The Art of Channel Management - Revision history

Nitemare at 17:17, 11 October 2012

2012-10-11T17:17:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:17, 11 October 2012
Line 1:		Line 1:
-	One of the great things about choosing DareNET as your preferred IRC network is the ability to register and manage your own channel. DareNET continues to provide efficient channel and nicknames services, and ~~ChanServ~~ is still the most robust and user-friendly service around.	+	One of the great things about choosing DareNET as your preferred IRC network is the ability to register and manage your own channel. DareNET continues to provide efficient channel and nicknames services, and C is still the most robust and user-friendly service around.

	It is precisely because a channel is very easy to register that many chatters fall into the trap of believing it is also easy to manage and make successful. There's an old maxim in the world of online community builders - building a community is not like that old film, Field of Dreams; it is not a case of "build it and they will come". This is the reason why so many who register a channel suffer the disappointment of it not being a success, and this failure sometimes drives chatters to break the fundamental rules of DareNET by resorting to desperate measures such as mass-inviting.		It is precisely because a channel is very easy to register that many chatters fall into the trap of believing it is also easy to manage and make successful. There's an old maxim in the world of online community builders - building a community is not like that old film, Field of Dreams; it is not a case of "build it and they will come". This is the reason why so many who register a channel suffer the disappointment of it not being a success, and this failure sometimes drives chatters to break the fundamental rules of DareNET by resorting to desperate measures such as mass-inviting.
Line 19:		Line 19:
	'''Pick a good name.''' Remember that, in order for people to return to your channel easily, the name will have to be easy to remember. If you use lots of non-standard characters, digits in place of letters, underscores and such like then it will be much harder for people to remember where to go. Therefore, in a choice between #!!!\|\/\|y_Chann3l and #mychannel - pick the latter!		'''Pick a good name.''' Remember that, in order for people to return to your channel easily, the name will have to be easy to remember. If you use lots of non-standard characters, digits in place of letters, underscores and such like then it will be much harder for people to remember where to go. Therefore, in a choice between #!!!\|\/\|y_Chann3l and #mychannel - pick the latter!

-	Once you have decided on a name, use "<code>/msg ~~ChanServ~~ INFO #channelname</code>" to make sure it is available. If so, go ahead and join it. Then you may use ~~ChanServ~~'s REGISTER command to actually register it. See "<code>/msg ~~ChanServ~~ HELP REGISTER</code>" for more information.	+	Once you have decided on a name, use "<code>/msg C INFO #channelname</code>" to make sure it is available. If so, go ahead and join it. Then you may use C's REGISTER command to actually register it. See "<code>/msg C HELP REGISTER</code>" for more information.

-	'''Make use of ~~ChanServ~~ settings.''' There are many settings that will allow you to customise your channel - they are all detailed here on [[~~ChanServ~~\|~~ChanServ~~'s help page]]. Some very useful ones to remember are Enforce Ops (ENFOPS), which can be used to deop anyone not on the channel's access list. Initially you may also wish to make use of Enforce Topic (ENFTOPIC) which will allow you to select who you wish to be able to change the topic. The topic is an important tool when you are establishing a channel as it's basically a short advert which shows up to chatters when they /list. If you are wise, in the early days of your channel, you will ensure that the topic has something to do with the theme of your channel and that it is short, pitchy and entices people in.	+	'''Make use of C settings.''' There are many settings that will allow you to customise your channel - they are all detailed here on [[C\|C's help page]]. Some very useful ones to remember are Enforce Ops (ENFOPS), which can be used to deop anyone not on the channel's access list. Initially you may also wish to make use of Enforce Topic (ENFTOPIC) which will allow you to select who you wish to be able to change the topic. The topic is an important tool when you are establishing a channel as it's basically a short advert which shows up to chatters when they /list. If you are wise, in the early days of your channel, you will ensure that the topic has something to do with the theme of your channel and that it is short, pitchy and entices people in.

