Quote:
Originally Posted by Ether
What do you mean by "a more modern look" and can you explain how you think that would "improve" CD and make it better serve its intended purpose?
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Two more 'modern' vBulletin-based forums I frequent:
http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/forum.php
http://forum.xda-developers.com/index.php
In addition to a more appealing design that's easier on the eyes, they have a number of other enhancements. XDA in particular has really nice features that help it serve its intended purpose - special thread layouts for development projects, device search, customization for what you see on your home page, etc. TMC is a fairly stock setup but it has a nice 'What's New' page that gives a quick way to catch up on reading with additional highlighting for subscribed threads (an enhancement over the current view on the CD portal). XDA has a nice 'tip us' feature that allows users to highlight newsworthy threads for inclusion on the news blog (TMC has something similar).
I can think of a number of enhancements that would serve CD - perhaps special thread types that are meant to highlight robot reveals, with a nice layout, special fields that make them easily searchable, etc. An improved and/or customize-able home page layout would make it easier to catch up on reading. Quick social network sharing with the option to link user profiles and/or use them for authentication.
How would these help CD serve its intended purpose? Well, it depends what its intended purpose is. If the purpose is primarily to keep the current clientele happy, perhaps not much needs to be done, as a lot of folks seem happy with the status quo. However, I think that getting new members involved in the community is also important, and I'd suggest that a web site with more modern design language and some helpful features would help fullfill that goal as well.
That said, I know that Brandon and others that help keep CD running are very busy, and must set priorities. A vBulletin with improved spam filtering and security is likely a higher priority than a UX overhaul as it should be. If I have the time in the near to medium future it's something I'd like to possibly get involved with making it happen. Just as
http://www.thebluealliance.com/ is a project that benefits from being open-sourced with community contributions, perhaps CD could benefit from a similar model.