy with your avi
Dec 5- Mod Appreciation Day. If you appreciate your mod, let em know. Send givies, (n)Mail them, GB them, however you wanna express gratitude
Dec 6-BlackOut Day: Make your avi all dark.
Spirit Week is conveniently taking place after the Black Friday Sale at the Avi Mall, so you can easily take advantage of the low prices and pick up a few items for spirit week. Here's a bit of a shopping list:
Shopping List for Spirit Week
The-N T-Shirt Day:
(Last checked the shirt cost 0 creds, but there is a possibility that they've changed the price - buy with caution.)
OR
Old School The-N Tee: 0 creds
The-N Turtleneck: 50 creds
TeenNick Worker Day:
@Mary: Brown/black hair
@M-A: Crazy colored hair - blue or purple.
@Lisa: Pink hair, dog, boots.
@Seth: Glasses, Earth shirt (Since he's on a trip around the world)
@Alison: Short hair, cute accessories
@Emily: Warm accessories: Scarves. hats, coffee etc.
Unfortunate Avatar Day:
Anything that clashes. Items meant for the oppisite sex can be popular when making an avatar unfortunate. Items that glitch can also be popular. Saved Halloween skins can also come in handy.
Degrassi Day: Anything Degrassi. Or keep an eye out for items that aren't in the Degrassi section but could help with a character outfit. Or skip this and use a Secret Avi.
BlackOut Day: Dark items
Cheap ones include:
Eyepatch: 0 Creds
Goth Makeup: 0 creds
Black Mop (Hair): 10 creds
Black w/Straight bangs (Hair): 25 creds
Black Armband: 25 creds
Running Mascara: 25 creds
Black Bedhead (Hair): 25 creds
Black Mohawk (Hair): 25 creds
Black Flip Bop (Hair): 25 creds
Black Curly (Hair): 25 creds
Black Braids (Hair): 25 creds
Items that cover a lot and are also dark colors:
Ninja: 300 creds
Mourning Hat: 100 creds
Scary Outfit: 225 creds
Black Knitted Shawl: 185 creds
Black Dress - Long: 50 creds
Classic Black Tux: 250 creds
Also, to keep the switching between days easy - try saving a few outfits for certain Spirit Days to make changing your avi easier.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
News
Awesome news for Instant Star Fans: "The Instant Star 3 DVD is now confirmed for January 19, IS4 to come in March" confirmed cause it came from Stephen Stohn's twitter. (AKA the Executive Producer for Instant Star & President of Epitome Pictures) Also here's an interview with Laura Vandervoot (aka Sadie Harrison) about her new show "V."
Glee is receiving an award for diversity. Apparently the show is also inspiring Glee clubs to start popping up in high schools across the country. And the soundtrack has hit #4 on Billboard's Top 200 chart.
More episodes have been ordered for The CW's One Tree Hill (They'll have a full 22 episode season,) Melrose Place (5 more episodes ordered, total of 18 so far,) and The Vampire Diaries (9 more episodes, total of 22.) In more Melrose Place news - Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield were "dismissed" from the show, reportedly because their characters were too dark. And just in case you were wondering, Jessica Simpson thinks the show is crap (except for the parts with her sister, of course.)
There's been some news about the casting of TeenNick's new show Gigantic. The cast includes some real-life kids of celebrities like Meryl Streep's daughter, Grace Gummer, and Gia Mantegna, daughter of Joe Mantegna (aka that guy from "Criminal Minds" or Fat Tony on "The Simpsons".) We should start seeing the show in early 2010 on TeenNick.
I have to say, I really like the graphics on HALO Awards related stuff - very sleek, modern, shiny.
The HALO Awards have their own page on the site now, (good news - we'll be able to nominate people next year.) Also a Message Board, longer promo, and a quiz (look my HALO is my voice! Which is kind of funny, I guess this means the quiz is pretty accurate?)
Also there's a new blue. I'm sure Blue Man group is totally freaking out right now. And so are the Smurfs. And the people who work on Blue's Clues. And - OK stopping now.
Glee is receiving an award for diversity. Apparently the show is also inspiring Glee clubs to start popping up in high schools across the country. And the soundtrack has hit #4 on Billboard's Top 200 chart.
More episodes have been ordered for The CW's One Tree Hill (They'll have a full 22 episode season,) Melrose Place (5 more episodes ordered, total of 18 so far,) and The Vampire Diaries (9 more episodes, total of 22.) In more Melrose Place news - Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield were "dismissed" from the show, reportedly because their characters were too dark. And just in case you were wondering, Jessica Simpson thinks the show is crap (except for the parts with her sister, of course.)
There's been some news about the casting of TeenNick's new show Gigantic. The cast includes some real-life kids of celebrities like Meryl Streep's daughter, Grace Gummer, and Gia Mantegna, daughter of Joe Mantegna (aka that guy from "Criminal Minds" or Fat Tony on "The Simpsons".) We should start seeing the show in early 2010 on TeenNick.
I have to say, I really like the graphics on HALO Awards related stuff - very sleek, modern, shiny.
The HALO Awards have their own page on the site now, (good news - we'll be able to nominate people next year.) Also a Message Board, longer promo, and a quiz (look my HALO is my voice! Which is kind of funny, I guess this means the quiz is pretty accurate?)
Also there's a new blue. I'm sure Blue Man group is totally freaking out right now. And so are the Smurfs. And the people who work on Blue's Clues. And - OK stopping now.
Friday, November 13, 2009
November 13
Don't you miss spirit days on TeenNick.com? (Or The-N.com?) Remember seeing everyone all decked out in Degrassi gear or using South of Nowhere secret avis?
Well why not make our own Spirit Days? Today happens to be Cory Lee's and Michael Copon's birthdays. The two actors that brought us Vin from "Beyond the Break" and the diva Karma from "Instant Star." In celebration of Michael Copon and Cory Lee, let's deck out our avis in Vin or Karma fashion! Or use a Secret Avatar if you have one.
