Official Request Thread

[Annette]

Originally Posted by BadCompany

This not something really important,but I think the Bookmark and Tags boxes should be under the quick reply box.

The Bookmark and Tags boxes are placed as they are by design to encourage their use, which helps our placement within search engines. I may not have explained that properly or thoroughly because it's not my area of expertise, but this is a marketing tool and as such will remain as is. Please view it as a way to help the company reach new users.

Originally Posted by JimMorrison

Seconded.


In case it was lost in the shuffle, I'd also like to second the request that we have multiple/custom site themes.

The theme is an integral part of our complete site design and corporate branding - also not subject to change.

We appreciate your suggestions, but I'm afraid these particular requests won't go on our list of considerations. I hope you understand.

[BadCompany]

Originally Posted by Annette

The Bookmark and Tags boxes are placed as they are by design to encourage their use, which helps our placement within search engines. I may not have explained that properly or thoroughly because it's not my area of expertise, but this is a marketing tool and as such will remain as is. Please view it as a way to help the company reach new users.



The theme is an integral part of our complete site design and corporate branding - also not subject to change.

We appreciate your suggestions, but I'm afraid these particular requests won't go on our list of considerations. I hope you understand.

Ok now I see.I get it now.Thanks for reading my post.

[lch]

Originally Posted by Annette

The Bookmark and Tags boxes are placed as they are by design to encourage their use, which helps our placement within search engines. I may not have explained that properly or thoroughly because it's not my area of expertise, but this is a marketing tool and as such will remain as is. Please view it as a way to help the company reach new users.

The quick reply box only shows up for logged in users, so it shouldn't impact crawlers from search engines or visitors at all if you move it, I think.

[Annette]

Originally Posted by lch

The quick reply box only shows up for logged in users, so it shouldn't impact crawlers from search engines or visitors at all if you move it, I think.

Again, I'm not the internet marketing expert on the team, but my understanding is the benefit comes in when users choose to utilize the bookmarks and tags. Therefore, we want their availability to be obvious and easily accessible to our users.

[JimMorrison]

Originally Posted by Annette

The theme is an integral part of our complete site design and corporate branding - also not subject to change.

So I was thinking about this one, it's something I'm told I do too much.

Anyways, I wondered what the harm is in allowing custom themes for existing users? Obviously you want this look for the newcomers and the surfers and wanderers(and you've put a lot of thought and effort into it), but we've already purchased products from Shrapnel, I think. So I just sort of thought if there was a built in theme customizer that perhaps it could be opened up just so that we could play with it, and make it more attractive in relation to our own personal desktop/browser themes.

For example, I'm using a kind of minty layout right now, and while these blues are perfectly serviceable in most ways, they're just not very attractive on my setup.

Again, not trying to interfere with your efforts, it's just something I'd like to see implemented for those of us who already believe in the Shrapnel method. <3

[Annette]

Well, you present a persuasive argument...and I can see how that would be a cool feature. We wouldn't want to use standard vBulletin presets, though, which would mean designing these ourselves. Something that labor intensive isn't likely to happen in the near feature, I'm sorry. Cool suggestion, though.

[Richard]

Originally Posted by Annette

Well, you present a persuasive argument...and I can see how that would be a cool feature. We wouldn't want to use standard vBulletin presets, though, which would mean designing these ourselves. Something that labor intensive isn't likely to happen in the near feature, I'm sorry. Cool suggestion, though.

BTW, to add to this, there is another issue with this. The way vbulletin works (which is actually better designed software wise) much of the presentation layer is stripped out of the core application software and stored in the database templates. Because of this most major mods are de-coupled from the application and actually applied through the templating system. So what that means is that for every style you have, which in turn holds literally hundreds of individual templates, you have to modify each template for every modification to the site.

Because of that not only is it a maintenance nightmare from a labor standpoint but it also makes it very easy to forget to apply an update to a mod to one template versus the other.

[JimMorrison]

Originally Posted by Richard

...much of the presentation layer is stripped out of the core application software and stored in the database templates. Because of this most major mods are de-coupled from the application and actually applied through the templating system. So what that means is that for every style you have, which in turn holds literally hundreds of individual templates, you have to modify each template for every modification to the site...

Well, that sounds like a terrible mess! I won't expect a miracle then. Just remember one day when you're bored (I know you're all kinds of busy now, but eventually), that a lot of users wouldn't mind if there were just some simple color scheme options. If they were buried in the User CP, no one is going to dig it up before they bask in the glory of all of this blue for awhile - or if they do find it that fast, they must really be that averse to these colors.

Anyway, if there were a couple other options eventually, with colors selected to go nicely with the Shrapnel logo (and maybe even make it jump attractively out of the background. ), it would be cool.

[lch]

Originally Posted by Richard

BTW, to add to this, there is another issue with this. The way vbulletin works (which is actually better designed software wise) much of the presentation layer is stripped out of the core application software and stored in the database templates. Because of this most major mods are de-coupled from the application and actually applied through the templating system.

That's the same that phpBB3 does and most of MediaWiki. I really hate it because that means that something that you mod is usually tied to a template. It's extremely difficult to add something if you're not a core developer.