Business Coach
Active member
Hi,
I own a few Vbulletin Licenses. I have one in particular with lots of members, posts etc. I am doing a total revamp. I need to build a modern community. One that fits with todays socialized network. These were things we were doing to it 3 years ago, with twitter and facebook integration, and back then it was spotty at best.
Vb 3.8 is where we left it, due to heavy modification and styling. Vb 4.anything is totally horrible, not to mention the things they are doing and treating their customers, they pretty much have lost me for life.
So I heard about this xenforo thing from vbulletin of all places. On a thread where Vbulletin was asking about what customers think about their latest release, 90% complained and hate it for one reason or another. Not aesthetics mind you, but FUNCTIONALITY and RELIABILITY.
This is important. I have to ask myself:
How well can the community engage each other?
Will they get frustrated because it is slow or buggy?
How does this fit into modern convergence of web 4.0 (TV/ Video/Internet/Mobile)?
How stable is the base?
How extensible is the base?
So far I will say there seems to be a PORTION of the xen community that is kinda cultish.
It scares me. The founders have become "celebrities" and people are clearly star struck and have drunk the kool aid.
Also, I believe there is a VERY good chance that the stress and difficulty of owning a business, added to the additional stress of legal defense, may end up being too much. Passion only takes you so far. Xen my NOT be around in 2 years.
However they have done some groundbreaking code, which surely some in the future will use as an example to duplicate.
I had to make a choice between IPB and Xenforum. These are the only two real options today. Free boards are NOT a question. They suck. Period. From development, support etc. "Free" has a very high cost. Free is definitely for people who do not value their time and resources.
IPB has a history, and most likely is not going anywhere anytime soon. And it has an almost out of the box, all you need for $500 to own the full license.
Since I heard about this on friday i have poked around, made some posts etc. Can't say I am exactly happy with what is here.
The development community has not really embraced this outside thier own testing. TO be fair, stable release 1.0 has not been released yet, so that is probably wise on their part. Especially from an upgrade/support perspective.
In the end, after much research I finally made a decision, this morning. And I purchased a license for what I feel is going to be best FOR THE FUTURE.
In a competitive marketplace, you must be competitive. And so, there was only one thing that TRULY fit that bill.
So, If you are like I was, just an hour ago; thinking of buying or switching to xenforo, then don't bother wasting another minute of your time on this post.
Just go ahead and do it. I did. Click that shopping cart button and get it. No it does not have every feature you need, but I have seen even in a scaled down version, rocks.
Take a risk if you feel that is what it is. It is what we business people and hobbyist do.
Think about it, if you have the option of a touch screen smart phone, why settle for a flip phone?
I have the privilege of being trained by and affilaited with the #1 marketer in history. If someone were to get coaching from me (at $300 per hour) then I would RECOMMEND they switch and get xenforum as their framework.
For what it is worth, xen will give you a competitive edge in your niche, and that is PRICELESS.
Best to you in all your endeavors.
Remember to Picture Your Success!
Maurice Evans, Business Coach
Certified Guerrilla Marketing Trainer
I own a few Vbulletin Licenses. I have one in particular with lots of members, posts etc. I am doing a total revamp. I need to build a modern community. One that fits with todays socialized network. These were things we were doing to it 3 years ago, with twitter and facebook integration, and back then it was spotty at best.
Vb 3.8 is where we left it, due to heavy modification and styling. Vb 4.anything is totally horrible, not to mention the things they are doing and treating their customers, they pretty much have lost me for life.
So I heard about this xenforo thing from vbulletin of all places. On a thread where Vbulletin was asking about what customers think about their latest release, 90% complained and hate it for one reason or another. Not aesthetics mind you, but FUNCTIONALITY and RELIABILITY.
This is important. I have to ask myself:
How well can the community engage each other?
Will they get frustrated because it is slow or buggy?
How does this fit into modern convergence of web 4.0 (TV/ Video/Internet/Mobile)?
How stable is the base?
How extensible is the base?
So far I will say there seems to be a PORTION of the xen community that is kinda cultish.
It scares me. The founders have become "celebrities" and people are clearly star struck and have drunk the kool aid.
Also, I believe there is a VERY good chance that the stress and difficulty of owning a business, added to the additional stress of legal defense, may end up being too much. Passion only takes you so far. Xen my NOT be around in 2 years.
However they have done some groundbreaking code, which surely some in the future will use as an example to duplicate.
I had to make a choice between IPB and Xenforum. These are the only two real options today. Free boards are NOT a question. They suck. Period. From development, support etc. "Free" has a very high cost. Free is definitely for people who do not value their time and resources.
IPB has a history, and most likely is not going anywhere anytime soon. And it has an almost out of the box, all you need for $500 to own the full license.
Since I heard about this on friday i have poked around, made some posts etc. Can't say I am exactly happy with what is here.
The development community has not really embraced this outside thier own testing. TO be fair, stable release 1.0 has not been released yet, so that is probably wise on their part. Especially from an upgrade/support perspective.
In the end, after much research I finally made a decision, this morning. And I purchased a license for what I feel is going to be best FOR THE FUTURE.
In a competitive marketplace, you must be competitive. And so, there was only one thing that TRULY fit that bill.
So, If you are like I was, just an hour ago; thinking of buying or switching to xenforo, then don't bother wasting another minute of your time on this post.
Just go ahead and do it. I did. Click that shopping cart button and get it. No it does not have every feature you need, but I have seen even in a scaled down version, rocks.
Take a risk if you feel that is what it is. It is what we business people and hobbyist do.
Think about it, if you have the option of a touch screen smart phone, why settle for a flip phone?
I have the privilege of being trained by and affilaited with the #1 marketer in history. If someone were to get coaching from me (at $300 per hour) then I would RECOMMEND they switch and get xenforum as their framework.
For what it is worth, xen will give you a competitive edge in your niche, and that is PRICELESS.
Best to you in all your endeavors.
Remember to Picture Your Success!
Maurice Evans, Business Coach
Certified Guerrilla Marketing Trainer
Reminds me of a stunt I pulled for our student union's party. A week before we started the sale, we hung up big black posters all over college, showing a big white question mark, and only the words: "It's coming, May 5th". The lack of ay other info kept the college buzzing with rumours and speculation to such an extent my marketing professor used it as an example of great advertising 
