I've created this thread as a place where we can discuss the creation of additional features for this site, both to revitalize it and to transform it into a community hub rather than just a forum + wiki.

From the other thread, my vision is to do the following, roughly in this order:

-- One of the trusted regulars really needs admin+ftp access to the whole site to make it easier to make content changes.

-- Just reactivate the wiki as it is, in whatever state it is in.

-- Creation of a temporary front page, describing what this site is with links to the forum + wiki

-- Install/create tools for blogs and creating the members' mini sites. (eg, WordPress)

-- Create a site-wide login. Maybe patch it from the forum registration/login? use the same cookies? Link with wordpress login/permissions. etc.

-- Tie in the login with privileges to update mini-sites. (gpwiki.org/username) More versatile would be to simply create FTP permissions rather than relying solely on awkward php tools.

-- Creation of chat facility recognising the same username.

-- Creation of news section, again using something like wordpress.

-- Make a proper front page to integrate the new features.

-- Apply consistent styles site-wide, (css sheets, etc) to help create the feel/image we want to create for our community.

-- Add sections for free dev tools and games.

This is the kind of front page I had in mind:

Well the wiki went to gamedev.net and the site now is just a forum. Do we really wanna try to re-create what we gave away?

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I'd suggest reactivating the wiki and leaving it at that personally. I know they are all the craze at the moment, but all the 'social network' and 'community hub' things really get on my nerves and usually end up as a load of crap thrown onto the web by stupid technophobes and luddites and any criticism gets the response of 'oh, I'm being artistic and it's what I like'... to which I want to respond 'this page means either you have the artistic talent and design skills of a retarded kiwi bird or you are a retarded kiwi bird'. Do we really want to give anybody who signs up here the ability to do that?

On top of that, anyone here who actually wants to blog already has one. Anyone here who wants a site has one (and has the ability to create better ones than a precanned community hub page allows).

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God must love stupid people, he made so many.
theraje: 'God doesn't love stupid people, they're just easier to make'
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I like the idea of re-inventing GPWiki, but at the end of the day it's Ryan's site and it's up to him how it runs.

The Wiki allows for blogs/journals, the Wiki allows for News and 'What's new' pages. Wikipedia has a dynamic front page with featured articles, etc. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

The beauty of the Wiki is that the admin control does not have to be delegated out to allow the community to manage it.

I vote for getting the Wiki back on it's feet first and seeing how we get on from there. If Ryan wants to expand the features offered by the site in a few months time, we can look at some of the excellent suggestions put forward by Jasmine.

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10 PRINT "Bad Monkey ";
20 GOTO 10

I understand your feelings workmad, and I respect you where you said this is the only site you've really got involved with, so understandably you don't want to see it become like other sites.

But there is a bit of worry at the moment that this forum has grown too quiet for its own good, and with most activity being in Off Topic nowadays.

If this situation remains, then members will have less reason to keep returning, and will slowly migrate elsewhere, and the forums will stagnate, else become a really lonely place for any die-hards.

And if the forums stagnate, the wiki becomes unsupported.

My suggestion is an attempt to score a double kill : One for the benefit of the wiki (Ryan's objective), and Two for the benefit of the programmer by having a place to call home.

But to respond to your concerns about kiwi birds.. Are programmers likely to be like that? Are they coming here principally to make pretty or to belong to a programming network? I'm thinking fun, informal, but mature non the less.

Any group is like that... even I've produced stuff that I'd probably say that about nowadays (although I can't think of anywhere I've put or left it online thankfully ). But yes, programmers are probably less likely to produce mediocre quality pages and the ones who won't already have...

Still, it may be worth investigating at some level.

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God must love stupid people, he made so many.
theraje: 'God doesn't love stupid people, they're just easier to make'
http://sharedillusions.blogspot.com

Can we now make some suggestions for any pre-made php packages that could be useful to us here? I don't really know what's out there.

Does anybody have any other ideas for content or features?

Let's brainstorm, and hopefully Ryan will add his thoughts here at some point.

Well Jasmine, I doubt it would become very active/popular. There are a few major ones already and, although we are friendlier , the major public will simply go to gamedev or gamasutra .

What you created looks kinda like VB gaming central, about 12 years ago... the site that got quite of the people around here together for the first time! Ah.. good times!

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Good God, I've been playing too much BioShock. Someone says "Ryan" and I think "Andrew Ryan."

Everyone: "Let's give Ryan control."

Me: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOowait"

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Would you kindly re-activate the wiki?

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10 PRINT "Bad Monkey ";
20 GOTO 10

I'll try not to speak for Lucky here, but this is my guess...

* He doesn't have a problem re-enabling the wiki so that will probably happen soon. I think the simplest thing is to just re-enable what we have. If we want anything new from the GD wiki, we can just copy it over manually (provided it's GFDL content).

* If we can come to a *consensus*, I think Lucky would be be open to the community idea. Provided he doesn't have to maintain it . If we can't come to a general consensus though, the idea is probably doomed to fail.

As for me, I'm still undecided

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Ryan

"What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy?" - Gandhi

sik0fewl is right. I'll totally re-enable the wiki... have no problem with that. Let me hit my Christmas semi-break and then I'll re-enable the wiki. Perhaps on December 27th or 28th.

Regarding community stuff: What Jasmine has listed sounds cool, but is a ton of work. I do not currently have the time to undertake something like that.

Perhaps if you guys could prioritize the things you'd like to see added/changed, I can better judge what is do-able.

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I'd just concentrate on the wiki that's what's going to help the most people.

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I think wiki is the most important part to re-enable. I've come here only because of the wiki (that was hosted on gamedev already, which was down and I was unable to read), it would be very nice to have the wiki back.
There are a lot of features Jasmine listed that are nice, but if I would focus one, I would focus making a proper front page.
Visual identification is very important, but it's also hard to make a layout mixing programming and games... if you just add some games pics it will look like a game forum only, nothing related to game programming. And also if you add some code strings people will think you all are not friendly.

damn, i need to master my english soon.

Do people really equivocate coding/coders with being surly?

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Do not strive for the mastery of a single gross need. Strive for the perceptive realization of all things and their interconnectedness.

At least here, yes.
Imagine a guy who wants to learn Game Design, and then he stop by a website which layout is full of code strings, he may think he is in the wrong place.
It's just a matter of mixing every concept into a single layout. Sounds easy, huh?