Starting A New Forum

August 4th, 2010

Starting a new forum is easy! All it involves is a domain name, a server, and a forum platform… but what then? It pretty much falls down to one word: Community!

What is a community?

The dictionary has a few good definitions

com·mu·ni·ty –noun

1. a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.

2. a locality inhabited by such a group.

3. a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists (usually prec. by the ): the business community; the community of scholars.

A forum should have a theme, a common interest of it’s members, a reason for them to keep coming back. To pick this, it’s best to simply go with what you yourself enjoy the most, as that’ll give you a jump start on getting that community going. Why?

You will have an understanding of such a theme

You will then have the basic knowledge to get conversations going

You will likely have friends and/or family that also have similar interests.

They will also likely have the basic knowledge to get conversations going.

Now that you have a small base of members within your newly founded community, get those friends and family members to share your site with their friends (and additional family members). Word of mouth is the best advertising after all!

Though friends and family are simply not enough to maintain a community unless that is specifically why you started it (That is how Facebook started, but that’s a different story). What you need now is the other points about getting those conversations started and going.

Fill out your community with various boards based on your community theme. Don’t start big, in fact start small! Break your forum into a few basic sections. Three or Four main sections are plenty to start. Here is an example set up.

Announcements
~ Suggestions

Your theme
~ Child forum
~ Child forum
~ Child forum

Your theme
~ Child forum
~ Child forum
~ Child Forum

General discussion
~ Forum Games
~ Specific OT discussion

Announcements should be a place only admin and mods can post, so adding in a place for member suggestions is a good idea. This will allow them to help you shape the community to their wants and needs (as you are there to serve them as much as they are there to serve you.)

At the end I have General discussion, this will allow members to have a place to “chat” a bit which is good, as no one likes to talk about one thing and one thing only. It’ll give them greater cause to come back if themed threads that interest them are running a bit slow. I added games, as diversions are a nice way to keep members active. For some game ideas check out this blog entry:  Forum Fun and Games. If you find that there are specific areas of off-topic discussion that keep cropping up you may wish to add additional sub-forums to this area. Though in most instances it’s best to stay away from ‘politics and religion’, as that generally just turns into a troll fest.

The themed sections are just that, aspects of your main topic with tangents upon those aspects under the main headers. Do not go overboard, start basic and small. Once you see certain themes within these sections become prevalent make a child forum for them. This will help you keep every board on your forum active at all times, which can be really hard in the beginning.

There, now you have your base community (friends of friends and their families) and the community is set up, but you are not done yet as it’s time to get those conversations going! However, that’ll be something I’ll talk about in the future.

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Posted in forum, forum management | 3 Comments »

A little bit about Social Networking

August 2nd, 2010

Social networking is a good thing to keep your site running smoothly. It also helps to pull in members that would not have found your site otherwise, and helps to keep the members you have updated.

Twitter:

Twitter is an ever growing option that many of your site’s members already use. You can utilize Twitter to get the word out on the better topics running on your forum, and can quickly give status updates to the site. It only takes a few moments to set up a twitter account, and only takes a minute to give an update!

ACP > vBulletin Options > Social Bookmarking Options > Add New Social Bookmarking Site

The input that’s needed is: http://twitter.com/home/?status={TITLE}%20{URL}

Then once you find a worthy thread, simply click on the Twitter Icon (You can easily find one for upload via Google Images) and the rest is pretty straight forward.

You can also log into Twitter itself to give tid-bits about your site. Warning people of upcoming down time (or worse, let people know of existing unexpected down time).

Facebook:

I know you already have a facebook account, these days everyone does! Now all you need is a page dedicated to your forum. Setting that up is not hard at all, just follow these simple instructions: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/help/?page=175 .

The input for social bookmarking is: http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u={URL}

The page can be a way to connect with your members on a deeper level then other bookmarking and social sites can never achieve. It allow your to not only give the best site updates, it allows for you to share banners and linking information, and when people “like” your page all of their friends and family see it! This can pull in other like minded people.

There are other great ways of integrating Facebook into your forum as well.

