What's Happening To vBulletin.org?

[cpvrx]

Originally Posted by Jack12

Yeah, I agree to an extent. Facebook has dealt a blow to many forums on the internet, but at the end of the day it depends who you're catering to and what kind of community you have.

Facebook is a very general thing. You rarely see lengthy discussions on something productive. It's generally full of people updating their statuses and commenting on photos. Not to say that's all too it.

If you ran a general and broad forum then you're in trouble, but if you're in a good niche and can provide a good resource for it then Facebook 'stealing' traffic will be the last thing on your mind.

Anyway, I haven't really seen a lack of activity on this forum, but then I only jumped in on VB4 aswell so I don't know about the good ol' days.

No? Facebook hasn't killed that many forums. Twitter has also taken away certain discussions - but, that doesn't mean anything is to blame for the lack of activity, nobody is partipating, perhaps; everyone is too busy?

[Arkham]

Originally Posted by stevebullman

ditto, it would cost me a fortune to change to another piece of software, and the associated headaches arent worth the risk. im more than happy with vbulletin!!

Sorry, offtopic, but I wanted to say you've done a great job with your site(s). Can I ask what you're using for your fungi directory?

[Angel-Wings]

Originally Posted by Paul M

The vb4.x add-ons forum has 1053 mods in it, compared to 1025 for vb3.7, or 1157 for vb 3.8 - so not really much of a difference, esp given that 3.8 has over a years headstart on 4.x.

And during this year VB 4.x made it already to more threads in the support forum than 3.8 in the entire time - not bad
Software doesn't get better if you blow it more and more - and that's maybe the problem since the VB 4.0 release. More functions, more bugs, next release has some bugfixes but again more functions and other bugs.
Like Facebook for users, people (admins) want it simple and working and at the moment VB just doesn't offer this.
Just saying that with the upcoming of Facebook and Twitter the timing to "convert" VB from the nearly perfect 3.8.x into the buggy overloaded 4.x release was very bad. Not to forget that other software - if it didn't got better, they at least were able to hold their standards.

[BlackThorn]

Originally Posted by Paul M

Are you sure about that ?

I dont recall them ever saying they intend to add such things to the core. I understood they planned to keep it pretty basic and allow features like that to be add-ons.


Not everyone.

I agree with you Paul.

Originally Posted by vijayninel

If Marco van Harwarden was here then he would have boiled your post in oil for this blasphemous advertisement.

Haha, that was awesome... ^^

Originally Posted by cpvrx

No? Facebook hasn't killed that many forums. Twitter has also taken away certain discussions - but, that doesn't mean anything is to blame for the lack of activity, nobody is partipating, perhaps; everyone is too busy?

A facebook admirer... Lol.

[Wordplay]

@borbole, sorry for not replying sooner, since nobody replied to any threads i posted i haven't been around the forum much. only checking in to view pms, as those are the only replies i receive here.

you are completely right though, the tone of some of the people replying to threads (mods) is ridiculous. i understand it to an extend, as i am not a coder at all, i'm more of a leecher. but i reply to every mod i install, and always thank who ever codes a mod i or try out. i've donated to 5 people on here in my lifetime, for mods i no longer use as they are outdated, and i don't see that as thrown out money at all. the unwillingness to register on a coder's forum to show some appreciation or even download a mod-fix/update i cannot understand, but i do understand some posters catching feelings over lack of support. i was looking for a facebook lookalike skin, there are 3 or 4 i believe on here, with practically no information to them, some the examples/demos don't work and they also don't have screencaps, i replied to every one of them weeks ago, and pm'd every one i could who created one, but didn't get a single reply to any of my questions on their mods nor any pms. which is frustrating, i mean imagine looking for a mod for so long, finally finding it, and
a) not getting it to work
b) not knowing how it works

@blackthorn, i have never even looked at xenforo, i just read it was an option people chose over vbulletin, but i'll take your word for it. and yes i think facebook and twitter dumb-down people, i mean telling people that you feel like eating out today is alright, but publicizing your zip code, street or phone number, and telling people what time you're going to "that" cinema, to watch "this" movie, etc, is just asking for trouble. imagine al capone or 2pac had twittered, they wouldn't have survived a single day. but i get it, knowing what your friends are up to and who they are dating can definitely be entertaining.

