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This article is to give you a initial basis of how to get the most out of your pligg installation.

The first question asked is how to change certain things like " my site" or the "what is pligg?"

You can do this by simply going to admin and clicking on modify language.
you can filter any language item from there and make the necessary changes.

One big mistake I see if that people automatically install each and every module that comes with pligg.
You don't want to do this.
Only activate modules that are within your niche.

Block your site from countries that have no purpose being there. If you have a site for people in Rochester NY to share cookie recipes, there is no reason to allow people from other countries to post and submit. Experience says while you may think that they may have a good recipe. Chances are you will get more spam posts from those people. It's better to block them from the start. Go to block a country, block by ip address, deny access by country to get a customized block list of countries you wish to block.

Don't be shocked when someone submits something to your site that you don't like. You may not like what they are submitting but generally it can not be called spam. Please learn the definition of spam. In the past people would come the forums and complain about spam. To these people spam was anything that they didn't like or agree with. This is not spam. If you think this is spam then you better get used to it, you're running an open submission system. Not every submission is going to be good. Take a moment to look at the upcoming section of digg or reddit. It's full of what most would consider spam.

Pligg being the only OS CMS that is wide open for people to submit and share links is easily targeted for spam. That should be understood from the start. Pligg is also the only CMS of it's kind that provides you with numerous add ons to battle spam. I always recommend that you utilize every possible antispam method available. They are all available from pligg.com and most don't come with the standard package. Pligg is a flexible CMS so a vast majority of our users don't allow open submissions. If we packaged every possible antispam method with pligg it would be seriously bloated. Your best bet is to go through the forums and grab any available antispam method available for the version you're running.

Another good suggestion is to run the "antispam submission module" This allows you to set specific rules for new users. If user "A" signs up today he can only submit a limit of twice today. If his submissions are good enough he will be allowed more tomorrow.

One problem we do run into often is that many of our user base seem to think they since we've provided them with this free software, they believe that we are responsible for providing them with personal customization. Yes I know, we can't believe it either, but with hundreds of thousands of pligg users we still get a group that somehow believe that the developers of this great software should stop everything they are doing and work on customizing their site for free. This is HUGELY frowned upon.

Pligg is not like other CMS solutions. We do not have a large office with a bunch of interns. Pligg is run by a handful of good guys. None of which can be considered professional developers. We all have lives and no one does this full time.

How can you support Pligg?
We always accept donations. This is how we pay for server fees, bandwidth, etc. Unfortunately only 1 out of 100 will make any kind of donation. This is why we offer the Pligg Pro Shop. The shop allows for our developers to create add ons which can be purchased for a reasonable price and the proceeds go towards pligg. It's the best way to support pligg other than a direct donation to our cause. The shop gives you a chance to get something, and for Pligg to get something in return.

So you've installed pligg and have a question?
Please use the forum search. We've been doing this for over 3 years. Believe me, someone has already asked your question. There is nothing like wasting the developers time because you're too lazy to search.

Think you found a bug?
While it may be possible, chances are you've not configured something correctly or didn't read far enough. This becomes really bothersome to those that have been here for a long time. Can you imagine working at a job in which everyone around you refused to take the time to read instructions? You would probably be as bitter as we can be some days. The best advise is to always read everything twice. We are not saying you won't find a bug. We're just saying that with the widespread use, chances are that this bug has been reported already. Always search before starting a new bug thread.

Don't advertise your new site. Market your content.
A big mistake I see of new pligg sites is that they run to a place like digg and immediately submit the site. That's the kiss of death. It really shows that the administrator has no business running a site to begin with.
You might as well put " hey everyone I was smart enough to click a few buttons and this is the result" No one cares about your Pligg site.
Always market your content. Not the site itself. No one will care about a new site called blablablablabla dot come. but if blablalba dot com has some good content, they are more likely to come back.

It's going to take some time to build up a good social network. If you think you can install pligg and come back in a month to a vibrant social network you are smoking crack. It takes a lot of time to build up a good social news site. It's not going to happen tomorrow, next week, or even next month. Be prepared to spend numerous hours maintaining your community. If anyone could start their own twitter, digg, or reddit tomorrow they would.

Remember that all the good sites didn't start overnight. It takes time dedication and overall patience. If you start a niche site and it doesn't work out. Don't blame the developers. We only provide you the tools. If you are not able to utilize those tools correctly it's not the developers fault. You would not blame the guy that designed the plunger if your toilet overflows.
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