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New Skin ???

Discussion in 'Empty Closets Help and Feedback' started by Hugo Boss, Aug 23, 2008.

  1. Hugo Boss

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    I think this place needs a new skin.
    This used to be the vbulletin setup years ago!!
    Things have moved on and other forums have really cool skins and look stylish, slick and smart. I just think at least, we should be offered a new skin so that some people who like this current format can keep it. :slight_smile:
    (!)
     
  2. Paul_UK

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    The problem is that there are loads of changes to the default templates here, and with any new skin we'd need to do all that again, and include the new one in ongoing changes in future.

    Some time ago, before the front page was redesigned, we asked for ideas and gave links to several available skins for comments, and got no significant agreement on any of them and quite a few people saying "why change, the current one is fine". So we stayed with the default.

    One advantage of the default is that if people choose the version without the logo it looks completely generic vBulletin, so there is no obvious clues to anyone who sees the screen that they are at a LGBT site.
     
  3. Hugo Boss

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    Oh yes! I understand. It is the luxury of being a member that I completely forgot that you'd have to update every single template with every modification you ever installed, and the AdmicCP is an unpleasant environment as it is.
    Sounds like a nightmare, and you want people to come out of the closet!

    on a side note, I read about some chat forum, and they have a skin where the logo is of an IT firm. ha ha so people walking past would think you are working and ordering stuff when in fact you are just chatting! :grin:
     
  4. -Michael-

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    I prefer this skin.


    It does the job.
    Its easy to navigate.
    Its (as paul said) easily misjudged for a non lgbt forum.

    :slight_smile:
     
  5. Paul_UK

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    Another advantage of sticking with the default is that as vBulletin add new features everything gets updated and works automatically. If we used a different skin we would either have to wait until the people who make the skin update it or update it ourselves to accommodate new features. With something like the new homepage/album/blog system that could have taken months, but by using the default it just worked!

    Also most third-party add-ons can make their changes correctly to the default skin when installed but can't make changes to other skins.

    There are quite a few third-party add-ons here, including the moods, the divider between sticky and non-sticky threads, nested quotes, YouTube/Google videos, the FlashChat integration, the PM sending restrictions (which I wrote), the membership update application system, the account self-delete, the thread start date on the thread lists, the anonymous posting system, and several behind the scenes that users don't see. If I had to modify the skins and themes for each of those, well many probably would never have been added.

    As all that is done by me in my spare time, I'm very much in favour of keeping things straightforward!
     
  6. Louise

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    I'm not quite sure what you are talking about here, I think it is about the graphics and presentation of the site right? If you are, I like what we already have. I can't see the point of change for the sake of change, why mend something that isn't broken?

    If changes bring improvement to the service then yeah why not but if they are just visual changes then the effort required seems rather disproportionate to the benifits... if any because everyone has different tastes anyway.
     
  7. Paul_UK

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    Yes, that's correct. :thumbsup:

    The default vBulletin theme is fairly neutral with blues and greys, probably intentionally so that while some people may not like it they are unlikely to hate it (more likely just feel indifferent to it).

    Personally I like things fairly plain, clean and simple because it doesn't distract from the content. Here on EC the content and discussions are MUCH more important than the fonts and background colours!
     
  8. panda

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    I agree!!:thumbsup:
     
  9. smilealways

    smilealways Guest

    I actually like the design.