@steveman, kier is doing xenforo? i did not know that, so he left vb? wow... i'm late on everything... again.

i think, the old coders have just gotten too old, and have got too much going on in their life, to even make time for their old vb-hobby, and because there is too much around (facebook, twitter, youtube, wordpress & blogger (people just creating their own blogs to talk about things)), the younger people don't even have an opportunity to get into something like vbulletin. there used to be a lot of social forums around which worked great, and were highly popular, nowadays people find it better to socialize with their friends rather than with strangers, so facebook comes in handy, and everyone you don't know has a picture of themselves, so you always feel like you know who you're dealing with. the only reason to sign up on a forum these days is to ask/talk to specialists regarding a specific topic. I own a 3D TV, only 1 of my friends does, so who am i gonna talk to things about it? i look for then sign up on a 3D movies site, to talk, ask and download some 3d material.

[Lynne]

When I first became an admin here, I went through this forum to reread the threads. You know what I found was interesting? Every year since the beginning, there have been threads just like this one.

Things do change. Some devs move on, or find real life takes precedence (get married, have kids, get a real job, etc.) and new ones move in. It changes constantly. I don't think that's bad or good, it's just the way it is.

[TheMayhem]

Originally Posted by Lynne

When I first became an admin here, I went through this forum to reread the threads. You know what I found was interesting? Every year since the beginning, there have been threads just like this one.

Things do change. Some devs move on, or find real life takes precedence (get married, have kids, get a real job, etc.) and new ones move in. It changes constantly. I don't think that's bad or good, it's just the way it is.

Lynne's right. Forums are constantly evolving and your just seeing the evolution of vBulletin.org

[onehost]

I think forums are becoming more less popular. These days forums are very difficult to even get going, and if you do not have a bigboard forum today, then chances are you never will have one; at the sametime forums seem to be a dying breed, as forums become less popular, then vb becomes less popular, then forums like vb.org become less popular. I already know one forum that is vb related that has died like 1-2 years ago, at one time they did have traffic, now their forum like a trickle of posts here and there...some may not admit to what I am saying, but times are changing, but not for the better of forums, as facebook, twitter, and other social groups
have taken forum traffic, and I am sure if you have a bigboard then you probably have lost some traffic yourself, if you are a good
forum, then maybe you have picked up some traffic, but overall, I bet you that people will report a loss of traffic rather then a gain in traffic, and its not all social networks either, people are finally growing up to figure out they can not get rich setting up a forum,
and some people finally realize this just isnt going to make me rich so I am getting out of the forum business, as I bet you that
if you asked 9 out of 10 people, then 9 people think they will make money setting up a forum. 99.9% of all forums fail. It
is very rare these days that a new forum will make it over to the bigboard side; I will not say it is impossible but very rare, and
once people do grow up then finally realize they are not going to be the next get rich forum, then they are out....

We used to use pay phones, now we use cell phones.

We used to use BBS/SLBBS - now we use VB/Internet
...and whatever happened to the creators of search light bbs?
evolution and the internet killed them...at the time, I am sure
we all thought BBS would be around forever, killed by DSL/Internet...
what will be the killer extinction of forums?

We used to use dial up, then we dumped AOL for DSL.

We thought VB 3.x was cool, then we are slapped with 4.0

We use forums now, now social platforms are here...

If this keeps going downhill, then it will be pointless to setup a forum altogether....

So yes, times are in-deed changing...and maybe not for the best....

[cpvrx]

Originally Posted by Lynne

When I first became an admin here, I went through this forum to reread the threads. You know what I found was interesting? Every year since the beginning, there have been threads just like this one.

Things do change. Some devs move on, or find real life takes precedence (get married, have kids, get a real job, etc.) and new ones move in. It changes constantly. I don't think that's bad or good, it's just the way it is.

Ya, the fact is through, this place isn't as active - some questions go unanswered and leaving the forum owner in the dust.

[BlackThorn]

vBulletin.org's still the same... I'll hope it is "vBorg" will better ^^