	== Growing a successful channel ==		== Growing a successful channel ==

Admin: /* Growing a successful channel */

2012-03-11T21:43:36Z

Growing a successful channel

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:43, 11 March 2012
Line 33:		Line 33:
	'''Build a website.''' You need to think beyond your channel. Chat is a real-time medium and, as such, means that information is lost very quickly. Having a website will cement the theme for your channel, give you a place to refer people to important information (your Code of Conduct for instance), and create a sense of permanence for your channel. Some things to think about including are profiles on your ops and regular visitors, the channel history and theme, rules and policies, up-coming events, 'shout outs' for special occasions, galleries, links and resources, a voting tool or even DareNET's [http://webchat.darenet.org webchat client] to gain access to your channel from your website.		'''Build a website.''' You need to think beyond your channel. Chat is a real-time medium and, as such, means that information is lost very quickly. Having a website will cement the theme for your channel, give you a place to refer people to important information (your Code of Conduct for instance), and create a sense of permanence for your channel. Some things to think about including are profiles on your ops and regular visitors, the channel history and theme, rules and policies, up-coming events, 'shout outs' for special occasions, galleries, links and resources, a voting tool or even DareNET's [http://webchat.darenet.org webchat client] to gain access to your channel from your website.

-	'''Make use of other community tools.''' Again, because IRC is real-time, people will miss what goes on there when they are not online, or active. What keeps people returning to a place is a sense of belonging, and to achieve a sense of belonging you need to make your visitors feel as though they are not missing out on anything. Some message boards, or a mailing list will allow people to keep in touch and stay informed, even when they can't get on IRC. Luckily, there are many free tools on the Internet these days to allow you to create such things quickly and easily.	+	'''Make use of other community tools.''' Again, because IRC is real-time, people will miss what goes on there when they are not online, or active. What keeps people returning to a place is a sense of belonging, and to achieve a sense of belonging you need to make your visitors feel as though they are not missing out on anything. Some message boards, a mailing list, Facebook page, or Twitter account will allow people to keep in touch and stay informed, even when they can't get on IRC. Luckily, there are many free tools on the Internet these days to allow you to create such things quickly and easily.

	== Things not to do ==		== Things not to do ==

Admin: /* Growing a successful channel */

2012-03-11T21:42:49Z

Growing a successful channel

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:42, 11 March 2012
Line 33:		Line 33:
	'''Build a website.''' You need to think beyond your channel. Chat is a real-time medium and, as such, means that information is lost very quickly. Having a website will cement the theme for your channel, give you a place to refer people to important information (your Code of Conduct for instance), and create a sense of permanence for your channel. Some things to think about including are profiles on your ops and regular visitors, the channel history and theme, rules and policies, up-coming events, 'shout outs' for special occasions, galleries, links and resources, a voting tool or even DareNET's [http://webchat.darenet.org webchat client] to gain access to your channel from your website.		'''Build a website.''' You need to think beyond your channel. Chat is a real-time medium and, as such, means that information is lost very quickly. Having a website will cement the theme for your channel, give you a place to refer people to important information (your Code of Conduct for instance), and create a sense of permanence for your channel. Some things to think about including are profiles on your ops and regular visitors, the channel history and theme, rules and policies, up-coming events, 'shout outs' for special occasions, galleries, links and resources, a voting tool or even DareNET's [http://webchat.darenet.org webchat client] to gain access to your channel from your website.

-	'''Make use of other community tools.''' Again, because IRC is real-time, people will miss what goes on there when they are not online, or active. What keeps people returning to a place is a sense of belonging, and to achieve a sense of belonging you need to make your visitors feel as though they are not missing out on anything. Some message boards, or a mailing list will allow people to keep in touch and stay informed, even when they can't get on IRC. Luckily, there are many free tools on the Internet these days to allow you to create such things quickly and easily~~; you'll find a list in the Resources section at the bottom of this article~~.	+	'''Make use of other community tools.''' Again, because IRC is real-time, people will miss what goes on there when they are not online, or active. What keeps people returning to a place is a sense of belonging, and to achieve a sense of belonging you need to make your visitors feel as though they are not missing out on anything. Some message boards, or a mailing list will allow people to keep in touch and stay informed, even when they can't get on IRC. Luckily, there are many free tools on the Internet these days to allow you to create such things quickly and easily.

