A kind of "How To" manual,. Many of you will be migrating here from the original Darksites text-based website. I've created this new, more interactive version of Darksites so that my guests can enjoy the versatility and power of a full MySQL database.
New Functions The new Darkisites is packed with so many new features that it will probably take you several visits before you've used them all.
Select Style On the left column you will see "Select Style". This option will allow you to change the look of the board from black (default) to many other options. Not only does this option change color but it may change the format. Here are some significant style options:
Blue: The bottom 2 lines (stars, comments etc) are left off of each listing making the list more compact. This is ideal for video listings.
Left Column: This elimates the right column of the list.
Simple: Neither column, nor the top is displayed.
Soft 750 Pixel: This is the original format for this database. You'll see that each listing is much larger.
Categories Just like on the original Darksites you will see category listings on the left column of the screen. There are a couple new categories (Vore and Amazon Combat) and two new options "New" and "Pop". If you click on the name - like "Vore" - you will get a listing of all Vore sites in alphabetical order. Clicking on "New" will give you the list in order of newest listing first and "Pop" will give you the list in order of most popular listing first.
Search The primary reason for setting up this database is so that users could have a search function and this one is exceptional. Guests can search by words (like "belly"), categories (like Amazon Combat or Executions) or site types (like Yahoo Groups or Japanese Sites). Leaving any field blank will mean that the field does not impact your search. Choosing "Website" under "Site Type" eliminates all sites that aren't standard websites including MySpace profiles, Google Groups, Yahoo Groups or YouTube Videos.
Example from WeirdandSexy.com: Typing in "Buffy" without choosing a category or site type will turn up "Buffy" from all categories and site types which will probably give you girls named "Buffy" from Scream Queens, Bikini Models, Femdom etc. If you were only interested in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" sites you should choose "Buffy" in the search field and "Category: Vampires". Now let's say you want Buffy sites, but you don't want to bother with any Yahoo style groups or Japanese sites. Choose what you did before and add "Site Type: Website".
You can use the Search function to browse Darksites. Leave the description field blank and then choose what category and site type you would like to browse. If you wanted to read through all of "Slasher" but wanted to break it up; you could choose to read through all the "Website" sites by choosing "Site Type: Website", next choose "Site Type: Google Groups" to read through all the Google Group Slasher sites posted in Darksites.
Sort: Sort allows guests to sort not only by Title like the original Darksites but also by popularity, date added, rating, editor's pick, hits in, description, number of votes and even whether you want to see it in ascending or descending order. Realize that the sort defaults to descending order which is terrific for sorting by Title but you may want to change it for sorting by "Date Added". This is set up in advance next to category names.
Sort by Description: "Sort by Description" may initially seem useless but I have added a code for the Site Type of each site to the beginning of the description to make this type of sort useful. This means that if you sort by description, all the Yahoo Sites, Free Sites, Pay Sites, Japanese Sites etc will be clumped together.
Comments: At the bottom of each site description is the option to read or leave a comment. Maybe you have a useful comment... like placing under Action Girls: "I hear that Action Girls is coming out with some new Amazon photosets." Maybe a site is advertised as something other than it really is, you can help your fellow guests with a comment. "Yeah, Mafia Girls show a lot of girls with guns but it's really just a f*ck and s*ck - nothing reallly new." Try to be kind and fair. Site owners may leave dated comments about specials and updates.
Rating: This is where lots of votes will make a difference. Only one vote each day from each IP and you know that the owner is going to give himself five stars. I'm pretty conciliatory so even when I run into crap sites, I don't usually burn them as much as they deserve. Here's where you can do the burning and warn your friends or do some complimenting so your friends will know that a site is particularly good!
Bad Link?: Here is your chance to help me with Darksites. Is the site gone? Has it been co-opted by another, different type of site? Is my description, site type or category wrong? Give me a quick note to tell me so I can fix it.
Details: Popping in here may give you more information on the site, the person who posted the site, comments and even, sometimes, some galleries.
Preview: You've got to give this a shot, it is so cool! You can open up a little box that will give you a preview of the site you were about to visit. This'll help you avoid closed sites, missing sites and co-opted sites.
In Frame: This is a lot of fun! You can open a site in a Weirdandsexy.com frame and then if you get bored with that site you can just forward to the next site in the list!
