Organizing Your Boards

[ChattyWitch]

I definitely agree with having a spot for new members, announcements & info @ the top. As a potential member, I don't want to hunt for the right place to introduce myself. To simplify organization, what we did was structure our categories & boards around a house's structure. Beginning with the main house, which made it very simple to have the introductions & such up top as that would be how one would enter our house.
Although we do keep our staff, admin & archives in the cellar (bottom category), we don't have them hidden. Staff & admin are password protected, but our archives are not. This allows members to search the archives for any outdated posts.

[fantasmic]

What I've always done is the first category is for new members. That's entirely guest friendly, they can post questions in the help desk or suggestions, advertise their sites, etc. To control Spam, I just lock the topics that I'd like no one to reply to. And then the second category is for accepted members, because I run mainly RPGs. This has places for members to plot, develop their characters, read the accepted applications, and play ooc games. I have this section and the RPG boards hidden from guests, because I've been on several sites where guests take characters and use them on other sites, so I'd like to protect my members from this sort of thing. At least if they register, and a few days later we hear of a character elsewhere, we can narrow it down a little. Some say it isn't fair because guests can't see what the site is really about when the game boards are hidden, but... -shrug- I'd rather protect my members than convenience guests, as difficult as that is to balance and still GET new members. I make my guest-available sections as detailed and involved and informative as I can so they can make the best educated decision with what they have.

[ChattyWitch]

Phantasmic, I too have to walk that thin line between protecting members works & giving guests enough to "go on". For instance, we keep our Grimoire restricted to our registered members. I know that one of the first things someone expects to see at a witch's site is spells, rituals & what not. But several of us write our own & though we don't mind sharing, I don't want to see them posted elsewhere as someone else's work.
As far as organizing restricted boards, that is where I have a little trouble. I can't very well put them into one single category, as then the layout of our forum wouldn't make any sense. I mean I have boards in various categories that are restricted.
I'm curious what others do to organize them.

[HoudiniDerek]

Personally, I keep all guest stuff at the bottom of the forum...if I have it at all. Most guests try to post links and such that I have seen. A few are very respectful and comment or ask questions, but the majority do not. I keep the guest sections at the bottom so they know that the subject of the forum is more important than trying to only attain new members. I keep rules and everything up top because they are the starting ground for members. My earlier post in this thread goes into more detail about organization, but I thought I would comment on the guest only sections being near the top.

[fantasmic]

Feb 15, 2009 11:51:33 GMT -8 ChattyWitch said:

Phantasmic, I too have to walk that thin line between protecting members works & giving guests enough to "go on". For instance, we keep our Grimoire restricted to our registered members. I know that one of the first things someone expects to see at a witch's site is spells, rituals & what not. But several of us write our own & though we don't mind sharing, I don't want to see them posted elsewhere as someone else's work.
As far as organizing restricted boards, that is where I have a little trouble. I can't very well put them into one single category, as then the layout of our forum wouldn't make any sense. I mean I have boards in various categories that are restricted.
I'm curious what others do to organize them.

Um, well... for role plays, I always have "guests", "accepted members", and then the real boards. If it's a role play, I label the category as the general place... And the boards are like subdivisions within that place. Like, for example, I run a Harry Potter forum. I have a "Muggle London" category, "Wizarding World" category, and there's a school category... Although that's hidden altogether until there are enough members and a plot to have opening the school be very productive. No point in having like, 100+ boards if there's only 20 members to fill it, eh?

For non-RPGs, again I prefer guest stuff at the top. I understand making the content important, but honestly, if it feels like there's not much of a place for me to go to really understand where I'm supposed to jump in at, I won't bother. I expect details of what goes on around the site, rules, and updates to be within easy reach. And THEN I'll go investigate through the subject boards, provided they aren't hidden. I also hate when people have chatboxes at the bottom. I like talking to the members, getting to know them and asking questions (and over all getting a feel of how well I'll fit in) while browsing the boards. And I am not scrolling up and down and up and freaking down just to get a little thing answered. If it's not on the side, it really annoys me. Plus, it makes the board even more obnoxiously long than it already is in some cases. Side bars. Everyone hates them, but I don't get why. They're so much simpler to organize information with.

[Gia_Sesshoumaru]

Personally, I think that you should keep all boards containing rules, announcements, help, suggestions, newbie boards should be in a category at the top. Then, next, all relevant site places - rp boards, discussion boards, etc... Then all OOC category, then archives, then staff boards. I used to keep general boards on top, but stopped when Kami suggested to keep the rules etc... at top, and general near the bottom.

[MYSTIE]

;Dthis is an AWSOME idea thank you! and I totally agree with organization is VERY important.

Jun 6, 2006 17:04:34 GMT -8 Scorpian said:

Also, you can't forget a staff board. If you've got a lot of staff, you need a place where you can all discuss issues in the board. I'd recommend creating a new category (probably near the bottom of the forum) that only staff can see.

In this category, you should also put an archive in. An archive is a password-protected board that only the admin(s) can access. Instead of deleting out-of-date or forgotten threads, move them to your archive.