	== Things not to do ==		== Things not to do ==

Admin: /* Registration */

2012-03-11T21:40:25Z

Registration

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:40, 11 March 2012
Line 21:		Line 21:
	Once you have decided on a name, use "<code>/msg ChanServ INFO #channelname</code>" to make sure it is available. If so, go ahead and join it. Then you may use ChanServ's REGISTER command to actually register it. See "<code>/msg ChanServ HELP REGISTER</code>" for more information.		Once you have decided on a name, use "<code>/msg ChanServ INFO #channelname</code>" to make sure it is available. If so, go ahead and join it. Then you may use ChanServ's REGISTER command to actually register it. See "<code>/msg ChanServ HELP REGISTER</code>" for more information.

-	'''Make use of ChanServ settings.''' There are many settings that will allow you to customise your channel - they are all detailed here on ~~DareNET's~~ [[ChanServ\|ChanServ ~~Information~~ help page]]. Some very useful ones to remember are Enforce Ops (ENFOPS), which can be used to deop anyone not on the channel's access list. Initially you may also wish to make use of Enforce Topic (ENFTOPIC) which will allow you to select who you wish to be able to change the topic. The topic is an important tool when you are establishing a channel as it's basically a short advert which shows up to chatters when they /list. If you are wise, in the early days of your channel, you will ensure that the topic has something to do with the theme of your channel and that it is short, pitchy and entices people in.	+	'''Make use of ChanServ settings.''' There are many settings that will allow you to customise your channel - they are all detailed here on [[ChanServ\|ChanServ's help page]]. Some very useful ones to remember are Enforce Ops (ENFOPS), which can be used to deop anyone not on the channel's access list. Initially you may also wish to make use of Enforce Topic (ENFTOPIC) which will allow you to select who you wish to be able to change the topic. The topic is an important tool when you are establishing a channel as it's basically a short advert which shows up to chatters when they /list. If you are wise, in the early days of your channel, you will ensure that the topic has something to do with the theme of your channel and that it is short, pitchy and entices people in.

	== Growing a successful channel ==		== Growing a successful channel ==

Admin: /* Registration */

2012-03-11T21:39:43Z

Registration

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:39, 11 March 2012
Line 19:		Line 19:
	'''Pick a good name.''' Remember that, in order for people to return to your channel easily, the name will have to be easy to remember. If you use lots of non-standard characters, digits in place of letters, underscores and such like then it will be much harder for people to remember where to go. Therefore, in a choice between #!!!\|\/\|y_Chann3l and #mychannel - pick the latter!		'''Pick a good name.''' Remember that, in order for people to return to your channel easily, the name will have to be easy to remember. If you use lots of non-standard characters, digits in place of letters, underscores and such like then it will be much harder for people to remember where to go. Therefore, in a choice between #!!!\|\/\|y_Chann3l and #mychannel - pick the latter!

-	Once you have decided on a name, use "/~~chanserv info~~ #channelname" to make sure it is available. If so, go ahead and join it. Then you may ~~join #Support~~ to ~~request that the channel be registered to you~~.	+	Once you have decided on a name, use "<code>/msg ChanServ INFO #channelname</code>" to make sure it is available. If so, go ahead and join it. Then you may use ChanServ's REGISTER command to actually register it. See "<code>/msg ChanServ HELP REGISTER</code>" for more information.

	'''Make use of ChanServ settings.''' There are many settings that will allow you to customise your channel - they are all detailed here on DareNET's [[ChanServ\|ChanServ Information help page]]. Some very useful ones to remember are Enforce Ops (ENFOPS), which can be used to deop anyone not on the channel's access list. Initially you may also wish to make use of Enforce Topic (ENFTOPIC) which will allow you to select who you wish to be able to change the topic. The topic is an important tool when you are establishing a channel as it's basically a short advert which shows up to chatters when they /list. If you are wise, in the early days of your channel, you will ensure that the topic has something to do with the theme of your channel and that it is short, pitchy and entices people in.		'''Make use of ChanServ settings.''' There are many settings that will allow you to customise your channel - they are all detailed here on DareNET's [[ChanServ\|ChanServ Information help page]]. Some very useful ones to remember are Enforce Ops (ENFOPS), which can be used to deop anyone not on the channel's access list. Initially you may also wish to make use of Enforce Topic (ENFTOPIC) which will allow you to select who you wish to be able to change the topic. The topic is an important tool when you are establishing a channel as it's basically a short advert which shows up to chatters when they /list. If you are wise, in the early days of your channel, you will ensure that the topic has something to do with the theme of your channel and that it is short, pitchy and entices people in.

