Idea for the Links page

I keep looking at the links page and I'm thinking it seriously needs some love. Its one of the tabs on the Snarkpit so its not like its a subtle thing.

I've created this thread for two reasons.

• A new Idea
• Suggestions for removal/addition of links

My new idea is that we add a new section to the links page, just below the other links, "Member Websites". Members can request for a link to their website to be added and it be put up on the links page. I think that idea is benefiting this website, the members who have a website on the links page aswell as other members and guests who are interested in an easily accessible list to member websites and it promotes custom maps/content. I'm thinking that most member websites will be related to Half-life 2 and mapping in some way. What do you guys think?

Also, my other purpose for this thread is to suggest changes to the links page. Alot of the links on that page are broken and there are alot of websites that should be up there that aren't.

So feel free to post your thoughts on my above suggestions or to post your addition/removal request or a request to add your website up there (if the folks and the admins like the idea).

I'll start, the following links need to be culled:

• Prefabland (Timed out, server issue?)
• Editing Collective
• Hot Death Diner
• Half-life Radio
• SourcePrefabs
• HL2 Coders
• Cheroke Team
• Half-life.org
• Half-life 2 Source

(I apologize if I have posted any links that actually do work!)

Here are some suggestions for additions to kick start things off

• FPSBanana
• MapCore
• TWHL
• Valve Developer Community
• Half-life 2 map Optimization Guide
• Snarkpit Steam Group
• Steam Powered
• ModDB
• Snarkpit IRC Channel

And we can even go further and suggest free file/image/web hosting.

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Aaron's Stuff

Ooo bit of a fuckup there! sorry m8, should be able to edit topics ok now, I messed up with the permissions for normal users.

What happened when your post didn't 'go through'? Did it timeout? The database seems to be pretty slow again :/

I think Gwil / Riven are the ones to be talking to about the links, but if you come up with the list of what should be on there then I don't mind updating it if noone has any objections.

I'll attend to these link suggestions tomorrow now, the larch can have a break I'd do it now but im slightly concerned about the tight feeling i've had in my chest all day.. cigarettes, drugs and alcohol finally catching up!

How could someone intelligent like you sucumb to such temptations, Gwil?

Luckily I pasted most of the thread in notepad before I posted.

Heck I thought I was the only one who does that

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Just Kidding

Just Kidding

Well, then I'll post my feedback now, and when Gwil gets the chance to comment on it you (larchy) can determine what to add or not. Although, I'm sure you'll want to wait and see what other people might say about it too.

aaron_da_killa said:
"Member Websites". Members can request for a link to their website to be added and it be put up on the links page.

My thoughts: Well, for discussion's sake: Members can already post a link to their website that shows on their profile page. So, the form for it is already there.

One way of searching for people's websites currently would be to browse the memberlist and click on profile links. So, if user websites are important enough, then I don't see why we shouldn't add a section below the normal links. However, if we do go about doing this, I would want a way to monitor that. Someone could easily upload links to porno sites. I don't know if Gwil's admin status has the ability to add or remove Links, but if he doesn't, then that should be an ability, and THEN we could worry about editing which links are already on there.

I think it should be an option to choose to add our links to the link page, and we could also write a short (50-100 character limit) description next to it. (the description would only appear on the links page and not on the profile page).

aaron-da_killa said:
"And we can even go furthur and suggest free file/image/web hosting"

-We do; they're called 'pits'.

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

I can edit the links, theoretically, but the "lid" variable isn't being passed on the Control Panel option when I try and edit an existing link.

Hmm, this would be because the table didn't have an index - sowwee, must have neglected to add it to the original table.

You shall be placed in the stocks at noon tomorrow!

u always play kinky :x

WARNING: WALL OF TEXT IMMINENT

Larchy said:
Ooo bit of a fuckup there! sorry m8, should be able to edit topics ok now, I messed up with the permissions for normal users.

That's alright, I wasn't blaming you, I am blaming the Snarkpit Trolls. One or more of the members has been feeding the trolls, do not feed the trolls!

Larchy said:
What happened when your post didn't 'go through'? Did it timeout? The database seems to be pretty slow again :/

No timeout or anything, it just for some reason post the whole post, at first I thought there was some sort of word limit bug where if you exceed this (non existent) word limit your post doesn't all go through. Must be the trolls again.

Flynn said:

aaron_da_killa said:
Luckily I pasted most of the thread in notepad before I posted.

Heck I thought I was the only one who does that

I have had a few incidents where I have lost entire huge posts of mine I have written and edited with BB code and such, mainly my fault such as accidentally navigating to the previous page and losing the post or closing the window .

