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I've tried to resist it with all my might since back in the day when MySpace was king.

I thought that it, and reality television, were only fads that would eventually pass...

...but I must now accept the fact that neither reality TV, nor social networking, are going anywhere. I've already succumbed to being a regular Facebook user in this past year for the sake of keeping in touch with friends who just plain don't make themselves available anywhere else. And bit by bit, I've been caving to the peer pressure of friends convincing me to join places like Reddit, Tumblr, and now, even my archnemesis Twitter. Admittedly I'm still not entirely sure how to use most of these websites (sometimes I feel like I must be 80 years old) and am not even in the habit of regularly checking most of them, but I've raised my white flag and conceded to the Social Revolution.

But while I've done these things for myself, IGNO has just remained the same as ever (with the occasional sprinkles like 3rd-party forum codes) as a discussion forum...and it's gotten to where I have to make almost all announcements regarding the community not here, but in the Facebook group. So it's pretty obvious that people these days would rather just use social networks than forums...and while I'm attempting to attract a new crowd of forum users, I decided it was also time that I embrace the other side of the pack and make the IGNO community more social-friendly.

So, here we go. I'd like to introduce you all to the new Social Page, which you'll find linked at the top of the board alongside links like the Board Feed and the Wordpress site I don't think most people know exists. Here you'll see a wide variety of profiles I've made for IGNO on various social websites (and I've included things like Turntable, TeamSpeak, info on the Minecraft server and collaborative drawing for convenience's sake). I honestly don't know what we could even use half of them for...I mean, I'm planning on giving the trusted IGNOers access to the logins for most of these so they can feel free to post whatever they feel is relevant, and I'm going to try and keep the Twitter up-to-date whenever there's a new topic (and maybe ask on the ZB support forums if there's a way to get a third-party code to automatically push a tweet when a new topic is posted to the board) or something going on, so basically the same way I use the Facebook group now. I urge all of you Twitter users to follow the IGNO page, though I don't think I can make it a full replacement for the Facebook group if I want the most people possible to get notifications (and probably piss them off every time I post something in the group, which I feel like I do ). Other than that, I have no idea. I still don't 'get' Reddit, and it feels like if anything it'd be a 'replacement' of sorts for the forum...I believe the Tumblr (which MTS made) is set so that anyone can submit content, so Tumblr users, knock yourselves out!! And Google+.........nobody uses Google+. But I made us a page which links to a 'community', and I think that's like the Facebook page/group combination, but (as usual) much nicer and more integrated than the FB version (shame no one will ever use it ). All the other accounts should be fairly straightforward.

Soooo...yeah. Follow IGNO errywhere, you guys. And give me some ideas on what else we can actually do with all these social accounts now that we have 'em. Oh, and PM/text/FB message/query me on IRC if you'd like the logins for any of these. I set them up with sharing the login info with IGNOers in mind, so don't be afraid to ask me if you might be interested in maintaining one of these things.

This is the part where I'd insert a picture of the SG2 Tiger holding all the social network icons saying 'why cant i, hold all these networks', if I had one. Maybe I'll draw that later. Oh, but I can do this:



I actually drew that months ago to say 'this is where I'd put a map of IGNOLand' in some thread...but then I made a map of IGNOLand and rendered it pointless. It's nice to find a way to use it again

#swag #yolo #hashtag #ignoland

You must have noticed by now that there are a few members who have little head sprites next to their usernames. I wasn't sure this issue deserved an entire thread, but I also felt it should be addressed somewhere...

Originally it was just me who gave myself a head (inb4 out of context), because I'm just that awesome the administrator. I think I was at first trying to make a new favicon for the board but it still felt too big to me and I just didn't want to waste it (then I did end up making a new favicon after that).

Then, once Traitor bought us the ignoland.com domain, on top of all the other server-based stuff he's done for us in the past (such as maintain IRC, purchase our original cbox back in the day, and so on), that he deserved some kind of token of recognition - so I made a little icon for him, as well.

Then it occurred to me yesterday that if Traitor got one, LG should, too - as he purchased our current cbox subscription, and he's also done a lot to help me with things like the Christmas Stories and coming up with contest ideas and such in the past. So, he's got an icon now, too.

