[TOWN HALL] Supporting the entire Member Base.

[Shelley_c]

I would like this site to take notice that the forum doesn't only revolve around coders and should take notice and implement a system to compensate graphic designers . Implement some kind of structure so designers can easily contribute to the database which benefits them thus benefits the community.

Diversity is the key here. There's no rule that this site has to be a dedicated coders haven. It may have started as a coders forum, but tapping into a new niche and vb.org step up to a new level.

Without a doudbt the code/modifications side is the best around. A graphic image database to match would give vb.org what it's been lacking since it's creation.

Location is the biggest downfall to a structure that is really flawed and this should be acted upon sooner rather than later.

edit spelling.

[UncoderMom]

UserGroups are our friends

Create user group.....
COMMERCIAL HACKS (please lets have a usergroup for these!!!!! I want to know my options!! Make em pay a subscription fee or sumfin lol but PLEASE let them post produdts)!! Nothing worse then finding them after you dont need them and wishing you had gone with that!!

Community, with all the chit chat. (default)

2.x hacks and discussion

3.x hacks and discussion

3.5 hacks and discussion

3.6 and soo on.

There is nothing more frustrating then looking for a 3.5 hack and only finding hacks that dont mesh with your platform...very agrivating! I would love to apply to a 3.5 and only get 3.5 on my search (I 90% of the time use the search feature).

As for the drama of the site. Its a large site and people will always find something to be unhappy about! It is important to allow them to vent (vent forum) and not be cut off!

I bought my vb licenses because of the .org and had even read a long huge post about devision on this site and purchased anyway. Post like that should be contained rather then deleted and or even worse CLOSED! I come across closed posts all the time in search and not realizing they are closed till I go to reply or get to the page where I see its closed! Grrrr! People want the option to be heard or express there view point and if you try to control ones ability to do so you only make matters worse and its likely that this may have started this whole mess in the first place. If you close or delete two more will pop up in there place JMO

I love this place but fear that all the tention will drive all the coders away! and even though Im a paying customer I lean heavily on coders here with both commercial hacks and .org released!

THANKS TO ALL THE BRILLIANT CODERS AT .ORG

I look forward to many a years at the vb.org!

Great to have an appointed admin!! Congrats BTW!

[sabret00the]

I'll be as concise as possible

• A slashdot news area for all things related to vBulletin (including programming news, php/html/javascript/etc news).
• Interview area for big board admins/hackers/etc.
• Review area for hacks/commercial add-ons/commercial software useful for programmers.
• Wiki for common problems/code snips.
• Sourceforge like release area for add-ons.
• Firefox like plug-in site area for finding add-ons.
• Contests with real prizes (no free vB licenses..you guys already have one!).
• Less use of the forum expect for discussion. and tons of other littles things...
• review all the current modifications and give them titles: "Best use of CSS" "Best original idea" "Best in show" etc. in exchange for prizes. Would be like a once a year thing. Think of it like the summer of code, but for vBulletin.

Bring in a project manager for this new wave of changes who can work independently of the current vB.org administration, he sets out his goals and timelines and it's up to him to get a team together to achieve it (volunteers much like the coding team). His job wouldn't be to code the project but to manage the project. (I recommend Brad, he's perfect for this project. he's been around the community long enough to know exactly what's wrong with it and what needs to change and how to carry it forward, I believe he has the drive and ambition to reincarnate this site in the way it once was done so under Chen. I believe in the progress vBulletin.org can make under Brad).

Ultimately vBulletin.org needs to be split, on one hand there needs to be a hack portal, then there needs to be a developer community, i.e. end users wouldn't ever need to move past the portal and coders use the rest of the site, for this reason i think Developer Licenses are perfect.

*Please note the list of ideas are not my original ideas, they are indeed Brad?s.

[ronoxQ]

First of all, I think I REAL mods database should be first on your list. Separate mods by beta/not beta, so we can go right to finished hacks if we want. Let us sort by data added, or by alphabetical. Make better sort-by-function stuff.

Also, I know this isn't likely, but let us get updates for mods we've installed, even once our license expires. I'd hate to be stuck with a faulty mod and no support, and have to pay another $160 to get a fix. I'm not that rich, you know.

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Originally Posted by ronoxQ

Also, I know this isn't likely, but let us get updates for mods we've installed, even once our license expires. I'd hate to be stuck with a faulty mod and no support, and have to pay another $160 to get a fix. I'm not that rich, you know.

I will react on this now (other suggestions will not be reacted upon until we close this topic), to rectify it.

