New BTF Platform - Early Beta

[Saleem]

I migrated BTF's 230,000 posts to a new platform called Xenforo. I've brought this up in the past, but really quickly, the reason to change platforms is


- the current platform (SMF) has stagnated tremendously since 2011 and is not keeping up with any forum or internet traffic trends
- the new platform is very mobile friendly (fully responsive)
- the new platform is much more social friendly (built in common sense actions like "Like", log in with FB or google). (Like replaces Karma).
- more modern interface
- User tagging and better PM system
- much faster development pace that will bring us new forum features


This is the system currently used by raasteamsforum.com


I'm very happy that all 230,000 posts made it across, including attachments (Since the migration, I've deleted the attachments so that they're not taking up double space on my server). Polls, users, profiles, etc: a lot transferred well


Very very soon to come:


- Soundcloud auto embed
- YouTube auto embed (this actually works on new posts but not the migrated posts)
- Responsive ads which do not mess up the mobile view (right now there are no ads)
- Events Calendar
- Widgets for seeing the latest #bhangra or #BTFBhangra tweets


Soon to come
- CTL, maybe an updated CTL
- Wiki if you want it


Maybe soon to come
- Chat. I think we should make a weekly ChitChat thread that anyone can post in all the time. We can even sticky it on the front page. This is a better solution than the chat box.
- Media Center. We talked about this a few months ago.. From looking through all the recent media threads, they are almost exclusively Soundcloud and other media site embeds. Media Center does not grab those. I'll talk with Swi about how to dev a media center as needed. I want to prioritize seamless Soundcloud integration.


Please report issues. The migration is still in beta and I am in communication with the new dev team with issues.



Try it out here:


http://bhangrateamsforum.com/testXF/index.php

 

[Saleem]

Just a note that we'll explore more functionality in the future. Things like creating user groups, team pages, etc


One thing that RTF requested and we added is anonymous posting, so there's a simple checkbox underneath the preview that will hide your username when posting.

 

[Basim]

Having used RTF for a good while, I know that Xenforo is a lot easier to navigate and use (especially via mobile). Development is definitely a lot better.

Overall, the new site seems quicker to interact with and browse. From what I can tell, moderation of the site should be easier as well now.

What I would definitely like to see is a customized skin for BTF. The default is way too boring and I actually like the current BTF "look" (it's easy on the eyes). I hope we can transition the overall look to the new site or possibly even give the new site a refresh (since this will be the perfect opportunity for that). If, in the future, individuals can have the ability to select amongst a few different skins, that would be great so that the end user can somewhat "personalize" their own BTF experience.

As we discussed a while back, I don't think abandoning the Media Center would be a wise decision. Actually implementing (or having someone develop/code for us) a customized and more "upgraded" Media Center will be a great idea.

• Make it even easier to upload content to the site (i.e. music, mixes, etc) -> i.e. drag & drop a file directly to a post and have it auto-upload/attach to your post.
• Keep the ability to search & sort the Media Center
• If the was Media Center could pick up on autoembeded soundcloud links and arrange them in a separate section.. that way people could go there and check out the latest mixes posted up without individually browsing into each topic, that would be awesome.

Not a fan of the anonymous posting thing, but if people really want that, go for it :

Excited for BTF 3.0 ;D Lots of much needed & great changes that you mentioned in the original post. Thank you Saleem and Swi for all your efforts in the background.

~ Basim

 

[Saleem]

Thanks Basim. Agreed on adapting the skin to match existing BTF color pallete, and I'd love to have custom dev on Media Center with attachments + Soundcloud

 

[HdBrar]

I'm diggin' it. It's customizable right? I think I've seen/used that forum system interface before on a different site.

 

[SGupta7]

I think my favorite current feature is the recent posts section. Makes it really easy to go through every so often and catch up on what i've missed since the last time I checked in on BTF. I briefly navigated the new platform and found a recent post section, but the posts didn't match up with what I'm seeing here.


Would the new platform have a recent post section that would function the same way the current one does?


Otherwise looks pretty cool, gonna take some time getting used to it though haha

 

[Saleem]

I briefly navigated the new platform and found a recent post section, but the posts didn't match up with what I'm seeing here.

I did the migration last week-- so it took the BTF database at that moment and converted the whole thing. it doesn't stay synced with BTF's Live system. When we do the full transition, then it will be live with new posts.

 

[SGupta7]

I briefly navigated the new platform and found a recent post section, but the posts didn't match up with what I'm seeing here.

I did the migration last week-- so it took the BTF database at that moment and converted the whole thing. it doesn't stay synced with BTF's Live system. When we do the full transition, then it will be live with new posts.

Gotcha, thanks!

 

[ashvin.kapur]

Agree with Basim - not a fan of Anonymous posting at all. I think it's going to lead down a terrible path. Would much rather someone be accountable for any comments / criticism they decide to post.

 

[Saleem]

No worries. It was a good fit for RTF which is new but probably not for BTF.

 

[hardeep_singh]

anonymous posting eh? sounds like fun let's keep it