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Favorite UBB of many
of our moderators, we all love to see what Jason,
the admin of this truly excellent site has in store.
Utilizing a truly unique color scheme, excellent
design skill, and a great sense of what actually
creates "community", he has built a site
that people flock to and keep coming back for more.
We caught up with
Jason to peer inside the brain of someone who seems
to know what users want, what works, and what
doesn't. Spend a few minutes here and take something
back with you to your own site...
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UBBDEV: What is your
background and how long have you been on the web?
Alien Soup:
My first introduction to computers came in 1980 with
the Commodore PET, and the Apple IIe computers in
grade school. My first home computer was the
Commodore 64, which I still occasionally use to this
day.
I first started out on the web in very early 1994
just poking around like most everyone else had
started. I then got curious & decided to try
making a few little web site projects, one of which
included "Paranoia's Playground". Not my
best work. :P
UBBDEV: How did you brainstorm the idea
behind "Alien Soup"?
AS: I was looking to build a site
specifically with a 'community' involved. I wanted
some interactivity, and to update users on various
things that were going on so they felt part of the
decision making process. We envisioned a site of a
much larger scope earlier last spring, (which we are
currently working to put into effect soon finally!)
so we wanted a name that really couldn't be directly
attached to any one thing (except aliens, of
course)! The winning domain name was finally
selected from among 15-20 possibilities. We can all
thank my girlfriend "Lysithea" for the
name "Alien Soup".
UBBDEV: What was your reason for purchasing
the ubb for your site?
AS: In March, after much research, I decided
to lease a license based mostly on the software's
flexibility, and it's large community of fellow
"modders". I felt I could discuss the
shortcuts & quirks of the software with those
who had already taken a lot of time with it. Shortly
thereafter I released our forums with about 2 dozen
"mods" & our email services, which I
deemed ever so cleverly "Version 1.0".
UBBDEV: What do you like and dislike most
about the ubb?
AS: UBB software's strong point is definitely
flexibility to have it look however you want. It
also has a rather large development community to
help you every step of the way. I felt comfortable
knowing my purchase would allow me to realize my
ideas. Especially since they change all too
frequently!
As for what I dislike about the UBB software, it
would have to be the lack of a good backend database
& the ability to use templates. It features a
very SLOW search function. Not to mention having to
modify the code back to how I had it each time an
update is released isn't very efficient! :)
UBBDEV: What do you do to keep your site
"fresh" and what do you recommend to keep
people coming back for more?
AS: Let's be honest, finding the right color
scheme seem to be a lost art. If it looks really
loud and difficult on the eyes, people will not
return to it! They make this decision rather
quickly. Same goes for the layout, it must be easy
to manipulate. These things are very often
misunderstood.
I also find keeping people abreast of what you're
working on, offering new areas of interest on your
site occasionally, and thanking them every step of
the way is one sure way to help users want to be
part of what you do as you grow. Many community
driven sites offer similar content, but very few
offer a true sense of wanting to return each day to
get to know each other further.
UBBDEV: Name the mod to your ubb that you
like the best and name the mod your users like
the best?
AS: One each? Oh that's rough. Perhaps the
"Who's Online" mod written by Dave Downin
would be one of my personal favorites. It's very
helpful in seeing what the users are interested in,
and how long they spend lurking there!
The users' favorite mod would have to be the UBB
Code Buttons mod written by "Mutt". It
saves them a lot of time!
UBBDEV: Are there any "tricks of the
trade" you'd like to share that any ubb owner
can use to improve the success of their site?
AS: Make your visitors feel like they are a
part of what you do at every turn, and always
remember how important they are. Also, be sure to
utilize the UBB development community! Be helpful
towards your fellow members, and you will find many
willing to share their success stories & help
guide you with a wealth of information! You can make
many fine friends here! Lastly, be prepared to spend
a lot of late nights, and a lot of time apologizing
to your significant other. ;-)
UBBDEV: What are your future plans for Alien
Soup, if any?
AS: A major renovation is planned, to finally
create the larger scale site that was envisioned by
us last spring. This goes for the forum area, but
actually encompasses much much more: Reviews,
Shopping, Cards, just to name a few. The ideas keep
flowing, and the hard work never stops, and we
wouldn't have it any other way for as long as it all
remains FUN!
-Alien / Alien Soup Administrator
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