If you have an expired owned license, you will still have full access to vbulletin.com & vbulletin.org, so it should be no problem to download modifications.

If you have an expired leased license, then you can not be running a vBulletin board, so there is no reason why you should have access to modifications.

PS If you feel the need to discuss this, you can send me a PM, or start a new thread in the Site Feedback.

[eXtremeTim]

I feel we need to be allowed to talk about and have at least a links directory for our paid modifications. Jelsoft is making a fortune thanks to us coders that are making all the free modifications that really steps this software up to the next level. So basicly they want us to help make them money but they wont help us make money. Some of us have products that compare to vBulletin in size or even bigger then vbulletin. Which is why im tired of people saying we are just out to make money. The fact is we work hard for our products. If I have addon products for vBulletin that I have made that is the size of vBulletin or even half the size of it you are crazy to expect me to release them all for free. I should have a place here where I can tell people about them so that the community can enjoy them. I spend on average 80-120 hours a week coding on my products and hack and clients sites. I work extremely hard on the code that i make. I have bills to pay just like Jelsoft does.

I am also tired of hearing people say that if we had a paid modifications database here that it would stop the free hacks. No honestly it would allow me to make more free hacks becuase I would spend less time having to work on clients sites to cover my bills.

I am also fed up with the attitudes of people on this site. The non coders love to pm me for support on hacks that I didnt even make and when I reply to them and tell them nicely that im not the person to talk to about it becuase I didnt make it I have had several people go off on me. I am not going to deal with that. I mean I dont even support my hacks via pm. I support my hacks on my site and when possible on here. Yet when I dont support a hack here I get ranted at for hours and hours at times by people who are pissed becuase they couldnt follow simple instructions or were trying to modify it and broke the code, all becuase they feel like they paid for vbulletin which to them means they paid for my support and time as well.

[RMS-Chef]

Personally, I have never gotten into the politics so I can't really speak to that subject. I have always been treated well here by everyone I have come into contact with.

That aside, I think the new "system" is not as good as the previous. The previous setup was easier to find what you were looking for when you were looking for something specific and also easier to browse when you were looking for just "something". It is discouraging when trying to locate a specific hack and can't find it....and I am not a vB search noob either.

A few bullets:

• A more structured database system is required
• It's nice that in each hack thread there are the check boxes for the items such as "Supported", "DB Changes", "Installer Included", and so on. It would be nice to be able to use the search function with these to filter results based on them
• Rather than bring back the previous SHOWTHREAD, FORUMHOME, ect. broken down into individual forums perhaps just have a new series of check boxes so the hack author can select what the hack fits into and be able to again filter searches based on the selections.
• There should be at the very least a directory listing for paid hacks. I am sure there are some paid hacks out there that I do not know about that I may find useful. I would even support a separate release forum where the author releases the paid hack here with info and screens etc. (not the actual hack) and then users would be able to comment on it's functionality and the authors level of support and such. How ever it's done, it should be done in some way.

Whatever happens, I will continue to visit nearly daily as I have for the past three years to see what's new. No matter how tough it may be to navigate or find things I greatly appreciate the work both the staff and the hack authors do here.

[Jei]

For many years, vBulletin has remained the market leader among the BBS. However since the times of vBulletin2 when vB was recognized for its innovation , and member base in creating thousands of hacks, I feel that the vB mod scene has deteriorated.

Not that there is anything wrong with selling one's work, but I believe there has been decrease in the amount of quality hacks due to the some highly skilled and experienced coders stepping into a commercialized system.

To encourage more free hacks and support people who make them, I would like to suggest that perhaps Jelsoft invest a miniscule percentage of their profits to hold bi-monthly contests to challenge experienced coders and encourage the creation of quality hacks. I believe this would renew the vB community and bring it closer together.

Additionally, recently I've been tracking a number of hacks and have arrived at a suggestion to implement a bug-tracker system for each hack, rather than having users reply, nag with their problems.

This bug-tracker system could be similar to the one at vBulletin.com for bugs related to major releases except be for each thread. This way, authors of hacks will not have to deal with uncooperative, ungrateful individuals and would be more compelled to further continue their work for the community.

Additionally, I think a feature similar to the '[AJAX] Post Thank You Hack' should be implemented if a bug-tracker system is put into place. This would allow people to give their thanks to the author and filter out problems with the praises increasing the effectiveness of the entire system.

Thanks for Reading my Suggestions, and though my Join Date is relatively new, I've been an on and off customer of vB and have seen the high tides which is why I've become a customer again hoping to be apart of the affluent community it is.