So you’ve created your own video game website. Most likely it is a community website of some type. Not getting used right away you feel fine, but a couple months later your website is still as empty and unused. A solution to this problem is to get involved! You should be doing things everyday to attract visitors to your website. The first thing that you should set up is a thread on your forum for people to introduce themselves as they join. This way you can go in every time you see someone new posted and welcome them to the community. It will make them feel good and excited to have joined a community where they aren’t just another member that no one cares about.

          You should have relevant content and it should always be interesting to the people who will be reading. If it is, they will come back to read more for sure. As long as you keep posting new information, of course. So make sure you do! Post new content all the time, as often as possible. If you can’t write or don’t have the time to, hire someone. It will be worth it to have your site visited by many people and in the long run will be beneficial to everyone. Even if you have someone else writing the content on you website each month you should still be contributing as much as possible, especially on your forum. People are going to want to see you and know that the owner of the website/forum is there with them just as much as they are. That he/she cares about their own site/forum and that they are looking through threads and whatnot. In fact, if you put an email address for yourself in your own signature for blogs or on the website somewhere, it will help people feel more connected to you.

          Another thing that you could co to increase traffic flow to your community site is to have some links on other websites point back to you. This means either link exchanging or whatever you have to do that will put links up out there. This will help in that when web surfers are visiting other websites they will see a relevant link to your site and possibly click on it to get more information. For more information on video game web design check us out at DreamCo Design – Video Game Web Design. For more information on other types of web design take a look at DreamCo Design – Web Design.

          If there is one thing that your gaming website should be sure to have on it, it is information for beginners and newbs like me. Although I have been playing WoW for a few months, I am said to say that there is still a plethora of information that I don’t know. It seems that there is always something going on that I am totally out of the loop on. This is when I turn to my trusty internet and look up whatever it is that seems to be perplexing me at the moment. If I were the member of a guild/clan it would be even more beneficial if they had a website that had all that beginners information on it for me. Maybe not jumping into the really beginner stuff like how to install the game or setting up simple things. More like character templates or advice on what benefits a certain character has over the others.

          You should set up a whole area designed for the submitting of templates of successful characters. This would help beginners within the community feel a bit more guided and secure. They would be able to make a good character instead of starting out experimenting and finding out that their character isn’t any good in the end, after wasting all that time on them. I used to play a game called Asheron’s Call that was a MMO and if you didn’t create your character perfectly you would play them until level 60 or so and then find out that they were useless. What a waste of time. I got so frustrated with that game that I quit. Leaving my guild and everyone without so much as a goodbye.

          Trying to avoid this on WoW is much easier because you don’t have to decide what points go into health/mana or other minute skills and attributes. It also helps that there is a ton of websites that have every known bit of information on the game. As far as beginners go, you should also have information about beginner’s get togethers and quests for people starting out. This will help develop a strong bond between the younger side of the community. You should never take your beginners for granted and treat them like they are unimportant and foolish. They are the building blocks to being the most loyal community members you will have and everyone deserves to be treated with some degree of respect. To find out more about video game web design go to DreamCo Design – Video Game Web Design. Want to learn more about other types of web design? Visit us at DreamCo Design – Web Design.

          Most of the time when people build website’s they believe that they are building it for themselves. They believe that they are the main reason that a website is up. That is true in some ways but the main reason a website is up and running is for others. Other people coming to your website to do whatever it is your website is there for. This is true for all website design including game web design. Even more so with games because there really is no instant benefits to making a gaming website. It purely because you enjoy the said game and you know that many other do as well. Game web design is more for pleasure than for monetary gain, at least right away. When you begin to design your website you should always have the potential visitors in mind. What are they going to want to see? What information should I have for them? What pictures should I use for this? How can I make this site easy to use for everyone? All these questions are what you need to be asking yourself when you create a gaming website.

