A server listing on RMS is an advertisement for your server. It should make your server look presentable and invite a visitor in to play your server, by listing the stats of your server, some information, and maybe a short blurb that sets a mood that is overall similar to that of your server's. Real advertising is professional, maybe you should try to be too!
Every time I read a server listing that has some large grammatical/spelling/barely English error in the description I want to gouge someone's eyes out. If English isn't your first language, please, you should have someone look over it before you post it and look like an idiot, and if English isn't your server's language its (correct me if I'm wrong) FINE to post in the common language of your server.
Another thing I see wrong with a LOT of listings is that they are all scrunched together and impossible to read, as if the writer doesn't know what a spacebar is. Sure, you may have a character limit but its not impossible to fit a small description within 500 characters without it having to look like that. Don't forget your server listing happens to have a nice a 'server features' bar with common changes from server to server, as well as rates posted, so many things that people tend to write in the descriptions...happens to already be thrown on the page already and is useless!
Banners - wonderful to have them but an animated one that is simply the sparkles you can have added from sites such as: http://www.pimp-my-profile.com/ are insanely annoying and look like barf. No one likes sparkly letters, or at least annoyingly large, fast, and miscoloured sparkly letters. If you really have a problem making an animated banner - sometimes a regular one (not animated!) does a better job.
Screenshots - Show off some custom things of your server - or perhaps an event, or a large group of players having fun. It's a wonderful place to show off custom headgears, maps, classes! Make sure to check the chatbox for weird player comments. (Swearing/name calling should never be in the screenshots chatbox, it'll make the server look unprofessional.)
For all that is holy, make sure to put your listing in the right place and list the right stats/levels/rates right. This includes listing your server as a PvP or roleplaying server when it IS one. Country is also an important piece of information to list - determining your server's language is important to any and all players. No unexpecting English player wants to join a server only to find its all German or Spanish and communication is going to be rough, as an example.
TL;DR: Don't be a retard: Spell things correctly, list information correctly, and stop using s*** banners.
Best post in awhile. I don't have a lot of faith that it will be read by those who will advertise, but still. Quality thread and a +1.
If people couldn't come to this conclusion their selves, I don't think they deserve to learn how to list well.
As hard as I think the same way, noone will ever read this.
If they by a chance read this they either ignore it, don't understand it, don't realize that we mean them with it or they think we are retards with no life.
People are just too stupid nowadays
Every time I look through servers and find one with a disgusting looking listing I instantly know its not worth my time, or anyone's time and I feel bad for the players of that server.
Seriously, Admins or GMs, why would you post screenshots of your players dissing eachother, swearing, or doing inappropriate things on your listing? Or your three "friends" around your GM character with max level characters that are wearing wings and kahos? It's like admitting your community sucks in one picture. Post pictures of things that will draw people in like customs, large WoE/PvP scenes, etc.
Quote from: Tande on Apr 21, 2010, 08:08 PM
Seriously, Admins or GMs, why would you post screenshots of your players dissing eachother, swearing, or doing inappropriate things on your listing? Or your three "friends" around your GM character with max level characters that are wearing wings and kahos?
cuz im cool hehe lolz & evryon likez meh hehehe lolz xD
Oh hey, I wrote something like that too as well. I think it was one of my first posts on RMS
[edit]indeed I did (http://www.ratemyserver.net/forum/index.php/topic,1075.0.html). Man, it's been 3 years huh
Geez, now people are going to be making DECENT RMS pages because of you. Thank's alot D<!
Quote from: Habuka on Apr 22, 2010, 09:06 AM
Geez, now people are going to be making DECENT RMS pages because of you. Thank's alot D<!
i don't think that will be an issue
i think it serves as a good means of narrowing the list of possible servers to check out; if they can't even use a spell check what is the chances they know how to run a server?
Could enforce quality control. Make each server listing require an actual reviewal process.
Then maybe we wouldn't have idiots labeling themselves and RP servers when they aren't - they just can't read english and/or decide to pick it out because it'd mean they could be on a smaller listing as well!
I seriously doubt that's going to happen.
I totally agree with the first post of this thread. It's annoying to see how people are "fluent" with English when they can't even describe their server properly. Some of them don't even talk about the server features. "COME AND JOIN" and "NEW SERVER SO COME" and whatnot (that's like their only sentence for a description).