Need a little more help, probably from Draxion, in coding index page

Hi,

As a new forum, having a ghost town can be a liability:



So the last coding session Draxion and I were having a great time stripping away Today's active topics, Today's top 20 posters, Overall top 20 posters, the Legend part said Moderators, and the Statistics:

We got it down to this, and on Line 56, even could change the words from Who Is Online to Who's In The House or whatever you'd want, which is really cool.

However once you logged in, you'd see Who Is Online again with nothing under it.)

Code:

                      {JAVASCRIPT}
                        <!-- BEGIN switch_user_logged_in --><p class="right rightside">{LAST_VISIT_DATE}</p><!-- END switch_user_logged_in -->
                        <p>{CURRENT_TIME}</p>
                        <br class="clear" />
                   
                        <!-- BEGIN switch_user_login_form_header -->
                        <div class="panel">
                        <div class="inner"><span class="corners-top"><span></span></span>
                        <form action="{S_LOGIN_ACTION}" method="post" name="form_login">
                        <div class="user_login_form center">
                        <label>{L_USERNAME} : <input class="post" type="text" size="10" name="username" /></label>&nbsp;
                        <label>{L_PASSWORD} : <input class="post" type="password" size="10" name="password" /></label>&nbsp;
                        <label>{L_AUTO_LOGIN} : <input class="radio" type="checkbox" name="autologin" {AUTOLOGIN_CHECKED} /></label>&nbsp;
                        {S_HIDDEN_FIELDS}<input class="mainoption button1" type="submit" name="login" value="{L_LOGIN}" />
                   
                                        <!-- BEGIN switch_social_login -->
                                        <div class="social_btn">
                                            <!-- BEGIN fb_connect -->
                                            <div class="fb-login-button"></div>
                                            <!-- END fb_connect -->
                                            <!-- BEGIN topicit_connect -->
                                            <div class="ti-connect"></div>
                                            <!-- END topicit_connect -->
                                        </div>
                                        <!-- END switch_social_login -->
                        </div>
                        </form>
                        <span class="corners-bottom"><span></span></span></div>
                        </div>
                        <!-- END switch_user_login_form_header -->
                   
                        <!-- BEGIN message_admin_index -->
                        <div class="panel introduction">
                        <div class="inner"><span class="corners-top"><span></span></span>
                        <!-- BEGIN message_admin_titre -->
                        <div class="h3">{message_admin_index.message_admin_titre.MES_TITRE}</div>
                        <!-- END message_admin_titre -->
                   
                        <!-- BEGIN message_admin_txt -->
                        <div class="mes-txt">{message_admin_index.message_admin_txt.MES_TXT}</div>
                        <!-- END message_admin_txt -->
                        <span class="corners-bottom"><span></span></span></div>
                        </div>
                        <!-- END message_admin_index -->
                   
                        {CHATBOX_TOP}
                        {BOARD_INDEX}
                   
                        <!-- BEGIN disable_viewonline -->
                   
                        <!-- BEGIN switch_viewonline_link -->
                        <div class="h3"><a href="{U_VIEWONLINE}" rel="nofollow">{L_WHO_IS_ONLINE}</a></div>
                        <!-- END switch_viewonline_link -->
                   
                        <!-- BEGIN switch_viewonline_nolink -->
                        <div class="h3">Who's in the house?</div>
                        <!-- END switch_viewonline_nolink -->
                   
                        <!--<img src="{L_ONLINE_IMG}" id="i_whosonline" alt="{L_WHO_IS_ONLINE}" class="img-whois" />
                        <p>{TOTAL_USERS_ONLINE}<br />
                        {RECORD_USERS}
                   
                        <br />
                        {LOGGED_IN_USER_LIST}
                   
                        {L_ONLINE_USERS}
                        {L_CONNECTED_MEMBERS}<br />
                        {L_WHOSBIRTHDAY_TODAY}{L_WHOSBIRTHDAY_WEEK}
                   
