Last possible UFN concept to consider: False Feature

[Tony (admin)]

As most are aware, I jumped in and decided to build Ute Hub in response to the outcry of UFN users who wanted an alternative.  I’ve worked long and hard to build the site, make it clean, mobile friendly, and unique.  But I’ve also listened to the requests of many and tried to implement ideas which users liked from UFN, like the threaded content.  I must say the threaded look and feel here is (okay I’m biased) far superior.

I spent some time on UFN in the last week as a user, looking closely at the design and considering what other ideas or inspiration I might glom from it. I studied the functions, layouts, flow, designs, concepts, very closely. Here are some of my thoughts and findings below and things I considered for Ute Hub:

I considered using 432 different font styles, sizes, allignments, and colors.  All those variances look professional and really make the site look cleaner and easier to read.  

I considered using pixelated icons from 1998.  

Thought about using the “random stuff everywhere” design concepts: you know, profile links on the upper left, not in the menu or the “5 navbar approach” (two on the top and three on the bottom).

I thought a lot about putting some things [inside of brackets] but some others (inside of parenthesis). Incredible. I found one page with 84 sets of brackets and 45 sets of parenthesis.

I strongly considered the windows 3.0 navigation dropdowns look and feel. Love the offset gray square look.

I was intrigued and thought I might consider the “different widths for different content” design concepts.  I loved how the home page was about 1500 pixels wide but other pages were 800 pixels wide. Good for continuity.

There were so many incredible design and layout features going on that I never really analyzed before that I decided I couldn’t pull them off.

False Feature Coming Soon

There is one last UFN “feature” which blew my mind in its brilliance, the “false” thingamabob.  See below.

Every post has this “false” thing by it.  Absolutely tremendous.  I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that before.  I’m building a web development team from India to work on this feature because I know it is probably out of the realm of my skill level.  Stay tuned for the “false” update.

Conclusion

Other than the pending implementation of the new “false” feature, I think it’s time to let Ute Hub’s design and feature path completely separate from UFN.  There’s no way UH could ever match the incrediblly creative complexity and features of UFN.  I realize it is a waste of time to try and replicate the brilliance that is the UFN experience.  I’ll have to proceed with the UH design and simply “do the best I can within my abilitiy” to make the site as good as my limited skills and time allow, knowing that this site will never be able to match or even come close to the product which is UFN, when it works.

[Utah]

What is the false feature? What does/would it do? 

[Utah]

p.s. I think cougarboard is the board to mimick, tbh. 

[DanielLaRussoUte]

*whoosh*

[Milton Vanderslice]

If you see false by a post, it means that you aren’t a part of the board elite.  If you see true by every post then the riches shall be yours forever.

[Milton Vanderslice]

Let me tell you a little story about back in the day.  One day I logged in and true was by every post.  I looked at it and blinked a few times.  It was beauitful and glorious.  There aren’t enough words to describe the feelings.  Then it happened.  I was asked to join the Priate Ship committee.  I didn’t know what to think or how to act.  The pirate ship was awesome, that I can attest to.  But then I really thought about it and committted the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.  I authored a post suggesting that the pirate ship was a symbol of where we were in the MWC venturing into bowls that didn’t think we belong and didn’t represent where we were now in the Pac12.  Within minutes of that post, the word false was everywhere.  I couldn’t stop seeing it.  It’s seared into my brain and sometimes I see that word in other places.  I messed up.  I could have had it all.  But I wasted it.  And now I’m here….

[Tony (admin)]

Speaking of the pirate ship, stay tuned for my next post.

[Utemachine]

It took me a while to get over the format here. I’m over it now and agree, this is a different site and no need to try and incorporate windows 95 era functions. Although the random profile of the day was cool.

[Milton Vanderslice]

I just peed a little laughing

[PlainsUte]

Thanks for working so hard to make this site look good and work well.   Beyond a certain point, and personally I think you are there now, it all becomes a matter of taste, and perhaps ability for user to customize to their taste.   You can’t please everyone on style/look/feel.  [Caveat: I am not a big phone user, not sure how it does there].    

Once there, essentially the forum becomes the corner pub or corner bakery/coffee shop and the tone and value to the users is the interaction among the users and who shows up regularly.  For all its warts UFN has certain posters that I like to read and interact with carry on running jokes, etc, so to a lot of regulars it still has value.

The degree to which people’s behavior is controlled is the trickiest thing, as you may well know.  I moderate another forum (non sports related) and its a balancing act for me; I like to have things mostly open and only bounce people/topics that are outright and regularly immflamatory.  Someone opened a competing site that is highly regulated in terms of membership and tone because they didn’t like ANY controversial discussion that disagreed with the moderator’s fairly narrow opinion.  Bleh. Kooterboard is like that, for the most part.

By the way, I think the UFN “false” is a debugging print statement related to tracking some issue that is probably solved.

[Tony (admin)]

essentially the forum becomes the corner pub or corner bakery/coffee shop and the tone and value to the users is the interaction among the users and who shows up regularly.

A very good analogy. 

[Daedalus]

I didn’t get it.  I had no idea that was there.  The font was tiny enough.  Nice.

[Author]

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