Not enough spirit for you? Use a quote from Karma (or Vin) as a siggy! Like one of these:
You know, I'd do anything for charity, and I'd hope you would to. Which do you think would make me look more maternal, Africa or South America? -Karma
You have to find my puppy! I will not do the show until I'm sure that he is safe and not forced to eat Kibble. - Karma
Speedykins, this theme song could help launch your solo career. Don't mess this up for me...I mean you. - Karma
If you're all "That's nice, but I soo don't have the time to make a siggy!" Feel free to use this one:
It'll look like that (the colors are a bit brighter) ^^^^^^ When you copy all of this and past it as a signature on TeenNick's Message Boards (use the preview button to make sure it looks OK first)
[size=12][color=#f962d2]I only said [/color][color=#f35bc7] those things [/color][color=#ec54bb]because I [/color][color=#e64db0][b]had[/b] to. [/color][color=#df46a5]He wants [/color][color=#d93f99]us to fight for [/color][color=#d3388e]compel[/color][color=#cc3283]ling [/color][color=#c62b78][b]TV[/b], a[/color][color=#c0246c]nd you refuse t[/color][color=#b91d61]o bicker about yo[/color][color=#b31656]ur [i]shoe[/i] quality![/color][color=#ac0f4a] - Karma[/color][/size]
[color=darkblue]* [size=12][b]*[/b][/size] [b]Happy Birthday Cory Lee![/b] [size=12][i][b]*[/b][/i][/size] *[/color]
Steal it, alter it, whatever - no credit necessary. :]
Thursday, November 12, 2009
TeenNicktionary
There's a lot of Slanguage that can be confusing for new users (and old users) on TeenNick.com. Allow me to define:]
@Dixie/The-Dixie – Editorial Director. Writing a book about Dames, loves vintage stuff, has a chandelier that looks like an octopus.
@Dixie/The-Dixie – Editorial Director. Writing a book about Dames, loves vintage stuff, has a chandelier that looks like an octopus.
@Lisa/The-Lisa – Sometimes does movie reviews in the @TeenNick Blog. Likes Robots, rescued a one eyed dog, and really has pink hair.
@M-A - The Senior Moderator of the site, people ask him why their posts were removed or why their accounts were disabled by either mailing him, or posting something on the Talk to Teen Nick board.
@Mary/The-Mary – One of the first bloggers/writers for The-N.com. Lives in Philadelphia, loves puppies and commonly refers to Shia Labeouf as “MyShia”
@TeenNick Blog – Blog that features updates about the channel and website. Also discusses other topics relating to teens.
/me - What to type in Screening Parties to change the color of the talk bubble.
24/7 Switch – When The-N went from being a timeshare on Noggin (airing from 6pm to 6am) to being its own 24/7 channel. The-N took over the Nick GAS: Games and Sports channel. The transition went relatively smooth for most, but there was an issue with Direct TV not having the channel in some TV packages, the issue was resolved a few months later. The switch also resulted in The-N deciding to focus on younger viewers (Which resulted in several of their original shows being canceled) and fill airtime with many shows from Nickelodeon.
A
AaG – Acronym for About A Girl
About A Girl – One of The-N’s first original comedies – The show was about Amy, a college student who ends up living with 5 guys.
“Accidents Will Happen” - Episode of Degrassi that The-N refused to air for 2 years because it dealt with the controversial topic of abortion.
Account Sharing - Allowing more than one person to use an account. Will get said account disabled.
Account Sharing - Allowing more than one person to use an account. Will get said account disabled.
Avatar/Avi - Pixelated people that are shown next to users' message board posts, comments and on their profiles. Can be customized to look like the user in real life or not.
Avatar High - Game on TeenNick's Gamepony where users control a virtual high school. There are a series of events to complete, like an art show and a big game, before reaching Graduation at the end of the game
Avatar Prom -A Gamepony game where users run their own Prom comittie and try to cheer up a prom full of haters.
Avatar U -Technically the sequel to Avatar High, Gamepony users control students at their own University
Avi Mall/Avatar Mall – Place where users can purchase clothing and accessories for their avatars on TeenNick.com
B
Avatar Prom -A Gamepony game where users run their own Prom comittie and try to cheer up a prom full of haters.
Avatar U -Technically the sequel to Avatar High, Gamepony users control students at their own University
Avi Mall/Avatar Mall – Place where users can purchase clothing and accessories for their avatars on TeenNick.com
B
Bang On! - Game in Gamepony where users match two icons to gain points. A lot like the game "memory" only you can see the icons and they switch every few seconds.
Badges - Small pictures that display your result after you take a quiz. You can upload them to your pictures by right clicking on them and saving them to your computer.
Best/"The Best" - Game in Screening Parties where users vote for the "Best Friend" "Funniest" etc. Winner gets 20 creds, 2nd place - 15 creds, 3rd place - 10 creds. It's usually standard to vote the host into 1st place so they can earn back the creds they spent on the game.
Best/"The Best" - Game in Screening Parties where users vote for the "Best Friend" "Funniest" etc. Winner gets 20 creds, 2nd place - 15 creds, 3rd place - 10 creds. It's usually standard to vote the host into 1st place so they can earn back the creds they spent on the game.
Best Friend’s Date – Reality show where a teen would be set up on a date by their best friend.
Best Spam Ever - Monthly newsletter sent to TeenNick subscribers via email. Used to include exclusive avatar items, but many people complained of not recieveing the email, despite being signed up for it. Now the newsletter contains a basic description of happenings on the channel and website.
Beyond the Break – Show revolving around a group of teen surfers in Hawaii. Season 3 was delayed being aired due to the 24/7 switch.
Black Friday Sale –Annual sale at the Avatar Mall occurring on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Typically, everything in the Avi Mall is 33% off.
Box/Boxie/Boxeh - Former default avatar for users on The-N.
Box/Boxie/Boxeh - Former default avatar for users on The-N.
BtB – Beyond the Break, one of TeenNick’s shows about a group of surfers in Hawaii.
BUMP - Bring Up My Post (used to "bump" up a thread on the message board so that it'll be seen by more people)
BUTT - Bring Up This Thread (Same as BUMP but for a thread that you didn't start)
C
Choose – Game commonly played by characters on Radio Free Roscoe, may have inspired the game Rank.
