SMF User Profiles

[calvinhobbes]

One of the things about SMF that I am disappointed with is the User Profiles. There is a big push by forums now to have user profiles which resemble those of Facebook and have some similar features associated with it.

I love the vBulletin profile and i thought to myself..yep but that's what you get for spending $200. But I just used the myBB one and it's great..far better than SMF.

I do think SMF has most of the features...but the layout atleast according to me is not that great and is not at all similar to what other forums are doing.

I think this is going to be one area...which really needs to have some activity. A user profile kinda like facebook with a wall to post messages and stuff is a must.

[Marcus Forsberg]

Thanks for your feedback

I am actually working on a small side project that will add a Facebook type wall feature to SMF. I don't have any set release date yet, I don't even know if I will finish it.
Anyhow, that'd be after SimpleDesk is out.

[calvinhobbes]

That's great news Nas...i wish you all the best with that project.

Btw I have a screenshot of the myBB user profile from their website

[calvinhobbes]

and then take a look at their admin cp ....they advertise themselves as intuitive forum and they sure have nailed it. i am surely staying with SMF lol dont get me wrong ...but u have to admit myBB has the user and admin cp very well designed.

[Marcus Forsberg]

The profile... Not sure I like the look of that TBH.

But the administration panel does look quite slick

[calvinhobbes]

Btw i should also compliment SMF, that this particular site is very very well laid out. It's so simple to find the downloads , the upgrades , and the mods. It's much better than phpBB's ...they are just all over the place. So whoever made this site..beautiful work.

[calvinhobbes]

well ya i agree with you NAS, the profile is subjective...so it's just my personal opinion ...when u have dropdowns..u kinda forget where what is when the dropdown closes lol ...i like it all laid out in front of me on the left menu.

[Brettflan]

You like that layout? Go into your profile here and click this icon which will be on the right side of the screen:
It'll switch from dropdown menus to a menu on the left.

[calvinhobbes]

thats awesome..thanks Brett

so there isnt much to do...but we still need a facebook kinda wall , user albums to show up in the profile, buddies to show up as photos etc....

we dont have to copy facebook entirely..but there seems to be a push by professional forums to go that way and it looks very neat

newayz i guess we should wait for NAS to come out with his facebook wall...and see what happens

just my $0.02

[Kindred]

no offense to myBB, which is a nice piece of software...  but I hate those layouts.   It is so 10 years ago...

there are several mods which change around the profile section, and you can always tweak it yourself.
Personally, I think that the straight forward system we display is clean and clear...

(BTW: Facebook's user interface just plain sucks, IMO)

[青山 素子]

no offense to myBB, which is a nice piece of software...  but I hate those layouts.   It is so 10 years ago...

Their "Settings" area in the admin is kinda scary. Lots of sections there, like a huge junk drawer. It copies from vBulletin. I'd really love to see that whole admin area get a huge overhaul to place things in a more obvious way.

there are several mods which change around the profile section, and you can always tweak it yourself.
Personally, I think that the straight forward system we display is clean and clear...

I agree. Things like "walls" and other user-specific items seems to discourage forum posting, I've found on a few sites that have those types of things running.

Except on very active communities, shoutboxes also kill forum posting.

(BTW: Facebook's user interface just plain sucks, IMO)

Agreed here. It's awfully complex if you aren't used to it. I have a FB account, but barely use it because the site interface is so obtuse.

[bullbreedluverz]

if you want a better profile check out the ultimate profile mod http://custom.simplemachines.org/mods/index.php?mod=1675

ive attached imges of the 2 different views - ive hardly done anything on mine but theres more stuff you can add to it

[robbie93]

Hmm... I prefer the profile layout of SMF 1x over that of SMF 2x it looks much more tidier IMO,  also I don't like the ultimate profile mod, it looks to messy,  although I think a wall feature would be a very useful mod in the future so good luck with that Nas    please don't forget to make it useable for SMF 1x as well as SMF 2x if you do finish it, it seems a very good idea 

[Marcus Forsberg]

although I think a wall feature would be a very useful mod in the future so good luck with that Nas    please don't forget to make it useable for SMF 1x as well as SMF 2x if you do finish it, it seems a very good idea 

I'm afraid it'd be for SMF 2.0 only. I have no intentions of rewriting any of my mods for 1.1.x any more. Once 2.0 reaches final, it's time to move on from 1.1.

[robbie93]

I'm afraid it'd be for SMF 2.0 only. I have no intentions of rewriting any of my mods for 1.1.x any more. Once 2.0 reaches final, it's time to move on from 1.1.

Damn  haha ok Nas good luck with it, it sounds like a really good idea 

[Cassiel]

Hey Nas, would this be like the Profile Comments mod, but just....well, more?

[calvinhobbes]

Yes facebook's look was cluttered before, but now i think the new version is great. And it doesn't matter if its the world's best look ...what matters is that its used by some i dont how many 200-300 million people.

Now if you say those people are not going to come on my forum..that's fair. But the layouts get burnt in user's heads. Just like Microsoft being the most dominant software..ppl do try out keyboard shortcuts which work on Microsoft software on other company's softwares. Same way ppl are going to find it easier if the layout is similar nature to the most used sites.

A bit of consistency is great...i have had vBulletin users find it difficult to work with SMF user profiles ...and vBulletin being the dominant board ...there are more users used to the vBulletin way.

A webmaster doesn't just think about how the page looks...he also has to decide where his users are coming from and whether they will like it.

[Kindred]

BTW: I utterly DESPISE facebook's new interface.

(and SMF was voted best free forum software of 2009)
http://www.forum-software.org/


However, just because something is in use by another system, no matter how popular, does not make it "better".
I would argue that I dislike the VBB profile interface...  (and with this statement, I am speaking as an admin and user, not as a SMF representative)

As I said, SMF profile are clean and clear... However, if you want something more complicated or with a different layout, then find (or make) a mod for it. That is the glory of Open Source Software!

[calvinhobbes]

i didn't say it looks "better" ...that's a subjective thing. i said it's familiar to users

[bullbreedluverz]

being familiar to users isnt necessary a good reason to copy it as that could appear that SMF is ripping off other software for its design

fine as a mod but quoting from the first post in this thread;

There is a big push by forums now to have user profiles which resemble those of Facebook and have some similar features associated with it.

thats just copying, or dare i say, stealing, facebooks style and jumping on the bandwagon of following suit just because others are doing so wouldnt, IMO, be good or original for SMF.... what next, make SMF's default theme look like Facebook just cuz people are familiar with Facebooks design