Forums vs. Ghost, what's better for your Minecraft server?

Recently we've been seeing a huge increase in Ghost websites being used for websites as opposed to your traditional XenForo forums. Why is that? Is Ghost a better alternative to XenForo? Are forums just dying? Let's break it down further in this article starting with this:

What is Ghost?

Ghost, or GhostCMS, is a content-management system that allows you to add, edit, and delete blog posts. If you're familiar with WordPress then you're already 99% familiar with Ghost given they are so functionally similar.

Ghost's main advantage over Wordpress is its clean user interface and easy installation. Ghost will only be used to power websites with blogs on them and nothing else.

The frontend for Ghost can be themed to your liking just like any other website and, similarly to XenForo, uses a simple templates system that allows developers to extend Ghost's default layout.

We're assuming you're already familiar with XenForo but just as a quick re-cap: XenForo (pronounced ZEN-foro) is an extremely popular forums software that powers numerous online communities. It is the de facto standard for what a forums should be as it offers community management, theming, permissions setup, and extensive analytics out-of-the-box.

The case for XenForo

XenForo will forever be the powerhouse when it comes to hosting your online community, but the question has to be asked: do you need an online community? On the list of first things to do for a new server owner, obtaining website ranks pretty high and we typically see XenForo setups. However, we also notice that these forums are small, inactive, and somewhat awkward to navigate. The website is setup as if its handling a large amount of traffic, with many subforums and categories just waiting to be filled with content but in reality we only see two posts under "Announcements" and 6 users signed up.

I'm not saying this is the wrong approach but rather if it's the most efficient way to establish an online presence.

Let's take a look at some servers that do XenForo right.

Shotbow

In its hayday Shotbow hosted 5,000 players and had an extremely active community on its forums. I believe Shotbow has this done right because of the games they have, which are competitive, long, and reliant on community feedback for updates.

Shotbow uses XenForo as a means to post community updates, hold discussions about games that include strategies, suggesstions, easter eggs, tutorials, and more. They also use their forums as a hub for the server, allowing users to register their accounts in-game so they can track earned "XP" in-game on their forums and also purchase cosmetics from the forums themselves.

That said, Shotbow does XenForo right because it feels so integrated and integral to the server itself.

Let's take a look at another example:

Hypixel

I'm sure everyone knows about Hypixel's forums, they're iconic. But what makes them so functional and useful? Some might say it's the design alone, it feels good to use because the user interface is so unique. Typical XenForo websites running off of UI.X themes appear bland and tacky, but I'm not here to go on a spiel about that. Let's delve further.

Remember how I mentioned that Shotbow's website works so well because it feels integrated with the server? Well, so does Hypixel's forums. Just take a look, we have the games neatly organized on the homepage with an active community that post guides, tips, bug reports, fun videos, and more. Not to mention, you can view the leaderboards on site (when are they coming back...), which adds even more immersion.

Hypixel's XenForo forums works because it's so integrated with the server itself.

Now I know what you're about to ask: "Do I need a huge player base to have a successful forums?". My answer to this is an absolute yes. There's also an extension to this, you want to create a game or offer an opportunity on your server that can be talked about and expanded.

Forums are great when you have multiple users passionate about a single topic but don't bet on users coming just for the sake of it - as a server owner you control the "topic", it's your server's game modes. Try to make them interesting and offer some quirks, whether it be cosmetics, a competition, etc, just something to get players talking!

You _can_ start off with a forums, but building up momentum and keeping it active is a tough task, let alone running a server and managing a team. Let's take a look at the alternative approach we're seeing for server websites.

The case for Ghost

Ghost is a relatively new kid on the block when it comes to community management and establishing an online presence for your Minecraft server.

To sum it up, Ghost is basically snipping out that "Announcements" section you'd have on your forums and basically making it the whole site. Let's take a look at a server that gets Ghost right:

The Archon

You can immediately see, compared to a XenForo website, how much simpler a Ghost website looks. Like we mentioned way earlier in this post, Ghost only powers blog websites, and what you're looking at is basically a blog for announcements. Ghost websites are typically more minimal in terms of design and content but still get the point across to your community when you need to post updates about your server and any relevant news.

But now let's ask the question: why is Ghost popular?

Well the answer is simple, it does the most important job. Remember how we mentioned that new servers will get XenForo and maybe have 2 or 3 posts in the "Announcements" subforums? Well, the announcements turn out to be the single most important aspect of a beginning Minecraft server. With a Ghost website, you're able to showcase your announcements front-and-center without the overhead of setting up XenForo. There's no need to configure permissions, nodes, addons, or themes since all you'll be doing with Ghost is posting articles.

This approach is favorable for new websites simply because it's minimal.

Let's recap

So, what exactly is the better choice here. Ghost or XenForo?

We made the case that XenForo is already great for community management and that XenForo can be great for Minecraft servers who offer a unique, talkable game mode with a large preexisting community.

We also made the case that Ghost is great for posting announcements and keeping your community updated.

So what's better? Well... it depends. It depends on where your server is at in terms of production-readiness (is it being made? Is it in beta? Is it already public?). It also depends on your focus when it comes to a nurturing a community: would you rather have an interactive, self-sustaining community that can chat amongst themselves via a message board or would you rather have readers who subscribe to your latest updates? It sort of depends on your preference, doesn't it?

If we're to take an economic approach to this, Ghost is much easier to host and setup than XenForo is. You can have a MVP (minimum-viable-product) website up and running much quicker when using Ghost than you can using XenForo.

Not to mention, Ghost is absolutely fantastic for your search-engine optimizations. Search engines LOVE user-generated content like blog posts.

So, to cap it off, our recommendation for your next website is Ghost but don't forget, you should always consider XenForo as a viable candidate.

Looking to get a website made for your server?

Your in luck! Syncore LLC, the parent company of Coral Dev, offers custom web design and development. We'll be able to craft your server a completely custom Ghost website to your exact specifications.

Check out one of our previous websites, SpaceDelta! Would you believe it if we told you it's a Ghost website?

Reach out to Athys#9347 on Discord if you're interested or contact us at hello@syn-core.com.