Clueless - TV series based off of the movie about a girl living in Beverly Hills. The-N used to air reruns of the show.
Clueless Name Generator -Generates a name for you that's more suitable for the Clueless TV show's Beverly Hills world.
Codes - Numbers that when place in the proper URL can allow people to buy unreleased or sold out items from the Avatar mall. Sometimes referred to as "cheats" but they're really just item numbers. Also, giving out codes on teennick.com's Message Boards or through a blog post [on teennick.com] is against the rules.
Compatomatic Lovebot 3000 - Quiz-like game that evaluates the compatibility level of your relationship. Also features cute robots.
Cranny - Relationship name for Craig and Manny from Degrassi.
Clueless - TV series based off of the movie about a girl living in Beverly Hills. The-N used to air reruns of the show.
Clueless Name Generator -Generates a name for you that's more suitable for the Clueless TV show's Beverly Hills world.
Codes - Numbers that when place in the proper URL can allow people to buy unreleased or sold out items from the Avatar mall. Sometimes referred to as "cheats" but they're really just item numbers. Also, giving out codes on teennick.com's Message Boards or through a blog post [on teennick.com] is against the rules.
Compatomatic Lovebot 3000 - Quiz-like game that evaluates the compatibility level of your relationship. Also features cute robots.
Cranny - Relationship name for Craig and Manny from Degrassi.
Creds – Currency on Teen Nick
Cred Fairy – being that rewards users for utterly amazing posts on the Message Boards with a “buttload of creds.”
Cred Scam – Message that promises creds if it’s posted a certain number of times. Against the rules. They tend to come in waves particularly around holidays or when new items are released in the Avatar Mall.
CrEllie- Relationship name for Craig & Ellie from Degrassi.
CrEllie- Relationship name for Craig & Ellie from Degrassi.
Crystal Cascade - Gamepony game where you move crystals into groups of three before the time runs out. Also has shiny colors and nice sound effects.
D
DTNG – acronym for Degrassi: The Next Generation
Daily Cred Dispenser - Daily lottery for teennick.com for each person that enters 1 cred is added to the total amount, which is randomly given away at midnight. Occasionally the DCD has a sponsor who doubles the cred amount - therefore the winner would receive 2000 creds if 1000 people entered.
Daria – animated MTV comedy from the late 90s about a cynical & sarcastic teen name Daria. The-N aired reruns a few years ago.
Darco - Relationship name for Dylan and Marco from Degrassi.
Degrassi Mega-Match - Card game in Gamepony where users click on pairs of Degrassi themed cards to clear the board.
Degrassi, Old School – The original Degrassi High and Degrassi Jr. High series’ that debuted in the 80s.
Degrassi Mega-Match - Card game in Gamepony where users click on pairs of Degrassi themed cards to clear the board.
Degrassi, Old School – The original Degrassi High and Degrassi Jr. High series’ that debuted in the 80s.
Degrassi Rummy Solitaire - Card game on Gamepony - Rummy Solitare Degrassi style.
Degrassi Sign Generator - Program in Gamepony where users can write their own message on the Degrassi Sign.
Degrassi Soundboard: Spinner -page where users can play different quotes from Spinner on Degrassi.
Degrassi Sign Generator - Program in Gamepony where users can write their own message on the Degrassi Sign.
Degrassi Soundboard: Spinner -page where users can play different quotes from Spinner on Degrassi.
Degrassi Unscripted - Special on The-N that went behind the scenes of Degrassi and followed some of the stars in their daily activities.
DelPop - Relationship name for Del and Poppi from The Best Years.
Disabled/Account Disablement - Accounts that have broken the rules either too much or they broke a major rule (being underage, sharing password etc.) and the mods have deleted the account. Not something you want to happen, nor something to be proud of. If you are confused as to why your account was disable send something to @M-A or post something on the Talk to TeenNick Message Board.
Disabled/Account Disablement - Accounts that have broken the rules either too much or they broke a major rule (being underage, sharing password etc.) and the mods have deleted the account. Not something you want to happen, nor something to be proud of. If you are confused as to why your account was disable send something to @M-A or post something on the Talk to TeenNick Message Board.
Ellco - Relationship name for Ellie and Marco from Degrassi.
F
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions page on TeenNick.com where people refer newbies to when they as how to get creds. Read it here.
Feed - the part of your profile that keeps track of where you've posted, commented, or when friends are added. You can change the privacy settings for your feed, or disable it all together in "Settings and Privacy."
Flaming/Flame War - Hostile argument on the Message Boards, usually involves directly insulting the other users in the argument (Usually any and all that have opposing viewpoints.) Sometimes debates end up crossing over into Flame war territory - when this happens posts or even the entire thread is removed by the mods.
Flaming/Flame War - Hostile argument on the Message Boards, usually involves directly insulting the other users in the argument (Usually any and all that have opposing viewpoints.) Sometimes debates end up crossing over into Flame war territory - when this happens posts or even the entire thread is removed by the mods.
Flood Control - Gamepony puzzle game where one tries to build a path for a flood. Complicated, and more interesting than it sounds, when it's working anyway.
Flooding -Action of posting a bunch of messages (typically in Screening Parties) so that no one else can say anything. Message Boards can also be flooded - If one posted 20 new topics on the movies board about the Wizard of Oz they would be flooding the board with their posts, pushing down others'. Flooding is against the rules (not to mention really annoying) and doing it can result in getting warnings, suspended, and/or disabled.
Flooding -Action of posting a bunch of messages (typically in Screening Parties) so that no one else can say anything. Message Boards can also be flooded - If one posted 20 new topics on the movies board about the Wizard of Oz they would be flooding the board with their posts, pushing down others'. Flooding is against the rules (not to mention really annoying) and doing it can result in getting warnings, suspended, and/or disabled.
Friday Freebie – A temporary feature on The-N.com in 2009 where one item from the mall would be free each week. Caused controversy when more expensive items (like a 500 cred puppy) were selected to be a freebie.