Adding a LIKE button:

http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/like

Put this on the main index to encourage people to share their ‘like’ of your forum. Once implemented watch the number rise…

Letting people see your forums Facebook Activity:

http://developers.facebook.com/docs/reference/plugins/activity

Once that is added you can create a custom page for your forums to list it. If you are using vB then you follow the instructions found here: http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=124749

The Activity feed will show who has linked or liked what on your forums. This will show which friends have done what, but is otherwise pretty anonymous, so it’s safe according to most privacy policies, but test this out before keeping it implemented to suit your own terms of use.

Del.icio.us.

Not many use this bookmaking site, and it’s not very good at keeping others up to date on the goings on of your forum, but it is a VERY handy site to help keep things organized on an administrative level. I use it to keep track of important threads on the various vB sites out there, such as how to add custom pages (as seen above), as well as the APIs of other sites (like the facebook links I just gave). Forum users can use it to keep track of important threads, so it’s really worthy of making sure they can use it.

The input for social bookmarking is: http://del.icio.us/post?url={URL}&title={TITLE}

Stumble Upon:

Over using this site will surely get your banned, so use it wisely… but also make sure your members can use it! This is a fun way to find new members and to get the word out to random strangers about interesting threads.

The input for social bookmarking is:  http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url={URL}&title={TITLE}

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Posted in Site Promotion, forum, link building | No Comments »

Working with the Moderation Queue

May 4th, 2010

NOTE: To do this you likely need to have the FireFox browser, as IE is really FUBAR when it comes to many options on the Corpus.

When a new member makes their first 5 posts they will all be placed in the Moderation Queue, which can be accessed several different ways, but I’ll be focusing on the two most basic methods below starting off with the Moderation option via your User CP.

If you click into your User CP and scroll down the left hand menu till you get to the Moderation Box you’ll see three drop down options. The one you will want is Moderated Items If you click the little it should show a list of several items.

Moderated Items
Threads
Posts
Visitor Messages
Group Messages
Group Discussions
Picture Comments
Album Pictures

If you click on any of the links it will take you to another page that lists all of the unapproved comments/posts/threads. To start with I’ll likely only be limiting Threads and Posts, but if trolls and spammers figure out that other options are not limited we may need to expand… but for now, it’s just threads and posts (and they ARE different so BOTH need to be looked at!)

If you click on either it’ll show you a ’search by post’ for those in the queue. You can click the little box at the top and it will pick ALL of the items on the list. Or you can go through and click the second box (or the top box on each individual item)

Once the items to be approved have been selected, scroll down to just below the last item and select the drop down menu listed Moderation (it’ll show ‘Merge Posts’ as the top option) to approve all the ones you’ve checked pick ‘approve’ and then select the GO button. (it’s fancy and will show you the number you have approved next to the go, in the example I have 0 selected).

Now all of the ones you’ve selected are seen by the public eye!

But wait, there is more! Should there be a couple that you do NOT approve, start back at the beginning and rather then Approving them, DELETE THEM! This will clear up the queue so you (or others) do not need to look at them again. Though please keep in mind we are NOT the thought police! Approve all posts that are not breaking the rules… this includes dumb-assed posts you’d rather not see! Seriously… if it’s not spam, trolling, flaming, etc, it NEEDS to be approved. If you don’t like something that is said click into the post itself and give negative rep to voice your opinion… using the queue to limit what is said is an abuse of power.

__________________

The second method of approving posts is a bit more complicated, but chances are you’ll come across them.

is the spokesman for the Queue and you’ll see the little icon in several places (like in searches, or in posts/threads that are moderated. Only the mod team can see them and they are there to let us know something has been moderated. If you are reading a thread and happen across something in the queue, you can approve it just like I explained above. Click the checkbox in the top corner of the post, scroll down to the Moderation Menus and approve/delete it as needed.

In a search however, you’ll likely not get the option if the thread has a queued post in it, you’ll need to click into the thread or check the moderation page through your User CP.

Posted in forum, forum management | No Comments »

Forum Fun and Games

February 26th, 2010

Small forums sometimes need a place where the members will actually want to return to the site for something other then the slow moving content from lack of posters… bigger sites sometimes need a place for the members to simply relax while they wait for their chosen topics to be bumped.

Where would that place be? Well, on my forums, I have a fun and Games section, which in my humble opinion is FAR better then having an Arcade installed on your forum. The way I see it is that members will come to a site with an arcade simply to play the games, where as a Fun and Games section is still very much forum based.

