Add-On Releases - Ranker - Advanced Poll Widget - Increase User Engagement/Traffic - EASY INSTALL!

Hey vB.org

This is my first hack and I hope this increases your site activity/engagement/traffic. All your suggestions will be taken into account and will be 100% supported, so don't hesitate to post here. EASY INSTALL! Feedbacks HIGHLY APPRECIATED.

What is Ranker?
Ranker is a popular platform used by millions of people, that utilizes the wisdoms of crowds to deliver the best opinions possible about any topic where a list is the best answer. Anyone can participate simply by voting or reranking lists, and the more who do, the better the ranking gets. Our ranking algorithms have been honed by years of testing and study, and we have protections against gaming the system. Ranker has been featured on popular media like Forbes Magazine


What is the Ranker Widget:
The ranker widget is an embeddable list that livens up your forum content with a fun, votable list.

See the Ranker Widget in action:
http://personalitycafe.com/general-c...-emotions.html
http://community.ranker.com/babes-pa...red-heads.html

Popular Brands Using the Widget:
Forbes
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
NextWeb
Movies.com
Complex.com
Spoilertv.com
SBNation
and more!


How the Ranker Poll Differs from vBulletin Poll

• More engaging than a typical poll (Ability for users to add items after being published)
• Offers more data points
• Up and Down Voting.
• Images next to the items
• More customizations and options
• Reach additional users from Ranker.

How Ranker helps your Forum/Site
Ranker?s free widget is a fun way to add a unique poll to your site.

Increase user engagement

• Websites that use the widget report see 15-50% user engagement on each poll and a time-on-page increase of 70%.

Easy to install

• It's as easy to install as a YouTube embed!

More comments more return visits

• These polls inspire passionate discussion and return visits to see if the rankings change, and sites that post polls as blog posts see 125% more comments than a typical post.

Rich data on your users

• If you make regular lists for your users to vote on, we can provide you with rich data on your users' preferences.

More exposure for your site

• Your list will also be featured on Ranker.com with custom branding and a link back to your site. This is the referral traffic my site PersonalityCafe has been getting from Ranker from the past month:
  
  Check out the article SEO Link Building with Ranker - http://pointblankseo.com/ranker-link-building

Installation

Enable for your users

1. Download the xml file attached to this post
2. Go to your Admincp -> Plugins & Products -> Manage Products -> Add/Import Product
3. To modify the Widget Width and # Items to display, go to Admincp -> Settings -> Options -> Ranker Widget Embedding

Creating a List and Embedding

1. Go to Ranker.com
2. Create an account
3. Create a List
4. After creating a list, click on the More Options -> Embed This List -> Click Get Started -> Once done customizing, click Done.
5. While making a new post/thread, paste the Embed Code into the editor.
6. Refresh the page after posting. Congrats! You now know how to embed a list.
7. Here's a visual onhow to embed a Ranker List on your forum.

Embedding List to Forum Block (Like http://personalitycafe.com/forum/)

1. Go to your Admincp -> Forums & Moderators -> Forum Blocks Manager -> Add Block -> Choose Custom HTML/PHP
2. Title Your Block
3. Under Content Type Choose "HTML"
4. Paste the Ranker Widget Code into the "Content" form.
5. Save

[davidatlas]

Thanks. If this is in the roadmap, it's going to help increase my forums revenue since my members have already been actively using it sitewide.

[Alan_SP]

Originally Posted by profanitytalker

Ooo. This is interesting. We'll play around and see what we can come up with. So basically a sidebar module within the thread that shows the widget correct?

Well, not sidebar module for use with built in sidebar, but something that looks like sidebar module. These threads with Ranker widget just would use different template, showing narrower thread content and thus making place for widget which is "static" as users scroll through thread.

I hope I make myself clear?

[profanitytalker]

Originally Posted by davidatlas

Thanks. If this is in the roadmap, it's going to help increase my forums revenue since my members have already been actively using it sitewide.

Still confirming David. I'm also going to ask the priority level on that.

Originally Posted by Alan_SP

Well, not sidebar module for use with built in sidebar, but something that looks like sidebar module. These threads with Ranker widget just would use different template, showing narrower thread content and thus making place for widget which is "static" as users scroll through thread.

I hope I make myself clear?

I think I understand. Can you check this example out?
http://community.ranker.com/entertai...-get-into.html

Is that what you were looking for?

[Alan_SP]

Originally Posted by profanitytalker

http://community.ranker.com/entertai...-get-into.html

Is that what you were looking for?

No, not like this. Here's list on the right of contents of the first post, and only there.

I want it outside thread contents completely, like sidebar is, but I don't want to use sidebar, I only want to have lists there. And then lists would be visible everywhere, no matter what post people would be looking at.

I'm not good at making picture mockups, but I found something similar here: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/attachmen...7&d=1260720141

You have a thread, which is narrower, making place at the right (or left) for lists. List is visible everywhere in this thread, in "fixed" position as we scroll through thread. I saw some sites with ads (or other elements) placed like that, you scroll through some text, but have something fixed left or right, which is easy to make with HTML tables.

But it needs to be linked with certain thread, that each thread has it's own list.

[BirdOPrey5]

Originally Posted by profanitytalker

Hmmm? This mod/plugin doesn't require you to enable HTML on the forum. It automatically converts the Ranker embed code into a tag.

Excellent.

[Morrus]

Cool. It would be very useful if it could be made to work in articles, too!

[profanitytalker]

Originally Posted by Alan_SP

No, not like this. Here's list on the right of contents of the first post, and only there.

I want it outside thread contents completely, like sidebar is, but I don't want to use sidebar, I only want to have lists there. And then lists would be visible everywhere, no matter what post people would be looking at.

I'm not good at making picture mockups, but I found something similar here: https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/attachmen...7&d=1260720141

You have a thread, which is narrower, making place at the right (or left) for lists. List is visible everywhere in this thread, in "fixed" position as we scroll through thread. I saw some sites with ads (or other elements) placed like that, you scroll through some text, but have something fixed left or right, which is easy to make with HTML tables.

But it needs to be linked with certain thread, that each thread has it's own list.

Ah I see what your saying. I'll see what we can do. That does look better. Will provide an update soon. Thanks!

Originally Posted by Morrus

Cool. It would be very useful if it could be made to work in articles, too!

Good idea Morrus! I'll check this out. Will update you too!

[davidatlas]

Just want to say that I'm amazed by the effectiveness of doing some linkbuilding on Ranker. Since installing the plugin and following the steps in the linkbuilding article, Ranker has been able to send me over 4000 referral traffic to my site alone!

[Morrus]

This mod appears to be interfering with the report post functionality. I've installed/uninstalled it several times to check - when installed, the content of a post gets deleted when reported.

[profanitytalker]

Originally Posted by Morrus

This mod appears to be interfering with the report post functionality. I've installed/uninstalled it several times to check - when installed, the content of a post gets deleted when reported.

Thanks Morrus. We'll send a fix for this.