PingBad
Guru
Joined: 05 Feb 2005
Posts: 1992
Location: New Zealand
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 Posted: Sep 15, 2006 4:46am Post subject: Checklist for starting a network |
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I had this on my own forums at one stage, but due to the amount of spam I received as well as a few other indirect circumstances was forced to shut them down. I dug up a tut I had written about a month before the shutdown and figured I'd share... comments, additions, suggestions, etc are more than welcome 
| I wrote: | So, you want to start your very own network do ya? Have somewhere to hang out with mates, have fun and not worry about those IRCops on other networks?
First.. ask yourself this: who is your target network population? Are you hoping to cater for developers, for people who like a given topic/subject (for example: A linux user's group), or just a general network for (almost) everybody.
Secondly, what IRCd/Services combo do you hope to use? There are hundreds of either, but some services may only work (at full potential) with a given IRCd, and some IRCds that work better with a certain set of services linked to them (A popular combo is UnrealIRCd with Anope Services). Also at this time, talk to mates and other Network Admins/Owners and get some research done on your ircd host. A quick Google trip may come in handy, as well as postings on the SearchIRC Discussion Boards and IRC-Junkie.org forums.
Then decide your policies, what rules are going to be enforced on your network. Think carefully about this. If you have left something out, someone may come along, break an unwritten rule and avoid punishment because you have left it out (a general catch-all is advised for "future proofing" your policies). Generally speaking, the following are a must: Acceptable Use Policy, Linking Policy, IRCop Application Policy (even if you don't want strangers signing up, said policy can just say that you are currently not accepting applications for staff), Linking Policy (ditto for this one).
Chances are likely by this stage that there are other networks out there that have the same policies, same IRCd/Servs combo and same niche. So I suggest you check resources like SearchIRC to see if there are. If you still want to press on creating your own network, then read on.
Following all that, what staff-to-users ratio do you wish to attain? A general rule of thumb is somewhere between 1 oper to 30 users and 1 oper to 50 users (some networks have ratios as high as 1 oper for every 100-150 users, some higher still - I have heard winds of the largest 4 nets having ratios as large as 1 oper for every 10,000 users) and who is going to be your staff? Naturally, you'd pick your mates however this is discouraged due to the "mate factor" - that is, you are far more likely to be lenient towards your mates for misusing /kill as opposed to someone you're not quite as aquainted with for the same offence.
When you have set everything up (and be sure to cover all the bases, security especially), go and promote your network. This does not mean go onto random networks and spam. Just invite your mates over (if they seem interested) and let word-of-mouth sort itself out. While you wait for your mates to invite their mates over and the process of natural selection to go through itself, consider submitting your network to SearchIRC, netsplit.de and other IRC network listing sites.
Over time, your network may need some fine-tuning for performance/security/user-friendliness reasons and you are quite likely to go thru server linkings, netsplits and internal staff wrangling/politics (its the life of being an oper, sadly enough).
But here's a big question: There are, at any one time, one million IRC users online globally, each have found a cosy spot to pitch their tent, light the campfire and settle in - what makes your network more attractive than where they already are? Users will only venture outside of their campsite(s) if there's something in it for them. Offering something like a helpop O:Line for regular contributors to the network site (if you ever decide on running one), or in the help channels or who have made a contribution to the betterment of IRC as a whole may get you some users, but may also get you op beggers in the process.
Finally, whatever you decide to do with your network: Good luck |
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