Re v9 Showcase Sites Thread

[leehack]

This is where this forum lacks a bit of functionality I suppose. A new site could be posted (using Jan's idea), it could be marked out of 5 or 10 on either one point or a list of points and would also need to have had a certain number of votes and achieve a certain score to get listed. Any site that didn't come up to scratch (marks wise) could then initiate a site review to find out what's wrong (if the original poster was interested).

Why can't the 'poll' feature be enabled on here and let people vote, as Mike says its anonymous then too, so no animosity.

[pinbrook]

given that this is probably a theoretical conversation as rating and votes are outside the scope of the community and anything outside it probably wont get the visitors i'm going to return tothe OP

i would like to see the full spectrum of sites listed, its true professional designers will post more as they create more. but all site owners should feel comfortable in posting their sites too.

Every site has merit, and i repeat my view that much can be learnd from both good and bad sites. A bad site often serves to show someone how not to do something before they do it themselves.

As we have said before design is personal, i like looking at a well designed site (I love sweetcuisine) for inspiration, but a sale is a sale

[leehack]

Polls are possible, we've seen them appear previously, maybe they could be used in some way.

I think it's a big mistake to try and show people what not to do by listing mistaken sites, in doing that it will take you twice as long to show what they should do (they have to learn what's wrong before they learn what's right that way). Surround people in shoulds, not should nots.

You don't teach children things incorrectly so they know how to do things correctly, you teach them the right way and applaud when they get it right.

I'm intrigued at the POV though genuinely, using that ideal when we recommend you as a proven and very good actinic host, we should add Fasthosts into those recommendations for balance too I take it?

[pinbrook]

i dont think a poll will work in this case, as it would require someone to add each new site to the poll, and each forum user can only vote once. if you place you vote too early you are excluded when something "better" comes up.

[Mike Hughes]

For me, there isn't much point in just displaying anything done in actinic. Anyone who wants this can just search for 'acatalog' in google.

I think it would be far more useful and instructive for people to be able to view sites in some kind of ranked order to see how well the forum members score them.

There are plenty of 'top rank' type scripts around. It wouldn't take much for actinic to add one to a subdomain where the sites were listed and ranked.

Mike

[Jan]

There could always be a live sites subtopic in each of the version forums, each site would have it's own thread and the thread rating tool could be used to say whether people think it's a good site or not.

People listing could choose to either add a new thread of add a new post to their existing one when they make a new site.

I think that the term showcase should be dropped as well as it's misleading.

[leehack]

Hows about the 'thanks' addon available to this type of forum being changed slightly to be a thumbs up for a design type thing. I think a new post per site with a poll or voting possibility then that streamlined into a showcase of the very best. You could adopt the same approach with a recommended host in the hosting forum. We all have individual opinions, but collectively they hold real weight IMO.

Either rename showcase or have it as the creme de la creme, i don't think you can do both, it would be messy.

[pinbrook]

if you invite people to add their site to a thread of what can be done in v9, you cant stop "bad" sites being added. although i like the idea of a float to the top concept.

I also think it a good idea for the submitter to add a synopsis on the design brief and the rational behind the site. A series of posts containing link only could be tedious.

[Chunkford]

would something like this help?
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showt...ht=star+rating

[leehack]

Is that the same as the useful thread option we already have or more informed?

[Chunkford]

It says per post, not per thread.
So i'm guessing it could be used to rate the site that is shown in the post

[leehack]

Good point, per post would be needed, not per thread I guess.

[grantglendinnin]

Yes, the post rating system for vBulletin would do the job as I've installed it before - it cumulates all votes and shows the average score, you can set it up to show the full stats, ie. rated 4/5 by 12 registered users and 4 guests) - it's a pretty solid add-on, hint hint

[Duncan Rounding]

My intention when starting the thread was to create a place where anyone could post thier completed works without fear of rebuttal or unwanted critique. That could be a designer or a self-builder with a professional design or a simple out-of-the-box theme.

I think most people, especially self-builders, are usually proud of their achievements and want to announce that fact. For site owners it draws attention to the prodcuts they sell; for designers it draws attention to their work.

I did not consider prospective buyers (Marketing is Actinic's job), but any viewing the thread could see both basic sites as well designer sites and possibly make a choice whether to build their own site or contact a designer.

[Golf Tee Warehouse]

Is there a benefit in having 'designer' designed sites separate from 'shop owner/DIY' designed sites, so that someone starting a fresh site can compare the differences and help in deciding whether to employ a designer.

I also feel that it would be beneficial if a list in the first post of the thread grouped each designers work together to make comparing designers easier.