Full House - Show about a group of guys raising 3 girls, TeenNick airs reruns.
Full House - Show about a group of guys raising 3 girls, TeenNick airs reruns.
G
Gamepony – Name of the game site affiliated with TeenNick. When it was launched, some users took issue with “girls games” being in the description of the page. Although girls have been the majority of users on the website for many years – this was one of the first instances where something on the site had a gender label attached to it.
Gift-o-Mat – Application that would appear on The-N around the holidays where users could send each other holiday themed items for their avatars. Assumed to be replaced by givies.
Gigantic -Forthcoming series from TeenNick about the kids of celebrities. Production Company site here.
givie – Small items that can be sent to other users on TeenNick.com and displayed on their profile. Some items cost creds while some seasonal or sponsored items are typically free. Like Gifts or Free Gifts on Facebook.
GvB – Girls vs. Boys, Reality show on The-N where groups of Teens would compete against each other for a thousand dollar prize.
H
Hacked/Being Hacked - When someone who is not you is on your account without your knowlege.
Halo Awards -Event where teens that make a difference in their communities are given awards from celebrities. Set to premiere on TeenNick December 11, 2009.
Hand/The Hand - Old logo for The-N.
Heartpounder -Gamepony game where users try to crush as many hearts as they can. Hearts make squealy noises when they're broken.
Heartpounder -Gamepony game where users try to crush as many hearts as they can. Hearts make squealy noises when they're broken.
Instant Star – Series on The-N that follows 15 year-old singer song writer Jude Harrison after she wins an American Idol-like talent competition.
J
Jalli - Relationship name for Johnny and Alli form Degrassi
Jemma - Relationship name for Jay and Emma from Degrassi.
Jiberty - Relationship name for J.T. and Liberty from Degrassi
Jommy - Relationship name for Jude and Tommy from Instant Star.
K
Kenan and Kel - Half-hour comedy on Nickelodeon in the '90s, follows the misadventures of friends Kenan and Kel. The-N aired reruns for awhile. Watching may induce cravings for Orange Soda.
Kmart Mix & Mash Dress Up -Gamepony game where users could dress up a "model" in clothing available from Kmart's children's clothing line. The game features some clothing with Hannah Montana on it, which was odd, given that Nickelodeon and Disney are rivals.
M
Mail - TeenNick's messaging system - the sites version of email.
Mods- People who work for @M-A they review posts that have been reported and remove them if the break the rules.
Moesha - Dramedy from the 90s, following Moesha and her family while addressing "teen social issues."
Moesha: Reunited - Puzzel connection game in Gamepony.
Miracle’s Boys – Mini-Series produced and aired on The-N about a group of brothers who’s parents die. Received critical acclaim and had at least one episode directed by Spike Lee.
Moesha - Dramedy from the 90s, following Moesha and her family while addressing "teen social issues."
Moesha: Reunited - Puzzel connection game in Gamepony.
Miracle’s Boys – Mini-Series produced and aired on The-N about a group of brothers who’s parents die. Received critical acclaim and had at least one episode directed by Spike Lee.
My So-Called Life – Short-lived 90s drama on ABC following the life of angst ridden Angela. The critically acclaimed show aired re-runs on The-N
N
Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide - Nickelodeon show that airs reruns on TeenNick about a group of friends in middle school who dispense helpful tips.
Newbie - New person.
Nick Cannon – Chairman of TeenNick
Nmail – Orginal name for “Mail” TeenNick’s messaging system.
N00b/Noob -New person that doesn't know the rules, and goes around breaking them and annoying people. A lot like a Troll - but N00b typically refers to someone who participates in annoying/rule-breaking activity out of ignorance rather than purposefully, unlike a troll who is aware they’re breaking the rules. Urban Dictionary definition.
Notes from The N’Sider – Name of the @TeenNick blog before the TeenNick rebrand, The-Mary was the orginal poster. Later The-Seth, The-Lisa became regular contributors, with other The-s, like The-Alison sometimes filling in for them.
O
O’Grady – Original animated comedy about a town plagued by weird happenings known as “The Weirdness”
O'Grady: Clones Gone Wild - Game based on the "Clones" episode of "O'Grady" users have to clump clones together and avoid getting caught by the fire marshal.
One on One -Show starring Kyla Pratt who moves in with her sportscaster father. TeenNick airs reruns.
O'Grady: Clones Gone Wild - Game based on the "Clones" episode of "O'Grady" users have to clump clones together and avoid getting caught by the fire marshal.
One on One -Show starring Kyla Pratt who moves in with her sportscaster father. TeenNick airs reruns.
OP- Original Poster, the person who started a thread. A handy nickname to use when you want to refer to the person who started a thread, but don’t remember their username.
Outbreak - Gamepony game where you blast through a chain, trying to hit stars to advance to the next round. (Despite this description it's nothing like a Beverly Hills version of Grand Theft Auto.)
Outbreak - Gamepony game where you blast through a chain, trying to hit stars to advance to the next round. (Despite this description it's nothing like a Beverly Hills version of Grand Theft Auto.)
P
PAlex – Relationship name for Paige and Alex on Degrassi.
Parcy - Relationship name for Peter and Darcy from Degrassi.
Perma-banned – Being permanently banned by the site. Happens to users who knowingly continue to break the rules on the site. Perma-banned users can no longer create accounts on the site – they’re essentially “permanently banned.” Rumor has it perma-bans are enforced by IP addresses, but has stated they can go beyond that.@M-A
Photo Hunt - Gamepony game where you look at two pictures from various TeenNick shows
PII - Personally Identifying Information, stuff like full names, AIM, email addresses, myspace info, phone numbers etc. Revealing PII on teennick.com results in your account being automatically and permanently disabled. It's also really unsafe, as evidenced by a few Degrassi episodes.
Photo Hunt - Gamepony game where you look at two pictures from various TeenNick shows
PII - Personally Identifying Information, stuff like full names, AIM, email addresses, myspace info, phone numbers etc. Revealing PII on teennick.com results in your account being automatically and permanently disabled. It's also really unsafe, as evidenced by a few Degrassi episodes.
