Anything Forums

I want to start looking at ways to revive the site and forums.

The first step is doing what I did with another forum and re-enabling new accounts, but have the post go into a "ninja moderation queue". I like to call it ninja because the poster does not actually know the post(s) are in the moderation queue. They see it as normal. Nobody else but the poster and staff see the post, so the spam is actually not public. Staff can then choose to allow, deny, ban the user/posts right within the forum. So it's quick and easy to get rid of spammers without their spam ever making it public. If it does not make it public, then they loose.

Right now registrations are closed on and off because when I leave them open we start getting TONS of accounts.

So step 1 is tightening security a bit but enabling registrations.

Step 2 will be to start writing articles to add to the article section. These get emailed out to tons of tech sites (I also need to update that list) so it brings visitors to the article, and possibly the forums. This is where I need everyone's help.

If you can think of a technical subject to write on that would interest others, then PM me and if it's worthy of an article you can write it up and I'll post it in the article section.

The content has to be rather unique and the article needs to be long enough. The single paragraph bits of info are useful, but they can simply be posted right in the forums in the appropriate section. These do get some traffic too and are important, I just don't want to make them an actual article.

A good example of subjects would be stuff like virtualization (I'll probably cover that one), maybe a vista vs windows 7 article (no bashing plz!). Basically today's trends.

I'm also thinking of making an article on basic home electrical. Not exactly computer related, but it sorta ties in.



Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5123, old post ID:39254

Looks like my last topic got your wheels turning

Also what about one of those impossibly hard to read images on sign up that you gotta type out, Would make less work for the ninjas

Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5123, old post ID:39256

well the show all for the smileys don't work it just opens a pop up window with a text area across the top but no page and no info for the text area?

so i have to cut my use of smileys down in this post. i was going to use the ninja one too dadgum it.?

but the messed up word to type out has been broken by spam bots they get through it now.

secondary measures are needed with that also.

double it up with an image thing that you need to pick the images. but that has been broken too if you use one with a fixed set of images. say only 9 that show on the screen? using the same images all the time that is what is got by now. so places i seen use this image thing have go to a random set of images they use maybe 50 images and instruct the code to place at random the ones needed to be selected for submit ion. so there is never the same amount on the screen of the proper images needed to get in. example say a site forum for horse lovers uses 9 images on the screen to be able to be checked by check boxes for each image.
and the images have to be a horse or pony. but there are only 9 images of them and the rest of the images are cats dogs deer cattle flowers trees, anything but horses, so the code is set to put 3 to 9 horses in the selection if any of the other photos are checked with the horse photos the code is voided and they have to re do their sign up or log in.

since there is not any way for a spammer bot to know what is the image used because its a code not the name of the image, then there is no way for it to break the random code. so no spam bots get in. but spammer's them selfs do try and get in and post but they are few and the mods can keep them at bay.

so a combo of the messed up image of letters or a word and that set of images to chose from is as full proof as you can get now.

but that will keep the site fairly clean of spam that said there also needs to be a way for the users of the forum to be allowed to report spam for when the spammer does come in his self and post when the mods are not here.

now with the security done on the site,

there needs to be something on the site worth logging in to the site and viewing.
all the help here in articles is a strong attraction but only for the newbies that are looking for help, the advanced users that have already got that help just keep it in mind to send some one here to look for it. if they need help.

so finding something to pull those advanced users back to the site is needed.
if you really want your severs being run in full use all the time. then you need to make this web site creating and updating a full time job for yourself but you wont make money with it that way and you will be too busy to do your real computer repair business.

so that needs to be taken in to thought also.

then again what do you need on your site, umm. most popular things being looked for dancing with the stars info, so you think you can dance info, movie info, ghost hunters info, destination truth TV show info, ghost hunters international info.
Holmes on homes TV show info, Holmes is a Canada TV show. games reviews, computer shows like call for help if still on in Canada. coding lessons as in articles with real help in writing code for screen savers or other harmless type of programs.
harmless as in can't be used to create anything that causes damage.
links to youtube video that is what you consider alright to link to for your site.

links to the new red green show site and info. hey its Canadian but funny,

well i think thats enough ideas from me anyone else got any?

Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5123, old post ID:39257

I'm not much of a writer but game reviews I can do for PC and Playstation (PSP/PS3)

Would give me a reason to buy/play more games I haven't been playing much lately

Roving may be on the right track ^^ Tell me how to capture video from my ps3 and we can have an iceteks youtube account for the site's articles/reviews.

Can also setup so youtube videos can be embedded into the forums, Forums(Alone) are no longer the most popular thing on the net.

What about running a small torrent tracker exclusively for useful Tech stuff like programs/PC games ISO style. We are a tech site so some of those hard to find Editing programs,firewalls,AV etc and old pc games would be awesome here.

Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5123, old post ID:39258

Think game reviews could do well actually.

I know at one point I was on microsoft's list to get "gold edition" games before they are released so I can review them. If we could end up doing that with other companies it would rock. Problem is most of the bigger sites end up reviewing the same stuff, so it'is almost worth waiting till something is released, perhaps not a "well awaited release" then review it.

Humor articles can probably pull in traffic too, like maybe we can review Duke Nukem Forever even though it's never come out...

Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5123, old post ID:39263

The problem with most game reviews now They are all about the graphic's and sound etc, Neglecting controls, game play and physics.

I personally don't choose my games by reviews anymore because I haven't found a site that shares my opinion on good/bad as far as games go, I watch youtube gameplay videos to get an idea of em as far as physics go. Controls are harder to get though, Even most reviews don't give you much info on that, Can turn an awesome game into a horrible one to play.

Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5123, old post ID:39267

Hmm that's something we could do different then, we could go beyond what basic reviews do. I hardly play games myself so I would not do much reviews, but if you want to review some games that you think don't have any good reviews online right now, think it could draw in people.

Think I will do a few articles soon, one on basic home electrical - not exactly tech related but I'll try to fit it in.

And another on virtualization.

I was even thinking of making a Linux vs Windows one for enterprise environments, and do a pro/con of both. Would be hard to not make that one biased though, but if I can make sure it's fair, that will be good. People hate "Vs" articles that just bash one product because the author is a fanboy.

Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5123, old post ID:39269

All reviews are biased They have to be as that's how it works lol

Everything has good reviews and bad reviews but all reviews are opinions.

Just finding the right reviewer that shares your opinions is what sells because if "reviewer A" likes "product X" and you shared the same opinions in the past on "product Y" then chances are you will also like "product X"
"Reviewer B" may not like "product X" but you have loved other products that B has reviewed with a bad rating.
Who's review has more value to you? Both can be well written but in the end who's review matched how you felt after buying.

The goal more or less is not to bash and try to be fair but no matter what some fanboy will always make it through and that's OK, Infact it's good if your opinion is mainstream but bad if your the oddball.

Thats why I can't use game reviews anymore as I'm the oddball and most reviews are with the mainstream.

I really don't care for 1080i/p or that my character clearly has detailed nose hair and 5 O-clock shadow, I don't care about the soundtrack or how perfect the sound of footsteps are when walking. If I buy an RPG game for 60$ and beat it 3 hours after getting home then it's a really bad game because it's done, That's it, Goes on my shelf never to be played again because I finished to fast, There wasn't time to be sucked into the story and defiantly not enough time to become attached to any characters, No replay value in that so onto the shelf never to be played again even though the reviews of the game are perfect 10's. Now an RPG rated 5 out of 10 with 80+ hours gameplay can be the best game out it's just people are in to much of a hurry for the next game now that they quit before the story starts.

Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5123, old post ID:39288

so your doing reviews okay. that should get the site going again.

check your pm's triple i sent one to you the there day.



Archived topic from Iceteks, old topic ID:5123, old post ID:39300