Premium Modification Status & Support Subforums

[Erwin]

vBulletin.org (in conjunction with Jelsoft) is beta-testing a new service here at the moment:

Premium Modifications - Modifications that have support subforums hosted by vBulletin.org - these are still FREE Modifications provided by 3rd parties.

There are some Modifications (otherwise also known as "hacks" or "addons") which are more than just simple modifications to the vBulletin code - they add a whole new dimension to the software. There Modifications are so big that they have their own Modifications as well.

In the past, at vBulletin.org, these Modifications are restricted to having one thread dedicated to its support. This means that the thread ends up being hundreds of pages long and bug-fixes and Modifications to the Modification get lost in the multitude of posts.

A lot of times, the Modification author(s) start their own support website to cope with the questions and to provide better support. The problem with this is that these support websites are not official Jelsoft websites and thus are not linked to Jelsoft's licensing database - as such, there is no way of knowing if a person downloading the Modification is a licensed vBulletin owner - oftentimes the Modification author(s), in an attempt to ensure that legitimate vBulletin owners only have access, go through elaborate techniques to ensure the downloader is licensed.

We at vBulletin.org decided that what we can do is to offer certain selected Modifications the status of "Premium Modifications". Premium Modifications are offered their own special subforums right here at vBulletin.org, with bandwidth and space hosted by Jelsoft. The authors of the Modification will be given limited control over the threads in their Modification subforums. By doing this, we ensure that the vBulletin.org community gets the best support for these Modifications, and we provide the avenue for the authors to give this support in the optimal manner. This also ensures that the Modifications are located in the one place, and not strewn across the net. Also, licensed owners are happy that unlicensed pirates are not getting access to these Modifications.

What makes an Modification a Premium Modification? Well, the criteria is not fully established, but the main points are that the Modification is:

1. A Major Feature Addition
2. Has a Support Thread that has many pages (no set number for now, just LOTS)
3. Able to support its own Modifications
4. Would otherwise require a separate support website to provide adequate support

Modification authors will go into a special usergroup which allows them access to a private Premium Modification Authors Discussion forum. They will also become moderators of their own Modification subforum and will be able to delete posts, as well as close and manage threads.

At the moment, we are beta-testing this system with the UCS Store hack as the first Premium Modification to be hosted here.

Modification authors of large Modifications may PM either Xenon or myself to apply for Premium Modification status if they believe they qualify for such. We are keen to assist this community to continue to grow and provide the best support possible.

Happy New Year!