Complete List of Joomla! vBulletin bridges available and "pending"

[EMRhelp]

1. bbpixel.  www.bbpixel.com - cost $20.  This appears to be the only proven solution.  Of the people who decided "I need it now", most chose bbpixel.  Pros: works, updated frequently, has support.  Cons: requires some modifications of vBulletin files, others have had "wrapping problems" (of which I don't know much about).

2. vBridge.  Predator's attempt.  Free.  Status: abandoned.  In the end Predator felt that the bridge was never going to be stable enough because Joomla 1.0.x wasn't meant to be bridged easily.  He also felt com_connector would be a superior method anyway.

3. com_connector.  Was started by leonsio.  Cost: free.  A very powerful method of bridging Joomla! with many apps.  Status: abandoned.  Very few successful installs.  You can read more about this on the vBulletin.org site.

4. elearningforce.dk's joomla-vbulletin bridge (http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,87676.0.html).  cost $40.  Some people have got it to work but the reviews have been mixed.  Support is not as responsive as bbpixel's support.  Pros: might work with Community Builder. 

5. mlmorr0's attempt http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,124910.0.html.  Status: in progress.  Cons: disables Joomla! user management.  This is one to watch.

6. dankness's attempt http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,135800.0.html.  Cost: unknown.  Status: in progress. 

Any others ?

[dankness]

My attempt is currently under Alpha testing,  i will be going into a closed beta test mode very soon.

The price has not been decided yet but when it is available for sale i will have the following features available for sure

• Joomla->Vbulletin Login on either page using VB User tables
• Usergroups mapped from VB->Joomla
• Template intragration ( not automatic but u just fetch the VB template and echo it out very easy )
• About 10-15 modules for this Bridge ( latest posts, whos online, hot topics, etc )
• All VB Vars are usable in joomla

These features are already completed just need more testing before release.
Once i move into the beta phase i will be opening my site to the public to see it in operation atm im still tweaking the templates and stuff and filling it with content.

I would love to hear some input from the community about any special modules and features that would be useful to them so that imay code them in from the start.

[EMRhelp]

will anyone be able to do a good job of wrapping ?

ie. the problem listed here:
http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,105078.0.html

[dankness]

will anyone be able to do a good job of wrapping ?

ie. the problem listed here:
http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,105078.0.html

man can use vbulletin template system.  IE On my test site,  i have used VBulletin Header, Footer, Navbar and a partial VB Headinclude,  I also used the Defualt CSS File so my Joomla looks exactly like the Forums.  I am still tryin to decide on a method of doing this in that you can flip a switch and it automaticly does it.  Not all Joomla Templates will work with this method ( IE a Fixed Joomla template on a Fluid VB style doesnt mesh properly )  But when finished mine will offer a exact wrap method.

[EMRhelp]

Sounds interesting !

Keep us informed.

Q: do you know why the bbpixel people complain about wrapping problems with vB and Joomla! ?

[EMRhelp]

Any progress here ?

[-Duke-]

This is my first reply after lurking onsite for a while now so I hope I don't get crucified for the content within. I'm not trying to be disruptive so please don't misconstrue my content in any manner other that honest opinion.

I personally want to migrate from phpnuke to vB/something and have been looking at Joomla but the fact that there is mixed reviews on virtually every vB/Joomla bridge is what is killing my desire to actually use Joomla. Unless an actual, proven, bridge can be released without gouging our pockets such as elearningforce is trying to do with a $60 unproven solution, it's a safe bet vB users will shy away from Joomla.

Is there any merit in putting together a coding team or something because I firmly believe Joomla is missing the boat with not being pro-active with vB Integration? The fact that vB is only forum software and vBA is virtually useless begs for a CMS such as Joomla to jump right in and fill the gigantic void.

I hope this reply does not come across as whining but in my case, the lack of a proven vB integration method is the ONLY reason I'm not using Joomla at this time.

Also, it's imperative that the forum not be in "wrapper" format or within some sort of Joomla .url extension as it robs the forum of proper SERP indexing.

Regards,

Ken

[EMRhelp]

Well Said -Duke- I feel the same way.

Have you considered bbpixel ?

[-Duke-]

Well Said -Duke- I feel the same way.

Have you considered bbpixel ?

From what I've read, bbpixel is really the only viable alternative at this time but the fact that bbpixel alters some core files seems to cause troubles for some users. I've read that it can disrupt shopping carts, galleries and other site extensions so I'm really not pro on Joomla integration if it may end up disrupting further integration of other products. I've also read that it does not work with VBSEO which is a real problem because my entire move is based on SERP indexing the majority of my keyword rich forum topics/discussions.

