XenForo needs a blog with regular updates from Kier & Mike

[jörgk]

important is the code from the software let kier work on the code............

other companys write a lot of entrys and at the end they deliver ******** (invision + ib......)...........other companys a quiet and deliever a great software (kier)

i think is all ok here!

 

[Shelby]

GeeksChat,

Excellent post.

 

[Peggy]

The ridiculous is that fans are protecting XF to death,can't see that their protection is ridiculous.

Oh boy, here we go with the "fan" stuff.

I am a XenForo license owner, and a member of the XF community, who happens to understand what these guys are dealing with, and how they need to prioritize their time, and their finances.

That's all.

 

[iTuN3r]

The ridiculous is that fans are protecting XF to death,can't see that their protection is ridiculous.

I will continue to Protect it even after Death

 

[Ingenious]

I'd like to see official updates about current work on the product and in particular confirmation of what features are going to be added, even if they are a while away. This sort of information is critical to customers like me who don't have time to wade through the whole forum - for example my weekly forum surfing is the announcements/news/blogs of XenForo, vBulletin, IPB and phpBB. At some point in the near future I'll have to make the decision: Which product to settle on.

Even just a weekly post to say what's going on. If Kier and Mike don't have time to do this, maybe one of the moderators could round up their posts and give an officially endorsed update?

 

[erich37]

Kier and Mike don´t need a blog, the product speaks for itself...........

 

[whynot]

I am a XenForo license owner.

I would like to be too.
And as

I've waited long enough to move onto a better forum package, I can wait longer.

 

[CTXMedia]

... the shed is metaphorical BTW.

 

[Digital Doctor]

the product speaks for itself...........

Haha !
Yes, Xenforo is the best forum software, bar none.

Yet, I'm hoping you are just trying to compliment xenforo, as, in this world, "Marketing is Everything".

Thus far, Xenforo spoke to people wanting to get away from vBulletin.
That's only going to take Xenforo so far.

Do you really think Forum shoppers (especially first timers) are going to be impressed with Xenforo speaking for itself ? Many aren't. Is a Blog the answer ? or should the relatively anemic information on the HomePage be beefed up ? or ... is the best advertisement keeping the Power Users happy ? The best marketing is keeping the Power Users happy. I'm the one who's going to suggest to friends what forum software they should get. Am I going to suggest vB ? No. Will I tell them to get Xenforo ? .. almost without question.

There is a sizeable group of people who are getting tired of hearing no plans.
Are they going to suggest Xenforo ? They should ! But, they might say ... "Well ... it looks good but it's missing some things and the developers won't discuss anything of substance about future plans". That review won't result in another sale.

A Blog can help Xenforo get the message out about what Xenforo is all about.
There certainly are other ways.

GeeksChat does raise a point .... We just need a little patience. But I also think that the old vB attitude that customers don't deserve plans about where the DEV team is putting their efforts ... isn't going to create the optimal atmosphere. XF needs to find a reasonable balance.

 

[Shelley]

Shelley, why you get so mad when you see a comparision between XenForo and IPB? For me it's perfectly clear that you're a "xenforo fan person" but please don't allow your fanatism to prevent to see the facts how they really are and the fact is (at least to me) that IPB is doing an amazing job (better than XenForo) when communicating to it's customers.

Comparing a small team of devs to <insert company with 10 years and a built up team and resources at their disposal> to <insert small company starting out with 2 devs>. Maybe I'm being a little crazy here but could the fact be they post constant updates be because of the vast resources at their disposal? I could be wrong, it could be because they have time to allow the other devs code and develop giving them time to post a minute to minute update, out on limb could that not be a possibility?

I'm a fan of good workmanship plain and simple. Xenforo have been doing that and continue to do so, that doesn't mean that i think they get everything right but I do feel they get the fundamental important things right and so far their priorities and the way they have allocated their time is spot on. Nothing to do with being a fan unless your referring to those spinning fans that keep you cool in the summer?

I'm not mad, I just see a flaw in your comparison and added a little common sense into the mix and came up with the conclusion why a large company can spend their time constantly updating their blogs.

 

[Digital Doctor]

People get testy because they want to make plans.
People can't plan anything without information.
Xenforo is not IB.
And clearly, people here want more information.

 

[Tanax]

When they're already tapped for time, how will they have time for updating a blog consistently, in a way people would be satisfied with?

Lawsuits take a large part of their time, which is why it was brought up as a valid reason.

Small start-up business, in two lawsuits = unlikely to be able to hire till things simmer down.

The company is only a year old, and v1 has only been out for a month. This is just people being impatient and trying to push their priorities, without thought of why the steps haven't been taken.

That's a shame, hopefully the lawsuits will be dropped/won soon so that they can focus all their attention on XenForo and not having to bother with those nagging lawsuits. How long time do you think that will go on? The lawsuits I mean.

 

[Tanax]

what´s the difference?

as long as you can read, it does not matter

The difference is that the announcement forum doesn't really fit the bills for updates like "Just finished the mockup coding of feature X and it integrates very well! Now gonna get a coffee to relax.", do you think so? That's the kind of updates I'm talking about.

