Integrated Blogs

Grover

Grover

Well-known member
The latest version (3.8) Kier & Mike produced for Jelsoft has it... Invision Powerboard has it. So it seems logical/natural that xenForo needs to provide integrated Blogs aswell. Otherwise a large part of customers will be unable/unwilling to transfer their vB boards to xenForo, because we really need our integrated Blogs aswell.

Please do [like] this first posting if you think it is a good feature suggestion for XenForo
 
Upvote 103
Josh111 said:
That's really all there is. It's just a forum displayed with a different template. A simple implementation with minimal features would be immensely valuable.
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Rather than being a big feature I'd say this is almost certainly just a style/template thing which you could do with a conditional on the node id.

We do something very similar on our VB site where all replies in our ""news" forum have the avatar, etc all stripped out leaving just the username and their comment.
 
TheVisitors said:
That's nice... But I would still want it in the core.

1) Core products typically follow with importers... ie... Being able to port my current blogs to XF

2) Core products are typically guaranteed continued development and support
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The only platform that offers blogs as a core feature currently is vB4, everything else is a official paid addon by the platform developers.

3rd party addons are really no different from official addons, only in that they're not always supported, but platform developers retain a right to EOL official addons at no notice (vB3 Blog & project tools for example).

If you're worried about LN Blogs not being supported, its safe to say that Onimua has the intention of supporting for the foreseeable future as it is a modification that he also uses himself on his site(s).

A benefit you get with a 3rd party addon is, features and bugs are more likely to be fixed sooner than if it were an official addon, as the developer isn't juggling as many projects (Hopefully).

As for an importer, Onimua probably will have an importer available sooner or later, or someone else will make one.
 
I would like to put this 2 year old suggestion into the spotlights again. At the moment I still didn't switch my vB3.8 board over to Xenforo. The main reason (unfortunately) has become the insecure situation Xenforo seems to be in at the moment. I am making money from my site, so I need a supporting company that we can trust. Internet Brands obviously isn't such a company, so I dearly hope in the nearby future Xenforo's company issues can be resolved. Anyway, next to the company issues, the software issue of not having blogs in Xenforo also holds us back to switch over. Yes, I know there's a plugin available right now: http://xenforo.com/community/resources/xi-blog.713/, but is it possible for example (I am not a technical person) to import Blogs from the product into a future official Xenforo Blog? And is it possible for such a non-official plugin to import Blogs from vB 3.8?

Blogs on our platform would be used actively, especially when the implementation/integration is not so badly done as it was in vBulletin. Because of the latter the Blogs are not used as much as they could be on my current platform, I am quite sure of that.

So, I still hope to see Blog functionality as a stock feature (or better maybe: as an official plugin).
 
Grover said:
I would like to put this 2 year old suggestion into the spotlights again. At the moment I still didn't switch my vB3.8 board over to Xenforo. The main reason (unfortunately) has become the insecure situation Xenforo seems to be in at the moment. I am making money from my site, so I need a supporting company that we can trust. Internet Brands obviously isn't such a company, so I dearly hope in the nearby future Xenforo's company issues can be resolved. Anyway, next to the company issues, the software issue of not having blogs in Xenforo also holds us back to switch over. Yes, I know there's a plugin available right now: http://xenforo.com/community/resources/xi-blog.713/, but is it possible for example (I am not a technical person) to import Blogs from the product into a future official Xenforo Blog? And is it possible for such a non-official plugin to import Blogs from vB 3.8?

Blogs on our platform would be used actively, especially when the implementation/integration is not so badly done as it was in vBulletin. Because of the latter the Blogs are not used as much as they could be on my current platform, I am quite sure of that.

So, I still hope to see Blog functionality as a stock feature (or better maybe: as an official plugin).
Click to expand...

A blogging add-on definitely is useful. For a long time my blogs remained on vBulletin because of that.

The situation with XenForo is difficult, I really don't think they will come up with any add-ons in the near future. If things get brigther, they need to update the main product, if things get dimmer, XenForo might not even exist next year. Who knows.

At the risk of touting my own horn. I coded a blog add-on. I covered most of the features I was interested in, mainly Blog Customization, Categories, and Scheduled Entries. And I made sure it would run on my site that has a thousand blogs, 100,000 entries and 800,000 comments. And it DOES have an importer for vBulletin 3.8 that will bring everything up to attachments.

I feel this is a bad time for making any kind of suggestion for XenForo. I would be happy if even the development revived, happier if their legal situation got cleared up. I am not really sure that the owners have the bandwidth or incentive to actually look at suggestions right now. Their backlog of things to do must be huge already.
 
Rigel Kentaurus said:
I feel this is a bad time for making any kind of suggestion for XenForo. I would be happy if even the development revived, happier if their legal situation got cleared up. I am not really sure that the owners have the bandwidth or incentive to actually look at suggestions right now. Their backlog of things to do must be huge already.
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I understand what you mean. I didn't make any new product suggestions for 1,5 years, but when would it be then the right time to start again, I wonder? For me personally, there's not much point in putting a big amount of free time and energy (as I did from the start of this fantastic piece of software called Xenforo) into providing ideas/tips/feedback on current and new suggestions if the developers apparently choose (or are forced to choose?) to abandon their product and once thriving community. It is all such a sad state of affairs, even more so when you realize how much of an outstanding product Xenforo is. Still, I dearly hope there will be better times around the corner. And that's why I am bringing up this feature suggestion, because I really believe that if Xenforo could implement it in a much better way then what vBulletin came up with at the time, we will have a winner. Posting on a Xenforo based forum is simply a joy. With such an outstanding UI/UX, the same experience will be felt with a XF powered Blog. Integrated in the best way possible and we can move over our vB 3.8 boards. If Xenforo Ltd. can solve their business issues that is. And yes, obviously the latter is of much a greater importance then any Blog or other feature suggestions at this moment in time.
 
