the pirate ship

[pirateship]

i'm trying to start a new forum on filesharing at www.thepirateship.org

i found this site after i set it up and everything, and have been having difficulties getting anyone to come. how do you get a thing like this started?

any advice welcome, and of course, check out my site. thanks!

[Lehk]

Well, to start with don't make the forums section so far from the homepage, and make that annoyingly narrow forum frame about the width of the page.

[RACKnRAIL]

i'm trying to start a new forum on filesharing at www.thepirateship.org (http://www.thepirateship.org/)

i found this site after i set it up and everything, and have been having difficulties getting anyone to come. how do you get a thing like this started?

any advice welcome, and of course, check out my site. thanks!
Hey...no offence, but...do you work for the RIAA?

[Arch Stanton]

with a name like that you'll no doubt draw alot of attention

best of luck to you -

[stts]

Yup, I wouldnt want to be caught on the pirate ship with all the files I got.

[pirateship]

thanks for the tips, it's seriously helpful for me... and no I don't work for the RIAA, but maybe that's why nobody wants to write anything!!! thanks again, really.

thepirateship.org

[downloadalot]

get a sig like mine and spam it all over the place

[Induna]

Here's a question, how did Zeropaid get to become so big?

[Crazy Horse]

Just a suggestion or two....

Have something the people want like current news, interviews, useful information, guides,etc

You get bigger by word-of-mouth at first so make lots of friends. Make some of them mods or give them news gathering assignments and whatnot. Go to the other file-sharing sites including this one and get known. Go to the chat rooms on the file-sharing networks and make yourself known there.

Be unique in some way. Maybe lots of nude photos...naw..that's been done to death.

Think about it - so far I see no reason to register at your site - entice me, pay me or make false promises of wine, women and song. I'm just kidding ya-don't take me too seriously but I hope you see what I mean. Think outside the box - think like P.T. Barnum - think big!

Good luck to ya and welcome to ZP. I'll keep an eye on your site to see how you come along in the future.

[napho]

Here's a question, how did Zeropaid get to become so big?


It got in on the ground floor. It's tough to beat the guys who got there during the first wave of portals.

http://web.archive.org/web/20000620111744/http://www.zeropaid.com/

[Crazy Horse]

I was thinking...oh no!!..

A couple of things you may NOT want to do...

Start flame wars with your competition, Support ES5, post warez... you know the usual stuff that could get you in hot water... :)

[RACKnRAIL]

I was thinking...oh no!!..

A couple of things you may NOT want to do...

Start flame wars with your competition, Support ES5, post warez... you know the usual stuff that could get you in hot water... :)
As usual CH, good advise!

Oh yeah, pirateship...if ur not RIAA...welcome and good luck! There have been many different trolls and spammers here at ZP, and as I previously said, I meant no offence. I am actually a Canuck; for me it's the CRIA that we fear...but I wouldn't want to see any of my friends in other countries, get busted for sharing either.

People will always be cautious online. I am glad to visit the sites I frequent, but administrating must be a full-time job. No thanks..it ain't for me. I do wish you luck with your new site. ZP has many friends, so stick around too...always something to learn.

[MoonMan]

What's wrong with ESV ?

lol

[random]

omfg its a great idea having a part of a forum to have ppl tell what warez they have and what their sharing, a great way to have new ppl join and get busted lols, smart

/me thinks he woks for the riaa (stares with a paranoid look)

[pirateship]

thanks again everyone for all the helpful suggestions and advice. i hope that one day my own site might yield a friendly supportive conversation.

deciding what categories i wanted to put was sort of arbitrary and based on my own interest. i admit i'm interested in what people share, or better put: i'm interested in what they're willing to share and what they don't share. i don't imagine that anyone saying "i share x" would be incriminating at all... after all the RIAA just searches for files and busts users for sharing that way. but certainly my intention is not AT ALL to get people to incriminate themselves. just the opposite. i think conversation about it is productive and needs to happen in a safe way. maybe that can't happen in a public forum online, but i wish that it could be.

thanks again for all the help and keep the advice coming.

[MoonMan]

As long as you do not host files, I'm sure that just stating it will not get you targetted by special interest groups.

