Cedric

Hey Shortie! Pleased to see you. Welcome to Administrata!

Thanks for sharing - and using the button! 😋

We have designed this forum to help community leaders exchange services, collaborate on projects, and find or offer jobs to enhance their community’s growth. To ensure smooth and successful exchanges, please read and follow these guidelines carefully. [HEADING=2]Marketplace Rules & Guidelines[/HEADING] [HEADING=3]1. Be Honest and Transparent[/HEADING] Always provide accurate and truthful information about the services or roles you're offering or requesting. Misrepresentation, whether intentional or not, can lead to negative outcomes for both parties involved. [HEADING=3]2. Do Your Part in Exchanges[/HEADING] If you agree to a service or post exchange, follow through on your commitments. Exchanges are built on mutual trust, and it’s vital that both sides honor their agreements in a timely and professional manner. [HEADING=3]3. Avoid Scams[/HEADING] Scams are not tolerated in the Growth & Exchange Marketplace. If you're offering or receiving services, always proceed with caution. Ensure clear terms are agreed upon before any transaction, exchange, or hiring takes place. [HEADING=3]4. Report Scams or Fraud[/HEADING] If you believe you've been scammed or misled, please report it immediately to the staff. Provide any evidence (screenshots, conversations, etc.) that can help us investigate the situation thoroughly. [HEADING=3]5. Hiring Staff – Proceed with Caution[/HEADING] When hiring for your community, vet potential candidates carefully. Always conduct interviews, ask for references, or request examples of their work before bringing anyone onto your team. If you are applying for a job, ensure you are qualified for the role and be clear about your skills and experience. [HEADING=3]6. Respect Privacy & Confidentiality[/HEADING] When engaging in exchanges or hiring, respect the privacy of others. Don’t share private messages, personal information, or sensitive details without explicit consent. [HEADING=3]7. Clear Communication is Key[/HEADING] Whether you're trading services, posting job opportunities, or applying for a role, clear and open communication is essential. Be specific about your needs, timelines, and expectations. [HEADING=3]8. No Spam or Irrelevant Listings[/HEADING] Only post genuine opportunities or requests related to community growth, services, and jobs. Irrelevant, off-topic, or spam posts will be removed, and repeated violations may lead to disciplinary action. [HEADING=3]9. Payments and Transactions[/HEADING] If a service or exchange involves payment, discuss and agree on terms beforehand. We recommend using trusted payment platforms to minimize the risk of fraud or disputes. [HEADING=3]10. Follow General Forum Rules[/HEADING] In addition to these marketplace-specific guidelines, please ensure that all general Administrata forum rules are followed when participating in this forum. [HEADING=2]Safety Tips for Participants[/HEADING] For Service Providers: Ensure clear terms are in place before delivering services, and always request partial payments upfront for larger projects to protect yourself. For Employers: Verify the credentials and experience of applicants. Don’t rush into hiring without a clear understanding of the person’s skillset and work ethic. For Service Seekers: If you are hiring or requesting services, ask for portfolios or past examples of work. This helps you verify the quality before committing. [HEADING=2]How to Report Issues[/HEADING] If you encounter any suspicious activity, scam, or dispute during a service exchange or job hiring, please reach out to a moderator with as much detail as possible. We will investigate the issue thoroughly and take appropriate action. We encourage everyone to use this platform responsibly and respectfully to build strong, supportive partnerships with fellow community leaders. Let’s work together to ensure the Growth & Exchange Marketplace remains a positive and productive environment for all! Thanks, Administrata Team

