Setting Up A Directory: My Adventures

[bluemoney]

Hi Kristian
I wish you the very best in your endeavor and would also like to thank you for this most enjoyable and informative thread.
As a new LL owner myself this makes for a great guide with the input of some seasoned veterans of the biz and pretty damn good folks as well. So again, thanks for that and good luck

[amareck]

1) Awesome thread and should be a good contribution to the adult community as a whole $$

2) Are you enjoying the can o worms yet? Or perhaps its not a can o worms, but more like pandora's box

A couple of things I'd think about when setting up:

a) Ensure that you can target advertising properly - random banner rotations are ridiculous...kinda like rotating galleries with the descriptions really - hit n miss relevancy to the surfer. If you do want to run banner rotations, ensure that you can set it up with categorization or multiple installs to ensure that only targetted banners appear for each category

b) In addition to item a) above, ensure that you can quickly swap out sponsors performing poorly on your traffic

c) If possible, get yourself an LL platform that is extensible - plugins are good, but the ability to customize and manually plug in your own stuff is golden, especially when it comes to databases - being able to add custom fields for more page output & mass publishing is a very sweet thing

d) Templates & template support from a platform is good, especially a templating system that permits conditional statements and such

e) Make sure you can blend your CSS into it. This is usually a given but again, best to make sure.

Most link list software will cover these items in some form or other, but its best to be sure. They are also relevant considerations when configuring your link list. For example, if you hardcode category banners into your templates, you're gonna have fun editing them...whereas if they are ssi inserts or php/mysql generated, you'll have a much easier time of it.

GL with your endeavour

[kristian]

Originally Posted by amareck

1) Awesome thread and should be a good contribution to the adult community as a whole $$

2) Are you enjoying the can o worms yet? Or perhaps its not a can o worms, but more like pandora's box

A couple of things I'd think about when setting up:

a) Ensure that you can target advertising properly - random banner rotations are ridiculous...kinda like rotating galleries with the descriptions really - hit n miss relevancy to the surfer. If you do want to run banner rotations, ensure that you can set it up with categorization or multiple installs to ensure that only targetted banners appear for each category

b) In addition to item a) above, ensure that you can quickly swap out sponsors performing poorly on your traffic

c) If possible, get yourself an LL platform that is extensible - plugins are good, but the ability to customize and manually plug in your own stuff is golden, especially when it comes to databases - being able to add custom fields for more page output & mass publishing is a very sweet thing

d) Templates & template support from a platform is good, especially a templating system that permits conditional statements and such

e) Make sure you can blend your CSS into it. This is usually a given but again, best to make sure.

Most link list software will cover these items in some form or other, but its best to be sure. They are also relevant considerations when configuring your link list. For example, if you hardcode category banners into your templates, you're gonna have fun editing them...whereas if they are ssi inserts or php/mysql generated, you'll have a much easier time of it.

GL with your endeavour

I think the worms are on steroids!! lol

Those are some excellent tips. The choice of script has been one that's kept me up nights, I have to admit. Not only is it about features but I know the owners of one script (Dragon List) and have friends who are happy using other scripts. Makes the decision all the more harder. What I have pretty much decided though is to go with gossamer links. I will post more details about why later, but a lot has to do with other sites using it, plugins and gut feeling (much of the stuff you have mentioned).

Thanks for all your help so far - here and via email. I'll be contacting you today and, with your permission, posting all the juicy details.

[kristian]

A lot of juicy stuff happening today.

hosting ...

The new dedicated server is ready. I went for a package with my current host, ATCIHosting.

Type : Dedicated Server
BW : 10 Mbps
3.0GHz P4
512MB RAM
2x80GB SATA (SW Raid1)
Price : $349.95 / Month

The owner, Chris, is a great guy. Support is excellent. I think the server should be fine to get us started.

domain transfer ...

This will cause a slight delay, unfortunately. I decided to transfer the domain away from godaddy. After completing the process, their email tells me the transfer will complete on Monday. This is a shame because I had wanted to get the script installed and begin some hands-on work. Hopefully though, this will be seen as a good move in the long run.

design ...

The actual design cannot begin of course until the domain transfers to my new registrar. However, I'm going to use this time to decide on layout, possible color schemes, slogan, and whatever else comes to mind.

You remember the designer I had under consideration? Unfortunately, we will be unable to work together. No drama, just a natural conflict of interests. I made a promise to everyone reading this thread that I would disclose everything. The designer made a promise to the html design guild that he would not disclose prices to the public. There is our problem. Had I been able to publish his quoted price, I would have hired him this morning.

All is not lost. We have Amareck to the rescue!

Like most / all webmasters I am proficient in designing websites. What I lack are high-end graphic skills (like those clever cartoonists). The decision to use a designer would have been to implement designs beyond my abilities. Amareck, while not a professional graphic designer, is expert in CCS, with a specialty of implementing it in link lists. He was instrumental in transfering two popular link lists from html to css : feversfavourites.com and megapornlinks.com. If all goes well, Amareck will be the guy who gives MoveLinkList a complete css layout. The actual design will then be left to me (oh fuck!).

branding & logo

I may or may not hire someone to create a logo this weekend. It all depends on how my creative juices are flowing.

This is generally how I design a site.

I get the logo and open it up in photoshop. Using the color-picker I choose a color scheme for the site based on the colors in the logo. I always do it this way. Have tried it without a logo beforehand, but it never worked. To get me started I need that logo and the colors in it.

What I'll be doing today / this weekend is brainstorming a slogan and ideas for the logo. I'll then take this to a professional designer (possibly Bruno Dickman, if they are available).

There is no huge rush for this though. Script cannot be installed until Monday at the earliest anyway.

link list script ...

Am 99% sure I will be using gossamer links. Unless I change my mind, I will buy this and install it the moment domain has transfered.

Have a good weekend, All!

[MrYum]

Sweet...the nuts n bolts start soon!

Very enlightening having this play out in a public forum. And it's gonna be great watching your new baby grow up right here at GG&J

[kristian]

Originally Posted by MrYum

Sweet...the nuts n bolts start soon!

Very enlightening having this play out in a public forum. And it's gonna be great watching your new baby grow up right here at GG&J

You're obsessed with my nuts!

[Useless]

Honestly, as magnificent as it all sounds so far, you seem to have strayed away from the golden rule of webmastery. K.I.S.S. Or, as I like to say, K.I.S.C. - keep it simple cocksucker. The basis of a link list is such a simple thing. This isn't rocket surgery or brain science. Just make sure that when all is said and done, you haven't built a list where you yourself don't have the ability to toss shit around and edit on your own. A link list should't require a manual.

As you have your team of engineers and designers constructing your list, worry less about pretty - and more about the proper layout of the major aspects, such as paysite links, category link trades, and free site links. Study the big old link lists that have been around before anyone even knew what the F keys were for on their keyboards. Look for chaos and look for strategy - they're both there.

[kristian]

Hey bluemoney

Thanks a lot dude. I hope it helps you and I'm really excited with the way it's going myself. Lot of nice people here offering some great advice. Good luck with your LL!

Originally Posted by bluemoney

Hi Kristian
I wish you the very best in your endeavor and would also like to thank you for this most enjoyable and informative thread.
As a new LL owner myself this makes for a great guide with the input of some seasoned veterans of the biz and pretty damn good folks as well. So again, thanks for that and good luck