Riven said:
My thoughts: Well, for discussion's sake: Members can already post a link to their website that shows on their profile page. So, the form for it is already there.

I don't know if you mean that the idea of putting members websites on the links page is a bad idea because they are already shown in their respective profiles or if you think there is no need to post requests for member websites to be put on the links page because all the links are in the profiles and they can be collected there.

Either way, I have something to say. There is no real disadvantage to having member websites on the links page, it is below the other links (in another category) so it is not cluttering or crowding the existing links, and its something that I'm sure a fair few people are interested in (looking at other peoples websites). Not to mention its giving the owners of the websites more hits and giving more reasons for people to visit the links page! There is an extra reason for every new link!

As for going through the data base and shoving all the member websites up there, thats a bad idea. Alot of those websites would be obsolete or broken now and they may not want their website to appear on the links page (for whatever strange reason), not to mention the tedious work it would be.

Riven said:
However, if we do go about doing this, I would want a way to monitor that. Someone could easily upload links to porno sites.

Yes, I considered this aswell, but not for that reason :dodgy:. Its unlikely that one of our members will suddenly add a whole bunch of links to various porn websites, but I was thinking more of monitoring incase if they get removed from the server or whatever, the last thing we need is a bunch of broken links.

Riven said:
I think it should be an option to choose to add our links to the link page, and we could also write a short (50-100 character limit) description next to it. (the description would only appear on the links page and not on the profile page).

Yes, I thought about this aswell. A description or just a simile array of categories to choose from like "Blog", "Portfolio (maps, tutorials etc)", "Personnal website", "Community" etc.

Riven said:

aaron_da_killa said:
And we can even go further and suggest free file/image/web hosting

-We do; they're called 'pits'.

Yes but I'm sure Gwil isn't prepared to hand out pits to everyone, and I wouldn't want peoples pits to munch up all the server space. I was thinking like, ImageShack, FileFront, stuff like that.

Gwil said:
You shall be placed in the stocks at noon tomorrow!

Oh no, he's a goner.

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Aaron's Stuff

For clarity's sake: I do think adding member links as their own section on the links page is a GOOD idea. I agree with you; adding everyone's current site to the list would be bad. Perhaps there could be a checkbox next to the 'your website' field on your user profile control panel that could put you website up for approval by the admins. Admins would receive a list of links awaiting approval (just like articles get) and they could change the description, or add new tags to it (portfolio, blog, etc..) before approving it, or downright reject it with a feedback message sent back to the user.

aaron_da_killa said:

Riven said:
[quote=aaron_da_killa]
And we can even go further and suggest free file/image/web hosting

-We do; they're called 'pits'.

Yes but I'm sure Gwil isn't prepared to hand out pits to everyone, and I wouldn't want peoples pits to munch up all the server space. I was thinking like, ImageShack, FileFront, stuff like that. [/quote]

Well, in that respect, don't we already offer file hosting for your maps and their associated images? And you can upload your articles/tutorials with their images, and your downloads? I don't quite understand what you're asking for, because I think we already have this. Pits are for long-time users who 'prove' their worthiness and attitude by staying active in the forums and keeping polite among other users (and stay on Gwil's good side :P). People find out about them only after they have been here a while and thus 'deserve' them. < or at least that's how I think they should be handled. If you want free random 100Mg(and up) file hosting and photo galleries, then you should probably go somewhere where they specialize in that (like filefront and imageshack). We're a mapping community, if we're gonna host anything for you it's going to be one of the three kinds of things I already mentioned. <That's how I feel about it anyway...

-Anyone else care to share their thoughts?

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Blog: www.playingarchitecture.net
LinkedIn: Eric Lancon
Twitter:@Riven202

That's pretty much the nail on the head in regards to Pit policy, they are extended to those members who are most "deserving" of some free space on this fine ship. If you look at the old list of people with pits, it was a small handful. As for what they are used for, I imagined always people could store RMFs/BSPs, screenshots of maps and WIP etc.

Links page - i'm not sure about having user websites there. Perhaps Riven has the best idea on having a request approve/deny feature in regards to linking to portfolio or blog. Adding it as a submit feature might be a bit much (I can't see it getting enough legwork to warrant a new bit of code), rather, the people who are interested just post on the forums or rattle off a PM.

Another link that should be added when somebody updates the links page.

Game Dev Map

If I remember right, it was posted by reaper47 in the Recently Found thread, its quite a nice link. Its on the links page on my website.

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Aaron's Stuff

If we ever decide to make the changes, we should add PlanetPhillip to the list also .

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Aaron's Stuff