Customizable User Profiles

[Grover]

Well, well... 'coincidentally' (yes, it's speculation from my part), Internet Brands announced today (right after xenForo presented itself to the world) that Customizable User Profiles have returned to vBulletin. Yes... returned, because Internet Brands decided to completely delete this function from their first alpha release, which they appalingly labbeled 'Gold' at the end of 2009 and let customers pay a premium price for. Making vBulletin unusable for 8 months for people who were actively providing/using Customized Profiles on their vB platforms.

I was wondering: will xenForo provide something like this? I know from experience with the largest Dutch social network (Ning a-like) that a function like that will certainly attract visitors (mostly the younger ones). Personalization is in my view a high priority for any social platform out there.

See also additional notes here: http://xenforo.com/community/threads/suggestion-customizable-user-profiles.306/page-4#post-488173

Please do [like] this first posting if you think it is a good feature suggestion for XenForo

 

[ArnyVee]

This is a very useful feature for those bringing over social network sites to xenForo.

As someone suggested earlier in the thread, something as simple as being able to change the background picture and tweak some colors would be good enough to start out.

 

[Grover]

I was wondering: will xenForo provide something like this? I know from experience with the largest Dutch social network (Ning a-like) that a function like that will certainly attract visitors (mostly the younger ones). Personalization is in my view a high priority for any social platform out there.

Recent studies have shown that users like a clean clear profile design than the ability to design the profile themselves.

Since I am not a teenager anymore (at least according to my physical age/state of being), I found myself re-thinking the above suggestion. I can fully get Brandon's point. Look at Facebook for example: hardly any customization possible and people dig it. However, what I do like about Facebook as of lately is the possibility of having your own banner on your profile. That does make your profile indeed more personal and at the same time it doesn't inflict on the overall default FB profile style, making the FB experience consistent AND personal at the same time.

I for one also don't care (but I am not a teenager anymore, so audiences differ) to look at screaming backgrounds of members... in fact I really dislike it very much. So if there's any point for Xenforo providing something like this, then it would be good to keep the 'making the experience consistent AND personal at the same time' in mind. Stating the obvious, I guess

 

[CallieJo]

Side note: Hi Grover! Good to see you again!

I'm not anywhere near being a teenager, myself. And I'm certainly not a fan of facef*ck, Twit, Myspace, etc....I've only used them when I felt forced to do so for our offline business. That won't happen again!

However, I am still supportive of this suggestion to bring back what VB3.8 provided at the very least. Minus the gradients/puffy/90's of VB4, please. With admin on/off option, of coarse!

 

[Alpha1]

I think profiles need to be highly customizable, but not just necessarily in the way that you can change the design. I do like the way you can change PHPFox profiles.

Nowadays minisites like thumbler are all the rave. A profile should be the members home, journal, blog, agenda, where the member can put up whatever images, posts, videos that he/she likes to display and which holds member history, stats and gamification.

 

[Cal]

I would love to see more advanced profiles. Forums are starting to integrate with social media sites anyway. We could also use some activity walls

 

[zooki]

I personally think that profile customization is a good thing. I just can't promise that it will be available in XenForo 1.0.

Hi Kier, a reminder for 2.0

Ahaa People please Like the Original Post!! So this can get implemented!

 

[Saimmi]

(Introduction: Hi, I'm new. Going to be looking to start a forum running XenForo in the coming weeks, so I finally signed up here.)

While looking through examples of XenForo sites, I'm sure I came across a site in which members had banners that went across the top of their profiles. I didn't register or really inspect any further (had other things to think about) so it might have just been a feature for the admin, whose profile I think I was looking at, but it struck me as a feature that could go down well in certain communities.

That kind of customisation, more than being just a middle ground or compromise, I think, is a perfect solution. It retains the uniformity of XenForo profiles while still offering;

- Administrators the ability, I would presume, to enable or disable the feature.
- Users the ability to leave their own mark on their profile in their community.

^My unsolicited opinion.

 

[ArnyVee]

While looking through examples of XenForo sites, I'm sure I came across a site in which members had banners that went across the top of their profiles.

- Users the ability to leave their own mark on their profile in their community.

Not sure if this is what you meant: http://xenforo.com/community/resour...ge-based-on-user-profile-field-selection.535/

But, I figured I'd let you know in case it was.

 

[Saimmi]

Not sure if this is what you meant: http://xenforo.com/community/resour...ge-based-on-user-profile-field-selection.535/

But, I figured I'd let you know in case it was.

I can't quite view the full resource yet, but reading through the discussion shows that this is exactly what I meant. Thank you very much! Bookmarked for later...

 

[Grover]

This idea only has 10 likes so far, but nevertheless I was wondering if XF in it's version 2 rebirth might still offer (limited please) user profile customization?

We all know how Facebook looks, so no need for screenshots there. The way Facebook works has been adopted (more or less) by Invision Board and Burning Board. All these social platforms offer a customizable user banner and user picture. And these visual representations of you/your interests are combined like this:

Invision:



Burning:



Facebook:

The same.

I love how Facebook has become much more personalized (human) in the way it visually presents itself and it's users overall in recent years, compared to the big blue business-like/corporate looking soulless 'monster' it used to be . This new much needed direction surely contributed to it's never ending success. It made the whole platform much more pleasant to use and engaging.

Now, one can not compare FB to XF, but with my own XF powered platform (in the time to come) I would like to achieve at least the same what Invision and Burning offer when it comes to user banners inside the user profile and membercard.

Not only for making my site more personal , but also in the benefit of monetizing it. Advertisers would pay for a banner like that inside their profile.

I hope to see this still coming in the XF 2 branche.

 

[ivp]

For a start, profile cover images would make the difference.