I've hit a brick wall; what could I possibly add next?

[MPDev]

It's that time of year when I start to look for the next 'big thing' to add to the website; it started with PhotoPost Galleries which after all this time have become a "must have" for any forum I run and get used as frequently as the forums, then on my fitness site it was adding a Fitness Blog and Workout Tracker - those are picking up nicely. My homebrewed radio station does well (Pink Floyd all day long, even hired a professional to do station ids) as does a custom Owners section which lets users upload info about their cars, link to products in the Reviews section which links to vendors and their products, etc.

I have personalized websites for our users which gives them a web-based front-end for creating flash based websites, and integrated webmail and even POP accounts for supporters.

Integrated chat, yawn. Classifieds, nice and useful, but not very exciting.

I've tried things like vBookie and other mods to try and get people into some kind of activity that is fun for a larger group, but that was great for about a week and then interest trailed off.

Some kind of networking Texas Hold 'Em would probably be great; but that seems like a serious undertaking and there are plenty of Windows/Mac versions of networked games that can be played.

So, I'm left thinking - what's next? What's something new and exciting that users will flock to and find entertaining and useful?

[Dean C]

Free porn

[SaintDog]

I know this would take some time and development, though it's something I thought of while reading your post and it seems like an idea that would attract some attention and keep members coming back.

You could hire a coder to design, develop and produce a system for your auto-forum which would allow members to buy, sell and trade "virtual" cars. Members would earn points through posting, replies and uploading photos (possibly?) of which could be spent on the buying of these "virtual" cars.

Members could then sell cars they've bought, trade them with other members and possibly race them against other members of your forum and challenge other members to a race.

From the design aspect, micro cars could be designed and would be displayed in their profile under a new section. The profile would state whether the car is for sale or not, the amount of wins the car has had and so forth.

If you wanted to get really technical, you could find a good developer and integrate random car damage into the system that would take place during and after a race.

You could also integrate car theft, allowing member to attempt to steal another members car/ride.



Just an idea to get you moving, more could easily be said

[MPDev]

Free porn? You mean open up my paysite? Hmmmmm.... well, I have made alot of money off my work, maybe it's time to release it into the public domain.

Wow, now a virtual auto trading system is an interesting idea. Certainly something that would take alot of effort, but what is worth it that doesn't? I'll give that some thought; might be a mod in there somewhere!

[SaintDog]

As stated, it's a concept idea, though something I thought would be interesting. RPG based websites do it with characters and so forth, why not do it with cars? It would take time, but given the right time and amount of effort, I think it would take over rather nicely.

[Dean C]

Originally Posted by MPDev

Free porn? You mean open up my paysite? Hmmmmm.... well, I have made alot of money off my work, maybe it's time to release it into the public domain.

All men are suckers for free porn Michael, you should know that by now!

[MPDev]

Yeah, I know; but after taking pictures of naked women for 8 years I'm a bit desensitized to it. It's exactly like the guy who works in the strip club and says, "What naked women?"

[Raydar]

I'm not sure if this hack is already out. But some members on my site want their own space to rant and rave on. A blog I guess. I have only just learnt what a blog is.

If there is not a blog hack out already, I think it would be a good idea. But a blog hack that shows the creator of the blog who has read the blog, and maybe a blog with a "how good is this blog" vote, so that readers can give it stars or points or something. Then the blog creators will know whether they are liked or not.

Problem I have on my forums, is alot of political discussion and difference in opinions. Some users just want their own area to express themselves in without any criticism. I know a public bulletin board is not the best place for that, but they want it anyway, which is why I'm surfing this site.

If anyone knows of any blogging software out there that I can add to either my homepage or to Vbulletin, then I'm all ears.

Thanks

Reg