Adding Sites: At the top of each page is the option to add a site. I welcome each and every one of you to add sites I may've missed. There are some sites I will not list but these are extremely rare exceptions - here are the rules:
Kids: No kids, none, nowhere! By no children - I mean no one under the age of 18 naked or involved in sexual situations and no preteens AT ALL! Remember ANY child ANYWHERE means NO LINK!! I'm VERY strict on this! I will usually be pretty lenient with art, especially anime and I can't police stories unless it looks like underage stories are the full focus of the site.
Criminal Instruction: Nothing on the site providing help or step by step instruction on how to commit or get away with crimes. This includes promotion or openly calling for the commission of crimes like killing or harrassing Christians, Jews, Atheists, Republicans, Democrats.. whatever.
NO AFFILIATE PROMO SITES!!: When a webmaster signs up for an affiliate or partner program from a potential sponsor; they are often allowed to download free pics to assist in sending traffic to the website. Oftentimes a webmaster (me included) will build tiny little websites that are nothing more than 5 to 30 pics downloaded from an advertiser and then set up with a generous amount of advertising for the sponsor. Feel free to submit these to TGPs or Top 100s but there's no point in listing them here - I'll just link to the sponsor and kick out the redundant little promo site.
Must be browser friendly: There's NOTHING that turns someone off more than a rude internet control freak and we will IMMEDIATELY sever a link for the following infractions. Attempting to write code (other than cookies) to the harddrive. Adding bookmarks without consent. Changing the user's homepage. Consoles with no close button (Hit alt-F4). Sites you CANNOT exit without alt-ctrl-delete. Excessive consoles.
No viruses, spyware etc: Usually this is NOT the owner's fault but the link will be made inactive until the virus is repaired.
No illegal activity: No password trading, text on your site stating that copyright holders of pics on your site can go screw themselves, warez.
Only relevant sites: I have a specific list of categories here and if your site doesn't fit any of them then I don't have a place to put it. You may want to try weirdandsexy.com.
No Rapidshare type link: This means a link to a specific Rapidshare, Mediafire, Imageshack style file. This file probably won't have a very long life and there's a potential for 1000s of them. Both Rapidshare and Mediafire allow user accounts and I'll happily link to these.
Add Site Suggestion - Politics/Religion: I've seen a number of sites with very strong political/religious language. Sometimes the site goes so far as to degrade, extremely degrade the other side with hate language so severe that it would make any nazi gulp in disbelief. I have actually passed on a couple that were far too severe for my tastes. Here are my ideas on the subject.
You are changing NO ONE'S mind on the subject - you're only changing people's minds about you! You are accomplishing nothing beneficial for yourself or your society - just the cathartic enjoyment of bashing the other side with emotionally fulfilling hate language and mockeries.
Why alienate half your potential readers? WHY? Seriously, what is the point of losing a potential ally and filling your email box with hate mail? That Bush supporter or Anti-War guy who MAY'VE helped you get a better webhost or turned you on to a relevant messageboard has clicked the close button on your site and posted a one star rating on my directory. Congratulations.
Live your political/religious life on OTHER sites! Go to YouTube or Yahoo or Google and get involved in a good debate. Call your opponent an idiot or an asshole or a fascist. Get it out of your system and then come back and run your death fetish/extreme site with political/religious neutrality.
Articles: Please submit tutorials, opinion pieces and stories to Darksites I'll be personally approving them and will only be concerned about the following rules: Nothing offensive, overtly political or overtly religious. Opinion Pieces should be relevant to Darksites, not the Iraq war, Islam or Hillary Clinton. If you are subtle and smart enough, you can educate us on a relevant political issue without descending into slander, hate and ad hominems. For example... Good: Article 2257's recent redefinition has successfully sent a chill throughout adult entertainment and is undoubtedly a tool to help destroy what its creators think of as "evil pornography". Bad (This is not my opinion - just an example of how not to write an article): Those fucking Republican idiots passed 2257 because porn is making Baby Jesus cry. Those fucktard Christians need to get their own lives and stop fucking with us! Stories: Not much here... Please place information as to what fetish it pertains to in the title and please no one under 18 at all.
Basics
