[Shanj]

Re timescale Kier said:
the plan is to upgrade vBulletin.com to run on vBulletin 3.7.0 on Monday (November 26th) and to let it run for a few days in order to get some feedback and bug reports before releasing the first public beta.
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I really like the look of 3.7.

My main gripe is that it really should be possible to let us have at least a very basic list of features about a month before the announcement.
Being cautious Ive been checking out every other social networking option there is zoints drupal socialengine madebymary ... if it exists Ive checked it. I felt I had to do that because I had no idea how much this vb3.7 would meet my needs so if it was inadequate I wanted to have a backup option ready to go.
So an announcement that said 3.7 was INTENDED to come in beta before December (there was an anticipation thread but the news was pretty vague)
and a list like Profile changes incl Gallery, Groups, Colour customising.
Not detail just headings.
This should be possible. We do need to be treated like adult partners, albeit junior partners in the project. It's not just the devs who have pressures on when and how. As admins we also have pressure of deadlines, demands from our users, needs to PLAN our work not just hang around like small kids or wartime rationing shops! waiting for the doors to open.
For example my work means I have a substantial window of slow time over the midwinter academic holidays. So one way or the other I need to get my social networking choice set up then. If I'd had definite notice that the AIM was to get the beta out by end of November I could have cut a lot of stress and hours of checking other options as backups in case vb3.7 didn't have any of the stuff I need, or wasn't arriving till January..

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Like others I'm nervous how much 3.7 is going to smash my custom templates. But it's worth it. Would MUCH rather be doing the customisation over the quiet period of the xmas period so I hope the release will be just before xmas. Once we get into January my frontline work will get busy and hard to find time for admin jobs.

I'm particularly pleased with the social networking stuff. User changing colours is great and the gallery looks good.
We need a hack to put descriptions on gallery pics?

Would have been nice to have an admin GUI to move the profile blocks up /down. It'll mean experimentally moving code blocks and prob getting it wrong so a block disappears and I'm up half the night going back to default and redoing it. <sigh> Any chance of a hack there?

I have written to the person who does Profile tags (linked keywords in interests, so you can click link to see who has same interest) to alert them we'll need a 3.7 compatibility check.

Finally what about blogs? It makes sense for user blogs to link off their profile. So a block that admin can enable if they've installed blogs required.

From my research into other options:
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I was particularly disappointed with zoints. They call their thingy "local" but IT IS NOT. It 100% forces you to allow access to your community by all the mass of zoints members. And your members have forced access with no admin protected space no admin control over access TO zoints network.
For anyone handling vulnerable people, minors, a professional work project or an education one, this ws useless or high risk of inappropriate contact. Also new communities are at risk of members being bled off by the bigger more developed sub-communities on zoints. Zoints however are totally uninterested in these concerns. Even though they HAVE a truly local script they just withdrew from users a couple of months ago. All I got in repy to request for info and consideration was blah sorry no.
However if you are not handling any younger or vulnerable type members, and your project is established enough you feel you can compete with others similar (or you're really different!) and your members are not working in any way seriously on projects so outsiders crashing in not a problem, then zoints is worth a look.
I just object to it being called "zoints local" when it's a completely open network. It also requires going into the real detail of the demo before you realise what you'd get. There's no warning in the features blurb to tell you.

Otherwise for anyone not wanting to use 3.7 for social networking for some reason I found

MadeByMary mod very good features and lots of them, support fast and good and friendly (this is the best alternative) No custom colours!;
socialengine good features, fast response for support;
dolphin good features but slightly slow response to query re vb integration which is coming in the next month I think. As long as the bridging works well the features are good.