Vanilla Forums, Have you Used Them.

[Fergal]

I read today that the open source hosted software provider http://vanillaforums.com has received $500,000 in funding. Have you heard of Vanilla before? Would you use them?

I created a forum just to see what they were like and I'd have to say that the user-interface is very simple and easy. However, the forums are quite basic and to be honest I'm not sure that I would have a use for them.

 

[Sam!]

I hadn't heard of them before reading this topic. If I had to choose a software, I wouldn't use Vanilla Forums - it looks incredibly simple, and I'm not sure how customisable it is. Plus, it's littered with ads.

 

[Fredward]

I've used vanilla before when the forum wasn't the main attraction of the project, and all you need is a simple messageboard for communicating with your users.

Obvious it is no where near as complex as phpbb or ipb, but that is the beauty of it. I'm sure i'll use it again at one point.

 

[CyberFreak]

I have never heard of them before but it does look not that attractive in my opinion. It is not something i would use.

 

[posey]

I've never heard of them and being part of a Free Forums Bussiness, this one doesn't look all that 'advanced'. Like mentioned earlier in this thread, it's just a simple communication board and that's it.

From who did they receive that fund?

 

[AnAccount]

I have never heard of them before. I might have to do a test run of them to see what they're like. If I like them, I wouldn't mind sticking with them, as I'm sure it'd be a lot easier than some other softwares I've used... my main reason for giving up so much, I think.

Edit: I tried just for the heck of it, and I don't think I like it as much. ACP is simple, but otherwise it's too confusing.

 

[golfbunny]

Vanilla Forums has not impressed me in the past, but 500,000 buckeroos is a substantial amount of money, so I'll be keeping an eye on the software's development.

 

[fantanoice]

I've heard about them but don't know much about them. I haven't used them either.

 

[cityStatic]

It looks worse than the forums that come with Freewebs.

 

[[BL] Briggers810]

The main site's design looks very Drupally or Twittery so I'd probably only use them if I was making a Drupal help site or something like that.

 

[Mr. Money]

I don't like the way the forums are set up. I would never use them.

 

[Uphoreka]

I've heard of them. They do look simple and too bright.

 

[Joe 2]

I've never heard of them. :shrug: The forums look to simple to me. Yes I sometime like simple but this just seems a little to simple. Plus the way to forum is set up just appears to me as unattractive. I don't think I'd use them.

However, $500,000 is a lot of money. They appear to have potential.

 

[Fergal]

It seems strange that a company who's product receives such a negative reaction from their target market, i.e. the people who posted in this thread, can secure so much funding.

The funding was "..led by Montreal Startup, with a significant investment also made by Denver, CO based eonBusiness. Silicon Valley based Klein Venture Partners and Denver, CO based Norseman Capital also contributed to the round". Read more here on Yahoo Finance.

 

[golfbunny]

It seems strange that a company who's product receives such a negative reaction from their target market, i.e. the people who posted in this thread, can secure so much funding.

$500,000 isn't such a large amount of money when it's given to a mainstream, nearly perfected software such as phpBB or vBulletin. I certainly wouldn't go ahead and use Vanilla Forums this minute, but I certainly see potential in the software. They are revolutionizing components of the forum as we know it. While it is debatable whether these innovations are for the better or worse, you don't see IPB, vBulletin, phpBB, or SMF really taking the initiative that Vanilla Forums is obviously taking. IPB, vBulletin, phpBB, and SMF have come quite a wase with a 'traditional' set of features. These four mainstream forum softwares are obviously scared to change any of their features dramatically. This fear of the 'negative reaction' we are currently giving Vanilla Forums is precisely why forum software is not developing at the rate of the rest of the net. This is the first software I have truly seen embrace the notion of 'trial and error.'

 

[coolmac]

its a push in the right direction...much like what Google Wave is compared to email 🙂

can't use them right now, but with time, they might join the big boys club

 

[John1]

Vanilla Forums has not impressed me in the past, but 500,000 buckeroos is a substantial amount of money, so I'll be keeping an eye on the software's development.

Definatly a lot of money, hopefully they will put the money to good use and make this to be a very useful software.