How can xenforo compete against the big companies like vBulletin and IPB?

[Princeton]

competition breeds excellence

- vbulletin will be forced to create a better product
- xenforo will be forced to create a better product

In the end, we all win.

vbulletin does have the upper hand

• a trusted brand; even with the current problems people still trust the name
• member base is huge - most don't even know about the problems
• resources

xenforo greatest advantage is that it has no restrictions. It can build from the ground up with features that work.

The question we should be asking...
How can xenforo compete against the big companies like vBulletin and IPB?

1)__ Start building your Brand - the biggest asset it has is the staff. But this can only take you so far...

• make it easy for people to spread the word - send-to-friend email?
• offer a newsletter? Why force people to register / subscribe to forum?
• banners to share on sites, etc ... it will help others become aware of the brand

Remember: It's not about xenforo - the great software. It's about getting people to trust xenforo - the company - the brand.

2)__ Build for those who can spread the word - developers, programmers, web designers, etc. Start working on a marketplace, on new policies, etc ... even if it's just on paper or just taking input from members. It's important to show them how serious you are in working with them.

3)__ Ensure that a smooth upgrade is possible. (eg. SEO ) Changing features and interface is one thing but making it difficult for people to transition from one software to another because of indexed pages, URL rewrites, etc can be detrimental to growth. (Not everyone will have the knowledge to do this on their own.)

4)__ Get many eyes on the software. This is possible by targeting large sites. If you can convert large sites you will...

• expose the brand to many people.
• increase word-of-mouth.

(for education purposes only ... the same can apply to other endeavors)

 

[feldon30]

vBulletin a trusted brand. ROFL

Please go read this thread on the SAME topic:
http://xenforo.com/community/threads/xenforo-destroyed-by-vbulletin.3167/

It's not even 12 hours old.

 

[Elizabeth]

It's amazing how the word is getting out already. Just google xenforo and once you get past the obvious 5/10 on the first page that are this forum/facebook/twitter/wikipedia, it is amazing the number of forums talking about this software. Yes, the big ones are talking but so are SO many others. The word is spreading.

 

 

[borbole]

most of us are here because we know Kier and Mike - we trust them
How many of us would be here if it wasn't created by a familiar person?

Indeed. Although Kier and Mike were developers at vb way before my time thier reputation preceeds them. They are both big names in the coding world and this is the main reason I think that xenforo will become very popular. The boom it had with members and posting activity since the very first day it opened to the public, and which is still going very strong, prooves that.

I think it will take some time and hard work though that they can proove themselves again with the xenforo that it can match up the big boys, vB and Ipb but they are more than half way there in my opinion. Although for me vb will still be number 1.

 

[anotheralias]

I do wonder why everyone puts the emphasis on whether forum owners will elect to use it, rather than, will the endusers basically make that decision for them by preferring forums run by XF. Is that really not any kind of a factor?

 

[Princeton]

vBulletin a trusted brand. ROFL

Please go read this thread on the SAME topic:
http://xenforo.com/community/threads/xenforo-destroyed-by-vbulletin.3167/

It's not even 12 hours old.

this is by far not the same but I can see how one may interpret it that way...

I'm a realist. Unlike many, I don't see any company failing.
I think both xenforo and vbulletin are going to succeed.

Competition breeds excellence - which is good for everyone.

What I was hoping to get out of this thread was more about educating each other ... a gathering of sorts on how WE can help xenforo succeed. In the end, the same ideas/principles could be utilized on personal endeavors, etc.

 

[Shelley]

You make some good points but as far as I see this (also being a realist) is that the only competition around is IPB. They have trust from their members and have done for near on a decade. vbulletin doesn't have my trust, words to me don't speak volumes it's actions and the end results that I am looking for. Trust is something that is earned over a long period of time that can also be damaged in a short time.

My prediction. IPB will continue with what they do and doing an excellent job because Matt and Charles are two great devs which are in touch with their customers and team. Vbulletin, they broke my trust and many others, a few words and a sudden (recently) flow of information (great PR) doesn't change my mind, sometimes trust cannot be won back. Though I feel it will continue with sales. Xenforo, although early in it's infancy I feel it'll be a great solution and an even more appealing one once the developers, designers begin development.

