blogs?

[admin]

Ok.. how is this for [censored] up, but I'm already starting a todo list once we finish the NEW site which is NOT done yet. These are things we are holding off on, but what do you guys think about these features:

1. blogs? - Pumped into your current logins of course. Archived, dates, comments

2. IM/Chat system - there is a really cool flash one that I can buy from this independent developer and have it customized into our forum login. How do you guys feel about doing it in flash?

Thanks for the input.

Will

[joojaa]

Hmm... maybe but inst the forum kindof a blog?

Anyway, maybe the faq atleast cold be in a blog form so that it could be maintained neat.

Well, my opinion of flash is as follows. if it can be done without flash try to avoid it, unless the flash solution gives much better performance and more informative way of displaying it. If not then its just a waste of time.

Remeber also not all computers can use flash. I mean my pocket pc cant altough in theory it has enough power. (mainly the problem is that flash pages usualy ore limited to certain sizes withou design for stratching wich is baad indeed),

[admin]

No, not really like the forums at all, the blogging idea is to let each individual have their own space to chronical things. Example:

http://www.ipsbloggers.com/matt

more personal stuff. Who knows what people want to share or who wants to read their stuff, but it seems to be there are enough of both groups out there The system would allow them to customize the look (somewhat), etc.

Regarding flash IM, it either has to be flash or java and I have more problems with java then flash as far as speed. Especially loading on firefox. Flash can pull from the chat db in real time -- its one ofthe only technologies that can do it on the web nicely. The other idea was to write our own system but that requires installs... and I really dont want to require that.

Will

[user_deleted]

I've used flash Ims before, have no problems with them.

[joojaa]

muhah, I actualy know what the difference between a blog and a forum is but the diffference is still tiny enough that theres no real difference.

In my mind Bloging sould be restricted to small areas, ortherwise the purpose of a forum dimishes. So the blog sould be reserved something like a faq wich the way is now prompts people to ask questions on the thread and making it a bit unmantained. If it was blog it probably would be better mainatained and better looking form reading/printing perspective.

a personal intro/faq/blog page could be nice tough so you could collect your msot often given answers and link to them

Also no flash because there is a lot of computers and electronic devices out there that just dont show flash under any circumstances (like my pda and my phone). but java and javasript, even irc works fine. I dont know what the situation in americas is but here its almost certain that surfing is starting to switch to pdas, every day more and more. Because who cares how much you surf with your phone if it costs you 25 euros a month to talk as much as you like and surf as much as you like (ok i talk pretty much about 15-30 hours per month and surf very little less than 50 megas so i can keep my phonebills at 12-25 euros a month). WhenI need data I search it (one of the most usefull services is a webpage that can tell me exactly how to take public trasport from place a to b at a given time).

the only limit to usefullnes of a pda or a phone as a surfing medium is totaly proportional to the inverse amount of sites that have nonflowing webpages, nonstandard stuff, and amount o flash out there.

So flash isnt without its banes. Im not against it tough, but you can get theese things for almost nothing with not much script anyway.

One of the coolest things i do sometimes is sit in the buss or metro and chat with my freinds (its usualy possible to work and chat at the same time but not talk in the phone).

im not totaly against it but im more invclined to think less is more because more can see less.

Ps flash must be installed

[admin]

Ok I see what are you saying regarding blogging. On the new site we have new areas:

Tips (like wikis or blogs in that sense, with comments)
FAQ's (a completely system, no comments)

but everything on the new site has also a forum and a comment system.

I see blogs as an alternative to personal home pages. People talk about random stuff having to do with their own life, not things they would post in a forum. Blogs can be mod'd into the forum system though.

I guess it will be best to see how all the new forum/comment integration on the new site affects things. Subforums as well.

---

regarding IM, anyway we go in our interface im going to use a universal backend chat application so there will be an interface from other chat mediums; aim, yahoo, msn, irc.

flash usually gets installed on most browsers before they reach highend3d and probably would be much easier to get users to install then the "Highend3d Chat App"

Will