Get Hosted by HorrorBrain!

HorrorBrain Hosting

Own a web site related to the topic of HorrorBrain? Want to be associated with one of the best entertainment networks around? You've come to the right place! A few of our benefits are:

Virtually unlimited FTP space and lots of bandwidth
Hosting Control Panel for full control
Your own subdomain of horrorbrain.ign.com
E-mail accounts, mailboxes, forwarding, and mailing lists -- username@yoursite.horrorbrain.ign.com
Support for latest technologies: PHP, MySQL, and auto-installation of scripts such as phpBB
Access to your site's statistics
Effective, timely technical support
Promotion across the Brain Network
All of the above for Free!

We sat down and thought up every question you could possibly ask about getting hosted on the Brain Network and their answers. So if you have a question about hosting, check the list.

Think your site meets our requirements?
Fill out a Hosting Application for hosting at HorrorBrain. Once we receive a completed application, we will review your site and get back to you.

General Hosting Questions

Technical Questions

Advertising Requirements and Affiliations

Flagship Site Questions

More Questions?

General Hosting Questions

1. Do I have to pay for hosting on the Brain Network?

Nope - hosting is completely free! We have only a few rules we ask that you abide by, such as running our ads on your site. [back to top]

2. What kind of sites do you host?

Mainly, we look for two types of Web sites: sites devoted to specific games, movies or topics, and sites devoted to projects and creative content for those games and entertainment. Some examples of the kind of sites we look for can be found by looking at any of our big sites, like Planet Quake, Planet The Sims, Halo Planet, Middle Earth Vault, and Strategy Planet. If you have a well-run, content-rich entertainment related site you believe we should host, send it in!. [back to top]

3. What types of sites don't you host?

As already mentioned, if we already cover a topic well on our Network, we are not likely to host sites that provide the same function, such as general news sites. If you have unique content or a unique viewpoint about a topic for which we already host a site, please submit - we place value on diversity. We do not host tools, trainers, or programs that could be used to cheat in games online. Warez sites are also not welcome on our Network. [back to top]

4. How do you determine if a site will be hosted?

We want a certain measure of quality among sites that we host because, after all, they're associated with the Brain Network name. We look at every site that comes into our hosting system carefully to see if they meet a few criteria:

1. The site has to look nice. Yeah, we know that's kind of subjective, but we're pretty sure that everyone thinks lime green background colors with red 20-point blinking fonts are just annoying.

2. The site must fit into our network appropriately. That means that it should be focused on a particular game or topic that we don't have a flagship site for already, or it should be focused on mods, maps, or other add-ons for a particular game. It can also be something totally unique -- maybe your site is dedicated to fan fiction based on TRIBES!

To get an idea of what we're looking for, cruise around our network and take a look at our hosted sites. What we're not interested in are general news sites, general mod or level download sites, or sites that already do what our Planet, Vault, or Brain sites do -- we've got all that covered. If that's what interests you, we're always looking for more staff. Contact the Site Director for the particular site you're interested in working for. Drop by the Brain Network Hub for a listing of all our sites!

3. The site must have a lot of content. We understand that it's a lot of work to create a site for something, and you don't want to put in all that work if there's a chance you won't be hosted. However, too many times people will have what they think is a great idea for a site and then never follow through. Therefore, you must have a fully developed site that we can look at. Having lots of "coming soon" sections is probably going to get a "no" on hosting.

4. The site must be updated regularly. One of the qualities of a good Web site is that it be updated regularly so that visitors always see something new.

5. The site must be in English. No, that's not because we're nationalistic, isolationist American pigs, though that we may be. It's because those of us working on the Brain Network speak English primarily, and we need to be able to understand what's on our hosted sites.

If you applied for hosting and were turned down, don't worry -- work on your site and make it the best site you can make it, and then re-apply. Some of our hosted sites were turned down the first time, but that only made them work harder on their site until it qualified for hosting. We're always willing to look at a site a second time if you've put a lot of work into improving it. [back to top]

5. I run a site I think you should host but I'm not sure where it belongs and it does not fall under a specific Planet/Vault/Brain. How do I ask for hosting?

It depends on the focus of your site really and we are open to many types of gaming and entertainment sites. So, if your site is devoted to one specific topic that we don't have a flagship site for already, make your application in the Brain Network hub. If your site is devoted to things like maps, mods, fan fiction, or content like that for a game or topic that we have a flagship site for, then you should apply for hosting at that particular site. [back to top]

6. Will you guys help me make a site?

Hosted sites develop and maintain their own content - and they own the copyright to any original material on their sites. Therefore we do not offer direct assistance in building your site. We do supply number of great, easy-to-use tools that can really help you get your site up and running quickly. [back to top]

7. My site's going to be great, but I don't want to go to the trouble of making it if you guys aren't going to host it. So why should I make one?

Like Question 4 says, too many times we've been told that someone has a terrific idea for a site and they know it's going to be really cool. But many times, they don't follow through on their idea, and we're left with an empty directory. To prevent that, we need to see a fully developed site before we can consider hosting. [back to top]

8. Can I host other sites on my own hosted site?

No. You can allow folks to maintain a subdirectory within your site, under your supervision, but we do not allow subhosting. Site owners are responsible for all content on their sites. [back to top]

9. I'm going to make a mod for Game X, but I have to get coders, modelers, and mappers. We haven't worked on it yet. Can I get hosting?

