Converting guests from the archive -> repeat members

[Overgrow]

I've updated my Archive results page again. Improvements are including the main site nav-bar and the bottom site links-- both of these are to help with internal link structure and PageRank. The top bar should draw visitors into the site.

Also I've added a big Click here link when there is an image attached to the post so that the user knows they are missing the full experience.

http://www.overgrow.com/edge/showthread/t-255769.html

[Dean C]

Does changing the tempaltes affect the ability to be spidered/crawled?

- miSt

[Overgrow]

Not at all, I've got Google, Teoma, Wisenut, and Inkitomi on right now. Improving certain parts of the archive, most importantly putting the thread title first in the meta-title and using an < h1 > tag for the thread name, will improve your result ranking on Google. Other changes I've made are to improve PageRank (internal links labeled well) and to increase the number of guests that hit one page and then convert to full members of the site.

ps. a Search Engine forum here on vB.org isn't a bad idea.. ie, how to improve your vBulletin site's Search Engine ranking. Google/Yahoo listings are the #1 reason for my site's success.

[RDX1]

Can't access your archive...

[Dean C]

Well i agree with you there Overgrow but dedicating a forum to it might be too much. General Hacking Discussion and The Lounge cover discussion about search engine rankings

- miSt

[Overgrow]

>>Can't access your archive...

Stupid servers.

>>dedicating a forum to it might be too much

haha thanks. I understand, everyone wants their favorite subject to have it's own forum. For those interested, here are the best search engine forums: http://www.webmasterworld.com

[djr]

Hi shabang / Overgrow,

Some questions, before I go and spice my archive page like your example.

- how did you manage to get the [Click to view the attached image]? Mine just shows the image. You probably modified the archive_postbit template for that, but I can't seem to figure out how?
- I also don't really understand how to breadcrumb the archive navbar properly. I looked at the archive_navbar function in functions.php, but I'm not that much of a coder. Care to post instructions for that?

Thanks... the hack itself is brilliant, but you have a very valid point. I have more guest than members online, and they're all looking at the archive without getting the full monty

-- djr

[Overgrow]

>>how did you manage to get the [Click to view the attached image]?

That's part of a much bigger set of features on OG. I don't use the attachment code, it was replaced with special image uploaders and image templates. I already have separate templates in use when images are loaded in a post so it will be a whole different story if you're using the standard vB code.

>>I also don't really understand how to breadcrumb the archive navbar properly.

PHP Code:

// ###################### Start archive_navbar 

function archive_navbar( $id , $idtype='forum' , $highlightlast=1 )
{
  global $bbtitle,$bburl,$navbits,$navbar,$DB_site;
  $datecut=time()-1800;

$rawcountusers=$DB_site->query("SELECT DISTINCT userid FROM session WHERE userid<>0 AND lastactivity>$datecut");
$countusers=$DB_site->num_rows($rawcountusers);
$countguests=$DB_site->query_first("SELECT COUNT(host) AS sessions FROM session WHERE userid=0 AND lastactivity>$datecut");
$totalonline=$countusers+$countguests[sessions];

  $navbits = archive_nav( $id , $idtype , $highlightlast );
  $navbar = '<img src="/edge/images/bcarrow2.gif" border="0"> <a href="' . $bburl . '">Overgrow Marijuana Forums</a> <img src="/edge/images/bcarrow1.gif" border="0"> ' . $navbits;
  $navbar.= '<br><div style=\"margin-top:8px;\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;'.$totalonline.' users online now!</div>';

  return $navbar;
}

// ###################### Start archive_nav 

function archive_nav( $id , $idtype='forum' , $highlightlast=1 )
{
  global $DB_site,$bburl,$threadcache;
  $code = '';
  if ( $id != -1 )
  {
    if ( $idtype == 'thread' )
    {
      if ( !isset( $threadcache["$id"] ) )
      {
        $getforumid = $DB_site->query_first("
          SELECT forumid
          FROM thread
          WHERE threadid=$id
        ");
      }
      else
      {
        $getforumid['forumid'] = $threadcache["$id"]['forumid'];
      }
      $code = archive_nav( $getforumid['forumid'] , 'forum' , 1 );
      if ( $highlightlast )
      {
        $code .= '<a href="'. $bburl . '/forumdisplay.php?forumid=' . $id .'">' . $threadinfo['title'] . '</a>';
      }
      else
      {
        $code .= $foruminfo['title'];
      }
    }
    else
    {
      $foruminfo = getforuminfo( $id );
      if ( $foruminfo['parentid'] != -1 )
      {
        $code = archive_nav( $foruminfo['parentid'] , $idtype , 1 );
      }
      if ( strlen( $code ) > 0 )
      {
        $code .= ' <img src="/edge/images/bcarrow1.gif" border="0"> ';
      }
      if ( $highlightlast )
      {
        $code .= '<a href="'. $bburl . '/forumdisplay.php?forumid=' . $id .'">' . $foruminfo['title'] . '</a>';
      }
      else
      {
        $code .= $foruminfo['title'];
      }
    }
  }

  return $code;
} 


[djr]

Thanks man! Really helpful, and I actually learned from it

Too bad 'bout the image spoilers, but I can live with it

A special thank you - Kitt says: 'Computers are serious tools, Michael.'

[align=center][/align]

- djr

[Alien]

I'm a little confused. How do I actually call the navbar breadcrumb inside xenons/skuzzys archive?