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Forum Building and Management

29 guides in this category

  1. Uploading Inside CPanel

    CPanel is one of the most comprehensive web server management software available. When it comes to uploading files to Cpanel the easiest way is to use the built-in file manager.  This means that you don't have to learn how to install and configure a complicated FTP service, especially since you can upload zip files and extract them directly on the server.

    Type: Admining

    By StormyWays13,

    • 1,698 views

  2. Rethinking Link Backs

    As hobbyist webmasters/administrators, we often simply copy what has been done before us within the community, assuming that if the bulk of the community does it, than it must mean that it's effective. We already know that that isn't true to a degree, tiny font is probably one of the the biggest complaints on directory forums and yet tiny fonts are still very common.

     

    Link backing is one of those practices that should probably be interrogated by admins as they're setting up their site. This guide will explain why.

    Type: Promotion

    By Kit the Human,

    • 2,477 views

  3. Dealing with Problem Members

    This is a guide designed to help admins more easily deal with all varieties of problem members. It's a touch simplistic because there isn't enough space to cover every possible instance/outcome. But it should help regardless.

    Type: Admining

    By VirusZero,

    • 1,749 views

  4. Why should you offer both a dark and light theme?

    As an administrator I'm sure finding a theme that not only works for your site and aesthetics, but also works for your members and yourself is a difficult task. This article is intended to help enlighten you on why you should offer at least 2 versions of your theme. A dark theme and a light theme no matter which is your default.

    Type: Member/Forum Management

    By Morrigan,

    • 1,668 views

  5. An Introduction (and Reintroduction!) to Applications

    In this guide, we are going to cover the different kinds of applications (and no applications!), and their advantages and disadvantages. As always, no kind of application is objectively better than any other, but different applications are certainly subjectively better. That is, it all depends on what you look for from an application as an administrator and how you want to run your site.

    Type: Admining

    By Kit the Human,

    • 2,310 views

  6. Rehosting images and why you should do it

    There are numerous benefits to rehosting images on your site, to your site's server and no benefits to not doing that. So much so, that the use of remotely hosted images on your site is considered bad practice. We will discover why below!

    Type: Admining

    By Kit the Human,

    • 1,341 views

  7. How My Site Welcomes Lurkers

    Lurkers are an important part of any community. This guide shows how my site has encouraged lurkers and guests to get active.

    Type: Member/Forum Management

    By StormyWays13,

    • 1,542 views

  8. Quick and Dirty Advertising Format Advice

    There are some things that you might do, that really doesn't help you in your advertising goals. This guide will look at how you format your ads, whether it be in your signature or when you're dropping an ad on a roleplay directory.

    Type: Promotion

    By Kit the Human,

    • 1,506 views

  9. Rune's Guide to Advertising on other Boards

    Advertising should be the easiest and probably most ignored part of your site. That makes it no less important, but there are a wide variety of ways you can make it both easier on you and more tolerable to handle. I'll try to sum up how to effectively advertise, how to handle your own advertising boards and some common issues people run into. All while simplifying things as much as possible in order to make it a relatively untouched part of your site in terms of the work you have to do.

    Type: Promotion

    By Rune,

    • 1,200 views

  10. GDPR

    This guide will work on explaining what GDPR is and how to comply with it's rules and regulations. As GDPR grows we will work on making changes so that it is always up to date.

     

    Type: Member/Forum Management

    By Morrigan,

    • 2,184 views

  11. IPS vs JCink Premium: The Showdown

    In this guide, we have a look at the features and benefits of the IPS forum software, compared to the most common option for roleplayers: JCink Premium.

    Type: Member/Forum Management

    By Sadrienne,

    • 1,974 views

  12. How to write an effective Quick-Start Guide

    How do you make sure that new members see everything they need to, without overwhelming them? A quick-start guide! Here are some tips to writing a useful and effective quick-start guide for your RP.

    Type: Admining

    By Sadrienne,

    • 2,811 views

  13. Positive Adminning and Why it Works!

    As an administrator of a site we all have the good and the bad moments. From nasty guests to shitty members to those moments that you feel like you're a failure. This guide is meant to guide you on better strategies to administrating, not only for your members but for your own personal sanity.

