[wp-hackers] Re: Polling

[Roy Schestowitz]

Quoting Matthew Mullenweg <m at mullenweg.com>:

> Roy Schestowitz wrote:
>> PHP-Nuke incorporates that functionality, so it can be imported from there.
>> PHP-Nuke already inherits a lot of functionality from phpBB, which 
>> probably can
>> fit into WordPress to create a community among site subscribers 
>> (important in
>> blogs/sites that focus on a niche).
>
> I think we need something a little more lightweight and flexible than
> PHP-Nuke, ideally something that fits in with our current user system.

Sorry to make this thread linger on, but I feel as if I must take a few ideas
off my mind. Discussion such as this is more idealogical than 
technical, but it
probably makes the difference between the dark room, code-monkey 
projects (which
often fail BTW) and projects that encourage people to promote and participate.

I wanted to bring this up before, but held back. Would releasing parallel,
distinct, yet related editions of WordPress be a possibility? Downloading a
light-weight version of WordPress and hacking it is analogous to 
building Linux
from scratch, rather than getting comprehensive distributions like Fedora,
Mandrake or SuSE. At its core, all is the same.

>> Threading of comments is also a key feature, which will contribute 
>> enormously,
>> especially to the WordPress support forums. Have you tried keeping track of
>> long support threads? It is too linear and could definitely benefit 
>> from this
>> extension.
>
> I think threading vs. non-threading is something reasonable and smart
> people can disagree on. Blogging is linear too, but works alright.

Many bloggers disagree. I could list many entries where people complain about
the lack of hierarchy and inter-connectability (apart from the artificial SEO
bits).

> IMO threading encourages off-topic branches of discussion which are not
> conducive to support, and support is the SOLE aim of the forums.

I would argue that the contrary is true. Off-topic is /easier/ to ignore. You
just cull out the significant branch.

-- 
Roy S. Schestowitz
http://Schestowitz.com