BP REBOOT/MIGRATION (Welcome to BP 2.0!)

[Piney]

So, does any other message board use this software?

My only real worry is my work likes blocking a ton of stuff... dang government computers. And my work doesn't like a lot of message board softwares. Of course that could be website specific. But, if there was a website that used this same software, I could at least give a wurl to see if I will have potential problems when the migration occurs. (worst case I will just have to burn through my cell phone battery/data surfing BP)

 

[Dryden]

What made it a disaster?

Google FOX Sports Next for the post-mortem. Nutshell though was they attempted to rebrand the entire Scout network in one fell swoop with a new community system and virtually nothing worked. Account migration failed so everybody lost avatars, post counts, and history, the threads were set to a very terse 10 posts per page, it took hours for people to log in and find their old boards and communities, and when they did the topic hierarchy was a mess. Even the layout was a huge disappointment with a ton of negative space and the post columns only being about 700px width across regardless of how big a monitor/browser window a user set. It didn't help that FOX did the roll out in October while both the college football and NFL seasons were going on so they screwed up at least 200 active forums all at the same time.

It was a spectacular failure that FOX undid four days later. The top post on nearly every community forum was "This forum SUCKS!!!" So yeah ... the change went over about as well as New Coke.

The good news here is because the new software is developed by the people who originally built this platform, we're going to change while still feeling very familiar in terms of how things work.

XenForo?

 

[Clarity]

XenForo?

That's it! Version 1.2. Sounds like their change was sweeping and severe, and not akin to what we're doing. There are a couple things that will change substantially, but they are window dressings, and not part of the core experience. I'll detail all of them before launch.

Ours is sweeping in terms of CODE, but not in terms of functional user experience.

 

[MD Buckeye]

As long as we don't lose USC at Nebraska, I'm happy.

 

[Clarity]

So, does any other message board use this software?

My only real worry is my work likes blocking a ton of stuff... dang government computers. And my work doesn't like a lot of message board softwares. Of course that could be website specific. But, if there was a website that used this same software, I could at least give a wurl to see if I will have potential problems when the migration occurs. (worst case I will just have to burn through my cell phone battery/data surfing BP)

If they're not blocking us now, they won't likely be on the new software. I'll PM you with a few other sites that use it.

 

[Clarity]

As long as we don't lose USC at Nebraska, I'm happy.

lol, I fear we are indeed losing that. Maybe I'll make an "in remembrance" page with screenshots.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

My only real worry is my work likes blocking a ton of stuff... dang government computers. And my work doesn't like a lot of message board softwares. Of course that could be website specific. But, if there was a website that used this same software, I could at least give a wurl to see if I will have potential problems when the migration occurs. (worst case I will just have to burn through my cell phone battery/data surfing BP)

Websites are blocked by URL (site name), so if they allow 'www.buckeyeplanet.com' right now, you'll be fine.

 

[Bucknut24]

Unfortunately they can't just switch back. They can restore an old backup if they have them, and rewind that way. But anything after they 'upgraded' is lost.

yea, this is what he said he's doing

I might be playing with fire but I'm going to with a fresh install of vb4 and merge it with our database. I'll add the mods and custom stuff after. I'd that fails, I'll just restore from the backups I made.

 

[Clarity]

yea, this is what he said he's doing

I feel badly for him. vB is hemorrhaging sites for good reason. We bought vb4 and vb5, but only so we had access to vb3 security patches. Crooked system, but we're on to better things. I've been on vBulletin, in one way or another (including sites i no longer own that predate BP), for 13 years. Leaving was not something I took lightly, nor something I was willing to do until I knew it to be the right time.

 

[TooTall]

Looks confusing, how does it compare to ESPN boards?

 

[jwinslow]

Google FOX Sports Next for the post-mortem. Nutshell though was they attempted to rebrand the entire Scout network in one fell swoop with a new community system and virtually nothing worked. Account migration failed so everybody lost avatars, post counts, and history, the threads were set to a very terse 10 posts per page, it took hours for people to log in and find their old boards and communities, and when they did the topic hierarchy was a mess. Even the layout was a huge disappointment with a ton of negative space and the post columns only being about 700px width across regardless of how big a monitor/browser window a user set. It didn't help that FOX did the roll out in October while both the college football and NFL seasons were going on so they screwed up at least 200 active forums all at the same time.

It was a spectacular failure that FOX undid four days later. The top post on nearly every community forum was "This forum SUCKS!!!" So yeah ... the change went over about as well as New Coke.

This was the biggest thing for me. Anyone can screw up a gigantic migration, but there was zero chance of success with how laughable the design was. You know those cookie cutter sites that sell pre-packaged websites? And the lower end ones that sort of look good until you try to do something with them and they align terribly?

That was the Fox Sports Next forum design.


Edit: it's still up to be viewed and reviled:
http://community2.foxsportsnext.com/t5/OSU-Sports-Forums/ct-p/boards-903

Now I think there are some graphics missing, but the spacing is exactly as awkward as always.

 

[OHSportsFan]

I will not migrate! This is my land! I will not be moved!

 

[jwinslow]

We are working on getting the aesthetics and logistics of the site just right, but the forum software itself is much more user friendly than vB.

Well, this install of BP will continue to exist even after we moved over. If for some reason we had to do the same, we could. That said, I've been living this migration day and night for a couple months now, using the new software on a daily basis. From a user perspective, the new software feels more like a pair of familiar and comfortable shoes than a real departure from what we're used to.

Like you know, pasting in the URL for youtube (youtu.be works, https works, no deleting certain chunks), dailymotion, other video sites and have them auto embed seamlessly.

Along with a very active support center, which is adding vine & espn video embedding in the next update.

 

[Piney]

Websites are blocked by URL (site name), so if they allow 'www.buckeyeplanet.com' right now, you'll be fine.

Not my work, that is how I originally found BP way back. Scout and Rivals message boards have been blocked forever, but I could read all of their articles and recruit databases. Only when I try to go into their message boards does the block kick in.

I think it is code based because I can be reading a website and half the page is blocked (saying no access) normally it is an embedded video, ad or chat window like on ESPN.

Then again it is a DoD network.

If they're not blocking us now, they won't likely be on the new software. I'll PM you with a few other sites that use it.

Thanks... will try it Monday when I get back to work

 

[muffler dragon]

For haters of Change, please order via the Amazon link from BP:

Who Moved My Cheese: An Amazing Way to Deal With Change in Your Work and In Your Life

Book sucked.
Love change, but the book sucked hard.