Every community has several times where you'll encounter slow periods. Slow periods are something we cannot avoid, but they don’t have to be a cause for concern if managed effectively. As a community leader, it’s good to have some strategies in place to keep your members engaged and maintain momentum, even when things slow down. So, how can you encourage participation when activity wanes? [HEADING=2]Create Special Events or Challenges[/HEADING] One way to re-energize your community is by organizing special events or challenges that bring members together. Whether it’s a themed discussion week, a friendly competition, a giveaway or a collaborative event, offering something fresh can draw members back to the platform and get conversations flowing. [HEADING=2]Highlight Existing Content[/HEADING] Sometimes, members simply need a little nudge to re-engage. Slow periods are a great opportunity to shine a light on past discussions, articles, or resources that newer members might have missed. Re-sharing this content can spark interest and lead to new conversations or insights. Don't be afraid to bump old topics. Most people won't notice it's old. [HEADING=2]Personal Outreach[/HEADING] As a leader, reaching out to members individually can work wonders. Whether through personal messages, shoutouts, or recognizing their contributions, a bit of one-on-one interaction reignites interest and make members feel valued. Sometimes, just knowing their presence is missed is enough to bring them back. [HEADING=2]Experiment with New Features or Formats[/HEADING] Use slow periods to test out new content formats or features, such as polls, surveys, or live Q&A sessions. Breathe life into conversations and give members something exciting to look forward to. [HEADING=2]Encourage Member-Driven Content[/HEADING] Consider handing the reins to your members by inviting them to start their own discussions or create content. User-generated content not only encourages participation but also gives members a sense of ownership over the community. [HEADING=2]Final Thoughts[/HEADING] Slow periods don’t have to signal stagnation for your community. With proactive strategies, you can keep engagement high, even when things quiet down. What tactics have you found most effective for keeping your community active during these slower times? Share your experiences and insights below!

It’s being completely rewritten, making it more easier that ever to create additional plugins by the community. I don’t want to “leak” too much as it may bring the source in danger. 😅 But I’ll ask if there’s anything else I can say.

As a community leader, you’re undoubtedly passionate about the vision you’ve created and the members you serve. But part of leading a successful community goes beyond internal management—keeping an eye on external factors can be equally crucial. One key aspect to consider is your competition. While every community is unique, understanding what others in your niche are doing can provide valuable insights, both as lessons and inspiration. I hear you, why should I pay attention to my competitor? The idea of competition doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in a battle for survival. Rather, it’s about staying informed. Other communities may be experimenting with new features, content strategies, or engagement techniques that you could potentially learn from or adapt. By observing what works (or doesn’t) for other community leaders, you can evaluate their strategies through the lens of your own community’s values and goals. Do they offer a feature your members might benefit from? Have they introduced a new type of event or reward system that drives engagement? Awareness of these trends helps you stay innovative and responsive to the evolving needs of your community. Great! What shouldn’t I do? While keeping an eye on competition can lead to growth, it’s easy to fall into the trap of constant comparison. No two communities are identical. They differ in structure, culture, and the types of members they attract. What works for another platform may not work for yours, and that’s perfectly fine. Instead of focusing on competition with the mindset of outdoing them, use your observations to inspire innovation within your own unique community framework. Don’t get lost into copying them. I should offer something different then? Yeah, look at your competition for gaps in their offerings. Perhaps they lack the personal touch your community prides itself on, or maybe they haven’t yet delved into certain content areas or features that your members are asking for. These gaps can present an opportunity for your community to stand out by filling those unmet needs. I get it, work together, not against each other. Exactly. Interestingly, competition doesn’t always have to mean rivalry. Some of the most successful communities find ways to collaborate with others in their space. Whether it’s cross-promotions, shared events, or even simply a mutual support network between community leaders, competition can foster collaboration that benefits everyone involved. Some final thoughts Staying aware of what other communities are doing allows you to remain dynamic, competitive, and responsive as a leader. But, it’s essential to stay true to your vision and remember that what makes your community special is what will ultimately keep your members engaged. Keep an eye on your competition, but never lose sight of your unique strengths. Do you actively monitor other communities in your space? How has it shaped your approach as a community leader? Feel free to share your experiences below!

I have never been a fan of ProBoards, ever. Jcink is nice considering out history with InvisionFree. You may or may not know, but SMF 3.0 is currently in heavy development, and we should be quite impressed with it (according to a good source).