Then last night Atlas (finally) made a character for himself, and after I did him a portrait sprite I decided, what the Hell? He's the one who maintains the TeamSpeak server as well as (though it's currently offline) the Zapcraft Minecraft server the IGNOers play on. So, again - icon-worthy.

TL;DR the head icons are currently a representation of IGNOers who have provided some kind of service to the board or the IGNO community itself, as a little thanks for their efforts. That's why only a few people have them. I had considered making that a potential contest prize, like the member skins, but I think I'm against that now, because then it wouldn't be special to these guys who I feel earned that little extra bit of flair.

So that's what those icons are for.

For those who don't know - or those who do, but need a refresher - Atlas runs a TeamSpeak server for the IGNOers to make use of. TeamSpeak is a free voice chat client that supports a large number of members and is cross-platform, which means it runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac - as well as both Android and iPhone smartphones. It's primarily designed for gamers, so they can chat with one another while keeping their hands free to use the keyboard for other things, but in general is a service designed for a large group of people to be able to get together and voicechat.

Inb4 'why not just use Skype?' - Skype is extremely limited, allowing only a small number of people into a chat at a time. TeamSpeak is specifically designed for large groups, and I'm fairly certain that we had about 10 people in the room last night, which would not have been possible over Skype. However, Skype has a more 'modern' interface that lazy those who aren't as computer-savvy can easily get the hang of and operate...TeamSpeak may at first look much more intimidating to a first time user, but is in reality quite simple to use. So, let's take a look at some of the basics and hopefully simplify your experience. Remember...when we first started using IRC, a lot of us were confused about how that worked, as well, but got the hang of it eventually.

Note that I took screenshots before an IGNO room was made for us, so ignore the things that say 'Lounge' - use the IGNO room instead.

First, of course, you need to download and install the client. Once that's over with, you can easily connect to the IGNO server by clicking pasting the following link in your browser: ts3server://zapapple.net?port=9987 and you should find yourself inside the server. If that works for you, skip the next paragraph.

If for some reason that link didn't connect you, open up TeamSpeak. Click CONNECTIONS, and CONNECT, and you'll get a dialogue box that should look like this:



Simply fill the server address in as zapapple.net, as you see above, and choose a nickname for yourself. The server, at this time, has no password. Then, click CONNECT.

Once you're connected to the server, your window should look something like this:



You'll automatically be placed in the group Landing, and notice that there are many other rooms on the server, which may be intimidating, but again - it's not so bad. In reality, it's not very different from the way IRC works, where our channel (#igno) is only one of the several channels located on irc.epicirc.com's server. This is just a more visual representation of the different channels/rooms located on the zapapple server.

Once you're connected, click BOOKMARKS > ADD BOOKMARK to, well, bookmark the server. It should automatically fill in the information for you, so just press OKAY.

For general IGNO chatting, we want to use LOUNGE IGNO, so click on your name and drag it to that room. You should now be able to both voicechat as well as type text to the other members - NOTE: make sure you are typing in the IGNO chatbox, and not PREDESTINED.



Now, whether you have a built-in microphone or a headset, you'll want to configure your settings to capture your audio - the recommended setting is PUSH TO TALK, where your voice is only captured when you hold down a specific key combination (such as Shift+Z for instance), though you may also have CONTINUOUS TRANSMISSION (warning, this will capture voices and audio such as TV and music in the background and possibly cause echo), or VOICE ACTIVATION DETECTION. All these settings can be found under SETTINGS > OPTIONS > CAPTURE. Don't be afraid to examine the other options and configure your preferences for the program, either.

Once you have your mic configured, you should be able to begin chatting with everyone in the same room as you (in this case, it should be IGNO). If you have any further questions or comments, post them in the thread, but hopefully you'll get the hang of it and we can chat more in the future

Edit: I've attached linked a quick and dirty edit I made to a dark TS3 theme to make it more IGNO-ish. Read the included readme.txt if you don't know how to install TS3 themes.

