I'm sorry for taking a break from my blogging tutorial series to upload this one instead, but I think there's a few other issues we need to speak about here.

It's been very unfortunate that lately all that seems to be on people's minds is a beautifully twisted word called popularity. Come on, we all want it. Even if you don't like to admit it, it's basically everybody's main goal on PMC (and the other being to become a moderator for some :P). Some of the big milestones include getting to level 50, reaching 1000 subs, and...getting on the popreel.

For all you newer members out there, the popreel is that weird showcasing thingy that appears on all submission-related areas on the site. In some areas, it's much easier to get on the popreel than others. Take the blogging section, for one. Half of the stuff that gets uploaded there breaks the rules, anyway. :P But for the 85% of you that are skinners, your dream is likely to get your skin on the skinning popreel instead, which is no easy feat at all.

Now, I've seen a lot of members - even some around my level - show disappointment in the past because they've never gotten on popreel before (you know who you are). They've even dared to say that nobody must like their submissions if it doesn't get on the popreel. This breaks my heart that people don't have confidence in themselves.

Listen, members of PMC. The popreel doesn't matter.

I expect a lot of you to start saying that I don't understand because I've gotten so many in the past. Others of you are probably expecting me to go on and on saying "Oh you'll always be popular if you're having fun" or stuff like that. Luckily for you, that's not going to happen. I probably hate that just as much as you do.

As much as I hate to admit it, members on PMC do not pay much attention to anybody who is not an already-popular skinner. Even if your skin is qualifying to be on the popreel, if you don't have subscribers, you're not going anywhere. When you have subscribers, every one of your submissions will appear in their subscription listing from now on unless they decide to unsubscribe. The less people subscribed, the less people that'll see your submission from the second it's uploaded to the site.

Another thing is that originality - yes, true originality, not remixing content together from previous skins and calling it a new skin - is slowly degrading on the site. I apologize for turning this into a slight teen skin rant, but the fact that there are so many "level 50 or up" teen skinners on this site slightly saddens me. I will say, teen skinner's shading styles are AMAZING. But if you look closely, you'll see that their content pretty much looks somewhat similar to one another. They'll use the same bangs, same outline of boots, recolor sweaters, and similar practices. The only thing that can be really original is the hair. I'm not trying to offend any teen skinners out there; one of my closest friends on the site qualifies as one. But I think that most people who diamond these are misguided. This isn't the case for everyone, but there are a few main reasons why somebody will diamond a "teen skin":

1. The skin is a few minutes old and they want to be one of the first out of a hundred to diamond it (yes, I am guilty of it).
2. The skinner is a close friend and they're trying to support them, even if the content is mediocre in their eyes.
3. It's one of the infamous "I'm leaving" skins...
4. Diamond4Diamond scheme.

That's not always the case, though. I have spoken unfairly, and quite a few people pointed that out to me. Many popular skinners have explained about their teen skins, and the site moderators Azie and Zitzabis commented on a very similar blog about this topic. Also, Weremouse00, this one's for you too.

The popreel isn't necessarily broken. I never said that in the first place, but I can understand the confusion. I'd like to elaborate. Something gets on popreel because it garners attention in a very short period of time. I do understand this, but what I was saying is that the way these things happen can occasionally be questioning. You see, though, teen skinners have amazing talent. There are many people out there that do diamond a teen skin because they truly like it. There are many that I like myself. As I had said before, though, some teen skins can be a bit repetitive at times, but the similarities are generally not that noticable.

New members can also be noticed just as well as older members can. Remember Ashebee? Within a week of joining the site, she was at level 18 and had 90 subscribers. She did that because she uploaded quality stuff and people liked it, regardless of her submission type or time spent on the site. It's not impossible.

The best way to get people to notice you is to put yourself out there. Go to chat, talk to people, and have a fun time. If you're friendly, funny, and likable, people may subscribe out of kindness. In chat, you may even decide to advertise some of your work. Don't spam, though! This will disgust people, have your posts deleted, and the mods will NOT be very happy with you. Their patience can only go so far.

Another way to get your name out there is to comment on people's submissions, whether that be a popular teen skinner or an amatuer. Saying stuff like "Hey, great submission" can really make somebody's day (trust me). Believe it or not, people do read the comments and they may check out your profile. If you don't want to be so public (especially if the comments are full enough as they are), shoot somebody a PM. You can start a conversation, and the other person will likely check out your profile and subscribe. Some of my closest friends on PMC are currently in a conversation with each other, including me, over a PM. It's the best thing ever.

The last message-sharing area of the site is the forums. The forums can be a bit tricky - it's hard to start a conversation there. But it still works. Heck, you don't even have to really start an ongoing discussion. Posting frequently on different topics can get you very noticed on PMC. Just don't break the rules, or else you'll be noticed by the moderators - in a bad way. You really don't want that.

Doing these sort of things will get you noticed by other members of the PMC community. If your submissions are good, and people recognize your name, chances are your submissions will start to be more noticed, and possibly even get onto that popreel you've wanted so much. Everybody wants their first popreel, right?

But with great popularity comes great responsibilty. Yes, I know that's not the usual phrase, but it's still true nonetheless. If you want to stay popular, you have to work for it (unless you're a moderator. But you're probably not. xD Kidding, moderators, I'm sorry. <3). This means continuing to upload good-quality submissions, whatever they may be, so your shadow won't fade away into the mist. It's hard staying to the top. Believe me. There was a time when my popularity did drop, and let me say, it hurts. But you have to keep at it.

Popularity isn't for everybody. It's not that hard to crack under pressure, really. If you're not popular now, and have never made it onto the popreel, it's not a big deal. You can become so desperate and so yearning that it will eat away at who you are. People don't like that. It can happen with any goal, really.

And if you ever do get that popreel...don't let it change you, either. I see some people who actually keep count of their popreels, some of whom used to complain that they didn't have any. Those people, especially, slightly disgust me. It makes you look attention-seeking; really, it does. I wish you knew.

Just keep at it. Continue making awesome submissions and get yourself out there. You may never become popular on PMC. But even if these don't work, at least you will make some amazing friends in the process. These friends will stay by your side no matter what, even if you only know each other because of some awesome words known as internet, WiFi, Minecraft, and Cyprezz.

That's even better than getting a popreel.