The section for fun and games is just what it sounds like, text based games that revolve around the members to assist in them getting to know each other and to help instill a community feeling within the site.

I can not say that the posts generated here will assist in SEO of the site in any way even though some of the threads will generate a lot of content. I can say though, that such a section has kept me occupied on the forums during slow times and have given me a general diversion while I am doing something more involved.

So give them a try…

A few examples complete with links so that you can see the games in action:

This or That Games:
This or that games are pretty much just that, a game where members pick THIS or THAT.

  • Love it or Leave it ~ a game where something is mentioned and the next poster says whether they love or leave it and give another topic. It’s pretty much like like/dislike and This or That. Such games help the members get to know each other on a more personal level which is good for community development.

Word Games:
Word games are based on one or more words in the previous post.

  • The Last Letter Game ~ A word is given, and the next post has another word that starts with the last letter of the previous post.
  • Word Game ~ Saying the first thing that comes to mind when viewing the last post.
  • Green Glass Door ~ The funnest of the word games in my opinion, words that contain double letters are allowed within the Green Glass Door while words without double letters can’t come in. (see the link for examples)
  • [TAG] The Acronym Game ~ Someone gives an Acronym, and the next poster takes a single word from that acronym and gives it a deeper meaning.

Story / Poetry games:
Story games are a community effort to either build a better story or to continue a given poem, etc.

  • 3 word story ~ Simple enough, the next poster simply adds three more words to what becomes a very looooong story.
  • Haiku game. ~ A poem is written followed by the topic of the next poem. The example is for Haikus but any style of poetry can effectively be used.

Person above/below games:
There are three main styles of these games…

I’ll be posting additional games in the future, but if you have any that you would like to share, then feel free to leave a comment with instructions and maybe a link to the game in action!

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Posted in Uncategorized, forum, forum management | 2 Comments »

Thread tagging on vBulletin

February 26th, 2010

The following is taken from my forum Occult Corpus so it is using my skin there. You are free to copy it onto your forum if you wish, but please give me a link, either to this post, or to the thread on my site (using vBulletin Tags). Howver, feel free to change out the links in the content to match that of your own site.

Thank you!

_______________________________________

Thread tagging is a fairly new feature on the Corpus and a feature that many are unfamiliar with so I thought I’d put a quick HOW TO together to help those not in the know…

For those that do not know what a tag is, check out this link on Wikipedia.

To make a tag:

At the bottom of a thread below the Social Bookmarks, but above the Quick Reply box you’ll see the following.

Click the EDIT TAG link and it will open up a field where you can then edit or add in tags.

If no tags are present it will look like this:

I put in three random tags as an example there. You can add up to 5 additional tags (up to 25 max). Adding in multiple tags requires a Comma (,) to separate them.

If tags already exist in the thread you can edit them as well.

That image is pretty self explanatory.

In both cases, once you have edited or added the correct tags to the thread click the [SAVE CHANGES] button to apply them.

Searching Tags:

In the Navbar (the main options menu near the top of the forum) where you can do normal searches there is an option for searching tags.

Simply click on the “tag search’ link and it will take you to the Tag Cloud…

The 93 most popular tags are shown in the tag cloud, the bigger and bolded ones are the ones used the most, however there are more then 93 tags, so feel free to use the tag search option if you are looking for a given keyword.

Please Search:

Not all threads are tagged however, so if you do not find the tag you are looking for do a normal search for it. Once you find what you are looking for, by all means, go back to the begining of this guide and TAG the threads you find with the appropriate tags so that others can benefit from your efforts.

Posted in forum management | No Comments »

Promote your forum with a Street Team

February 26th, 2010

Set up a street team on your forum to help you get the word out about it. Setting up a street team is fairly simple.

Setting up the Street Team:

  • Get the word out that you want members of your forums to help you promote it.
  • Set up a board specifically for the team to discuss the various ways of promotion
  • Set up a usergroup for the team that will allow them to have a few extra perks (bigger inboxes, larger avatars, etc. Though keep away from making them truly stand out. You don’t want people clicking through their links to find out they have been had).

