Pros Vs. Cons

This blog caught my eye. Someone originally posted the question of whether Vanilla 2.0 is superior to bbPress and other forums already in use. This question merits some thought when you consider this: the explosion of Web 2.0's has created a market in which users, I believe, can be picky about what 2.0's they use. If a user doesn't particularly care for certain attributes of a program, he/she can simply drop it and probably find a different one which suits their taste. The Web 2.0 market parallels the shopping industry in that a customer has a multitude of options of where to shop--Wal-Mart, Target, Pamida, etc. This makes for an environment where businesses must compete to stand apart and ultimately earn profit. The same thing exists in the Web 2.o arena now--this benefits the user.

http://bbpress.org/forums/topic/has-anyone-use-vanilla-lately-bbpress-vs-vanilla

 

Vanilla 2.0

Vanilla has announced the release of version 2.0. The new version claims to provide users with more linking capabilities between your webpage/ message board and other sites; links for archiving materials; and integrating advertising system where, potentially, librarians can feature new products or services offered in their library.   

http://www.vanillatgp.com/

Milli VANILLA 2.0

From the overwhelming number of 2.0's buzzing out there in the ether, I've chosen Vanilla. Vanilla is ostensibly a free discussion forum software featuring some bling: First off, it's open-source; standards compliant (which will be explored further in the semester, as I've yet to discover this potential); it's inclusive in the sense that it's designed for multi-lingual capabilities; and fully extensible (again, I believe this has to do with the flexibility of what users can do/add to Vanilla itself to personalize their use).  

Here is the link to Vanilla: http://vanillaforums.org/

Coming up, I will explore the web space requirements, and the potential for Vanilla's rich Add-Ons--something which, from what I've initially seen, looks very attractive for those bored with static discussion boards and wish to strike out and take a more dynamic approach of their own.