Pixel Pop - Users in Gamepony type numbers to "pop"floating avatars. Reminiscent of those games that teach you how to type....
Pizza Quest '77 - A Gamepony game based off of "That '70s Show" where one completes a series of tasks in hopes of a reward of sweet pizza.
PMS - Post More Soon! Used on Fan Fiction and Random Story Generator boards, among others. Also the name of the all-girl band on Degrassi, which was short for Paige Michalchuk and the Sex-kittens.
Pizza Quest '77 - A Gamepony game based off of "That '70s Show" where one completes a series of tasks in hopes of a reward of sweet pizza.
PMS - Post More Soon! Used on Fan Fiction and Random Story Generator boards, among others. Also the name of the all-girl band on Degrassi, which was short for Paige Michalchuk and the Sex-kittens.
Power House - Game released as part of the Big Green Help, users try to make a virtual house more energy efficient.
Q
Queen Bees – Reality show on The-N where a group of “mean girls” were essentially taken to mean girl rehab. The girl that changed the most by the end of the competition won a cash prize.
R
Radio Free Roscoe – Half hour show on The-N about a group of teens that start their own indie radio station.
Rank - Game on the site where users choose between two things (songs, Degrassi episodes, hairstyles etc.) the game is never ending, and also a good way to earn creds because the page refreshes so much.
Report/Reporting - Action of reporting posts, pictures or other comments to the moderators because you suspect said post breaks the rules. Contrary to what some believe, @M-A has stated that the mods read every report that comes through, to see if it really break the rules. If a post you reported was breaking the rules, you're rewarded with 2 creds, if it was actually OK, you lose 1 cred. Continuously reporting things that don't break the rules can result in receiving a warning from @M-A.
RFR – acronym for Radio Free Roscoe.
Role Player -Basically an application for Role Playing Games. Also has items that are unreleased, see how to get them here. Has had a reputation for lots of rule-breaking cybering to go on, it appears TeenNick has fixed a few glitches and is doing a better job at keeping the game a bit cleaner these days.
S
Sabrina the Teenage Witch -TV show following a teen witch, her two aunts and their talking cat. Sometimes airs on TeenNick/The-N.
Samarang -Word game in Gamepony.
Saved by the Bell - Half hour comedy from the late '80s early '90s about a group of high school kids. The-N aired reruns after going 24/7.
S
Sabrina the Teenage Witch -TV show following a teen witch, her two aunts and their talking cat. Sometimes airs on TeenNick/The-N.
Samarang -Word game in Gamepony.
Saved by the Bell - Half hour comedy from the late '80s early '90s about a group of high school kids. The-N aired reruns after going 24/7.
Screening Parties – Feature on TeenNick.com where users can watch videos and chat with other users in real time. Screening parties also have games that can be played for creds. They also have a reputation for attracting cybering and flame wars. (Both of which are against site rules.) Screening parties are also only available to users in the United States for legal reasons.
Secret Avatar – Pixelized image of characters from TeenNick/The-N’s shows that can be used in place of a regular avatar.
SEllie - Relationship name for Sean and Ellie from Degrassi.
SEmma – Relationship name for Sean and Emma from Degrassi.
Shirtless Cole - Boy featured in commercials where Nick Cannon answers messages from a user asking for more shirtless guys.
Shrunken Heads - Gamepony game. Skulls pile up, you try to stop it. Has a bit of a Tetris vibe... with skulls.
Shrunken Heads - Gamepony game. Skulls pile up, you try to stop it. Has a bit of a Tetris vibe... with skulls.
Siggy/Signature - Something posted at the bottom of every post a user makes. They can include lyrics, quotes, little pictures/designs etc. You can have one made or learn how to make one on the The Lounge Message Board.
Slasher! – Game on the site that might be more known for it’s technical issues than for the game itself. Troubles started when there were so many people playing the game it would overload the server. The-N/TeenNick still runs ads on the channel for Slasher! depite the technical complications the game's been experiencing. More server space was added but people would make multiple games and the server would still get jammed. The game can still be played – if you can get into one before it fills up or manage to make one. A Facebook application version of Slasher has also been created.
Smack-An-Avatar - Game in screening parties where users "smack" avatars, like a virtual wack-a-mole. the top three scores win creds.
Snaggables - Short video clips you can snag for your blog, myspace page, website, whatever.
Smack-An-Avatar - Game in screening parties where users "smack" avatars, like a virtual wack-a-mole. the top three scores win creds.
Snaggables - Short video clips you can snag for your blog, myspace page, website, whatever.
SoN – acronym for South of Nowhere
South of Nowhere - One of The-N’s first original shows. Received critical acclaim, GLAAD award nominations and a dedicated cult following. The show focused around the Carlin family after they moved to L.A. from Ohio, and deal with issues ranging from sexuality and religion to death and drugs.
South of Nowhere Soundboard- page where users can play/listen to soundbites from the show South of Nowhere.
South of Nowhere - One of The-N’s first original shows. Received critical acclaim, GLAAD award nominations and a dedicated cult following. The show focused around the Carlin family after they moved to L.A. from Ohio, and deal with issues ranging from sexuality and religion to death and drugs.
South of Nowhere Soundboard- page where users can play/listen to soundbites from the show South of Nowhere.
Spaige - Relationship name for Spinner and Paige from Degrassi.
Sparco - Name for the relationsip of Spinner and Marco from Degrassi. (Though the relationship really only exists in Fan Fic, the two are only friends on the show.)
SpAshley – Relationship name for Spencer and Ashley on South of Nowhere.
Spin Cycle - Users click on groups of like-colored balls to gain points and keep the chutes from clogging. Also really addicting. And - oh come on stop giggling! None of that was meant in a dirty way!
Spoiler – Information that gives away details of episodes that haven’t aired on the channel yet. Can only be posted on the Spoilers Message Board on TeenNick.com
Spin Cycle - Users click on groups of like-colored balls to gain points and keep the chutes from clogging. Also really addicting. And - oh come on stop giggling! None of that was meant in a dirty way!