Admin: /* Before you begin */ we managers not masters

2012-03-11T21:37:05Z

Before you begin: we managers not masters

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:37, 11 March 2012
Line 13:		Line 13:
	'''Research.''' Ok, so you have your theme; there are now a couple of important things to bear in mind. It may sound obvious, but whether your theme is cats or C++, you do need to actually know something about the subject yourself! The next thing you should do is find out if your topic of choice is well covered by another channel. So, do the /list command (you can narrow your search with /list keyword), and have a look to see what else is out there. If you picked C++ as your topic, and there are already several well-established C++ channels, then you will either need to come up with a good twist on that topic (eg: C++ ircd development), or think of a completely different one.		'''Research.''' Ok, so you have your theme; there are now a couple of important things to bear in mind. It may sound obvious, but whether your theme is cats or C++, you do need to actually know something about the subject yourself! The next thing you should do is find out if your topic of choice is well covered by another channel. So, do the /list command (you can narrow your search with /list keyword), and have a look to see what else is out there. If you picked C++ as your topic, and there are already several well-established C++ channels, then you will either need to come up with a good twist on that topic (eg: C++ ircd development), or think of a completely different one.

-	'''Have some ops in mind.''' Unless you are going to be online 24 hours a day to 'meet and greet' people coming to your channel, you will need some ops to keep the flow of conversation going and to help you manage access. Ensure these are people you really trust, and who also have an interest in your topic of choice. Don't give them your account password ''(DareNET does not have channel passwords!)'' - no matter what. If you do give anybody else your password, and they cheat you, or lose it due to bad security, DareNET will not return your channel to you. You may wish to choose ops in a different time zone to yourself so the channel is active when you are not online. You may also wish to give one or two of these people co-owner or ~~master~~ access for greater control over the channel.	+	'''Have some ops in mind.''' Unless you are going to be online 24 hours a day to 'meet and greet' people coming to your channel, you will need some ops to keep the flow of conversation going and to help you manage access. Ensure these are people you really trust, and who also have an interest in your topic of choice. Don't give them your account password ''(DareNET does not have channel passwords!)'' - no matter what. If you do give anybody else your password, and they cheat you, or lose it due to bad security, DareNET will not return your channel to you. You may wish to choose ops in a different time zone to yourself so the channel is active when you are not online. You may also wish to give one or two of these people co-owner or manager access for greater control over the channel.

	== Registration ==		== Registration ==

Admin: Updating category listing

2009-12-29T23:47:47Z

Updating category listing

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:47, 29 December 2009
Line 45:		Line 45:
	'''Give up.''' As mentioned before, growing a successful channel takes time. If you only get a handful of users for months on end - don't get disillusioned. If you put as much care and effort into your channel when it has 5 users as you would if it had 500 users, then chances are it will become successful. If you get apathetic and stop caring about it yourself, soon your users will stop caring and your channel will slowly die.		'''Give up.''' As mentioned before, growing a successful channel takes time. If you only get a handful of users for months on end - don't get disillusioned. If you put as much care and effort into your channel when it has 5 users as you would if it had 500 users, then chances are it will become successful. If you get apathetic and stop caring about it yourself, soon your users will stop caring and your channel will slowly die.

