Choosing a server

You can try searching on Google or go to PlanetMinecraft.
There are good servers on PlanetMinecraft, you have a list of most popular servers.

 

If you want a good fair server with a flexibly mature set of administrators and moderators, then I would suggest AWNW.net. However, they have very strict rules and most people get 1 or 2 chances with their bans. Absolutely NO GRIEFING <--- the #1 rule that gets broken the most. In the ban appeals, people always say "I'm new to the server. I didn't know I couldn't grief." Yet, they went through the Rule Maze, agreed to the rules and it even states multiple times everywhere before they enter the game.

Let's just say I've played on that server for about a year and a half and never once broken a rule. So I never understood why people do. It should be common sense, yet I realized that sensibility lacks in most people.

Anyway, the server is very active. They have a Hardcore server, a Survival server and Skyblock. They also have a museum that links to previous maps. The Survival server gets 'reset' about once every 10 months and when it does, the old map becomes a museum piece that people can visit any time. They have contests every now and then, which reward players with in-game donation rank statuses and in-game currency.

In short, the server aims for quality over quantity. That's why they have so many donators. My friend donated a total of about $220 to the server. That's how much he loves it.

 

tinybutnotfangless: No griefing is a very common rule I guess, so I think that should be clear when I join a server (if not stated otherwise).

I usually only play on these "mainstream" servers, especially Hive. Other than that, I play on McPVP for Hardcore Games and on my own server with some friends.

 

Planet Minecraft is where I always choose my servers from. That way you have a good idea what's going on, and you know you're playing with cool people. Definitely worth the little research effort.

 

I think you should check out the Minecraft Subreddit. They have a great list in their sidebar. I've found a lot of minecraft servers that way.

And it's not just a server list, a lot of the servers are more of a community, they have their own websites and forums and even subreddits.

http://www.reddit.com/r/mcpublic

Personally I like ''Hunger Games" servers. There are servers that host a multitude of mini-games, they have a 'hub' which has portals that leads to different mini-games. It's really cool, you should check it out.

 

Same! I love Minecraft Hunger Games but I’m always so bad at it and I die before deathmatch because I can never find either food or weapons or armour. I've been playing Minecraft Hunger Games for like a year now and I’ve only won like 2 games! Just goes to prove that it's never boring even if you always loose!

 

I just play on any random server that piques my interest. If I find one that I particularly enjoy, I'll get myself acquainted with the members and stay on that one until it shuts down or people stop coming.

 

Lol yeah, but losing can be a pain sometimes. There's always that one player who's REALLY good at the mod. And eventually you'll know him by name, so if you see him in the game. You already know you've lost LOL.

 

Most of the time, I search for factions servers with 10-20 people. The reason for the small population is that they aren't ignorant to the new players like the massive servers. Well, unless, you are searching for a minigames server, because in minigames servers socializing isn't a major part.