Spoiler – Information that gives away details of episodes that haven’t aired on the channel yet. Can only be posted on the Spoilers Message Board on TeenNick.com
Student Body – Reality show on The-N that focused on overweight tens from rival schools in a weight loss competition.
Suspended/Account Suspension -Happens when a user breaks a bunch of rules within a short time span, their posting privileges may be temporarily revoked or they may be unable to enter screening parties. Suspension is only temporary, typically a user is told how long it will last. Continuing to break the break the rules may result in the account being disabled.
Suspended/Account Suspension -Happens when a user breaks a bunch of rules within a short time span, their posting privileges may be temporarily revoked or they may be unable to enter screening parties. Suspension is only temporary, typically a user is told how long it will last. Continuing to break the break the rules may result in the account being disabled.
T
TBY – Acronym for show “The Best Years”
That 70s’ Show – Half-hour comedy following a group of teenagers living in Wisconsin in the 70s. Where Ashton Kutcher became famous.
The-s – former prefixes of employee accounts on The-N. Ex. @Mary used to be The-Mary
The-Bouncer – avatar/robot in every Screening Party. Dishes out wisdom and random information. Doesn't have a profile on TeenNick.com
The-Click – TeenNick.com’s video player
The-Meredith – Former intern turned employee at TeenNick. Sometimes judged the contests in the @TeenNick blog.
The-N – What the channel was called before being rebranded as “TeenNick.”
The-Seth – Former N’Sider blogger and podcaster. Left to travel around the world.
The-Tony - Former top Techie at The-N, left to be a techie at MTV
The Assistants – Sitcom produced by Tom Lynch (the guy behind South of Nowhere) That follows a group of assistants to a Hollywood film producer. Production started in 2007 but the show wasn’t aired until Summer 2009 due to the 24/7 switch.
The Best Years – College drama following Samantha Best’s bumpy ride through Freshman & Sophomore years. Was canceled after the first season for not fitting in with The-N’s “new direction” after going 24/7. Thanks to fan support, the producers negotiated with The-N and an 8 episode second season premiered in April 2009. No official word had been given on the status of a 3rd Season.
The Hook-Up -Users play the new girl in town as they get into intense conversations and backstab their BFF and steal their guys in this Gamepony game.
The Hook-Up -Users play the new girl in town as they get into intense conversations and backstab their BFF and steal their guys in this Gamepony game.
Thing du Jour – Daily item posted by an employee of TeenNick.
Thread - a particular topic/post on the Message Board. Like a post about The Wizard of Oz on the movies board ex. "This is the best thread ever! I love talking about cinematography of films made in the 30s!"
Trendetta - Users pick a trend to play for and try to dominate the "world" by connecting their pieces to cover the most space on the board.
Trilly – Relationship name for Travis and Lilly on Radio Free Roscoe
Trendetta - Users pick a trend to play for and try to dominate the "world" by connecting their pieces to cover the most space on the board.
Trilly – Relationship name for Travis and Lilly on Radio Free Roscoe
Trolling/Troll - Trying to make trouble/start arguments/cause controversy/etc. for the sole purpose of pissing people off and getting a reaction out of them. Troll is the user, Trolling is the action. Trolling is against the rules, and people who participate in it usually get their accounts disabled. Urban Dictionary definition.
U
U
Underage User - User that is under the age of 13 but lied about it when they signed up for an account. These accounts are disabled automatically because it's illegal for TeenNick to collect any personal info (email address, zip code etc.) from people under 13 without parents' permission. People under 13 can still have accounts, they just won't be able to participate in interactive parts of the site and TeenNick doesn't collect info from them.
Unverified Account - an account that can't participate in any of the interactive parts of the site because the user hasn't verified their email yet.
V
Unverified Account - an account that can't participate in any of the interactive parts of the site because the user hasn't verified their email yet.
V
Vet -Person who's been on the site a while and knows what they're doing. (Short for Veteran.) The black and white qualifications to be a vet are somewhat sketchy - some say it's once you know, understand and follow all the rules, some say it's based on time, others by post count. Just remember, a person could have been on the site for years, and have an account with a low post count. A person could also be a member for a day and have a high post count.
Video Masher - Application on TeenNick.com where you can make your own video mash-up using clips from TeenNick's shows.
Vomment – Video Comment – left on videos in The Click.
W
Warning/Warning Level – What one receives when they post something on Teennick.com that breaks the rules. Having your warning level over 100% will result in your account being temporarily suspended, or occasionally disabled, depending on the rule that was broken. Warning levels go down 11% each day. If you haven’t received a mail from TeenNick – your warning level is assumed to be at 0%.
Wearing It - Fashion oriented articles in the Trends section of the site.
What Goes On – Originally titled “The Block”, a half hour drama following the lives of several teens living in the suburbs. It was made for The-N and set to premiere in 2007, but never aired due to the 24/7 switch.
Wearing It - Fashion oriented articles in the Trends section of the site.
What Goes On – Originally titled “The Block”, a half hour drama following the lives of several teens living in the suburbs. It was made for The-N and set to premiere in 2007, but never aired due to the 24/7 switch.
What I Like About This Game - Gamepony game based off of the show "What I Like About You" where you do things the "Holly way"
What I Like About You -Half hour comedy starring Amanda Bynes as Holly, a teen girl living with her older sister in New York City.
What I Like About You -Half hour comedy starring Amanda Bynes as Holly, a teen girl living with her older sister in New York City.
Whistler – Show following the aftermath of gold medal snowboarder Beck McKay’s suspicious death. The last few episodes were moved to odd late night time slots on The-N, presumably due to low ratings. Season 2 was never shown on The-N.
What's the Deal? Tarot Card Reader - Virtual Tarot Card reader in Gamepony that will predict your future. Accuracy of prediction is debatable.
Who You Gonna Get With? -Gamepony game that will tell you the name of who you'll end up with. (Typically they have a fairly strange name.)
Z
Zoey 101 - Children's TV show following Zoey Brooks and her friends at a boarding school in California. Caused a bit of controversy for TeenNick when the show's star, Jamie Lynn Spears, revealed she was pregnant at the age of 16. Occasionally airs on TeenNick.