                        <br />
                        <em>{LEGEND}&nbsp;:&nbsp;{GROUP_LEGEND}</em>
                   
                        </p>
                -->
                        <div class="clear"></div>
                   
                        <!-- BEGIN switch_statistics_link -->
                        <!-- <div class="h3"><a href="{U_STATISTICS}" rel="nofollow">{L_STATISTICS}</a></div> -->
                        <!-- END switch_statistics_link -->
                   
                        <!-- BEGIN switch_statistics_nolink -->
                        <!-- <div class="h3">{L_STATISTICS}</div> -->
                        <!-- END switch_statistics_nolink -->
                   
                        <!--<p class="page-bottom">
                        {TOTAL_POSTS}
                        </p>
                        <p class="page-bottom">
                        {TOTAL_USERS}
                        </p>
                        <p class="page-bottom">
                        {NEWEST_USER}
                        </p>
                -->
                        <!-- BEGIN switch_chatbox_activate -->
                        <div class="h3"><a href="{S_JOIN_CHAT}" target="ChatBox">{CHATBOX_NAME}</a></div>
                        <div class="page-bottom">
                        {TOTAL_CHATTERS_ONLINE}&nbsp;:&nbsp;
                        {CHATTERS_LIST}<br />
                        </div>
                        <!-- BEGIN switch_chatbox_popup -->
                        <div id="chatbox_popup"></div>
                        <script type="text/javascript">
                        insertChatBoxPopup('{disable_viewonline.switch_chatbox_activate.switch_chatbox_popup.U_FRAME_CHATBOX}', '{L_CLICK_TO_JOIN_CHAT}');
                        </script>
                        <!-- END switch_chatbox_popup -->
                        <!-- END switch_chatbox_activate -->
                        <!-- END disable_viewonline -->
                   
                        {CHATBOX_BOTTOM}
                   
                        <!-- BEGIN switch_user_login_form_footer -->
                        <div class="panel">
                        <div class="inner"><span class="corners-top"><span></span></span>
                        <form action="{S_LOGIN_ACTION}" method="post" name="form_login">
                        <div class="user_login_form center">
                        <label>{L_USERNAME} : <input class="post" type="text" size="10" name="username" /></label>&nbsp;
                        <label>{L_PASSWORD} : <input class="post" type="password" size="10" name="password" /></label>&nbsp;
                        <label>{L_AUTO_LOGIN} : <input class="radio" type="checkbox" name="autologin" {AUTOLOGIN_CHECKED} /></label>&nbsp;
                        {S_HIDDEN_FIELDS}<input class="mainoption button1" type="submit" name="login" value="{L_LOGIN}" />
                   
                                        <!-- BEGIN switch_social_login -->
                                        <div class="social_btn">
                                            <!-- BEGIN fb_connect -->
                                            <div class="fb-login-button"></div>
                                            <!-- END fb_connect -->
                                            <!-- BEGIN topicit_connect -->
                                            <div class="ti-connect"></div>
                                            <!-- END topicit_connect -->
                                        </div>
                                        <!-- END switch_social_login -->
                        </div>
                        </form>
                        <span class="corners-bottom"><span></span></span></div>
                        </div>
                        <!-- END switch_user_login_form_footer -->
                   
                        <br style="clear:both" />
                   
                        <!-- BEGIN switch_legend -->
                        <ul id="picture_legend">
                        <li><img src="{FORUM_NEW_IMG}" alt="{L_NEW_POSTS}" />{L_NEW_POSTS}</li>
                        <li><img src="{FORUM_IMG}" alt="{L_NO_NEW_POSTS}" />{L_NO_NEW_POSTS}</li>
                        <li><img src="{FORUM_LOCKED_IMG}" alt="{L_FORUM_LOCKED}" />{L_FORUM_LOCKED}</li>
                        </ul>
                        <!-- END switch_legend -->
                   
                        {AUTO_DST}

So I tinkered with the coding so it wouldn't be a blank underneath Who Is Online, and this looks nice - if you have visitors *cough cough smile*




So until or unless this forum gets busy, I'd like two know two things:

1) Which Line to delete to get rid of Who Is Online, whether a user is logged in or not.