The answer to this question is a lot like the answer to some previous questions: we need to see some work before we can host you. Lots of people have great ideas for mods, but getting the mod done is usually the hard part. We recommend that you get a team and at least get a small working beta with some screenshots that we can see. [back to top]

10. I have a general gaming news Web site. Can I get it hosted?

No, these sites are redundant to us since our flagship sites do this already. But if you have a site for a game we do not cover, please submit it under the Brain Network Hub. We are always looking to expand and host unique sites. [back to top]

11. You already have a site dedicated to the same game my site is. Can I still get hosted?

We will consider hosting more than one informational site for a given subject. Sites that have different approaches to the same topic are of interest, especially if they are complementary to one another. [back to top]

12. I want to make a site and I want you to host it, but I don't have any Web space to put it up so you guys can look at it. Help!

There are a few low bandwidth free web-space providers that you should check out -- GeoCities, 50megs, and ProHosting are just a couple we can name right off the bat. You should get your complete site uploaded to one of these free Web hosts so that you can include a URL in your hosting e-mail for us to check out. [back to top]

13. Can I just zip up my entire site and e-mail it to you?

For the love of all that is holy, NO. Please don't. That will strain our e-mail clients, our resources, and our patience. Please put your site on a free Web host and then give us a URL to look at. [back to top]

14. Once my site is hosted, can I get any exposure on the Brain Network to increase my hits?

Absolutely! In fact, we specialize in that. One of the greatest features of our network is the tight structure and community. There are several ways to get exposure across the Brain Network. First, you need to be sure and let your parent site know whenever you've got something cool -- they'll post news about it on the site.

There's also plenty of opportunity for you to get exposure for your site using GameSpy Arcade, our free multiplayer gaming service. Your site will also be linked anywhere there's an opportunity for it.

It boils down to this: the more work you put into your site, the more promotion and exposure we give you. [back to top]

Technical Questions

1. How much Web and FTP space will I have?

You get virtually unlimited Web space and FTP space. That's one of the cool advantages you get for being hosted by the Brain Network. [back to top]

2. Will I get an e-mail account, too?

Yes, you can set up e-mail addresses, mailboxes, mailing lists, and forwarding in your control panel. E-mail addresses are in the form username@yoursite.horrorbrain.ign.com [back to top]

3. I want to do PHP scripts, etc. on my site. Can I do that?

Yes you can! We support PHP4 and MySQL. [back to top]

4. Can I put forums on my site?

Of course, feel free to install a PHP forums system. Our hosting platform can auto-install some systems for you, such as phpBB. [back to top]

5. Can I have a domain name for my site?

Only for "special sites", as configuring this up in our backend is a nightmare. However, you are welcome to purchase a domain and redirect it to your site at site.horrorbrain.ign.com! [back to top]

6. Does the Brain Network use Windows or Linux servers?

All of our servers are Linux based. We no longer support Windows. [back to top]

Advertising Requirements and Affiliations

1. Will IGN own my content?

Hosted sites own all original material and also bear responsibility for the content they publish on their site. IGN retains the domain names utilized by the hosted site, as they are part of the Brain Network (unless agreed otherwise in writing). Example hosted site: http://simsshowcase.planetthesims.gamespy.com/ [back to top]

2. Do I have to run your ads?

Yes, running our ads is one of the few unbendable rules in being hosted on the Brain Network. Ads must appear near the top of every page and not be in a static frame. You can choose the size of the ad from leaderboard, skyscraper, and box ad / medrect (all IAB standards). [back to top]

3. I'm trying to make some money running my site. Can I put non-IGN ads on it?

We don't allow our sites to run non-IGN ads. We know that some people want to make money with their sites, but running someone else's ads would compete with our own business commitments. [back to top]

4. Can we sell ads or be part of paid affiliation program on our site?

No. IGN handles all the advertising for the Brain Network and, thus, you can't run other ads or paid affiliations (such as Amazon.com or AllAdvantage UNLESS we offer them to you). If another company is interested on advertising on our network, have them contact our ad team. [back to top]

Flagship Site Questions

1. I want to run a Planet/Vault/Brain site. How can I do that?

If we have a Planet, Vault, or Brain site you're interested in working on, you should e-mail that site's Site Director and let him or her know you'd like to help out. Many of our sites have volunteers, just doing it because they love the game and want to run a site on a respected network and get exposure for it. They're usually very happy to get interested people to help out with the site.

If you're interested in running a site we don't have yet, e-mail hosting@gamespy.com and let us know you're interested and why you think you'd be a good candidate. We don't make Planet and Vault sites for every game, but if we've got one on our radar, we might be on the lookout for people who would be good candidates to run it. [back to top]

2. I want my site to be Planet/Vault/Brain GameName. Can I do that?

Some of our hosted sites have become some of the best Planet and Vault sites on our network. An example is Planet AvP, which used to be AvP World, a hosted fan site on 3D Action Planet. The game had become so popular and the staff had done such great work on the site that we worked with them to turn it into Planet AvP. This was also true of AoE Atrium, which became Planet Age of Empires, and of Deus Ex Incarnate, which became Planet Deus Ex.

We almost never take a new hosted site and immediately make it a Planet or Vault site. A lot of thought, work, and planning goes into the making of our flagship sites because they're our star sites. So the short answer you're looking for is probably no, at least not right away. [back to top]

3. What's the difference between a hosted site and a Planet/Vault/Brain site?

Planet, Vault, and Brain sites are IGN owned and operated. Hosted sites on the other hand are independent, and are managed by the people who created them. [back to top]

And Finally...

1. This FAQ didn't answer my questions. What do I do now?!

If you're still in the dark about something, have no fear - we're here to help you. Send your question to hosting@brainnetwork.ign.com and we'll get it answered right away. [back to top]

2. I applied for hosting a few days ago and haven't heard back from you. Are you ignoring me?

We get many hosting requests every day. A slow response might mean that we are so swamped with work that we haven't had a chance to look at it yet. Alternatively, if the site clearly does not meet our requirements as outlined above, we may not reply. [back to top]

Whew! After all that, if you think you've got a site that rocks, fill out a Hosting Application and we'll get the ball rolling!

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