Zoey 101 Fill Ins - Gamepony game that's essentially a Zoey 101 version of Mad Libs.
Zoey 101 Hangman - Hangman with a Zoey 101 theme in Gamepony.
What's the Deal? Tarot Card Reader - Virtual Tarot Card reader in Gamepony that will predict your future. Accuracy of prediction is debatable.
Who You Gonna Get With? -Gamepony game that will tell you the name of who you'll end up with. (Typically they have a fairly strange name.)
Z
Zoey 101 - Children's TV show following Zoey Brooks and her friends at a boarding school in California. Caused a bit of controversy for TeenNick when the show's star, Jamie Lynn Spears, revealed she was pregnant at the age of 16. Occasionally airs on TeenNick.
Zoey 101 Fill Ins - Gamepony game that's essentially a Zoey 101 version of Mad Libs.
Zoey 101 Hangman - Hangman with a Zoey 101 theme in Gamepony.
Zombie thread – Thread that was on the verge of being deleted, due to no one posting on it for a long time, that has been “brought back to life” by someone posting on it. Can be problematic if the thread involved an argument. Typically created by N00bs.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
HALO Awards News
Celebrities Involved: Alicia Keys, Justin Timberlake, LeBron James, Hayden Panettiere
Air Date: December 11th 9PM ET/PT
Channel: TeenNick, will also be broadcast on Nick@Nite
Source. and Source.
***************** SPOILER ALERT! ****************
Known Winners:
Bryan Jackson (Described as HALO Award Winner here. Newsday article here.)
Leah Stoltz (Described as HALO Award Winner here. Video from the surprise Pep Rally.)
Darrius Snow (Described as being the recipient of a scholarship as part of the HALO Awards here.)
Megan Kilroy (Described as "One of the four HALO awards recipients" here.)
Air Date: December 11th 9PM ET/PT
Channel: TeenNick, will also be broadcast on Nick@Nite
Source. and Source.
***************** SPOILER ALERT! ****************
Known Winners:
Bryan Jackson (Described as HALO Award Winner here. Newsday article here.)
Leah Stoltz (Described as HALO Award Winner here. Video from the surprise Pep Rally.)
Darrius Snow (Described as being the recipient of a scholarship as part of the HALO Awards here.)
Megan Kilroy (Described as "One of the four HALO awards recipients" here.)
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Have the Halo Awards already happened?
Magic of Twitter.
Other photos here, here, and here with Nick Cannon.
When I fist got a google alert about this it looked like the event known as the Halo Awards had already taped. Now it looks as though some of these tweet might be referring to taping a promo (commercial) for the event. Either way, I felt it might be a good time to post an entry about a growing issue I've had with Teen Nick.
The more I google the more annoying this gets. Turns out, there was a casting call for people to act as red carpet fans for the Halo Awards. Really? A casting call!? It is logical to an extent, they probably do want it to look processional, (and lord knows us normal people suck at screaming at famous people on cue,) but would it kill them to offer some of their fans/viewers in the area to come and be a part of it? I'm sure there are tons of The-N/Teen Nick fans in or near NYC that would love to go stand outside and be a part of a Teen Nick show (or promo.) Instead they hire people to act like fans?! I can't decide if this "Oh, disconnected execs are in charge" messed up or just totally fucked up. Honestly, the latter might be better, given that Nick Cannon (Chairman of the channel, claims to know this generation etc.) is an executive producer for the event.
I thought the rebrand was pretty ridiculous, but I also thought that they'd take the opportunity to genuinely be more open to fans, listen to their imput more and improve the channel. I feel like this hasn't been the case.
So I thought I'd sort through the issue Gilmore style - with a nice Pro/Con list about how stuff's been going since the rebrand.
Pro: Talk to Teen Nick message board on the site
Con: Nick Cannon never reponds on the message board
Pro: Nick does sometimes respond to a few select posts in the @TeenNick Blog
Con: The posts he does respond to [in the blog] are usually very basic questions/comments (some of which really don't even need a response.) Nick never responds to the bigger questions like "Will you air shows like South of Nowhere/Instant Star/The Best Years/O'Grady/Beyond the Break that we all love ad that made the channel"
Pro: Nick Cannon has taken some initiative by being involved in new programming like the Halo Awards and Gigantic
Con: He's also been running a record label, directing his first movie, running Teen Nick, working on a show for MTV.... realistically - how can he give 100% to the Teen Nick? Maybe he doesn't really need to - I'm sure he's capable of multitasking, and perhaps I overestimate the amount of power he holds at Teen Nick? Should I be expecting this much from him in the first place? Does this still qualify as a con? Moving on...
Con: They've yet to make an announcement about the Halo Awards on Teen Nick's website, and honestly, I think they made a huge mistake by not asking viewrs/users to nominate people they know for the awards. There's so little viewer interaction with this event, I don't see what's going to draw teenagers in to watch it anymore than they'd be drawn in to watch Oprah's Christmas special. Sure we realize doing good, is awesome and everything, but rarely do these things hold our attention unless we're given a way to directly get involved.
Con: The site's been majorly glitching on a regular basis. It's to be expected with all the changes they've had to make, but I also believe it's kind of sad that it takes them so long to fix them. It's become a matter of days and weeks when it should be hours. Many larger sites have issues and manage to fix them in a timely manner. They also have handy little "We'll be back to 100% soon" messages that keep people from incessantly posting "OMG did you know XY isn't working!" messages.
Pro: @M-A did post a Message about the glitches on the Talk to Teen Nick Message Board
Con: Because of the glitch the Message Boards were getting cut off so that over half of them appeared to be missing - including the Talk to Teen Nick board. Therefore a disturbingly high number of users never even saw his post because they failed to use the drop down box to navigate the boards.
Con: The N'Sider now known as "@TeenNick" has been posting less Goss Up Tuesdays, User Movie Reviews, This Week in Music, user advice army, general news-type entries and has instead been posting what the stars of Degrassi have been Twittering. This is 2009 - if your users want to know what the stars of Degrassi are tweeting about they can look it up on their own. (Chances are most of them are already following them, making these entries kind of redundant.)