2) Or, this is totally different - what code be added to look like there are always at least x number of visitors? Then I can keep the Who Is Online, and since it won't look like a ghost town, a visitor might be more likely to stay and even join. I've seen this done routinely on at least one forum I visit, as there are always a minimum number of "guests". No way, been there too long to buy it and know everyone.

No hurry, take your time for anyone who wants to help.

Thanks!

You do know there is an option to turn off who's online in the AP.

Where? Thanks.

AP > Display > Homepage > Structure & Hierarchy
Hierarchy Section
Display viewonline information box on index:

Gee, that was easy, thanks SLGray.

On to question #2: How about a few lines of code to look like there are always at least x number of visitors?



Edit: Have to be up early for work, going to bed now and will check back tomorrow evening. Thanks.

hello 

regarding question no2 i think there is a code that you can show all your registered users in your ...Members connected during last 48 hours... area and not only the ...list of connected members during last 48 hours ... but for quests, the only solution is to advertising your forum to social media or to search engines
(reminder : you can change the 48 hours from admin panel...display...Homepage...Generalities...)
 
You have to be patience in order to see your forum more active it took me about 1,5 years and daily advertisement to FB and Twitter to see some traffic

here are some tutorials to help you 

GUIDE: The main rules to increase your traffic
How to Add Keywords (MetaTags)
Google Webmaster Tools
Optimize your forum referencing with Google sitemaps
Forum Promotion
Analyze your forum traffic with Google Analytics
GUIDE to avoid SEO errors
How to improve your SEO?
How to set up Google webmaster tools for your forum?

Skoulike, this has been extremely helpful. I did a search for where you mentioned "list of connected members during last 48 hours" and found this link, which instructs:

Display>Generalities
Display list of connected members during last 12* hours :Yes
Period in hours : 24
Save.

I made mine for 72 hours. This is great - now it doesn't look like a wasteland devoid of human life.

And thank you again Draxion for helping me getting rid of the stuff I didn't want and changing the words of Who Is Online?




So otherwise I'll read over your links, Skouliki, to increase traffic, so far I haven't done any advertising or the SEO stuff. I still wonder how on earth some forums show stats like "450 active users: 9 members, and 441 guests". Heck, I just wanted to add a modest 10 or 15 guests.

It's laughable. Doesn't add up. I'm extremely familiar with a couple of forums, and there's just no.way.possible. Several forums are owned by one company, so I've wondered if they've configured one forum to cumulatively show guest from all their forums? Is that possible? Just curious.

if i share my post on FB or Twitter i get from 15 to 25 guests for 5-10 min..
its all about creating a forum, having an idea and people get interested to join ...
its really up to you to keep your forum alive, there is no magic at all 

here are some ideas
-Allow guests to view/read some subforums,it is very unlikely for someone who doesn't know what the forum is about or what's on the forum to register as a member... also this way search engine crawlers can index pages on your forum
-Create popular topics, it is up to you to create some interesting, provoking posts that make people want to respond or make a comment on the topic
-Dont create too many topics especially if it is not needed.
-Participate by responding to other posts, and make sure everything is running smoothly
-Add some awards for your members if they are active

you cannt expect to create a forum and instantly get thousands of users and posts...it takes time for users to visit, register, and participate on a forum

I've been reading Get your website on Google and some of your other links. I was surprised that Google crawled over my forum already, and haven't really done anything. Cool.

As for members, I'd lose my mind if I had thousands! Under 50 is more my speed, and 25 friendly, creative dog lovers who post a couple times a week would really be nice. Sounds do-able as I put this in writing.

Thanks for the tips, I'll mark this solved.

you are very welcome

I share content from my forum on social media like Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, etc.  This is one way to get in search engines and get more visitors.

Is this solved?

Yes, thank you, as I said and did two posts up from yours.