Traygon

In the version 3 release, IPS  implemented a simple reputation feature which can be used per post (if enabled by the Administrator). This was then viewable on profiles and thread views, however, only Administrators could see who gave what in the main control panel. In this update blog post, they explain how we will be able to simply click on the reputation counter next to a post to see who has given points and if they were positive or negative.

In IP.Board 3.0 we introduced a simple reputation feature, allowing users to give positive or negative reputation to a post.
While administrators can view who gave reputation through the Admin CP, in IP.Board 3.1 we have introduced a way for all users to view who gave reputation on any given post.

To view who gave reputation, you just click on the reputation number at the bottom of the post which will now display a popup balloon indicating who has given reputation.

There is a per-group setting to control who can use this feature. If a user does not have permission to use it, the number will not be clickable and appear unchanged from how it currently is.

The data is loaded through an AJAX call when the link is clicked, so there is no additional queries to the topic view for this feature.

View post: IP.Board 3.1.0 Dev Update: View Reputation

I think this is a fantastic update and I will certainly welcome it, however I believe that some Administrators would like to keep reputation private or at least in the user control panel. We shall have to see how all this plans out.

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I actually can’t believe I have never touched this on my blog but have posted my insight to this software elsewhere, seems bizarre to be frank! Anyway, Invision Power Board (or IPB), the third full instalment milestone for the forum software giant actively developed by Invision Power Services. I have been a customer of theirs for a good few years now and have been on the platform since the good ol’ InvisionFree days, which ran on version 1.3. Jumping from strength to strength, IPB has been at the headlines for incorporating features not seen in other software and setting standards such as the social profiles (which arrived in version two) to allow Administrators to bring the community closer and have a more open userbase.

Being set in the light as the main competitor to vBulletin, these two platforms have had fan boys battling it out on numerous boards for around three thousand years and still none have been proven right or wrong. I just want to get it out in the open that I am not a vBulletin fan, nor am I an IPB fan boy. I simply don’t like the vBulletin model on raising prices and the software is bare ugly.

The first thing that brought me over to IPB from MyBB and phpBB was the sheer scale of the software, the Administration Panel is like a separate program in itself, the social profiles look impressive with the custom fields you can easily create and comments can be posted, profile photos uploaded, plus an ‘About Me’ section is included. With the software looking very sexy even on it’s default template, the designers throwing out templates are incredibly talented and what was (and still is) being produced is to a high standard. The main hub I use for all my IPB skin purchases (they are doing vBulletin now too) is SkinBox.

Along with some great designs available for use, you have a whole new plugin system built into the newest version. Hooks for your sidebar and applications to increase functionality are just two examples of how you can customize the board easily with less file edits then before. With extending the board, upgrading and even the installation are both painless and simple to accommodate newer, less experienced Administrators.

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Links, links, links! Some Administrators are starting to feel a craze for the special ‘page rank’, what they don’t realize is, that by focusing too much on trying to get links, they are neglecting their community, their content, their rankings and are ultimately killing their forum in the process. You need not worry about your page rank, most visitors don’t even consider it (actually, most targeted audience probably haven’t got a toolbar displaying it nor know what it actually means), it will come after time anyway.

If you have focused on PR ranks too much or are just getting a grasp with your community (maybe a good 50 posts a day) then you might start to think about submitting your site to the various directories around the Internet. If so, fantastic!

What is a directory?

Web directories are simply a way of harvesting links to other places on the web and categorizing them for visitors. Do not mistake directories for search engines, they are two completely different minds. Most (if not all) directories are humanly edited, they have one to a few reviewers per section and are dedicated in taking a look at each submission to see if the site is fit for addition into the index of sites.

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Having created your forum with a perfect idea, using the best design, posted a few threads inside your fantastically structured forums and setting up rules etc. there is one thing your missing. Advertising.

Why Advertise?

You might ask yourself this before and during the forum promotion process. “Why should I spend hours advertising my forum, using services and optimizing practices?”, I think it is useful as you can remind yourself of the task list that you need run through.

With the different, non exciting (I’m afraid so, but the results are more than satisfying!), processes in which you get your forum’s brand out there and gain traffic, you really do learn an awful lot about Administration & how the Internet works. You need to note one thing – people search. The search engines are there for a reason, to be used to find relative information as to what the user is looking for. Your goal is to be at the top of relative searches that contain your niche.

One of many reasons to advertise is to receive traffic, it is most important to newer, smaller forums that aren’t able to stand on their own two legs just yet. Another good reason for advertising and forming partnerships with other web masters/forum owners is that you will find valuable relationships arise and are very good in exchanging both traffic and PR (Page Rank) juice to one another through the connections with good authority, that is of course if you are one of those folk that care so much about their PR.

