Journal
How IconBuffet Works
September 01, 2007 6AM
I've mentioned the IconBuffet web site before and have referred a few people there so far. But I understand for the first time user the way the site works can be daunting. So I thought I'd take the time to write my own user's guide to getting the most out of the IconBuffet web site 
Firstly, for those who have no idea what IconBuffet is, let me explain the attraction. IconBuffet is a web site that offers free icons that you can legally use on personal and commercial projects such as your own web site, blog or other graphic project. You just can't redistribute the icon packs. Fair enough I've used some of the icons in a couple of skins I've made recently. You can view those here and here.
The thing that sets IconBuffet apart from other free icon sites is that you can't simply join and download all of the sets straight away. Where's the fun in that? 
The icons are free, but you receive the sets from other site members and accept them with the tokens you receive every month. When you join, you receive 10 tokens. So you can accept 10 tokens worth of icons every month. There are currently four types of icon sets. Each set type has a different token value.
- Bronze sets — 1 token
- Silver sets — 3 tokens
- Gold sets — 5 tokens
- Diamond sets — 10 tokens
So as you can see, you can accept ten bronze sets each month or two gold sets. Perhaps you'd like three silver sets and a bronze set. The choice is yours As a member of IconBuffet you also receive free icon sets from the people who create the icons — the Chefs. These icons cost no tokens! Every fourth icon set released is a special free Chef delivery. Recently that has meant at least two free sets a month.
The IconBuffet system also gives you stamps and points. Every time you receive an icon set you earn stamps. You use these stamps to send icon sets to other IconBuffet members. You send icon sets to those that don't have the sets you have. Using your stamps works the same way as receiving icon sets. Sending a bronze set costs you one stamp. Sending a silver set costs you three stamps. You see the pattern
Sending icon sets is the easiest way to earn points. Sending a bronze set to someone earns you ten points if they accept your delivery. Sending a silver set that gets accepted is worth thirty points. Again, you should see the pattern. The difference is that sending a diamond delivery earns you 250 points! This is a much more difficult task though as the icon set costs the average user their months token count in one go. There is an advantage to accepting a diamond delivery though. And that is in the way of badges.
Certain things earn you badges at IconBuffet. Some of these badges also give you bonus points. Here's a quick rundown of some of the badges you can earn.
- Receiving five bronze sets
- Receiving ten bronze sets
- Receiving twenty bronze sets
- Receiving five silver sets
- Receiving ten silver sets
- Receiving twenty silver sets — this also earns you 200 points!
- Receiving five gold sets
- Receiving ten gold sets
- Receiving twenty gold sets — this also earns you 200 points!
- Receiving one diamond delivery
- Uploading your own avatar — the easiest badge to get
- Having 25 fans (people who have added you as a friend)
There are some special badges you can get for receiving certain sets that also earn you bonus points. For example, collecting ten sets from the Manhattan range gets you a Manhattan badge and 100 points. The same is also currently applicable to the Alexandria and Shanghai ranges. In fact, I believe the easiest way to get started with your IconBuffet collection is to follow these simple steps.
- Become a member at IconBuffet (it's free)
- Collect the ten Shanghai sets (They're all bronze so you can do this in your first month)
- Upload your own avatar
- Get 25 people to befriend you
This way in your first month you've collected your cheese badge (avatar), your five bronze deliveries badge, your ten bronze deliveries badge, your Shanghai set badge and your 25 fans badge. All those badges at once plus the 100 points you get for having the Shanghai set. You're on your way to becoming an IconBuffet addict
If you want to actually use the icons you collect from IconBuffet on your web site or blog, then by following the suggestion above you've started with ten different icon sets all of one theme. Plenty of similarly themed icons to choose from
If this sounds like fun to you, join up today. When you join using one of the links from webWICKED I get added to your friends list straight away. All you need do then is navigate to my page on IconBuffet and send me a request for the 'Shanghai Sets'. I'll send them all your way and you'll be well on your way… To having trading fun!
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