          Even though right away there is no real-life benefit to having a website dedicated to a video game there are many in-game benefits to have one, especially if you are the leader of a guild/clan. Having a well designed website will show people a number of things about you. One being that you take your guild/clan seriously. You put enough effort into making a site dedicated to helping everyone else out so that they have somewhere they can go to when the need any information about anything. Also all the people involved will feel like a part of something bigger, instead of just logging onto the game to play solo. In turn, member of the guild/clan will take you more seriously. Another in-game benefit would be that by having a website built for your clan/guild you’ll be starting to make a name for yourself. The fact that your clan/guild has a website will interest people enough to look at it and check you out. If they like what they see they may join, just for that fact. Most people don’t really do much research before joining a guild/clan. Having a webpage will most likely sway a lot of people, if it built well enough.

          Once you have built a name for yourself you can start to try and earn money with your website. If it is of good design and is used frequently there may be some companies willing to pay money to have ad space on your site. This can be up to you as to how much to charge and if your going to charge monthly or just one flat fee. If you think about it, having a well designed website that is about something you are passionate about that makes a little extra cash is a winning situation. In the end, having a website that you’ve designed for others will come back to you in some way or another. It’s karma, baby. For more information on video game web design check us out at DreamCo Design – Video Game Web Design. For more information on other types of web design take a look at DreamCo Design – Web Design.

          There is a lot that comes with moderation a forum. Especially one that is focused on a MMO game, not to mention all the other single player game websites there are. If your feeling up to it a community forum is a good way to build on-line/in-game relationships with others and a great way to make a name for yourself in-game and on the internet. The only problem is knowing the proper etiquette when moderating these gaming forums. I will you many a tip and more to start you on your way to moderating your own community/guild forum. Though there are a lot of pointers I can give you most of the time you have to play it by ear and really make decisions on the spot about some topics.

          When your forum starts to get going a lot of different people with different views are going to be making different threads and posting to numerous topics. Sometimes, people disagree about things, and that’s ok! They might even get a little riled up about defending their views on something, and that’s ok too! Some disputes are good to have. Namely the ones where people are debating about something game related. What the best stats are for a certain character, or who has the better armor (whatever). These things are ok to debate about and you shouldn’t really have to delete any posts (unless someone gets out of hand). They actually will help your forum get noticed and used because more people will want to post on the topic and maybe by chance someone with the same interests may link to your forum from another site. Even though there are a bunch of benefits related to a good debate, there are some people who ruin it all. These are the people you have to watch and possibly delete posts and threads from.

          There are a few things that should not be allowed to happen in a forum of any kind, let alone one that is focused on an MMO or game. No one should be allowed to call another member of the forum any type of name. Name calling leads to a thread that is just one immature comment after another waiting to pull your whole forum and everyone in it down. Delete these threads or posts and warn the members invloved to behave themselves or they will be released from the forum or possibly community. Hopefully this will keep them in line. The next thing that should not be seen in an MMO is any topics relating to religion or politics. That isn’t what the forum is for and it shouldn’t ever be a topic for discussion. These kinds of topics start debates which lead into fights and it isn’t productive in any way. Delete delete delete. The last thing that you should not allow to happen on your

forum is for threads to be overrun by someone who is a “know-it-all”. Although having a member that is knowledgeable about topic is a plus he/she should not be able to think that they are the authority on everyone’s questions. Also these types of people usually spam up the forum a bit by reiterating their thoughts over and over.

          Remembering these few rules will help you start off moderating like a pro. As I said before, you can try and live by these rules but moderation is really a job of judgement. Trust your instincts and if you think its offensive or not productive, pull it. You might have one person mad at you but a ton of really happy members who didn’t want to be bothered with that. Always remember that your members are why your forum is up and working and to not take them for granted nor to to control them too much. A forum is like a bowl of jello, flexible and able to be molded, and should be treated accordingly. For more information on video game web design check us out at DreamCo Design – Video Game Web Design. For more information on other types of web design take a look at DreamCo Design – Web Design.

          There are a few requirements that are imperative to a community (I call it community because there are so many different names; guild, clan, etc.) gaming website’s triumph. One of these requirements is a forum. I briefly mentioned forums before in another gaming web design post, but for this one I will delve into the specifics and give you some tips to making a successful forum. Not having a forum connected to your community web site is like declaring yourself legally defective. This is tip #1 people. Trying to make a name for your community website without having this valuable piece of your gaming puzzle is never going to happen. So for those of you who are advanced in the world of community website design and gaming, you’ll already know how to go about making a forum. It’s easy and quick to set up but there are some guidelines I’d like to give about it before you go all gung ho on me.