I'm also worried about future updates with vB and/or Joomla if bbpixel does indeed alter tables or files. One of the biggest reasons for leaving phpnuke on my main site is so I don't have to continually monkey around with patching. I really dislike patching if not for the reasons of running the current version but due to the potential security risks involved. It's not a rarity these days to see a CMS install the latest patch package only to have it go down due to script kiddies within the first few weeks of patching. For this very reason, I usually wait a few months after any update release and monitor the CMS forums for feedback.

As for hacking, one of my favorite sites went offline a few years ago (virtualwarcinema) and this was a Mambo Powered Site if I'm not mistaken. It was a real shame when that site was lost due to hacking and the fact it was Mambo has me concerned about the use of Joomla. Even if Joomla is really secure I wonder if bridging may open up a hole somewhere and leave my site vulnerable.

I may setup a test site and give bbpixel a try though because it really looks as if there is no alternative for Joomla/vB users and there seems to be no word of alternatives in progress.

Do you think there is any merit in being pro-active here and asking the Joomla community if they want to pool resources to come up with a viable bridging solution? I'm very sure that there would be no lack of interest within the Joomla community to help out and I'm also sure that it wouldn't be too hard to pool resources from the vB community as well.

BTW, thanks for your reply EMRhelp, much appreciated!

EDIT: Here is one poor chap posting ACP issues with bbpixel:

http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic ... cseen.html

Other bbpixel issues:

http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic ... cseen.html

Sadly, I don't see these poor folks as "the unlucky few".

[-Duke-]

I hate replying to myself but I've put so much in the above topic that I don't want this to get lost in the mix. I've added my thoughts to a post in the "Wishlist and Feature Request" forum here:

http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,156475.0.html

Since I'm new to the community, I've yet to see any serious discussions on this topic so my thoughts are that if it's mentioned in that forum, the devs will have to comment on it. At least this way I'll get a firm answer on whether or not Joomla is for me because I simply don't see myself diving into Joomla without proper vB bridging and/or integration on the horizon.

[EMRhelp]

I have two websites planned.
(1) I am waiting for a good joomla-vB bridge.  Might have to use bbpixel.
(2) I am going to use vB, vBadvanced as the homepage, and madebymary's vB articles.  Also going to use vB wiki pro for a wiki via nuhit.com. 

I have heard that the "bridge-ability" of Joomla! will be getting better in 1.5.

I think time has shown that vB and Joomla are not bridgeable without hacking core vB files.

IMO.

bbpixel is very quick at updating it's bridge with new joomla or vb releases.

[EMRhelp]

If you don't mind the minimalist WordPress type homepages ... there is a Vbulletin-Wordpress bridge that's reasonable.  add in vB wiki and a gallery and you have got a pretty good site. 

depends what you want.

Give me a list of stuff you want and I might be able to suggest something.

[-Duke-]

If you don't mind the minimalist WordPress type homepages ... there is a Vbulletin-Wordpress bridge that's reasonable.  add in vB wiki and a gallery and you have got a pretty good site. 

depends what you want.

Give me a list of stuff you want and I might be able to suggest something.

I gotta say d00d, your prolly the most helpful fella on this site, c00d0s!

My current site:

http://www.lifesupporters.com

This site is currently in phpnuke and has stalled due to the fact I just cannot use phpnuke anymore. I don't have zillions of members yet I have plenty of content, much of which is keyword rich. I've let the news page lapse recently due to yet another server move (my last) to a dedicated solution and when all sites are updated to the latest version of ravenuke, I can start adding main page content again.

What I'm looking for in the new lifesupporters.com:

- Security.
- Shared permissions between forum and CMS (backwards compatible between CMS registration or forum registration). If this is not possible, then option to disable CMS registration but must have login block for vB on CMS pages. Also, another must is for registered users to have the ability to comment on news/reviews/links/downloads without having to register and/or login twice.
- Shared themes not necessary but it would be nice.
- ***FORUM AND CMS SEO***
- advertising options, configurability
- calendar
- usergroups
- weblinks directory w/permission based view/submit options
- downloads module w/permission based view/submit/download options
- forum url's that are not hidden within a wrapper or module.php? extension (I'm flexible on the module.php but not on a CMS wrapper)
- integrated gallery or gallery block w/random image control, perhaps login as well.
- integrated chat room.
- ecommerce, donations, tiered membership configurability.

I've looked at the Wordpress Option and I am aware that blogs are extremely search engine friendly but I just don't see a blog being robust enough to work from. I'm not looking to make a lateral move from a CMS/forum perspective, I'm looking for a large upgrade in functionality, useability, aesthetic and SEO.

