Any news about Xenforo 3.0, can we expect modern forum?

[qnkov]

Hello. For half a year, I have been looking for a modern forum system to start an anime/manga site with various features. For example, a video system for watching movies/episodes, a way to add manga/anime as pages with information about them, topics with posters, etc. I saw that all of this is possible with Invision Community.

I waited to see version 5, but it turned out that the self-hosted platform is extremely expensive and has functionality limits. They also changed the way we acquire add-ons, significantly restricting options, and almost no themes exist for their latest version.

On the other hand, XenForo seems like a better alternative in terms of user base and price, but the forum and themes, in general, look like they’re from the early 2000s. I understand that some may find this nostalgic, but it looks incredibly outdated and is not visually appealing.

That’s why I’m wondering what exactly to expect with version 3.0. Can we anticipate a modern interface similar to Invision Community? I really don't want to go to invision as they may drop self-hosted in next version, as they aim for big comapanies, not common users now.

 

[mjda]

In that case why not just dispense with sidebars?

What would be nice, at least in my opinion, is if the sidebar could have its own little "tab" on mobile devices that, when clicked, will expand across the screen. Kind of like a hide/show button that sticks at the top-right of the screen, below the navigation, on mobile devices.

 

[imno007]

That is ultimately a reasonable suggestion. They DO work really well on desktop screens though, but that is obviously a small and diminishing audience.

From the statistics I've seen, from sites like research.com, desktop devices still account for approximately 37.78% of web traffic, which is still a significant percentage - too significant to write off. Besides, it might be a pipe dream, but I have hope that one day we'll see that trend reverse itself, maybe once more economies are good enough that more people won't feel forced to decide between buying only one or the other, a phone or a nice PC setup with a big monitor. Aside from mobility, I can think of few experiences that are better when done on a tiny screen, forced to do one-finger typing on a virtual keyboard. Hell, when I'm at home, I even do most of my texting on a monitor, it sure makes it easier and faster for longer and more coherent texts.

 

[Suzanne O]

From the statistics I've seen, from sites like research.com, desktop devices still account for approximately 37.78% of web traffic, which is still a significant percentage - too significant to write off. Besides, it might be a pipe dream, but I have hope that one day we'll see that trend reverse itself, maybe once more economies are good enough that more people won't feel forced to decide between buying only one or the other, a phone or a nice PC setup with a big monitor. Aside from mobility, I can think of few experiences that are better when done on a tiny screen, forced to do one-finger typing on a virtual keyboard. Hell, when I'm at home, I even do most of my texting on a monitor, it sure makes it easier and faster for longer and more coherent texts.

Most of the time i'm on my iphone.
I'll admit to this because my desktop is old

 

[smallwheels]

They DO work really well on desktop screens though, but that is obviously a small and diminishing audience.

Depends on what you consider small. While mobile is continuously growing I did still have about 50% Desktop/Laptop users the last time I checked. I'm thankful for that as people who visit the forum via mobile write less, write shorter postings with less interesting content and produce the weirdest sentences due to autocorrection of spelling. So personally, I do favor the desktop users. Personally, I see it myself: Reading in the on mobile is kind of ok (though not brilliant), writing is somewhat horrible. I clearly prefer the desktop.

 

[rogerl]

We are under 20% desktop traffic although it does seem to have stabilised. I also prefer the desktop experience, but the reality is fewer and fewer people have desktops/laptops and just about everyone has a smartphone.

More and more people I meet don't even understand the concept of browsers anymore - if there isn't an App or it isn't on facebook, it doesn't exist!

 

[smallwheels]

More and more people I meet don't even understand the concept of browsers anymore - if there isn't an App or it isn't on facebook, it doesn't exist!

It might sound a bit rude but possibly in terms of quality of a forum for many forums absence of these people may not be a loss and even better if they stay on Facebook. Sounds exactly like those who are unable/unwilling to search before posting, hit every single cultural misbehaviour you can do in a forum and rarely if ever post quality content.

In terms of monetarization and affiliate-links possibly a profitable cohort, but running a non-commercial forum that is not my business.

 

[imno007]

Depends on what you consider small. While mobile is continuously growing I did still have about 50% Desktop/Laptop users the last time I checked. I'm thankful for that as people who visit the forum via mobile write less, write shorter postings with less interesting content and produce the weirdest sentences due to autocorrection of spelling. So personally, I do favor the desktop users. Personally, I see it myself: Reading in the on mobile is kind of ok (though not brilliant), writing is somewhat horrible. I clearly prefer the desktop.

It's obviously going to depend partly on your content and the age of your users. I also run a Shopify store and 57% of the traffic there last year was from desktop users, so yeah, it just depends.

 

[ge66]

Looking at analytics for my forum right now about 55% are over 55 years old, 16% are on desktop, 82% on mobile.

 

[Wing]

We are at 90% traffic being desktop users, but my sites niche is super specific and tailored for Desktop ops (flight simming).

 

[imno007]

Looking at analytics for my forum right now about 55% are over 55 years old, 16% are on desktop, 82% on mobile.

Well, it's not a one-to-one correlation. Some of the over 55 crowd might be more tech savvy than others and if your content appeals to that demographic.... Who knows. The percentage of older people who are using smartphones has grown a lot over the last decade or so, but young people at this point still have a significantly higher adoption rate, for the obvious reason that they've mutated to the point of coming out of the womb with this extra appendage.

Eh, but seriously, there's a Pew survey out there somewhere which shows that 98% of those ages 18 to 29 own a smartphone and approx. 76% of those over 65 now own one, so the gap is narrowing. In the age group you're talking about, 50 to 64, 89% are using them. No doubt, in 2045 almost everyone will be using mobile devices exclusively, watching 200-million dollar movies with the latest and greatest special effects on a 6.5 inch screen, and gamers will have exciting choices like Honor of Kings and Royal Match and Roblox, real Game of the Year stuff, to also play on those wonderful 6.5 inch screens. What an exciting time it will be!