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Advertising the Server.

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Advertising the Server. Empty Advertising the Server.

Post by Hadskills Sun Jul 08, 2012 4:58 pm

Server Promotion-

Ah, the most difficult part of setting up a server. People won't join if it's uninhabited, but it's uninhabited if people don't join. Catch-22 in it's best form.

Getting the initial feet in the door is probably the hardest bit - rather like starting a new SE site - once the critical mass is there then your server will be (mostly) self-promoting, or at least self-sufficient (self-sufficient in terms of activity).

Getting them online-

Much like trying to 'get the girl', there are several ways you could start out, some not so great (chloroform/passing other people's creations off as your own), others much better (using infinite reserves of charm and wonderfully good looks & personality/sites where the intended purpose is server advertising).

There are quite literally a myriad of sites that focus on Minecraft, some new and some well established, that are all trying to capitalise on the insane Minecraft traffic going around right now (Minecraft Wiki & Forums combined currently serves more traffic than SE). You need to work out where you time is well invested and where you will be wasting it.

"Standard" Advertising-
Whack your server on as many sites as possible, and don't hang back. In your 'advert' you are looking to summarise the essence of the server as quickly as possible in the introduction, followed by any relevant information people should know if they're thinking of joining your server. Unless you're running an RPG server, where people really (kinda) do need to know all your rules and groups before they join, don't fill your 'ad' full of bullshit, you just want to get them on your server.

Important things to reference:

Creative/PvE/Survival/War/Bizarre Hybrid, etc. - in a word, how is your server generally classified?
Whitelist? - Do you have a whitelist? Will players need to make an application? For gods sake, don't make people beg to join your server. That will put anyone above the age of 15 right off. (Unless, of course, you have some epic creation)
Protection? - how are your players creations protected? I'd be pretty pissed off if I invested time in a server and then a griefer came along and destroyed my creations with no backups/rollback/area protection
IP/Domain - for obvious reasons
Plugins - but only list the ones 'regular' players have access to and that will enhance their gameplay - if you run a creative server it may be worth stating that players have access to Magic Carpet, for example

Things not to reference (well, in my humble opinion):

Server specifications - I don't care if you're running on super-duper hardware, as long as I can play smoothly.

Donations - People will not want to donate before they've been on your server, so don't mention it in your advert. In-game is a much more appropriate place to ask for donations.
Having said that, here's some sites you can advertise your server on:

-r/mcservers
-MCServerList
-MineStatus
-Minecraft Forums server subforum - it's also worth monitoring the Starting up/Looking for server subforum to sell your server a little more.

A hook-
Build something awesome (not just average) and post it around. Some sites may consider it blatant advertising if you spam the address along with the post, some will not. If it's impressive enough the users of the site will usually ask you for the IP regardless.

Some sites you will have to approach to get your project in there, some will allow you to post freely.

Some places to get you started:

r/minecraft
Planet Minecraft
The minecraftforum.net screenshots forum
Getting on Crafthub would be impressive
etc, etc. giyf.

Also make sure to use a custom texture pack, preferably as obscure as possible, it is guaranteed that at least one person will ask what texture pack it is, starting some level of activity in the comments

Offer something unique-
There's another way of drawing attention to your server, and that's offering something nobody else does. Now I can't tell you what that 'something' should be, that's for you to think over, but it should be enough that people play because your server offers something they can't get elsewhere - be it a specific play style or custom mod.

Keeping them online-
Even (once|if) you do get people connected to your server, you haven't finished yet. It's not enough to get them to join once if they never come back. Your server needs to be like a drug dealer - get them hooked and keep them there.

First Impressions-
First impressions count. Spawn is an incredibly important part of keeping new players connected.

Teleport yourself to your spawn and look around. Does your server look inviting when player connect? Is spawn itself impressive? There should be some effort put into it making it look good.

There are certainly several things you don't want around your spawn. Unfinished projects, phallic constructs and obscene signs/block lettering are such examples. These should be destroyed with fire.(A pickaxe is fine too)

Spawn doesn't have to be fancy but it certainly shouldn't look bad.

There should be at least some instructions of how to get started, either via. chat or through signs. If it's creative, how do I give myself items? How can I get an area protected?

If someone new connects while you're online, say hello. Introduce yourself, ask if they want a tour/need any help, then offer information if it's requested. Don't overwhelm the new player.

If a new player starts a project in their first playing session, they will likely come back. At this point, congratulate yourself, then rinse and repeat until you hit critical mass.

one thing you should definitely do is make a thread about your server on the Beta Servers section of the Minecraft Forum. It's unbelievable how many members frequent it; if you make a good enough post, it'll surely attract many members.

Also, if your server runs on Bukkit, you can install a plugin that automatically puts it on sites like Minestatus, where lots of people go to look for servers. (In the case of Minestatus, they put out a plugin called Minequery that can be downloaded straight from their website.)

Aside from that.. Post on Facebook- youtube- Skype- other games you play- Get the word out..

-HadSkills-
Hadskills
Hadskills
Member

Posts : 302
Join date : 2011-08-10
Age : 30
Location : Hiding in your closet

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Post by Guest Sun Jul 08, 2012 5:39 pm

I dont know about anyone else, but we just have to hope that the server hangs on until 1.3. Honestly, it is shit right now. The map we have is shit, we have no good plug ins, so I am not even going to bother advertising until we fix the shit. SO yeah, until we get everything fixed up, DO NOT advertise. It will just give us a harder time later.

Guest
Guest


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Post by Hadskills Sun Jul 08, 2012 5:43 pm

well no shit.. I was just listing this to give you guys some help on getting started..

Once we're ready then we start getting it promoted.

This server will hang on till 1.3 It has to Smile

We need a new start something fresh. 1.3 is our chance
Hadskills
Hadskills
Member

Posts : 302
Join date : 2011-08-10
Age : 30
Location : Hiding in your closet

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