Con: In general the channel and site have always kept their "behind the scenes news" well, behind the scenes. Let's compare it to the CW, another channel that's pretty darn Teen-oriented. For anyone of it's shows we can easily access the ratings, interviews with people working on it, commentary on what the channel's been doing for it's shows (marketing wise etc.) and easily find detailed descriptions for what new shows are in development for the channel. Granted more people get the CW channel, it's network TV etc. But is Teen Nick's smaller market really an excuse for being so closed off? Sure, if there's not a whole lot of people complaining, maybe that means there's no problem. Or maybe the lack of direct connection with their audience, letting them know that you're generally interested in having a dialogue with the people who keep you employed, will end up biting them in the ass. Few people know what the hell is going on at Teen Nick - and while it might not be a necessity to stay connected to your audience - I think it's something our generation expects. We can send tweets to Ashton Kutcher or the anchors of CNN - and actually get a response from them. Some networks might be able to get by being all close-lipped and mysterious, but I don't think it'll last to long for those targeting younger generations.
I criticize because I know they can be better. They're totally capable of it, I want them to live up to their potential. (God, does that not sound like it came from an after school special?!)
When I fist got a google alert about this it looked like the event known as the Halo Awards had already taped. Now it looks as though some of these tweet might be referring to taping a promo (commercial) for the event. Either way, I felt it might be a good time to post an entry about a growing issue I've had with Teen Nick.
The more I google the more annoying this gets. Turns out, there was a casting call for people to act as red carpet fans for the Halo Awards. Really? A casting call!? It is logical to an extent, they probably do want it to look processional, (and lord knows us normal people suck at screaming at famous people on cue,) but would it kill them to offer some of their fans/viewers in the area to come and be a part of it? I'm sure there are tons of The-N/Teen Nick fans in or near NYC that would love to go stand outside and be a part of a Teen Nick show (or promo.) Instead they hire people to act like fans?! I can't decide if this "Oh, disconnected execs are in charge" messed up or just totally fucked up. Honestly, the latter might be better, given that Nick Cannon (Chairman of the channel, claims to know this generation etc.) is an executive producer for the event.
I thought the rebrand was pretty ridiculous, but I also thought that they'd take the opportunity to genuinely be more open to fans, listen to their imput more and improve the channel. I feel like this hasn't been the case.
So I thought I'd sort through the issue Gilmore style - with a nice Pro/Con list about how stuff's been going since the rebrand.
Pro: Talk to Teen Nick message board on the site
Con: Nick Cannon never reponds on the message board
Pro: Nick does sometimes respond to a few select posts in the @TeenNick Blog
Con: The posts he does respond to [in the blog] are usually very basic questions/comments (some of which really don't even need a response.) Nick never responds to the bigger questions like "Will you air shows like South of Nowhere/Instant Star/The Best Years/O'Grady/Beyond the Break that we all love ad that made the channel"
Pro: Nick Cannon has taken some initiative by being involved in new programming like the Halo Awards and Gigantic
Con: He's also been running a record label, directing his first movie, running Teen Nick, working on a show for MTV.... realistically - how can he give 100% to the Teen Nick? Maybe he doesn't really need to - I'm sure he's capable of multitasking, and perhaps I overestimate the amount of power he holds at Teen Nick? Should I be expecting this much from him in the first place? Does this still qualify as a con? Moving on...
Con: They've yet to make an announcement about the Halo Awards on Teen Nick's website, and honestly, I think they made a huge mistake by not asking viewrs/users to nominate people they know for the awards. There's so little viewer interaction with this event, I don't see what's going to draw teenagers in to watch it anymore than they'd be drawn in to watch Oprah's Christmas special. Sure we realize doing good, is awesome and everything, but rarely do these things hold our attention unless we're given a way to directly get involved.
Con: The site's been majorly glitching on a regular basis. It's to be expected with all the changes they've had to make, but I also believe it's kind of sad that it takes them so long to fix them. It's become a matter of days and weeks when it should be hours. Many larger sites have issues and manage to fix them in a timely manner. They also have handy little "We'll be back to 100% soon" messages that keep people from incessantly posting "OMG did you know XY isn't working!" messages.
Pro: @M-A did post a Message about the glitches on the Talk to Teen Nick Message Board
Con: Because of the glitch the Message Boards were getting cut off so that over half of them appeared to be missing - including the Talk to Teen Nick board. Therefore a disturbingly high number of users never even saw his post because they failed to use the drop down box to navigate the boards.
Con: The N'Sider now known as "@TeenNick" has been posting less Goss Up Tuesdays, User Movie Reviews, This Week in Music, user advice army, general news-type entries and has instead been posting what the stars of Degrassi have been Twittering. This is 2009 - if your users want to know what the stars of Degrassi are tweeting about they can look it up on their own. (Chances are most of them are already following them, making these entries kind of redundant.)
Con: In general the channel and site have always kept their "behind the scenes news" well, behind the scenes. Let's compare it to the CW, another channel that's pretty darn Teen-oriented. For anyone of it's shows we can easily access the ratings, interviews with people working on it, commentary on what the channel's been doing for it's shows (marketing wise etc.) and easily find detailed descriptions for what new shows are in development for the channel. Granted more people get the CW channel, it's network TV etc. But is Teen Nick's smaller market really an excuse for being so closed off? Sure, if there's not a whole lot of people complaining, maybe that means there's no problem. Or maybe the lack of direct connection with their audience, letting them know that you're generally interested in having a dialogue with the people who keep you employed, will end up biting them in the ass. Few people know what the hell is going on at Teen Nick - and while it might not be a necessity to stay connected to your audience - I think it's something our generation expects. We can send tweets to Ashton Kutcher or the anchors of CNN - and actually get a response from them. Some networks might be able to get by being all close-lipped and mysterious, but I don't think it'll last to long for those targeting younger generations.
I criticize because I know they can be better. They're totally capable of it, I want them to live up to their potential. (God, does that not sound like it came from an after school special?!)
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