Is there a CMS planned?

[feldon30]

Is language to make distinctions in order?

I've considered some language, but I want to help keep XenForo.com a family-friendly place.

 

[DaKat]

To me, that describes an article publishing tool, which is a far simpler prospect to produce than something that I would describe as a CMS.

And this is more along the lines of what I need for my site.

 

[Forsaken]

I think if a CMS is created, it should be customizable enough to support various types of content.

Allow one user to use it as a simple portal with various widgets, and allow another to create a front page to display articles. Maybe another person needs to aggregate news; allow them to do so.

My main use for a CMS would be displaying new media that is added to my site.

 

[David Thomas]

Maybe when the after market creators get to work things can slowly evolve where there are different solutions for people at various levels of wants and needs.

Exactly. Before IB decided to drive vB4 into the ground with an official CMS, there were a few portal and CMS add-ons for vB created by third-parties. Even look at SMF, one of the "lowly" free software available, they've got a full CMS (complete with articles, blog-capabilities, and a menu editor) add-on created by a third-party.

In due time, people will realize that third-party isn't always craptastic half-baked solutions. Bring in the developers, and your options will instantly become overwhelming!

 

[Enigma]

To me, that describes an article publishing tool, which is a far simpler prospect to produce than something that I would describe as a CMS.

Personally, an article publishing system is all I would need at this time, not a full-blown CMS.

 

[Alpha1]

A content management system should allow me to manage all content on my site, including the layout of forumindex, forumdisplay, showthread.

 

[Grover]

My needs concerning a CMS

To me a CMS is first and foremost an article management system. And I don't mean pulling articles from a forum like vBAdvanced (or is vBCMPS? I always mix the names up) or the vB CMS do.
A CMS is a tool with which I can create, edit, publish and delete articles - simple as that.

My site doesn't even need articles (with fields like author/date etc)... I don't have to update or add information frequently actually, so there is actually no need for me to have articles and comments and all that stuff. Obviously other people do. I just need a system where I am able to construct a menu structure (preferably on the top and left) for access to the pages. And those pages can be filled with any content I want, just like it is possible with forum postings. But also, I am in need of 'widgets' or whatever you call them, which can pull data from the forum and display it in a great looking layout on the CMS content pages. For example... I want to pull the newest uploaded User Album Photos... I want to pull the newest members and display their avatars in any way I want... I want to pull the highest posters... and so on. It has to be visually attractive for the visitor. At the moment my site only consists of a dull non-appealing vB 3.8 forum index and that is it. I need to change this in 2011 and if I look for example at the totally amazing WordPress themes that have been designed... it just blows me away how beautiful it all looks. For example... if I look at websites that use the vBulletin 4 CMS (just to compare)... almost all of them look well... horrible. I am not saying XenForo will be that limited as well in designing/using great layouts for it, but I surely don't want my entry site to look the way most vB4 CMS installs look.

Maybe after all it is best I go looking for Wordpress to power my CMS and then forget about pulling the content from XenForo's forum data. Can't have it all... but at least then I will have a CMS that can make my site look & feel fantastic and functional (without the integration). Not sure what to do yet.

 

[Hemanth]

Exactly. Before IB decided to drive vB4 into the ground with an official CMS, there were a few portal and CMS add-ons for vB created by third-parties. Even look at SMF, one of the "lowly" free software available, they've got a full CMS (complete with articles, blog-capabilities, and a menu editor) add-on created by a third-party.

In due time, people will realize that third-party isn't always craptastic half-baked solutions. Bring in the developers, and your options will instantly become overwhelming!

But, but.. vB is out there for more than 10 yrs, yet there is not a single third party CMS add-on worth mentioning available for it.

 

[HydraulicJack]

Looking forward to the next couple of months here. FAR more than the next coupla months with vB.

Looking forward to blogs, widgets, and some way (whatever-ya-callit) for pulling content from the aforementioned and the forum posts to organize as articles / pages.

 

[Erik]

Interesting discussion on the definition of a CMS, although I think the thread has strayed a bit off-topic. The important part is that they are focusing on doing forums well, and then they'll add other features later, and take the time necessary to do those well also.

 

[Booth]

Would love a cms, front page, articles, static HTML, forum/article cross posting, etc. This would make me cross over to xenForo. I need an all round site solution.

 

[jonsidneyb]

Since my CMS wants are very limited and vBadvanced is likely to do something with xenForo my concern is covered.

 

[Booth]

Since my CMS wants are very limited and vBadvanced is likely to do something with xenForo my concern is covered.

Have vbadvanced announced this?

 

[Forsaken]

They've already registered the domains, and they made a comment, but that might be tentative.

 

[jonsidneyb]

I will go to their site and ask them. Not sure if it is appropriate but if they don't like the question they can tell me. If they make the product I am sure it will not fit everyone's wishes but it will take care of what some want.

 

[wizzard]

Wikipedia's definition isn't much better .

Write a better one then

 

[jonsidneyb]

Have vbadvanced announced this?

On Brian's sigline it leaves a big hint

I will buy it when available and life will be good.

 

[HydraulicJack]

Love how replies pop in live. Threads move so much faster this way.

I second that emotion!

 

[HydraulicJack]

I fully support not writing a CMS at this point.

No doubt, someone will step in and do the Portal page like vBAdvanced CMPS, etc.

As for a full CMS, I'm starting to think it's a fool's errand to write one from scratch at this point. Joomla 1.5 has a large installed base and 5,000 plugins. And Joomla 1.6 will finally fix the 2 major architectural flaws that have prevented its widespread adoption -- no Usergroup Permissions, and no Hierarchical Content.

This option could definitely work for me, as long there are hooks for promoting forum posts (and blog posts? or do we have to use Wordpress for blog function, Kier? Mike? Forever, or just until 2.0?). Crazy questions so early in the game, I know but hey... We're trying to plan too, and you can see we support what you are up to!

 

[HydraulicJack]

I think you're looking at it from a development prospective and not a forum owner one. It's too late to release something that is just a forum and expect wide adoption. This is not 2001. Social media and smarter search engine algorithms have changed the game. Forum webmasters in many niches (not all but most I'd say) need more than just a forum to grab users. They need unique, custom content to please the SERPS and grab backlinks as well as cutting edge social features to get attention and compete with social networks for users' time.

Any site that's already doing all that today will not switch to a platform that is just forum only. And launch day sales will reflect that. They'll get a lot of cheers and praise but the fact is, forum owners who need those features aren't going to buy it.

VERY well said. I am definitely in this position. I need SOME way to harvest forum and blog content into articles, and I want my company to retain copyright on all content that is created in these areas of my site, regardless of which method: forum, blog, cms, or whatever.

I would LOVE to move to XF the day it is released for real, but to do that I need SOME help for handling all of the blog content that's already in my vB Blog area, AND (soon...) in the vB CMS (why I wish there was an answer to at least a CMS-lite straightaway). Meanwhile, I'm stuck in the vB swamp.