[joeychgo]

I own 6 vBulletin licenses, and will have 2 more shortly. I am an administrator on 2 additional vBulletin forums.

One of the reasons I purchased vBulletin in the first place was because of this site and the thousands of hacks available here.

I'm not a coder. So my personal feeling is that I dont care about having access to a 'Coders Forum'. However, if I choose to learn about coding, I shouldnt be forbidden from entering that forum. I paid my license fees and should be able to access that forum.

A bigger issue, IMO, is what feels like a Coder / Non Coder division here. It feels as though since I am not a coder, I am not considered to be important enough to listen to, or be cared about. Some people have indicated that this place is made by the coders. Lets keep something else in mind. There are many more non coders - and they pay the bills at Jelsoft, which is why this site is here. This site is for the benefit of the vBulletin license holder, not a place for coders to get together and hang with their buddies.

Tempers have flared here for some time. Obviously there has been quite a bit in inter-staff tensions as well, since the staf has changed over and over lately. I have seenthis exact problem in other forums before. I'm sorry to say that every time I have seen it, the forum died not long after, not being able to recover from the strife.

I dont see that happening here. Most members dont really care about the political goings on. They care about a resource for their forum. SO let me turn to that subject.

Better Organization of Hacks:

First, I believe we need a better way to organize the hacks. Be it a database or whatever. There needs to be better organization. Think about it from the standpoint of a newbie forum owner. He doesnt know the difference a plugin or a template modification. Those terms are meaningless to him.

The way things were organized Pre-3.5 were a bit better. The forums were self explanatory. The hacks were organized in a more related manner. Hacks that involved altering the Member Profile were mostly in the same palce. So if I wanted to jazz up my profiles, I could go there to see what was available.

That was a better system, IMO. And again, it shows that coders setup the forums, not thinking much about the non coder.

An improvement Idea:

I would like to see tutorials about HOW to write a hack. Why not HELP guys like me learn how to write hacks if we want to learn? Maybe then we could contribute as well. How about a section of forums for non coders to go and learn how to code. Have helpful mods that will hand hold new coders while they learn.


Listing Paid Hacks

This site is a resource for vBulletin forum owners. So, I think there should be a directory. It should have a set of criteria to gain a link, and should have a disclaimer that the sites are not associated with Jelsoft and are provided as a courtesy.

It also shouldnt be limited to paid hacks. ***URL Removed*** is a site that is a great resource for vBulletin owners. So is ***URL Removed*** (at least I would like to think so since I own that site ). These kind of sites should be listed also. There are skin designers out there that should be listed in such a directory.

The idea being, a directory of outside resources for vBulletin forum owners.


vB.org Staffing

Personally, I dont care if blimpie the clown runs the place. But, let me express my opinion as an experienced forum owner, and business manager. Please understand, there is no offense intended toward anyone.

The monkeys are running the zoo.

And every time I see monkeys at the zoo they are busy throwing feces around.

Whats happening here, isnt all that different.

Forums such as this CAN NOT be run by committee sucessfully.

Marco is the new "Head Administrator" (no jokes, please) Good move Jelsoft. I dont mean about choosing Marco, I dont know him and have no opinion of him. But appointing someone who is in charge is important.

Now, Marco - (or whoever is the Head administrator next month) you need to take command of the staff first. They need to know what you expect them to do. Start with the staff, and that attitude will filter down to everyone else.

Moderators, Marco is the Boss this month. Dont argue with him. Offer your suggestions and then support the decisions he makes. Dont overstep. And remember, ever member here is ultimately one thing. A PAYING CUSTOMER. Treat them as such.



Ok, thats my .02.