It'll all be good for the consumer because the commercial solutions will be stepping up their game (which is very noticeable now) since xenforo was announced. So on many aspects you touched upon and for customers it'll be a good thing because nothing short of quality will be accepted because costumers are fully aware a move is a few clicks away and viable solutions their for the taking.

 

[Sador]

The real question is how big companies like vBulletin and IPB are going to compete against XenForo.

 

[Peggy]

What I was hoping to get out of this thread was more about educating each other ... a gathering of sorts on how WE can help xenforo succeed. In the end, the same ideas/principles could be utilized on personal endeavors, etc.

This ^ is the point that Princeton was hoping to make with this thread. I suggest we start the discussion over again, with this in mind.

 

[Jethro]

quality and innovation can only get you so far...
there needs to be a relationship - trust - before y0u make a purchase

most of us are here because we know Kier and Mike - we trust them
How many of us would be here if it wasn't created by a familiar person?

Actually judging from a recent poll on these forums a lot of people are coming in from non-vB backgrounds ergo high probability they don't know either Kier or Mike, but are checking out the buzz that's already happening around Xen, am already getting feedback from people blown away by the UI.

Xenforo will forge it's own market in due course and the sooner we drop the vB baggage a lot of folks seem to have arrived with the better imho. Already on staff at two future sites that will be using Xen, that would be an example of not letting the moss grow and an exiting market happening.

 

[mlx]

vbulletin does have the upper hand

• a trusted brand

Haha

IB is trying very hard to lose all the trust people ever had in vBulletin.

They've lost mine for sure.

 

[Chromaniac]

well wordpress annihilated everything that existed in the blogging market including movable type.

vox is being killed now. wordpress has proven that a small group of developers can take on established entities and provide great software.

 

[Markos]

1) Competitive Price
2) Clear and not confusing license system
3) Stable product, with attention to customer needs/feedback
4) Monitored and regularly improved "modders community"
5) Monitor the competitor's actions...and learn, learn fast what the forum market need.

It's all for me, i think.

​

 

[John]

The sooner K&M can bring this to market, the sooner these speculative threads will end

 

[Elizabeth]

The sooner K&M can bring this to market, the sooner these speculative threads will end

AMEN to that

 

[Peggy]

AMEN to that

I second that AMEN!

 

[Princeton]

1) Competitive Price
2) Clear and not confusing license system
3) Stable product, with attention to customer needs/feedback
4) Monitored and regularly improved "modders community"
5) Monitor the competitor's actions...and learn, learn fast what the forum market need.

It's all for me, i think.

​

Great suggestion! Yes, they do help in building "trust".

Any tips on how a company (such as xenforo) can get from point A to point B in less time?

We (xenforo) currently have 1,800 members ... only a percentage of these members will make a purchase @ launch. Yes, it's a good start for sales but we can do better.

What can be done to expedite success?

• Increase membership - how?
• Build trust - how?
• Press Release - when? how many?
• Increase Word of Mouth - how?

 

[sniper756]

I think KM (Kier and Mike) is the trusted brand.

 

[feldon30]

What I was hoping to get out of this thread was more about educating each other ... a gathering of sorts on how WE can help xenforo succeed. In the end, the same ideas/principles could be utilized on personal endeavors, etc.

If you are doing fact finding, that's admirable. But starting the thread with unproven assumptions such as "vBulletin is a trusted brand" does not help your point.

Make no assumptions, and you open your mind to the truth.

 

[Mr_Bob]

I don't think it's really possible to get another huge membership increase until after sites are already running XenForo. Many webmasters don't pay any attention to the sites pointing to XenForo, and many may not even know it exists until they see it running on another's website.

The best way to increase word of mouth is by demonstrating the software. I'd say if it were possible to get a really popular site to start using Xenforo, word of mouth will spread far more rapidly.

 

[Brandon_R]

I don't think it's really possible to get another huge membership increase until after sites are already running XenForo. Many webmasters don't pay any attention to the sites pointing to XenForo, and many may not even know it exists until they see it running on another's website.

The best way to increase word of mouth is by demonstrating the software. I'd say if it were possible to get a really popular site to start using Xenforo, word of mouth will spread far more rapidly.

Agreed but if they focus on the product at hand and create it to the best of their abilities then big sites would automatically come to it without their intervention and word of mouth would have then spread by itself. All xenforo needs to do is have some awesome conversion tools