 

[Tanax]

You must have missed this post.....
http://xenforo.com/community/thread...dates-from-kier-mike.14436/page-3#post-189295

I'm completely missing your point.. what do you mean? I both read your post aswell as replied to it Or what do you mean?

 

[Peggy]

I'm completely missing your point.. what do you mean? I both read your post aswell as replied to it Or what do you mean?

It's no wonder, lol. I linked you to the wrong post.
http://xenforo.com/community/thread...dates-from-kier-mike.14436/page-3#post-189314

 

[Forsaken]

That's a shame, hopefully the lawsuits will be dropped/won soon so that they can focus all their attention on XenForo and not having to bother with those nagging lawsuits. How long time do you think that will go on? The lawsuits I mean.

Not really possible to say as IB keeps the US one going, and the judge apparently doesn't understand the case.

The difference is that the announcement forum doesn't really fit the bills for updates like "Just finished the mockup coding of feature X and it integrates very well! Now gonna get a coffee to relax.", do you think so? That's the kind of updates I'm talking about.

For something like that, Kier or Mike's Twitter or status updates here are probably the best way to follow such things. There aren't many updates like that, though there are a few (IPB importer for example).

 

[Onimua]

Kier and Mike's activity. For now that's probably going to be the best you get (as well as follow Brogan's profile).

Or, if you're curious about a particular item, I hear there's a search function somewhere that might be able to help. And if not, posting a question might work.

 

[CTXMedia]

Unfortunately, the down side to announcing such "updates" is that people become impatient to get them:

----------------------------------------------------

"We've just finished coding a new gallery bridge than integrates XF with [insert gallery products] - Yeah us!!!! We're off for some coffee and buns now."

Next post: "Oh, fantastic, I've been waiting for this to convert to XF from [insert forum patform] - when is it going to be available? Is it ready now?"

"Sorry, no, it's not available yet. We've only just coded the basic 'alpha' of the bridge, we still need to test it and get some real-world conversions done first to iron out any bugs."

Next post: "Yeah, sure, but when will you be releasing it? I *need* this to migrate and I want it as soon as possible!!!"

"Erm, it's a long way off being released. We've got so much other stuff to work on too, so it'll come as part of a package of updates in the next general release of XF."

Next post: "Yes, I understand that - but WHEN? Geez, I'm totally desparate to convert my site. Can't you release it now?"

"No. It's not ready, and won't be release on its own, it'll be part of a package - as we've already said."

Next post: "Oh FFS this is just f***** stupid. You've already coded it, why can't I just have it and sort out any problems if they come up? Can't you PM me a separate download package with it in?"

"Erm. Please don't swear. No, we can't do a separate download. We've already explained the position; you'll just have to wait for the next release. Besides, giving people alpha versions is not good practise."

Next post: "Well that's just f****** stupid. I'll take all the responsibility. I can't do anything until I get this feature. You've already coded it, yet you are forcing me to stick with my old software. It stinks! Why tell people about it when it isn't even f****** anywhere near ready?"

"Okay, well this is the sort of reaction we'd hoped to avoid, so we're going to stop announcing up-coming features and just tell people about them once they are ready to be released."

THREAD CLOSED!

----------------------------------------------------

Now imagine that scenario over the tens/hundreds of "feature requests" or "in development" items that XF are dealing with, and it's easy to see how announcements are just simply not worth investing time in for the XF team at the moment.

It's not just about the announcement, it's about managing people's expectations and dealing with the fallout if customers become disappointed. You're far better off being informed about things that are actually happening - that are going to be included - than getting all excited about "possibles" and then being let down when they don't materialise.

Someone quoted IPS as an example; all of their recent 3.2 announcements have been about features THEY HAVE ALREADY INCLUDED in their next version - I'm sure the XF team will do similar once they get rolling and have the opportunity. (You'll also find lots of speculative IPB 3.2 threads on the Invision forums too - and a fair few grumbles because feature x, y, or z doesn't appear to have been included in the announcements thus far. So they're not telling everyone everything either!!!).

Cheers,
Shaun

(NB: The poetic license is totally a liberty of my taking and doesn't represent anyone from XF or any particular customer and/or feature. Just thought I'd mention that in case anyone took it seriously .... )

 

[Paul M]

The majority of their time is being taken up with working on this software. There are 2 people - only 2 people - developing/coding this software.

The same two people are fighting a major lawsuit on two different continents - UK and USA (California).

Now really, alot of you people came over to XF because you knew Kier and Mike are behind it, and you trust them to put out a top-notch forum software. So forget the damn roadmap crap and let them do their work. Kier said they're working on the next release, and that should be enough.

Its their choice to only have the two of them doing everything, if its now proving too much, then maybe they should start involving others.

 

[Shelley]

That's a shame, hopefully the lawsuits will be dropped/won soon so that they can focus all their attention on XenForo and not having to bother with those nagging lawsuits. How long time do you think that will go on? The lawsuits I mean.

The difference is that the announcement forum doesn't really fit the bills for updates like "Just finished the mockup coding of feature X and it integrates very well! Now gonna get a coffee to relax.", do you think so? That's the kind of updates I'm talking about.

I'm completely missing your point.. what do you mean? I both read your post aswell as replied to it Or what do you mean?

Amazing what I've just done there?