Integrated Blogs

[Grover]

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

 

[Cal]

If blogs were made by XenForo, it would be an additional add-on most likely.

Well with any luck with a good price for existing licensed members. Otherwise I don't need it that bad. Not bad enough to blow that much.

 

[Alpha1]

It would be nice to see an official XenForo blog at some point.

 

[HenrikHansen]

This is really needed. And a officiel blog would make more people go to Xenforo when they have the option to import blog posts also.

 

[RobParker]

Considering both 3rd party blog products are pretty dead/buggy I'd love to see an official blog system but I imagine it's not on their priority list at the minute :-(

 

[TLMD]

This would be a nice addition to XF!

 

[wedgar]

I'd be interested even if as an Add-On.

 

[Recep Baltaş]

This would be very nice in 1.4!

 

[Grover]

^ http://xenforo.com/community/threads/ln-blog.12701/

Here's one Add-on already . Jaxel is working on this own Blog system too .

there is still "better blogs" http://xenforo.com/community/resources/better-blogs.1055/
an xi blog will be updated shortly (i hope)

Apparently the LN-Blogs/XI-Blogs product has been abandoned (a typical example of the reason why I never want to the depend on third-party products/developers for vital functionality of my platform), so that leaves us with 1 single third-party product which I have no wish for to install.

To partly quote myself:

I am therefor very pleased to read that the concerns I posted here are now solved by the incorporation of the Xen(foro) Media Galery. One vital part of the problem migrating our vBulletin powered social media platform to Xenforo solved. I hope it really doesn't take another 4 years for us to be able to switch to Xenforo, because there's still the second vital social media functionality missing:

Integrated Blogs.

I truly hope that the newly incorporated XFMG is a sign that Xenforo Ltd. is serious about attracting more customers who are looking for a social media platform instead of 'just a forum'. I do realize that not everyone needs a Blog or even a Media Gallery/User Albums attached to their forums, but many people are in need of such functionality. Especially those potential customers who are running on vBulletin or Invision at the moment and make full use of their Blog and Album functionality. It would seem odd/incomplete if Xenforo would only offer Gallery/Albums and no Blogs. Hopefully the recent addition of the new developer can make a difference.

There is a Q&A about it here:

Q: Will it have a CMS, blog, gallery, etc?

A: Not initially. They are good candidates for expansions, but we need to make sure that we nail the core components and the forum first. That part needs to excel before it makes sense to expand.

I am one of these customers who is extremely pleased to see a Gallery/User Albums functionality added now after 4 years .
Does this mean (reading the above Q&A) that the developers now consider the core components/forum to excel enough? It seems that way, since the Gallery is now added. Hopefully an official Blog plugin can be the second expansion candidate soon? Or since the XFMG was already developed basically and the Blog needs to be developed from scratch I hope (with the announcement of XF 2.0 in the planning) the developers don't leave this for a future candidate and focus first on XF 2.0.
If we need to wait after Xentwo-o comes out, it would be too long for us. We simply can not wait another 4 years (or whatever it takes) to migrate from vBulletin to Xenforo...

 

[Paul B]

I hope (with the announcement of XF 2.0 in the planning) the developers don't leave this for a future candidate and focus first on XF 2.0.
If we need to wait after Xentwo-o comes out, it would be too long for us.

It has already been made clear that is the case.

As XenForo 1.4 nears release, the time has come to shift our primary development focus to a brand new version, which will become XenForo 2.0.

 

[Grover]

It has already been made clear that is the case.

What is clear for one does not have to be clear for the other.

The recent release of the XFMG was a big surprise. One could read/interprete the text 'As XenForo 1.4 nears release, the time has come to shift our primary development focus to a brand new version, which will become XenForo 2.0.' as that no new big functionaly would be released until then. But surprise surprise, we suddenly have a big product/vital social media functionality added (after that announcement of the future XF 2.0). I have no idea how much development it takes to incorporate an already developed product into the XF eco-system, but then maybe this is the difference between the release of an already developed product (hence no or less primary development focus) and a newly developed blog product?

So, it's understandable that the release of the unexpected XFMG raises this question really. Since the need of switching from vB (with vital social media tools like Blogs and Albums) to Xenforo becomes stronger by the day.
But I guess you make it now clear that a new Blog product will not see the light of day before XF 2.0 comes out. That is a real bummer after the eagerly awaited -and surprising- release of the XFMG recently.