Ways a Street Team can help promote

  • Have them install the Alexa Tool Bar, though you should let them know it’s spyware… that way every time they visit the site they help up the ranking.
  • Have them join social networking sites like Stumble Upon and Digg. It is important to note here that they need to stumble a lot more then just your forum of your site will likely end up on the banned list. The same applies to Digg. One of the extra things they can do here is to promote the sites that link to yours. Read more about this here: Promoting Links and Linkbait.
  • Have them start basic pages on freepages sources like  GooglePages. This sill provide additional links to your site and can generate some decent content if these pages are promoted through other means.
  • If any of them are good with graphics then they can help to make new banners for the forum that the rest of the team can use to in their promotion, like placing them in sigs and their created pages.
  • Have them join a few related forums. They can link to your forum via their signatures and can post related content that can link back to your articles. Tweak this out by reading the previous point. Have them follow the rules I give in this article: Link Building with Forums as it’s important that they are not coming across as spammers so they can continue to post on the other forums.
  • Get pens made with the site url on them and send boxes of them to the members of the team. They can then leave the pens at grocery stores so people will borrow them when they need to write a check. This can potentially spread your site all around several busy towns and cities.
  • Have them read related blog feeds so they can make comments about related threads on your forum. Again, make sure they are not spamming the blogs as no one likes a spammer. I give a few posting tips here: Link Building with Blog Commentsand again, check out point number two so they can then promote the blog entry they comment in. Yes, plugging other sites helps those sites, but it also increased the number of potential readers of the Street Team comments.
  • Get a few t-shirts printed up with the site logo and url on them. Send the shirts to the Street Team as a gift. Walmart sells tee’s fairly cheap from their photo center.
  • The Street Team can also help by submitting sites to the various directories out there. Have a member or three keep an eye on Solicitations & Announcements for new free directories or paid directories offering a sale.
  • Have them start blogs and post about interesting threads on your forum, and have them add your forum to their blogroll. This is worth doing even if you have to host their blogs yourself, though there are free alternatives out there like wordpress.com or blogger.com.
  • Another good idea which can often be more powerful for promotion is to have them set up account on social networking sites like LiveJournal, FaceBook, or Myspace. Many of these sites use NoFollow tags, but it’s not about Google Page rank for this project, it’s about site recognition and gaining members and traffic.
  • Other sites offer a link in their profiles. Youtube is one of them and if they are willing to make videos and tag your url onto their work, then so much the better.
  • In the forum you make for the team, have them come up with their own ideas to help promote your site

It is important to keep in mind though that when the Street Team is out there on another site, they should keep to the rules of those sites and should keep the community in mind. No one likes a spammer, and very few are willing to follow the link they feel is questionable or spammy. Have them truly interact with such communities and to make friends there. Those friends can in turn convert to potential advertisers as well, as I have followed my friends entries on places like Stumble Upon and have given those pages an additional thumbs up.

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Vbulletin Forum Moderation Explained

February 25th, 2010

Forum Moderation Explained

I have used the default vB skin for this tutorial to assist the majority of boards. How things look may be slightly based on your forum’s skin/theme.

Thread Tools:
When viewing an individual board you’ll see a menu option called Thread Tools. Click it with your mouse and it will magickally transform into a drop down menu with various options. These options deal with the entire thread rather then the individual posts within that thread. If you are wanting to moderate threads, then please scroll down to that section.

Close Thread (Open Thread)
 This is an automated function. Check this option then CLICK ‘perform action’ and the thread closes. When/If you re-enter the “Thread Tools” it will change to Open Thread, and the procedure for this is exactly the same.

Move / Copy Thread


You chose which forum you want the thread to be moved to in the drop down menu. You then get three options.

  • Move thread to destination forum
    Moves the thread WITHOUT a redirect.
  • Move thread and leave redirect in previous forum
    Moves the thread WITH redirect (this option is default).
  • Copy thread to destination forum
    Created a duplicate thread in desired Forum.

Edit Thread

This option will show you the Moderator History of the thread as well as gives a few options in the form of check boxes.To see the history scroll down past all of the edit info, and if the thread has been edited in the past it should show when/what there.
  • Thread is open: Users can post in this thread
    When checked this thread is OPEN for posting.
  • Thread is sticky: Thread remains at top of list thread listings.
    Toggles the STICKY option (See Sticky Options).
  • Thread is visible: Un-check this box to send this thread to the moderation queue.
    The threads “soft delete” status (see DELETE options).

