These were adapted from Cheryl's The Official Miss Parker Keepers Site
WHAT IS KEEPING?:
Keeping is for fun. It's a way of showing our love for the show and for our favorite characters. That's it. It's not a contest. It's not a status thing. It's just plain old fashioned leisurely recreation. KEEPING allows all us fans a forum to display our fevered addiction in an orderly fashion. When you are the KEEPER of something, for all intents and purposes, you have the claimed the right to watch over that specific item or situation. Sound kind of weird? Remember this IS the virtual world. An easier way of looking at it....if you like it when you see it on the show....you should try to be the KEEPER of it.
WHAT DO I DO WITH IT ONCE I'M THE KEEPER?:
Being the KEEPER of something gives you the right to add that item/situation to the signature line of your messages. WHY? Because you can and it's a badge of pride. You can always tell a veteran list member by the size of their....signature. Many people not only put their KEEPERSHIPS but also any clubs they belong to, catch phrases, even political views at the bottom of their messages. It's sort of a way of defining who you are.
KEEPING is done for no other reason than the giddy joy it fills you with. Treat it that way. Don't just KEEP for KEEPINGS sake. KEEP only when YOU find something worth KEEPING.
TIPS ON KEEPING:
From me and Cheryl.
1. Don't Do It Onlist (tP-l, Centrenet):
The Official Keeper sites are shared by all groups. The rules are simple and are there for everyone. They're not written in stone, we're all friends here, so if you have a question ask me. It may take a little while but I'll get back to you.
2. Check the Keeper List First:
Obvious things get picked off in a heartbeat. (i.e: Jarod's sunglasses, Jarod's various pez dispensers etc...) Don't hold your breath on popular things. Scan the list for what it is you want. If you don't see it, CLAIM it.
3. Send Requests Directly to me:
Send your claims to me via E-mail at this address jarodkpr@hotmail.com. DON'T, send requests to my other e-mail address. I set up a separate account to handle mail from this site because I am on several mailing lists and I get a lot of mail. Therefore, your keeper requests may get lost in the shuffle if they are sent to my main e-mail address.
4. Don't Fight or Flame:
I know it's hard sometimes. You claim something, then turn around and see someone on list praising there good fortune for claiming the same thing or worse yet see it in their sig. line. It happens. It's no big deal. If this does unfortunately happen to you, you can do one of two things.
5: Share.
Yes Share!!! There's quite a few CO-KEEPERS. So if your adamant about Keeping something and can't imagine living without it, ask to share it. This pretty much refers to new things though, people who've been Keeping an item for months probably won't be all that willing to share but you can always try.
6: Defer Keeper problems to me.
Just tell me your problem and I'll make an Official ruling. Keep in mind, when you do this the List Owners decision is like the word of God. It's final. If two people can't agree on something, someone else will decide for you.
7: Speed is of the Essence:
If you see something in a NEW episode send me your request immediately. If you claim something right after a NEW episode, you don't have to check the Keeper Pages to see if what you want is already taken. It's a new episode. Therefore it's not Kept yet. Send your message promptly.
8: Make Requests at the Appropriate Time:
DON'T EVEN TRY to claim items that haven't even appeared yet. Just because you see something on a preview or hear about something onlist does not make it legal to claim or keep until that given episode actually airs.
9: Be PATIENT:
This comes after your request has been made. Don't expect to hear from me immediately. Particulary if you send your requests after seeing a "new" episode. You should hear from within the next day or so of submitting your request.
Now....I know how it goes. You see something really cool. You claim it. You follow all the tips. You're positive you sent it in first. Why didn't you get it?
KEEPING is like "gunfighting." There's always someone faster. Be assured that I will grant requests in the order that they are recieved.
Let your imagination run wild:
This is just a personal tip. When choosing your keepers try to think of ways of expressing them that reflect your personality. For example: instead of keeping Jarod's pez you might keep "Jarod's endless supply of pez". You don't have to be creative every time but it's a lot of fun to see how people come up with different ways to describe an item or a situation. What you decide to keep and how you word it says a lot about your personality and what aspects of The Pretender interest you the most. Some people decide to keep items and/or situations centered around a theme. For example I am the keeper of MP picutre of her mother, MP last present from her mom, and her memories of her mother. Just decide what is about Jarod that your most interested in and keeper ideas will come to you.
Another quick note. KEEPERSHIP of any of the characters themselves, their body parts, hearts, family members, etc. is strictly forbidden. Also nothing "NASTY" or "PROFANE." Just items/situations that they've used on the show. I know you'll see exceptions to this on the lists, so if you want to try your luck go ahead.
Addendum from me: I have decided to allow keeperships of this sort as long as it doesn't get too out of hand. Try to keep items of this sort that have to do with body language or some physical characteristic that defines the character. Try to word your keeperships in this category in such a way that you are keeping a physical attribute rather than a "body part". I know the "official" directions don't really allow this but since each person is allowed to run their site as they see fit I am allowing it. Please remember to keep it clean. I will make a new category for all of these keepers and it will be called physcial characterstics.
One other quick note: As of now you are allowed to keep up to 10 items. You will be allowed to keep more in the future and I'll put something to that effect on the main page when this occurs.
