Creating fake users, fake posts, and changing signup date on PHPBB

Hi,

Is there a way to create a number of fake users with high post counts and change their signup date on PHPBB? I do not intend on using this forum for evil, but we all know that a new forum is very difficult to start, and I want to give mine some artificial credibility until I get the ball rolling.

Any suggestions?

 

Yes I think it's possible. There is a mod for the post count, so I guess everything can be tampered.

But dude, how can a BLANK forum have users with HIGH post count?

 

This isn't the greatest of ideas. If your "secret" is discovered, it'll be a huge turnoff to whoever finds out. I'd never really be interested in taking part of a forum that engages in such tactics.

Yes, it's tough to get the ball legitimately rolling, but it isn't impossible. Don't take the easy way out; work hard like the rest of us.

 

Thats what i was thinkin... what if other contributing members found out that you were paying someone to post or paying a few to post.

I def. wouldnt want that!

-C

 

Yeah, I decided to quit a forum after I found out that many of the posts there were copy/paste* jobs found at many forums, including the posts of the administrator.

* Sometimes they weren't complete copy/paste, but were edited only enough to make them seem like spontaneous responses to other people.

When I started my forum, I spent the majority of my time customizing the software and the styles, and submitting new content. Most of the people there for the first month were people I'd worked with for years at another forum. I didn't have to worry as much as I would with strangers about keeping them entertained because they were there due to a friendship or acquaintance, and not only because they found the forum somewhat interesting.

My point, anyways, is that you should work on your product (the forum, in this case) before advertising it. I'm sure you know that, which is why you're asking about astroturfing your forum with staged participation. However, I think you'll be better off getting a few friends or acquaintances active for your start (by building a presence on other sites on the Internet), rather than puppet members, because it's going to be a pain keeping it up when you get real people to your forum. Having real people already there, on the other hand, will be invaluable in keeping your forum going.

I gather this from experience, as even during the many instances that my forum lulled in activity when the members I didn't know well lost interest, the people I knew well stuck around. Even now that my forum has been around for about 6 years, their activity remains impressive, considering that mine is a mere stand-alone, word-of-mouth reliant, general discussion forum.

Go the friends and acquaintance route. Build content. Customize. You don't need to astroturf. You just need patience and resolve.

 

Its not a good idea at all like others said. Rather work hard on content and marketing.

 

Faking users and activity won't really help you. The posts have to be real and members have to actually participate. The only thing I can recommend is that you yourself create multiple members and post from them actual original content and replies.

If you go fake you have to do it right. Faking stats will do nothing.