Delete Thread:


This gives you the Options for Deletion.

  • ‘Soft’ delete it – Leave “Deleted” Message ( [_]Keep Attachments):
    This will delete the thread but still allow us (the mods) to see it. This is the standard (default) option. You can ignore the attachments option as attachments are NOT an option
  • Physically remove it:
    This deletes the thread from the server and once done is FOREVER. This function should be used with extreme caution as you can not undo it! (NOTE: This is disabled on our forum)
  • Reason for Deletion (optional):
    This gives you a chance to write why you removed it from view.

Stick Thread:
This option will automatically make the thread sticky and will return you to the page you are at.

Merge Threads:


This has three boxes to fill in. The first is the Title of the thread and can be changed if you desire. The second box is rather tricky…

If you want to Merge two threads pick the thread that you want to leave and chose the Merge Threads Option. In the SECOND box put the address of the thread you want to be merged into the first. This will DELETE the second thread and place all of it’s posts within the first one. It can get REALLY confusing as they are placed on a date-for-date placement. If both threads are rather old then you may find that it is IMPOSSIBLE to follow when reading it from start to finish. (see my thread index in ChM). This Option is nice if you find a Duplicate thread that fits within an older thread. If it’s got only one or two posts that are new they will go in chronological order within the new thread. This lets the discussion continue rather then simply locking the duplicate. If you have questions about this option feel free to ask me.

The third option is for Redirects.

  • Leave no redirect
    In most cases you will want to check this option, it will leave no indication that the thread was moved.
  • Leave Permanent Redirect
    This option will cause the thread to have a link in the original forum (marked with an ) that links to it’s new location. You can then edit additional options later (see redirects). Use this option sparingly.
  • Leave Expiring Redirect
    This gives date options to allow a redirect to automatically expire. This is handy for a thread that is posted in the wrong section but has some conversation going. It will allow the readers to know that it’s moved and where to look.

Remove Redirects:
This option goes hand in hand with the previous one. By picking this option it will remove all redirects.

Moderation (Threads):
This is the second method for editing posts on the thread level. These options are seen in the lower right corner of each board, just below the page listings.



These options are pretty much the same as seen in the Thread Tools options, but can be done through the board index rather then going into the individual threads. These options are nice when moderating on a grand scale (of two or more threads at once).

These come in handy when you are searching for posts by a problem member. You can search for all the posts or threads by the individual and then handle them all at once rather then individually.

I will cover the ‘Approve Threads’ and ‘Unapprove Threads’ in a post dedicated to the Moderation Queue.

Moderation (Posts):
While a thread is open there are two ways to change things. The first has been covered a few posts ago, the other method is through the Moderation Box that is found in the lower right hand side of the thread (between the last post and the quick reply box).


Merge Posts:



Move Posts:
With things like Multi-Quote and the ability to edit ones posts there is often little need to have multiple posts in a row. When such things are seen the posts can often be merged for the ease of use for all involved.

  • Thread:
    This first option is not changeable as it is the thread title itself. If that needs to be changed then there are other methods for it.
  • Posts:
    This will list all the posts to be merged. It is advised to check to make sure you do not accidentally have a stowaway post in there. A quicker method of checking is to read the edit info box below that lists the number of posts/threads involved in this change.
  • Title
    This only changes the post title and not the thread title.
  • Reason
    Please give a reason for moderation. It’s just good form.

Once you’ve filled all these out, click “Merge Posts” and the multiple posts will become one.

IMPORTANT: Once merged it is a real bother to get them split, and if you are merging multiple member posts (which should really NEVER be done) then that can never be un-done. Make sure you do this right the FIRST time.

Copy Posts:


There are two places to put copied posts.

  • Copy Posts to New Thread
    Here you will need to pick the board you want the new posts to be put at, then pick a new thread title. This will effectively create a new thread.
  • Copy Posts to Existing Thread
    Here place the URL (note the name!) of the thread you want the posts to be. This option is nice if you have a tangent in a thread that would best be in another topic.

IMPORTANT: When putting threads in a new place they will be posted in chronological order. Which in some cases can make an existing thread look rather odd as you insert one conversation into the middle of another.