"But Scorpian, what threads should I archive?"
~Trust me, you'll know. Threads that voted for the MOTM or asked opinions on your last skin are ones that really need to be archived. Another example: after Phazon was discovered to be a ripper, California archived all the graphics he submitted to his database.

An archive is always a good thing to have because you'll never lose a post. What if one of those posts was something you need? Then you can return to your archive, and move it out of it .

[DMOC]

I haven't read the whole thread, but this is what I basically put, in order:

1. Forum Announcements
2. Website Feedback
3. (This starts a new category) Introductions and Departures (forums with lots of members may want separate boards for each)
4. Guest Board (so guests can post their comments, as I block them from posting in others)
5. THEN... I start with a General Board followed by Forum Games.
6. At the very end, I put a hidden staff baord.

I hope this is helpful.

[Hitoban no Fokkusu]

Jun 6, 2006 17:04:34 GMT -8 Scorpian said:

Also, you can't forget a staff board. If you've got a lot of staff, you need a place where you can all discuss issues in the board. I'd recommend creating a new category (probably near the bottom of the forum) that only staff can see.

In this category, you should also put an archive in. An archive is a password-protected board that only the admin(s) can access. Instead of deleting out-of-date or forgotten threads, move them to your archive.

"But Scorpian, what threads should I archive?"
~Trust me, you'll know. Threads that voted for the MOTM or asked opinions on your last skin are ones that really need to be archived. Another example: after Phazon was discovered to be a ripper, California archived all the graphics he submitted to his database.

An archive is always a good thing to have because you'll never lose a post. What if one of those posts was something you need? Then you can return to your archive, and move it out of it .

I think instead of making the archives board invisible to non-staff, it's a good idea to make it visible to all of the members. If they're anything like me, they might like to go back and re-read old IC threads or the like. I'm writing a book based on one of my characters, so I like reading the old threads I've made with her so I can see what should come next in the book. There's really no harm in having a visible Archives thread, and I think most people enjoy it.

[Sic In Principio]

Mar 8, 2009 10:46:27 GMT -8 Hitoban no Fokkusu said:

Jun 6, 2006 17:04:34 GMT -8 Scorpian said:

Also, you can't forget a staff board. If you've got a lot of staff, you need a place where you can all discuss issues in the board. I'd recommend creating a new category (probably near the bottom of the forum) that only staff can see.

In this category, you should also put an archive in. An archive is a password-protected board that only the admin(s) can access. Instead of deleting out-of-date or forgotten threads, move them to your archive.

"But Scorpian, what threads should I archive?"
~Trust me, you'll know. Threads that voted for the MOTM or asked opinions on your last skin are ones that really need to be archived. Another example: after Phazon was discovered to be a ripper, California archived all the graphics he submitted to his database.

An archive is always a good thing to have because you'll never lose a post. What if one of those posts was something you need? Then you can return to your archive, and move it out of it .

I think instead of making the archives board invisible to non-staff, it's a good idea to make it visible to all of the members. If they're anything like me, they might like to go back and re-read old IC threads or the like. I'm writing a book based on one of my characters, so I like reading the old threads I've made with her so I can see what should come next in the book. There's really no harm in having a visible Archives thread, and I think most people enjoy it.

I totally agree with you. I keep my archive threads viewable by everyone so everyone can see what happened in the past so if they wanted to they could read up on what has already happened. I also keep the denied/closed applications open so people can see whats a BAD example or if they were just too busy to follow up on their application, they could come back and finish.

[stellab]

I have a Board but so far have only used the General Board for all threads and messages. It has been suggested that we divide it into categories and I have read all of this thread hoping to find out HOW! The theory is great but where are the instructions for doing it? Is there a forum that tells you? Are there instructions anywhere that explain how to set it up?
Rozic Dixon asked something like this further up the thread but no-one answered.
Help or a pointer in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

[HoudiniDerek]

Mar 27, 2009 7:31:22 GMT -8 stellab said:

I have a Board but so far have only used the General Board for all threads and messages. It has been suggested that we divide it into categories and I have read all of this thread hoping to find out HOW! The theory is great but where are the instructions for doing it? Is there a forum that tells you? Are there instructions anywhere that explain how to set it up?
Rozic Dixon asked something like this further up the thread but no-one answered.
Help or a pointer in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

There is no "proper" way to set up a forum or organize your boards. Plus, if you have an RP board, it will be different than other forums. That is why no one can answer directly. I know that I posted how I organize mine because that is what makes the most sense to me. You will have to glean ideas on different strategies and take them to your forum and test them out. There is no correct template when it comes to board organization on your forum. Good luck.

[9frod]

is there a rpg code that i can put the level ubove the attack and defence?

[VanillaOrchids]

Mar 27, 2009 10:21:59 GMT -8 9frod said:

is there a rpg code that i can put the level ubove the attack and defence?

This is not the appropriate place to ask about a code. Try Code Requests and Support.

[Owl]

The info stuff should go at the top. same with the advertising board and bullitin boards. It's easier to navagate instead of scrolling to the bottom.