Onimua said:
I have said previously that if XF came out with an official blog add-on, I would provide an exporter for it. :)
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Thanks you Onimua for stating this. It makes it more easier for us to consider your product,if it takes too long for Xenforo to come up something themselves.
 
Lucas said:
I'll pass at having integrated blogs. It seems like a completely useless feature to me. For blogs you can register your domain -> install wordpress. :p
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I see it quite differently. For starters: why would I (assuming I am offering Wordpress multisite) impose my users to a totally new interface to post postings (entries) in their blog? They are/will be used to my XenForo platform. They are already used to post their posting with the outstanding UI of Xenforo. I believe it's quite bad practice to offer 2 completely different systems to post one's content (being it forum postings or blog entries) on our platform. The enduser should be presented with the same interface/environment, definitely.

Do I expect Xenforo to come up with a sophisticated CMS like Wordpress, to make it possible for us to create an extensive website next to our forums? No, (not anymore). We can indeed use Wordpress for that. But when it comes to individual blogs for our members, then it's a completely different story. Then we do not need/want Wordpress MS for that (with all his bells and whistles), we need this integrated in our forum package, because once again: our endusers/our members are going to use it and we don't want them to be confronted with a completely different WP environment.

I am eagerly waiting for a Xenforo produced Blog solution.
 
I also prefer that the developers spent more time creating and improving the actual forum than trying to come up with blogs and a CMS. If you want blogs, there are a few good plugins out there. I think the devs should just focus on what xenforo is - a forum! Otherwise they might go the Vb route.
 
Joaquin112 said:
I also prefer that the developers spent more time creating and improving the actual forum than trying to come up with blogs and a CMS. If you want blogs, there are a few good plugins out there. I think the devs should just focus on what xenforo is - a forum! Otherwise they might go the Vb route.
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Well, I believe it's not a matter of 'one or the other'. You see, the vB (Internet Brand's versions) route is to release less than mediocore products. Nothing excels anymore, as it did in the Jelsoft days. You can ask yourself the question: is this -only-because they focus on more products than 'just the forum'?
Yes, I understand the (Xenforo) forum product first needs to be 'perfectalized' (new word) before anything else can be investigated/considered. But, wouldn't it be worthwhile business-wise for Xenforo to offer additional paid products next to the (already near-perfect) forum product? It would be interesting to know how many vBulletin Blogs and Invision Blogs are out there.

I was very happy when vBulletin finally released a Blog in the form of an additional product. Unfortunately -remarkable enough, going by the track record of the quality of Jelsoft's products- the integration with the main product -the forum- left a lot to be desired. Basically, the Blogs were invisible. This was one of the (obvious) reasons the Blogs were not much used by forum members on many vB powered platforms which offered the Blog.

There's just only so much you can do with a forum. With a tightly integrated Blog we are able to add more value to our forum based platforms.
 
Blogs are a vital part of my vbulletin big board. Without a XF blog, I would not be able to migrate my site to XenForo.
I am sure that there are many thousands of webmasters in the same boat.
It is up to KAM to make sure that vbulletin customers can use XenForo as a viable alternative. There are sooo many of us that cant wait to make the jump.

A XenForo blog would benefit all, because a XF blog means many more customers/sales/income for XenForo and success for the platform as a whole.
 
Count my vote for blogs (as well as gallery).

VB3.8 blogs were a favorite addition to many communities (not counting the "handful" opposing this suggestion here). Especially with ability to custom design and/or match the custom profile design. There was a vb.org addon I used with much success long before VB offered blogs. Unfortunately, as happens with many third party developers at times, that addon was abandoned. Third party developers sometimes move on in life. That's why I'd rather use an official addon.

IP.Blogs lack in "easy" custom design, but make up for it in features. Ability to rss import into your blogs (with proper html intact), create a group blog, etc. are fantastic features IMHO.

I'd love to see XF create an "official" blog addon. Obviously, there are many potential new clients with each "official" addon you offer. Especially addons that other platforms currently offer. I use IPB because of specific addons, including IP.Blog.

If you want/need it, buy it. If you don't want it, don't buy it! Simple really!

I don't understand why people are "ALWAYS" so quick to oppose an "addon suggestion" they don't have to buy/add/use...I find it insulting on XF, VB, IPB, etc. If I don't agree with a suggestion, I move on... If I agree with a suggestion, I like/rate it and/or comment. I strongly believe in respecting other people's suggestions. Just because you & your end-users won't use it, doesn't mean that the rest of the world won't. I don't use Facef*ck/Twit/Myspace/Etc anymore, but millions in the world do. Doesn't hurt my feelings one bit!
 
I think blogs is a very good idea for Xenforo. I like the 3rd party add ons...but not all of us have $40 to blow on a single add on (n)
 

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