Why isn't there any true innovation in Forum Design?

[IENO]

I actually have an innovative idea:

Howabout a forum, that you need "special access" to get into, were anything goes? Like you can flame, spam, and do things that would normally get you banned. Sounds fun, eh?

 

[arnie]

Sounds like an Internet newsgroup (without the 'special access' part).

 

[Lisa]

I actually have an innovative idea:

Howabout a forum, that you need "special access" to get into, were anything goes? Like you can flame, spam, and do things that would normally get you banned. Sounds fun, eh?

Sounds like a pointless waste of time to me.

 

[Cyburbia]

I actually have an innovative idea:

Howabout a forum, that you need "special access" to get into, were anything goes? Like you can flame, spam, and do things that would normally get you banned. Sounds fun, eh?

There's abandoned message boards all over the pkace where all that is possible, without the "special access."

 

[css59]

There's abandoned message boards all over the pkace where all that is possible, without the "special access."

^ got any links? I'd like to buy some

 

[ktk]

I was thinking about this recently. Very interesting. When I get time I'm going to try something different. Either with a theme or completely new forum system, leaning towards the theme though...

 

[Phrost]

What I'd like to see, after all this time, is someone getting the #@$O)# text in the vBulletin postbit to wrap around under the avatar block (postbit_legacy).

So much wasted space there. I'll probably do it myself at some point because nobody else has.

 

[TechDev]

For innovation unto forums requires careful planning and takes time to get things scripted, beta-test, etc. Innovation also come from not only just one person but everyone. Perhaps people don't bother to try out some new ideas, that's probably one of the reasons of why nowadays most forums lack innovation.

Well, ever since I read this topic, I somehow felt something, but I can't remember or get the feeling. I'm pondering over this topic, thinking of new ideas. I'll add in my ideas in my next comment, perhaps a post.

 

[tazem]

Conformity

I do belive this is what has been slowing me down in the design of my new sites. Everywhere I look I see that same thing. Boxes and lines and lines and boxes. Mostly in shades of blue, silver, or black. Very boring.

The content of those boxes and lines should be the main concern, but if the users can't tell your site fron another they may not stay around to get to the good stuff.

The few forums I have seem that use more than one colum have to other(s) filled with advertisments most of which are flashing at me! This is NOT an improvment.

For now I'll just keep looking around for something that will do what I want it to do.

Taz

 

[IENO]

Sounds like a pointless waste of time to me.

But it's fun. I dont care much for traffic

 

[Lisa]

But it's fun. I dont care much for traffic

Well if it makes you happy, enjoy

 

[grepper]

The real question should be...

A forum is what it is; there has been tons of innovation with forums, but a forum is just PART of a community based site, and the true lack of innovation is not in the forum itself but community based sites in general.

For many people, their first second and third experience of being known on the internet (other than email) is in a forum, much like this one. As these people grow to a point where they want to create their own communities, they create the same vapid,lame,box driven monoliths "they grew up in".

Now, the interface works well for a site like TAZ which I liken more to a 'living book'; I leaf through the pages which update themselves in real time, dynamically. But the Taz/Forum interface model fails miserably when it comes to storing and accreting information in a SPECIFIC context.

The threaded post/response model just plain collapses. An example is the thread for "ban worthy email domains". To get anything useful from it, you have to wade through and collate manually reams of text, all of it unstructured and unformatted.

What we are asking for by our specific need described here, is something closer to a WIKI model. To analogize a WIKI to a forum, the initial post is editable by ALL, so you dont RESPOND to an article, you UPDATE it, you dont CONVERSE about something, you BUILD IT UP.

A wiki-esque mod for forums would not be too hard though, internally, the data would be stored in the same initial post/response format, only difference being that "response posts" would basically store just the deltas or changes to the original and constitute an audit trail of the changes.

Another forum innovation (staying within the Forum post/response model) is a simple rating function that allows you to RATE THE RELEVANCE OF A POST TO ITS TOPIC/TITLE (distinct and different from a "Rate this thread" button)

The same way you choose a post icon, you can also self-rate your On Topic/Off topic deviation to the thread.

This allows the forum software to return your search values sorted by relevance: that way you dont get the off topic posts when you search for help on a given topic.

The keyword tags help and are a good start.

 

[/dev/urandon]

What I'd like to see, after all this time, is someone getting the #@$O)# text in the vBulletin postbit to wrap around under the avatar block (postbit_legacy).

So much wasted space there. I'll probably do it myself at some point because nobody else has.

I did that on one of my test forums last year. All you have to do is float the user info over to the left side of the table...5 minute job after you work around some quirks in the default html.

I've attached a screen shot of my tweak, it would look better with a background image behind the user info but I never got around to that. I no longer have the code but I could reproduce it if you want it.

 

[MMM]

I no longer have the code but I could reproduce it if you want it.

Yes this sounds nice. Gives a more professional feel to the post

 

[Phrost]

I did that on one of my test forums last year. All you have to do is float the user info over to the left side of the table...5 minute job after you work around some quirks in the default html.

I've attached a screen shot of my tweak, it would look better with a background image behind the user info but I never got around to that. I no longer have the code but I could reproduce it if you want it.

That would be most appreciated.

Does it display the same in both Firefox and IE?

Might be a bit more complex for us since we're running a hybrid of the new and legacy PBs:

 

[/dev/urandon]

That would be most appreciated.

Does it display the same in both Firefox and IE?

Might be a bit more complex for us since we're running a hybrid of the new and legacy PBs:

Yea it does.

Mine is not a modification to postbit legacy BTW. I used the 'default' postbit, removed the top bar in the original, then placed the userinfo (floated) just above the post text.

I have some free time tomorrow so I'll see if I can work this in. I'd plan on re-coding it anyway for a future project (*hint* ).

 

[Phrost]

Nice.

I'll screw around with it myself. My postbit has all kinds of bells and whistles built in like links to profile fields and custom ranks and such. I just hate working with tables.

What do you think are the chances vBulletin will ever go with an all CSS layout?

 

[/dev/urandon]

Nice.

I'll screw around with it myself. My postbit has all kinds of bells and whistles built in like links to profile fields and custom ranks and such. I just hate working with tables.

What do you think are the chances vBulletin will ever go with an all CSS layout?

We'll see all CSS layouts when all browsers agree on how CSS displays and when most of the population stops using ancient versions of Netscape and Internet explorer.

In other words; It'll probably be a long time. Also keep in mine that 'tableless' layouts and proper use of CSS are not the same thing. There are places where tables are supposed to be used and you see places like that very often in forum software.

 

[Phrost]

We'll see all CSS layouts when all browsers agree on how CSS displays and when most of the population stops using ancient versions of Netscape and Internet explorer.

In other words; It'll probably be a long time. Also keep in mine that 'tableless' layouts and proper use of CSS are not the same thing. There are places where tables are supposed to be used and you see places like that very often in forum software.

I agree with you. But believe it or not I've run into some people who seem to think that using tables is akin to wearing bib overalls to a formal dinner party. Go figure.

 

[MMM]

using tables is akin to wearing bib overalls to a formal dinner party.

Depends on what they're serving as an appetizer