-	[[Category:~~Documentation~~]] [[Category:~~Channels~~]]	+	[[Category:All]] [[Category:Documentation]]

Admin at 03:46, 28 December 2009

2009-12-28T03:46:57Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:46, 28 December 2009
Line 45:		Line 45:
	'''Give up.''' As mentioned before, growing a successful channel takes time. If you only get a handful of users for months on end - don't get disillusioned. If you put as much care and effort into your channel when it has 5 users as you would if it had 500 users, then chances are it will become successful. If you get apathetic and stop caring about it yourself, soon your users will stop caring and your channel will slowly die.		'''Give up.''' As mentioned before, growing a successful channel takes time. If you only get a handful of users for months on end - don't get disillusioned. If you put as much care and effort into your channel when it has 5 users as you would if it had 500 users, then chances are it will become successful. If you get apathetic and stop caring about it yourself, soon your users will stop caring and your channel will slowly die.

-	[[Category:Documentation]] [[Category:~~New Users~~]]	+	[[Category:Documentation]] [[Category:Channels]]

Admin at 03:42, 28 December 2009

2009-12-28T03:42:32Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:42, 28 December 2009
Line 45:		Line 45:
	'''Give up.''' As mentioned before, growing a successful channel takes time. If you only get a handful of users for months on end - don't get disillusioned. If you put as much care and effort into your channel when it has 5 users as you would if it had 500 users, then chances are it will become successful. If you get apathetic and stop caring about it yourself, soon your users will stop caring and your channel will slowly die.		'''Give up.''' As mentioned before, growing a successful channel takes time. If you only get a handful of users for months on end - don't get disillusioned. If you put as much care and effort into your channel when it has 5 users as you would if it had 500 users, then chances are it will become successful. If you get apathetic and stop caring about it yourself, soon your users will stop caring and your channel will slowly die.

-	[[Category:Documentation]]	+	[[Category:Documentation]] [[Category:New Users]]

Nitemare: /* Growing a successful channel */

2009-11-22T16:55:44Z

Growing a successful channel

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:55, 22 November 2009
Line 31:		Line 31:
	'''Code of Conduct.''' Create a Code of Conduct for your ops and your visitors. Set out clearly how you expect an op to act and how a visitor to your channel can expect to be treated. Doing so will minimise the risk of conflict in the future.		'''Code of Conduct.''' Create a Code of Conduct for your ops and your visitors. Set out clearly how you expect an op to act and how a visitor to your channel can expect to be treated. Doing so will minimise the risk of conflict in the future.

-	'''Build a website.''' You need to think beyond your channel. Chat is a real-time medium and, as such, means that information is lost very quickly. Having a website will cement the theme for your channel, give you a place to refer people to important information (your Code of Conduct for instance), and create a sense of permanence for your channel. Some things to think about including are profiles on your ops and regular visitors, the channel history and theme, rules and policies, up-coming events, 'shout outs' for special occasions, galleries, links and resources, a voting tool or even a DareNET's [http://webchat.darenet.org webchat client] to gain access to your channel from your website.	+	'''Build a website.''' You need to think beyond your channel. Chat is a real-time medium and, as such, means that information is lost very quickly. Having a website will cement the theme for your channel, give you a place to refer people to important information (your Code of Conduct for instance), and create a sense of permanence for your channel. Some things to think about including are profiles on your ops and regular visitors, the channel history and theme, rules and policies, up-coming events, 'shout outs' for special occasions, galleries, links and resources, a voting tool or even DareNET's [http://webchat.darenet.org webchat client] to gain access to your channel from your website.

	'''Make use of other community tools.''' Again, because IRC is real-time, people will miss what goes on there when they are not online, or active. What keeps people returning to a place is a sense of belonging, and to achieve a sense of belonging you need to make your visitors feel as though they are not missing out on anything. Some message boards, or a mailing list will allow people to keep in touch and stay informed, even when they can't get on IRC. Luckily, there are many free tools on the Internet these days to allow you to create such things quickly and easily; you'll find a list in the Resources section at the bottom of this article.		'''Make use of other community tools.''' Again, because IRC is real-time, people will miss what goes on there when they are not online, or active. What keeps people returning to a place is a sense of belonging, and to achieve a sense of belonging you need to make your visitors feel as though they are not missing out on anything. Some message boards, or a mailing list will allow people to keep in touch and stay informed, even when they can't get on IRC. Luckily, there are many free tools on the Internet these days to allow you to create such things quickly and easily; you'll find a list in the Resources section at the bottom of this article.