Delete / Undelete Posts:


This gives you the Options for Deletion.

  • ‘Soft’ delete it – Leave “Deleted” Message ( [_]Keep Attachments):
    This will delete the thread but still allow us (the mods) to see it. This is the standard (default) option. You can ignore the attachments option as attachments are NOT an option
  • Physically remove it:
    This deletes the thread from the server and once done is FOREVER. This function should be used with extreme caution as you can not undo it!
    Important: Once this is done, it can not be undone!
    NOTE: This is disabled on the forum I wrote this for, so that part is missing from the image.
  • Reason for Deletion (optional):
    This gives you a chance to write why you removed it from view.

Approve / Unapprove posts:
Please see the post on the Moderation Queue for this.

Approve / Unapprove Attachments:
There is an option that can place any attachments into the moderation Queue. When that is turned on, then this option allows the moderator to approve the attachment so that other members can see it (or in the case of Unapprove, then make it so members can not see it).

Moderation Queue:
In some cases threads and/or posts may be placed in the Moderation Queue. You will know which posts these are by the small icon of a little person ( for Threads, for individual posts). You can approve the thread/post by one of two methods.

Method One: (Moderated Threads)
Tick the check box to the right of the thread, then scroll down to the Moderation Box. There select “Approve Threads” and then click GO.

Once this is done, the thread SHOULD be viewable by all members. On the off chance that the little icon is still shown from the index, then you will need to open the thread and follow the instructions there to ‘approve’ all the moderated posts within the thread.

Method Two: (moderated posts)
It’s important to note here, that if you post in a moderated thread, your post will also be moderated. So be sure to approve the thread before making a post yourself.

To approve individual posts, click the little box in the upper right corner of the post(s) and then in the Moderation Box at the bottom click “Approve Posts” and then GO.

A few tips and tricks:

QUICK LOCK
You can quickly lock a thread from a board index by double clicking on the thread icon.

Title Change
You can quickly edit a thread title by double clicking in near the thread title (Note NOT the title itself, that’ll just open the thread).

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Want to post about a Blog Entry or an Article? Read this first!

February 25th, 2010

I’m seeing more and more threads as of late with little more then a link in them, so I thought I’d bring it up to let you all know that A) It’s technically against the rules, and B) You’re not reaching your full click potential!

A) Don’t create posts with nothing but a link. If you are going to link to a news article for example, give a summary of it.

Saying you wrote a blog entry on marketing tips, giving the link, and asking what I think, is NOT a summary.

B) Without the summary some people are not bothering to click!

I for one will generally not click on a link, unless there is something there inviting me too. I’m on dialup and there is no real possibility of an upgrade. If you tell me that your article is really good, sorry, I do not believe you, I do not know you! So come on, give me a teaser, make me want to click that link by giving me a small sample. Even the lowliest of drug dealers know that this marketing trick works…why don’t you people?

And it’s not just people on dialup, before I moved I was on DSL and if I saw a thread someplace that had little more then a link, I’d hit the back button muttering something about how spam tastes slightly worse then a canned ham.

I’ve also learned that if there is one person that does something, there is likely going to be more. So if I am not clicking the link because of possible load times, or because I think the way it was presentation was spammy, chances are there will be others not clicking it as well. On the other hand, those interested in clicking the link based solely on the promise of something good, will likely click regardless of whether there is a summary of the article or not.

Why not cater to everyone and give a little something? (like a brief description, or a sample of that blog entry/article). You’ll be glad you did!

Posted in Site Promotion, blog, forum, link building | No Comments »

Helpful Comments vs. Worthless Spam

February 25th, 2010

I wrote an article a while back on getting linkbacks from forum posts and later wrote one on the proper techniques of getting links from blog comments. Of course I think both articles are simply fantastic, but you’ll need to check them out yourself, but plugging those is not really why I am starting this thread. I am here now to reverse engineer them so I can help you know the difference between good and bad spam.

There really is only one rule, and that that is Content is King.If the spammer is adding to your forum or blog in some fashion then their post (and link) should be more then welcome. Of course that content should be on topic, and the link should be relevant to said content.