 

[Paul B]

X(F)MG was already fully developed as a third party add-on.
It being added to the official product line was purely related to the fact that the person who developed it joined XenForo as an employee.

 

[Anthony Parsons]

Let chanting begin: Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog, Blog. End Chant.

 

[ibrian]

Another vote for integrated blogs, especially as XFA blogs appears to have died only a couple of months after I bought a licence.

 

[Grover]

Another vote for integrated blogs, especially as XFA blogs appears to have died only a couple of months after I bought a licence.

You need to [Like] the first posting to show your support for this suggestion.

 

[Grover]

We (my platform) find ourselves completely stuck in the realms of vBulletin 3.8, since we can not migrate to Xenforo because of the lack of Blog functionality.

Our hostingprovider is now complaining about the fact that our platform uses 'bad queries' (I have no idea if they are right in this, since I have no knowledge on that level) and it causing performance issues for other clients on the same shared server. They are trying to move us from a shared hosting solution (400 euro per year) to a managed VPS solution (1000 euro's) now. Apparently (what I've read) XF uses better queries and it's optimized for performance. Quite frankly it is becoming more and more highly frustrating that vBulletin owners -who use their integrated Blogs- can simply still not switch to Xenforo, because of the lack of a simple integrated Blog product. We do not need a Wordpress vehicle, we need simple Blogs like vBulletin offers.

Is there any other solution out there that can help our platform migrate? Putting Blogs inside threads... something... anything that can help us to save our Blogs and make them accesible and -hopefully- reimport them in a future XF Blog product.

I dearly hope a solution is out there soon, the suggestion I posted almost half a decade ago is still so needed for our platform(s).

 

[Slavik]

Putting Blogs inside threads... something...

I have a script to do that, but its not something I can release as it relies on my own custom import tools, but it is doable.

 

[Grover]

I have a script to do that, but its not something I can release as it relies on my own custom import tools, but it is doable.

Thanks for your reply Slavik.

I just need a way to save the Blogs for now and that they can be imported back into a future XF Blog solution. I really don't get it... there must be thousands of vBulletin owners that want to switch to Xenforo, but can not since 5 years, because there is no Blog functionality in Xenforo. Or maybe my assumption is not correct? Still, it remains THE ONLY obstacle for me (and other board owners that I know) to switch to Xenforo.

So, can your solution help in this? Is it possible to save our Blogs to threads and then place them back later on if XF ever gives us an official Blog solution?

(I find myself almost forced now to upgrade to XF, since our hostingprovider wants us to go from a 192,00 p/year shared solution to a 1.000 euro's p/year Managed VPS solution. Which I obviously do not prefer. I think switching to XF can solve our (their) performance issues). So that why I now need a solution for the Blog issue soon)

 

[whynot]

I really don't get it... there must be thousands of vBulletin owners that want to switch to Xenforo, but can not since 5 years, because there is no Blog functionality in Xenforo. Or maybe my assumption is not correct?

Most probably.

 

[Slavik]

95% of the migrations I perform are actually glad to see blogs dropped. Same for social groups.

 

[Grover]

95% of the migrations I perform are actually glad to see blogs dropped. Same for social groups.

What do you mean exactly... that they are glad that XF does not offer Blogs? Or that they can live with their migrated board not offering Blogs anymore? And how many migrations are you talking about and are they representative of the amount of board owners that are still stuck in the vB realms because of their active Blogs?

I wonder what the criteria are for XF ltd. to decide to offer certain products? I mean... how much percent of the forum customer base is in need of a Resource Manager for example? Okay, it had already been developed anyhow. In cases like this it is also frustrating that there is no roadmap whatsoever, only sometimes unofficial comments like these (talking about Social Groups):

I personally can see a great potential for social groups to enhance the forum experience when fully integrated into a bunch of other functionality that XenForo will offer, but that's a discussion for another day and a later version.

I guess everyone has different wishes and visions and things can change... and maybe the board owners that I know (who are damn eager to switch from their Blog supporting Invision or vBulletin) are part of a -too?- small percentage for it to be feasible for XF ltd. to offer it finally?