[Crazy Horse]

What's wrong with ESV ?

lol
Consider yourself bitch-slapped. LOL

[BloodStraw]

I would say get a better forum software (or write your own) if your host has support for php and mysql i would recommend http://phpbb.com ;) Also you should ad more sections to it, like an Off Topic section for example :)

[smokingbevel]

i'm trying to start a new forum on filesharing at www.thepirateship.org (http://www.thepirateship.org/)
i found this site after i set it up and everything, and have been having difficulties getting anyone to come. how do you get a thing like this started?
any advice welcome, and of course, check out my site. thanks!These statements represent a relatively explicit request for observations, suggestions, recommendations, criticism and advice.
smokingbevel's bonofide limited-edition improvement recommendations for site http://www.thepirateship.org/

Where are the implicit, efficient, but eye-catching graphics of (surreal, bio-mechanical, gieger-esq) pirates, pirate ships and file-booty representations?
Maybe the logo presented at "ENTER THE PIRATE SHIP" is too cute or friendly in appearance. Alternately, usage of a graphical representation which slightly suggests or inpires notions of fear-inducing danger, moderately deviant action, mildly taboo behavior, and/or illicit activity may be more memorable. (Pirates may have attempted to invoke fear and terror in the minds of possible victims.)
Where is the informative "Meet the Opposition" section of your site? Here I would expect to view current, up-to-date details (with images) of parties, organizations, and individuals who oppose the free expression of information, or otherwise attempt to infringe on the rights of the citizen in some manner. For example, the section might include compiled information concerning politicians who support (negative) legislation, universities who succumb to corporate pressure and elect to filter user activities, corporate executive kingpins who have influence, control or much to gain from opposing activity, major entities engaged in development of "restrictive" software, and services and/or products of companies and subsidiaries to target for boycott. Include faces, photographs, graphics and logos. By gathering all this information into one location, you may have provided the user a service. By catering to, playing upon, and indulging the user's moderate hatred of "greed-induced" opposition in a manner which allows direct finger pointing at specific sources, names, and faces you may generate a strong psychological attraction between users and your service. There is the possible benefit that angry, proactive users may feel empowered and fueled by information provided.
If you summarize "news" in your own terms, promotion may take the form of quotes from and references to your service as a source.
Play user name games. Take the time to post more topics for discussion. Take an absurd stance, and start a few arguments with yourself.
Encourage, but filter user article content submissions.
Either expand the width of the forum category table (suggested by Lehk) or use free space productively.
If a door or entrance page is absolutely necessary, utilize the space and distraction by, at the very least, including an overview of site function and purpose.
If the page has the sole goal of merely providing a gateway obstruction to services, than the side effects of user annoyance, perceptions of disorganization and conclusions of lack of premise may be evident.
Only hire smokingbevel approved applicants for forum software design and content supervisor positions. Negotiable flat combined rate of $223.19 a week for both positions, plus 20% potential profit share on licensing of unique forum software. Ha. Ha.

It is doubtful, that this list is desirable and even more doubtful that a longer list is desired.
Note:The principle of attributing value or worth to comments or statements on the sole premise that such were contributed by a specific identity, personality, or source is not endorsed here.

[pirateship]

Again, this has all been really helpful. I've been looking around more thoroughly and I think I definitely see a nitch here somewhere for my own site.

First so many sites are in general sort of just cluttered, both visually and with information that can sometimes be all over the place. But I guess that's good in a way because it's democratic and people can just put what they want and read what they want. My goal is to have the info on my site always well-organized and relevant (I know that's a judgement call). No long pages full of half-useful links.

I also wanted to play-up the pirate aspect (thematically). The suggestions by smokingbevel are great and hilarious, and hopefully I can incorporate some of them into the site design. I just wish I knew my way around some code. I'd love, for example, to design a game in flash (or whatever) where you are a pirate shooting canonballs (little MP3s or something) at ships of the RIAA, major labels, etc. I'd be more than happy (ecstatic actually) if anyone here wanted to help me out with any of this. Really!!!

And please consider joining the forum. I know I know another forum to join. But I tried to make it as effortless as possible. I never send e-mails or anything like that (I'm not even sure I would know how!) and I have so many questions I would love to ask all of you: like what software you use and why, where you see the future of p2p going, and all that (stuff that gets talked about here somewhat). So if you have a minute... www.thepirateship.org

Oh, and I will never ever have ads on my site. Don't know if that matters to anyone, but it does to me.

By all means, keep advising as I change the site.
Very Greatful, Greg.