There has been too many times that I’ve logged into my forum or blog to see a random comment or post about Nokia Phones…both my blog and forum are Occult/Pagan in nature and there is no way that any cell phone is on topic.

On top of that, the posts are either a list of pointless products and project numbers (I assume to pull in individual SERPs) keyword stuffing (listing of keywords) is expressly frowned upon by Google. Allowing such things puts my entire site in jeopardy so there is no way I’d allow it even if my forum/blog were about cell phones.

On my blog the other day I posted about Stumble Upon being added to my site I got a series of comments about learning more about Newfoundland dogs. Yeah, that’s topically accurate for an occult site talking about social bookmarking. Did these commenters really expect me to keep such nonsense?

I do believe that most spammers are nothing but automated spambots looking for open blogs or forums to post in…but even then, do they really think people want to know or even care about such a tight niche? The person sending out the bots would likely fare much better if they simply posted honest comments (with link) on relevant blogs.

Then again, I am glad such things happen. It keeps forums competing with me off-line or so bogged down with spam that Google things it’s a cell phone site, and keeps lazy bloggers from getting any type of actual reader base. Blessed is Askimet and Captcha for making my job easier… but as an admin/moderator I need to keep a diligent eye out for the few that still get by.

I look forward to reading your comments with content

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The AOL mission statement (A DMOZ rant)

February 25th, 2010

The mission & Values of AOL

Our Mission:

Quote:
To Serve the World’s Largest and Most Engaged Community

This would indirectly be us, the webmaster. More importantly, it also reflects upon us directly as also being users and members of the community.

Our Values:
These attributes and aspirations form the foundation upon which we build on AOL’s continued success.

Quote:
Creativity
We thrive on innovation and originality, encouraging risk-taking and divergent voices.

I feel that taking on the project when they originally did was well within the concept of originality and risk taking. Also, in the past the editing staff of DMOZ was rather divergent, and their collective voices were heard by the overall processes involved with the project. Though, it has fall YEARS behind in inovation (when was the last time you’ve seen an upgrade?) And it’s divergent voice is now being suppressed by middle management that is now seemingly devoid of AOL concepts.

Quote:
Customer Focus
We show that we value our customers by serving them well, putting their needs and interests at the center of everything we do.

Again, the core ideas behind the ODP fall well within the scope of customer focus…though now that focus is seen through tunnel vision. The horizons of DMOZ need to be widened, and I’m not talking about adding new categories. I’m talking about lack of editors that care about the community and the customers/members of that community. There have been categories that have laid dormant for years, now how is that for service?

Quote:
Agility
We move quickly, embracing change and seizing new opportunities.

Quickly?

Change?

Seizing NEW opportunities?

Three things that to my knowledge have NEVER been done within the confines of the project.

Quote:
Teamwork
We treat one another with respect—creating value by working together within and across our businesses and giving credit where it is due.

I think that on the surface this one too may hold true, but if you look deeper (and I mean just a little deeper) you’ll see just how shallow this teamwork actually is. Editalls stepping on the toes of editors, mentoring that is nearly non-existent, and the shunning of any and all change or differences of opinion. There is no “I” in team, yet the community is full of individuals that seemingly do little to work together, and certainly do not work well with anyone outside.

Quote:
Integrity
We earn the trust of our users by protecting their privacy, helping them stay safe while online, and by adhering to rigorous standards of business conduct in all our dealings.

“protecting their privacy” is likely one of the core beliefs here, as the regular editor, and all non-editors are left in the dark about every choice made by anyone with a higher rank. There is no transparency, and there is no concept of staying “safe” online or adhering to “rigorous” standards…not with the quality of porn and child porn within the directory.

Quote:
Diversity
We attract and develop the world’s best talent, seeking to include the broadest range of people and perspectives.

Heh, they let me volunteer, so I can’t really complain about this one

Quote:
Responsibility
We work to improve our communities, taking pride in serving the public interest as well as the interests of all stakeholders.

Improvements would, or should include, growing with the surrounding community and communities. The entire system is out dated, and is likely ran on win3.1 servers, or at least still could, as not enough change has happened to actually require any type of change.

There has been no improvement on the technology front, there has been no indication of actual pride, other then that of the individual, and there there has been only been a limited amount of effort shown in serving the public.

I wonder what the stakeholders would think?

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