IGNO Theme

Anyone who was here for the epic IGNO Summer of 2009 will remember the good times we had in the chatbox, which preceded our IRC channel.

However, our CBox was Premium, and when the period that was purchased ended...for some (stupid) reason, the CBox locked us out rather than reverting to the free version...so rather than continue to purchase it, we just switched to the built-in ZetaBoards Shoutbox (mind you this was not a built-in feature at the time we started using CBox). And we've just had the Shoutbox ever since...and those of us who remember the good times in the Chatbox know it was just never the same. It lacked the features we loved, like using icons, seeing it on every page of the board, or the ability to easily troll the Chatbox as fake identities, like Billy Mays or the ZetaBug. Not to mention things that our Shoutbox does now - like displaying the newest messages on top, auto-refresh, and a number of other things are only that way because I've pimped it out with third-party codes. The default Shoutbox is even more bare-bones.

Maybe you had to be there to understand why a third-party chatbox would be better than the one built-in and designed for the ZetaBoards system. But to those of us who experienced the Chatbox...the Shoutbox just isn't the same.

So LG and I got to talking in IRC, as we do, about the good ol' days...and the subject came up.

Merry Christmas IGNO - LG has purchased us 6 months of Premium CBox. If it goes well and these are an active 6 months, future purchases may be made.

So prepare your anuses, because the good ol' fashioned Chatbox Experience is making a comeback!!

BE FOREWARNED: This does not mean that we expect there to be less posting in the threads on the forum, nor does it mean we are retiring IRC. IRC and the Chatbox serve different purposes, and me and LG want you to know we will still be hanging out in IRC as we often do at night to just chill. The Chatbox is more intended as an alternative means of discussion and silliness while members are being active on the board than as an all-purpose general discussion solution. And of course, posting on the board is still important.

Finally, without further ado...ladies and gentlemen, the return of Chatbox Icons. Copy the URL of the images below and paste it into the 'email/URL' field in the Chatbox.

I swear we've had a thread for this before, but I can't seem to find it, so I probably deleted it. Soooo, new one!!

Now that 2013 is right around the corner, and IGNO is starting to pick up in activity as of late...I'm thinking it could be that time again. Obviously, advertising the board when it's during a 'dead period' isn't the wisest, because people will be turned off when they see an inactive forum...so now's the best time to grab people's attention, I think.

Khaos has already approached me about coming up with a catchy tagline or slogan for IGNO to use in signatures and advertise on other Zetaboards networks (like the Support forum), along with the signature I usually use for such purposes:

Code:

 

[center][url=http://s1.zetaboards.com/IGNO/][img]http://i.imgur.com/Hwv0J.png[/img][/url][/center]

Anyone on here who visits other forums and communities, if you could pop that into your sig, it might serve as some publicity for us. But what else can we do? I've still been hard at work at the new Wordpress site*, which aims to be primarily a repository for IGNO information that might make our in-jokes and mythology more accessible to outsiders, and the forum has an About page and FAQ (though it's empty right now, I need ideas to fill it in). Hopefully these resources will make acclimating to the board a bit easier now, but the problem still lies in getting the word out.

So, any ideas? Places we can advertise, friends you have who you think might have that special IGNO quality? I've already added my sig and posted a bit on Antiquus, a forum whose main purpose is board promotion, and I'm just trying to decide what type of their various means of advertising I should go for first. But what else can I do? What other boards would be good to advertise on? And will I end up, once again, as the only one doing the promoting? It'd be a really big help if you guys would give me some assistance in this area.

We've already tried appealing to the nostalgia of old members to bring them back, and it seems like it might end up working. But now we need to turn our attention to attracting more new members.

The IGNO I know and love has always been, and most likely will always be a small, close-knit community. But if we don't have a way to get the word out and attract new members, that group will stagnate and, as we see so often, people will get bored and stop posting. A forum can have more than 10 active members and still be small, so c'mon!! Let's see what we can do to make 2013 a great year for IGNO

*I of course plan to add the site to the list of links with rules, about, FAQ and etc eventually. The reason I don't want to do it yet is because I'm not 'done' and there are a few sections I'm still not quite satisfied with and am working on.