Signatures

The basic and most effective way to advertise on other forums, why? Because they are on every single post you make, they are shown in your profile and you can even have a really well designed image to aid in the effectiveness of drawing potential visitors to your forum. Many people may not even create a signature, not even place a link in there until they have maybe 400 posts or so, what a waste of potential traffic.

You have 3 posts on this particular thread page, there have been 69 views so far – that equals to 60+ (depending on how many times you have viewed the thread) people seeing your signature 3 times, thus having a good chance on clicking through if they find something interesting.

As you can see, signatures can really make a difference in an effective forum advertising campaign on other boards. An even better result would be for posting good content on your competitor’s forum with your signature active to help gain the right, relative traffic that will benefit your own forum the most. All in all – use signatures!

Profile Links

Though not as effective and viewed enough to be considered anywhere near as worthy as your signature, your profile link can send a few visitors your way nonetheless. Being in your main profile, should people find you interesting and wish to see your previous posts etc., and in your side posting mini-profile (if enabled by Administrators) it can be useful to link to your forum just to be safe.

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Many of you most likely have some sort of blog or personal website, have you ever thought of having a blog on your forum?

Blog Benefits

Installing Wordpress on your forum can be a fantastic way to capture potential members, get some good quality content, gain guest input without having to register on your board, it is a fantastic CMS and more. Some good advantages of having a Wordpress installation are listed below:

• A great CMS :: Wordpress is a fantastic content management system, it is very easy to update, manage and extend it’s usability through themes and plug-ins.
• It’s free :: Free?! That’s what your looking for! Many Administrators wish to keep costs down on forums until they know their board is going to be a success, well Wordpress costs absolutely nothing.
• Plug-ins & Themes :: There is an incredible range of themes and plug-ins to choose from, thanks to a fantastic vibrant community backing the software.
• Good content :: The content posted on the blog can be news about the forum, software updates, forum news or competitions. You can even do some press releases for software or other forums, the possibilities of range of the content is entirely up to your imagination (and chosen niche of course).
• SEO friendly :: The Wordpress software itself is very good with Search Engines, the content is easily published and is trusted with authority when linked to. You can also easily change your permanent URL’s and more in the settings.

With all the points listed above, a real rummage around their official website and taking a browse at other websites I am certain you can see that having Wordpress on your forum can (if done correctly) improve your site’s usability greatly.

Things to remember

You have to take a few things into consideration when planning this attachment to your ship of communities. First of all, you must have your own web server, your own domain and able to have Wordpress installed. Having a free forum, then having a blog on wordpress.com (or Blogger etc.) will just look too external and spread out. It is much better to have all your site sections in one spot, the web is big remember

Secondly, never, ever, ever post up duplicate content! This isn’t the best idea at all when blogging, so it wont change when adding some posts to your site, keep the content unique to your forum, if you do take an external source and post about it, be sure to link back!

Lastly, you can do some publishing to help get some noticability on the net, submiting your articles to directories, commenting on other blogs in the same niche, submit your blog to blog specific directories and create a neat blog roll.

/Rich

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Boy-oh-boy!

I have just updated the theme to suit the game I’m playing at the moment and i will start posting regularly! A lot of things have happened through June, here is a quick breakdown on what this post with cover:

• My birthday has passed (14th June).
• I have returned to Forum Promotion, as a reviewer.
• Creating a new theme for my blog.
• Got my laptop finally working fully on Linux.
• iPhone OS 3.0.

My 19th Birthday

A year older? Certainly doesn’t feel that way! Can’t believe a year has gone by, so much has happened in this year that it is almost hard to explain in one section. Having moved to Essex, “the lovely sunny county of chavs“, back in April 2008 I was in the process on joining the British Army as a future Combat Engineer (C3). While doing nothing, having no job, no friends down south (all back up in Lincolnshire), no school and no real sense of direction I plowed on with online gaming and sorting some websites out.

With meeting some great lads at the Army pre-ADSC and main 2 day ADSC selection days, I finally found out something when lying on a hospital bed in Hampshire: “The Army isn’t for me.”. Switching to a completely different line of work, SEO. I am currently an apprentice at a London based consultancy, Ayima Search Marketing, I absolutely love it. This has pretty much taken me up to June this year, other than the whole army and new line of work, it has been relatively quiet with mainly the Internet and forums taking up my time.

Returning to Forum Promotion

Forum Promotion, once my home on the Internet as a moderator and then head of the community team, is my hub once again. I have applied for the place on the review team and have been accepted.

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