Hello everyone. This is a new blog series I'm starting called My Philosophy. It is just my general understanding of things that happen in communities. Be prepared to see titles that have nothing to do with the bulk of the blog, but turn up sooner or later. Today is about how server owners struggle with different things.

Traffic

Many server owners struggle with what is called traffic. Getting traffic is a goal of the majority (80-90%) of public servers out there. Traffic just means players that keep coming back to play. Call me jaded, but it seems that the only way of getting traffic now it to put NEED STAFF in the title. Servers like MCBestCraft, ObsidianCraft, LegendaryCraft and many more didn't do that when they advertised. Those servers had one thought: enjoyment for the players and an idea to keep them coming back for more fun. This should be the goal of all servers. I think it is a brilliant logic for getting traffic.

The Server Staff

The staff are probably the most important piece of your server other than the idea and the plugins. People who deserve staff aren't the ones who tell you, they are the ones who SHOW you. I agree with the fact that the players should let the moderators do their job. But with people who deserve staff are helping new players, giving them an introduction and staying with them until they 100% know the server and are ready to have fun. In the case of applying, someone who asks for staff in the game and then applies, is probably some power-hungry 13 year-old who wants an administrator position. How do you think that is going to turn out? If someone applies with great writing skills, honesty, and knowing of what they are actually doing, they should be accepted. But I'm not done, those people still don't have your trust. So I recommend the Watch and Reflect system. You give the player a Trial-Staff position which cannot ban, but can mute, kick, and jail. You watch and monitor how they do, and the reflect on how it helped. Finally you should make your decision about giving them a full staff position. Bad staff is the cause for the downfall of most newly made servers.

Ideas

This is most likely the hardest step in the process of making a server. It just isn't unique anymore. I've been playing minecraft since it was in InDev or whatever the first stage was. As bukkit was created and plugins were developed, nobody knew, but some of the most popular servers you know today would arise. These servers were the first of their kind. But it has backfired on the Minecraft community. Think about this. How many times a week do you come on Planet Minecraft and see [FACTIONS] [GREAT STAFF] [CREATIVE] [27/7] [RANKS]. A lot. The basic understanding of decision for playing on a copycat server is this: So you go on Planet Minecraft. You see 2 servers which have the exact same plugins and mechanics. Which one to choose? Well, it all depends on the community. I cannot stress this enough. Bad management and administrators who ban players for thinking differently then the staff is not a server to play on. Nice players, active and helpful moderators, and people who are open to different ways of thinking is a good server.

Help

Server owners take it upon themselves to deal with every single server-based, NOT player-based problems all alone. They say they have to be the Supreme Ruler of the virtual multiplayer pixelated sandbox world. You don't have to! Most servers I have been to have some sort of co-owner or another owner even. Sometimes the co-owner may be more important than the owner because he/she advises the owner. Your staff aren't just there to stop the griefers and hackers. They are there to help you! Ask them for ideas. A dedicated staff member who truly cares will give a fully fledged idea towards helping you and your server. As long as you are attentive and responsive, your server will thrive.

Conclusion

Servers struggle to get up and running with players that are dedicated. It isn't as easy as you may think. Some people tell themselves setting up the server technologically is the hard part. Getting a community is the difficult part. But if you are open minded and flexible, your job as a server owner will be much easier.

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I hope you enjoyed #1 of My Philosophy! I don't have a schedule for the series but I will keep doing more! If you liked this and learned something today, give me a diamond! Thank you and fare a well!