Yes. In my experience, some guests lurk for quite a while (even months) before registering. It’s all about capturing their attention and giving them that little push they need.

Yes, I’ve changed it up a bit. There are lots of unnecessary nav links, causing a cluttered look. What’s new is Recent Activity now. Sounds better in my opinion. 😋

It’s under the navigation -> Community. :)

Hmm, yes. More than I care to admit. For me it's more a matter of free vs paid software. And I think you can distinguish the serious community leaders from the less serious. When you go paid software, you tend to care more about the community. You're willing to spend money, you (should) have a clear vision and goal. So naturally those people are taken more serious. The forum community atmosphere has hanged so much that you can't make crucial mistakes like this. Sure, you can still upgrade from free to paid, but you've already lost majority of your visitors. So, personally, I'll join a community when I see some serious investment such as a license.

Welcome to Agora. :)

Welcome aboard Horus. :)

What are your skills, what would you like to do?

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. :D

I usually don’t care when celebrities pass away, as hard as that may sound. But as growing up with Harry Potter, the people from the cast do make a slight impact on me - as I still love HP today. So yesterday Maggie Smith has passed away at the age of almost 90. The same day with a year difference for Michael Gambon. They were also the best friends in real life. That’s quite interesting. RIP Maggie Smith. Thank you for your wonderful cast in HP.

Be careful with that. It could be quickly turned into something with other intentions. Especially when you automate it. It’s not a bad idea but I’d let them manually convert the tokens to Dogecoin. For example put a custom item for sale in the shop that they can purchase for x-Tokens. Which will then notify to of said purchase, and you can DM the buyer for the transaction.

First one I ever used was either phpBB or IPB 1.3, don’t remember exactly which one came first. But I do remember my begin days like it was yesterday. Not knowing how it was properly setup or managed. Learned a lot since then. Wish I could go back in time and relive those days for a little while. :D

Damn. As of today, preorders for the PlayStation 30th Anniversary have gone live on PlayStation Direct. However, if you're looking to grab a PS5 Pro bundle, you're out of luck. The limited edition bundle sold out within minutes. The price tag for the limited PS5 Pro bundle is steep. To get your hands on a PS5 Pro and accessories in the classic gray PS1 design, you'd have to pay a whopping $1,160. The bundle includes the PS5 Pro console, a vertical stand, a special anniversary edition DualSense controller, a DualSense Edge controller, and a charging station. Other items from the anniversary collection are still available on PlayStation Direct. You can purchase the limited edition PS5 for $527, the PlayStation Portal for $253, the DualSense Edge for $263, and the regular DualSense for $84.

Couldn’t agree more with you as I’m also looking forward to that. I’m hoping we’ll see 2.4 before the end of the year. I had a quick look at the editor and it looks promising. Crazy that the devs however need to come up with their own user interface though. So I’m really curious how it will end up looking.

Spaghetti Bologna, pizza and hamburgers. All day every day.

[ATTACH type=full" size="1203x133]56[/ATTACH] So I was browsing a forum and saw this big red header. Made me curious how you'd approach ad blockers on your forum. Some communities detect and request members to disable them, while others give an option, like going premium to avoid ads altogether. Do you use ad block detection on your forum? If yes, what message do you show to users? Have you had success with members disabling their ad blockers when prompted? For members, do you tend to disable your ad blocker when asked, or do you ignore it? Does it bother you, or are you indifferent? For admins, do you give the option to bypass ads through a premium upgrade, or is it mandatory to disable ad blockers? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences!

I admit that sometimes I'm lazy. If I'm in a good mood then I'll do my best to get everything as optimized as I can. And I have to admit that often I use ChatGPT do to that too. It seems to have a better understanding which phrasing to use than I do.

What's your favorite language? Welcome to Agora. :)

Howdy Hussein, welcome to Agora. :)