UBBDEV: What is your background and when did you start out on the web?
VAN: Currently my background is #33ff00, but I'm thinking of a possible switch to.....oh, you didn't mean my site's background, huh? Sorry. Well, my love affair with the pc began just 2 years ago. Before that, I had never ever touched a computer (except for the old Apple IIe back in grade school) let alone written HTML, or hacked PERL source. It just goes to show you that a little time, a little patience, and zero need for human interaction can go a long way. Oh, and I currently work as a Network Administrator/Intranet Developer. Not bad for a guy who, until 2 years ago, hadn't even touched a computer, eh?
UBBDEV: LOL...And what background color were you thinking of switching to? ;-) How did you brainstorm the idea behind "WhoIsVan"?
VAN:
Ahhh, the one question to which I cannot give a witty, VANish answer. There was no "brainstorming" involved whatsoever. I was bored one day and took an online HTML tutorial. My thirst for more knowledge led me to purchase an HTML book, which in turn led me to design the first edition of WhoIsVan.com. I just figured the best way to get started on the web was to design a personal page...and that's just what I did. Response was overwhelmingly positive, so I continued with regular updates.
UBBDEV: Positive reactions are always a good thing. What was your reason for purchasing the ubb for your site?
VAN:
My site had been up only a couple of weeks when I received a couple of emails from visitors asking for a bulletin board. Well, I've never been one to disappoint, unless you count the time that I turned down some guy's offer to photograph my bare feet. There are some requests that even I cannot accommodate. For the most part, if a visitor makes a legitimate suggestion, I will do what I can to implement the changes. The latest visitor suggested feature is the chat room, which I have integrated to work nicely with the UBB password system.
UBBDEV: It sounds like you aim to please... which is integral when reaching for success. What do you like and dislike most about the ubb?
VAN:
The likes are many, the dislikes are few. Obviously, the fact that the UBB has such an extraordinary following of developers gives it an enormous advantage over other BB systems. As far as dislikes go, one really stands out. It seems to me that the folks at Infopop are quite fond of releasing premature updates. I have owned my license for maybe 5 months now and the UBB has had 8 or 9 updates released. Right now, I am planning on upgrading when v6 is released. It will be very frustrating to me if after I re-hack the entire board, debug and re-deploy, I find that they are already rolling out version 6.0b. Updates are good, but I'd rather wait a little longer for a "substantial" upgrade rather than worry about 10 or 15 tiny bug fixes.
UBBDEV: Hopefully in the future, with UBB V6, there will be fewer minor upgrades. What do you do to keep your site "fresh" and what do you recommend to keep people coming back for more?
VAN:
Lately I have been slacking on the site updates. Updates are VERY important. In the beginning, I updated the site once a week. Since my updates have slowed, so has my traffic. I plan on getting back to weekly, and on some pages daily, updates soon. Keep your content fresh, but more importantly, keep your content interesting. You could update hourly, but if you don't have anything worth reading or viewing, nobody will visit. Hmmmm....now I'm wondering why people keep coming back to my site. I don't think I have anything all that "interesting" to offer. Oh well, I must be doing something right, huh?
UBBDEV: Yes, you're definitely doing something right VAN. I am guessing users return to be in touch with your never ending wit and the mood your UBB and site conveys. Name the mod to your ubb that you like the best (and why) and name the mod your users like the best (and why)?
VAN:
If I had to choose just ONE (which I guess is what you are asking me to do), I'd say the Avatar Add-on. The way I handle Avatars is to limit new members to a choice of two "generic" avatars. Once the member achieves his/her official "B.S.'er" status (currently 25 posts), they will receive their first gold star and are then eligible to request a custom Avatar hand made by me. It's a cool way to do things I think.
I'd say the members are probably most pleased with the Active Topics Add-On. They can peruse the most recent posts without having to wade through all of the forums/threads to get to what they want.
UBBDEV: You're right, the Avatar add-on is a very popular mod for many UBB Administrators. Which mod, do you feel, is most beneficial to your ubb? In other words, which one modification is an absolute necessity on your ubb?
VAN:
The mod that is most beneficial to me as Administrator is the Who's Online mod. It's helpful to be able to monitor in "real time" which forums/threads are attracting the most people, and which are not. This makes it easier to adjust content to better suit visitors wants/needs.
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?
VAN:
Well, the #1 "trade secret" really isn't a secret at all, especially if this is being read right now. Visit sites such as UBBDEV.com often! I can't stress that enough. I spent the first few months sweating over my boards w/o realizing that places such as this existed. The wealth of knowledge that can be found on sites like this is indispensable.
UBBDEV: We're pleased to help everyone whenever they require it. We hope that in the future the word of UBBDev.com will spread so people won't have to sweat over their boards quite as much. ;-) What are your future plans for your site?
VAN:
Oh man. I have A LOT of goodies planned. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you about them because my loyal B.S.'ers may read this and would never let me rest until I have the new stuff finished. My lips are sealed. ;-)
UBBDEV: I guess we will all have to stay tuned to see what's in store for us at http://www.whoisvan.com/. :-) We would like to thank VAN for taking the time to share his opinions and knowledge with us and members of the UBBDev community.
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