    Type: Admining

    By Morrigan,

    • 778 views

  14. Don't Panic! The Truth About Your Roleplay

    Opening a new board is hard. It's easy to feel like what you're doing is somehow wrong, or that you could be getting more traffic if you just did this one other thing. Or like your board is a complete failure. Before you give up, here are some hard truths about running your own forum... and when you should really throw in the towel.
    Type: Admining

    By Sadrienne,

    • 2,067 views

  15. How to write Rules: The good way!

    Don't be put off by the title, everyone has their preferences for rules however I am someone that has walked away from more sites because of poorly written rules than any other reason. This is simply a guide on my personal recommendation on the do's and don'ts of rule writing.

    Type: Admining

    By Morrigan,

    • 2,496 views

  16. Beta Testing vs. Soft Openings - what are they and when do I use them?

    The phrases "beta testing" and "soft opening" get tossed around a lot like they're the same thing- but they're not! This guide is here to clarify the difference, and explains how to reap the benefits of each.

    Type: Admining

    By Josie,

    • 1,490 views

  17. Dealing with plagiarism on other's sites.

    The unfortunate reality is that at some point admins may have content taken from them and placed on another site. Here is a guide on how to deal with another site stealing from your site. 

    Type: Admining

    By VirusZero,

    • 1,875 views

  18. What to Expect When You’re Expecting (to be a Forum Admin)

    Being an admin of a forum is a lot like getting a puppy. It seems like a good idea at first because it’s cute and you want something to cuddle with. But puppies need to be housebroken and they need to be trained and you’ve got to spend money on their food and take them on walks.  A lot of people go into it thinking it’ll be easy- and like with adopting their first puppy, most of these people are in for a rude awakening. You don’t have to be, though!

    Type: Admining

    By Josie,

    • 1,968 views

  19. A How-Do on Hiring Staff

    It can be tough knowing where to begin when it comes to hiring staff. A lot of people start off thinking that they need them simply because that seems like the normal thing to do. It might seem “normal” to have [insert number here] staffers when you first start out. Well friends- it’s silly to do things just because everyone else is doing them that way, and this article is here to help you out with the process of hiring on new staff members.

    Type: Member/Forum Management

    By Josie,

    • 1,455 views

  20. This person is obnoxious but isn't breaking any rules - what do?

    A common problem I’ve seen people asking help with is dealing with unpleasant and difficult members. They aren’t breaking the rules, but they make you feel like you aren’t at home on your own forum. When an admin doesn’t want to be a part of their own forum this is a big issue, and the cause of this should always be dealt with as swiftly and carefully as possible.

    Type: Member/Forum Management

    By Josie,

    • 1,821 views

  21. Handling Staff Inactivity

    At one point or another, almost every admin encounters a time when one of their staffers goes AWOL, or otherwise stops doing their job. It can be tough to know what to do in that situation, but this guide's designed to help you out!

    Type: Member/Forum Management

    By Josie,

    • 1,525 views

  22. On the Matter of Off-site IM Services

    There are strong feelings in the roleplaying community about using programs like Skype or Discord for your community. This article is going to lightly dissect the matter and address some points of concern, as well as give brief instruction on how to fairly integrate such a service.

    Type: Member/Forum Management

    By Josie,

    • 1,502 views

  23. Cyber/Bio-punk

    Something Sci-Fi often crosses into, on a "Earth Based" Sci-Fi, are two elements called Cyberpunk and Biopunk. For the most part these two genres tend to crossover in some aspects so instead of creating separate articles for both of them I'm combining them into a single article. This article will include some details including some pop culture references and images for your visual pleasure.

    Type: Worldbuilding

    By Morrigan,

    • 1,204 views

  24. Roleplaying Defined

    While we focus on specific types of roleplays here on RPG Initiative there are many other types of roleplaying out there. This is a quick and simple guide defining what roleplaying is and the 5 types of roleplaying that are out in the world.

    Type: Admining

    By Morrigan,

    • 1,109 views

  25. Auto posting to Social Media: IFTTT

    Now as a busy admin you don't always have time to post things to Facebook and Twitter and still enjoy your game. It's a lot of work. This guide will give you a cool way to post announcements or new threads without putting tons of time into it and still help promote your site.

    Type: Promotion

    By Morrigan,

    • 1,979 views
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