          #1 – When you create your forum, most likely, you are going to be one of the few people who is actually interested in using your forum. So make yourself the moderator/administrator/king of all your forum empire. As you start to build up members within your community more and more threads will appear and you may find yourself battling to moderate all the different threads. By this time you should have a few good friends within your game or on the website that you feel comfortable giving some moderator privileges to. This is something they should take seriously in that they will have to comb threads each day and delete spam and whatnot. Of course, you will still be at the top of the forum chain and if you need to replace a moderator, that decision is up to you.

          #2 – Secondly as the forum’s parent you should be posting on it! Because you the main man (or woman) people are going to believe that you are the end all know all, the answer to all their questions. Posting helpful information will always win people’s hearts over. And the more threads you have the more it looks like your site is used. This will draw others in to read what has been discussed (even if it’s just you talking to yourself). Not only should you be posting helpful information, you should also post about quests and get togethers within the game. Telling others what you are going to be doing and that they can join you is very inviting and makes you seem personable and a good leader.

          There are plenty of moderating tips that I could and will give. But this post is getting kind of long and I’d like to not have you reading a novel. Also, these first two tips are good start-up tips for any community gaming forum. It will take a little while before your forum is built up enough to have to worry about anything else for a bit. So enjoy the free time you have now because maintaining a website, guild, and forum is hard work and you’ll cherish the time you have right now. For more information on video game web design check us out at DreamCo Design – Video Game Web Design. For more information on other types of web design take a look at DreamCo Design – Web Design.

       Guilds, clans, alliances, fellowships, brotherhoods, factions, or communities, whatever you call it, I’m sure you have a website for it. Almost all on-line MMOs have multiple cooperative bands of people playing. It usually happens something like this; your in-game and a guild recruiter comes up to you asking if you want to join. You say yes. After all the entry mumbo-jumbo you are welcomed in and are registered on their website. You can go there anytime to look at upcoming community get togethers (in-game of course), to learn about your new in-game family, or to find some information supplied to you by your fellow clan-members. Think about how sorry you’d be to have joined the clan you did if their website reminds you of your grandma’s house. Boring and out-of-date. This is where video game web design comes into play.

        Now you join a clan whose website looks kick-ass. You suddenly feel relieved to know that your guild appears to know what they are doing and you trust them and the information they give. The quality of the web design directly affects the credibility of the website. This goes without saying for all websites, but more-so for video game websites. This is only because these people are in the business of gaming and graphics and such that their website should only reflect it. If your like me and couldn’t design a website to save your life, you can always go with a professional web designers. At least that way you won’t have to suffer the disgrace of having a guild with only one member, you.

          Video game web design is a lucrative field and any video game you play is going to have some sort of community web site. A couple things should be included on every guild website. These things are;

       1. A forum! This is essential. Communication is key and everyone is going to want to ask questions and exchange information. Forums are perfect for this. Make yourself and (once you get lot more people joined) a couple others admins for the forum, answering the most important questions correctly and sealing threads that are going nowhere or going into a bad topic. This is a great area for newcomers to the community because it is where they will find the best information on whatever topic they are interested in. Having a frequently used forum is one aspect of a good community. This will show potential members that in your guild, clan, etc. everyone is working together to make things easier and more enjoyable for others.

       2. A calendar! To show when quests, raids, or whatever it is that you can do together in the game your playing, when those things are going on. It strengthens the bond between your little family to do things together. Make sure you let everyone know when they can participate.

       3. Information! A basic information page when you first come to the website would be ideal. Potential members are going to want to check you out before they join so make sure your reaching out to them. Have information pertaining to what your guild is about and how joining can benefit them. Try showing them that you have everything organized and well put together. This shows a great outward appearance and will draw more and more people to your community.

        Hopefully this sends you on your way to being a proud leader and an effective one too. For more information on video game web design check us out at DreamCo Design – Video Game Web Design. For more information on other types of web design take a look at DreamCo Design – Web Design.