I'm not sure how realistic the above list is either because I'm sure no one CMS will do all I want but the more I can get in a CMS/forum package, the better.

Thanks again for all your help!

Ken

[EMRhelp]

I see three options for you
(1) Joomla! CMS front end with a vBulletin forums / backend with bbpixel bridge.
(2) Joomla! CMS front end with SMF forums and the SMF bridge.
(3) entirely vB solution.  Homepage with vBadvanced and articles by MadebyMary.com(or maybe GARS articles)

(1) advantage: pretty Joomla! CMS.  disadvantage: needs bridging, bbpixel mods core vB files.  Cost: Cost of vB plus $20 for bbpixel.
(2) advantage: pretty Joomla! CMS.  bridge probably is better than the (1) bridge.  SMF is pretty darn as good as vB, you should see if you agree with that and that would make this a good solution. Cost: Free
(3) option three is a vB solution, but really aint a CMS.  It avoids bridging though !  If you just want a pretty good homepage and some articles, this might be the way to go.  Cost: Cost of vB, cost of made by mary's articles ($45), cost of MBM's vbadvanced block ($15) (cost of vBadvanced's Link Manager ($35), maybe a gallery cost.  cost of vBSEO ($199).

Solutions (1) and (2) are fairly straightforward.  The SMF bridge *I BELIEVE* is in fairly good working order.  Check the SMF-Joomla Bridge forums in the Integration section.  The forums you are using here are SMF.  Pretty darn peppy I say.  One of the only major reasons to choose vB over SMF is SMF's member admin is pretty weak.  VB's is quite a bit more robust.  Your 233 members should be OK with SMF.  If you plan on having more that 1500 in the next year, you might go for vB. 

- Security.
You use phpBB, the least secure forum of any we've mentioned.  phpNuke aint that secure either.  vB is quite secure, SMF probably is.  I'd say Joomla! is secure as well.

- Shared permissions between forum and CMS (backwards compatible between CMS registration or forum registration). If this is not possible, then option to disable CMS registration but must have login block for vB on CMS pages. Also, another must is for registered users to have the ability to comment on news/reviews/links/downloads without having to register and/or login twice.
This is a good must, all three of my solutions have that.  You'd have to double check about the Joomla! SMF solution though.

- Shared themes not necessary but it would be nice.
The joomla!vB solution is hard to theme, solution 3 would be dead simple, Solution 2 you'll have to research.

- ***FORUM AND CMS SEO***
One Big question is How much does SEO matter at all ?  Some people say it's mostly FUD. 
vBulletin itself has SEO (vBSEO = expensive, Zoints = free, there are other SEO options as well).
Joomla! has OpenSEF.
Made by Mary's articles do not have SEO, but are possibly getting vBSEO integration coming up.
-SMF no idea about SEO/SEF.

- advertising options, configurability
Joomla has advertising, vB has advertising, SMF probably does. I think you wouldn't have CMS-Forum integrated advertising in any solultion except #3, but that aint a big thing

- calendar
that's easy for any solution.

- usergroups
vB has robust usergroups.  Solution (3) would be the best here.  I doubt you really need complex usergroups, you just need to plan it well.  All three should meet your needs.

- weblinks directory w/permission based view/submit options
vB/vBadvanced has options -  vBadvanced Links Directory ($35), vB has coppermine intergration, amongst many other paid/unpaid solutions.  Not sure if #2 could have an intergrated gallery, they probably could.

- downloads module w/permission based view/submit/download options
vB has links and download manager, and a couple other reasonable ones.
Q: could a Joomla!-bbpixel-vB solution have a Joomla! download plugin where the download permissions are determined by vB settings ?  I think so. You'd have to plan it out well.

- forum url's that are not hidden within a wrapper or module.php? extension (I'm flexible on the module.php but not on a CMS wrapper)
not sure here.  (3) would have no wrapper, but I believe the articles has a module.php extension. 

- integrated gallery or gallery block w/random image control, perhaps login as well.
all three likely have that.  Not sure about (2).

- integrated chat room.
vb integrates with the peppy FlashChat.  I like IRC chatting and vB has java IRC mod to integrate IRC with vB - http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthre ... light=chat .  SMF (2) and chatting not sure.

- ecommerce, donations, tiered membership configurability.
vB has all those.  Joomla! might not have tiered membership configurability.  Maybe Joomla!-CommunityBuilder would but then that wouldn't work with bbpixel.

- I've looked at the Wordpress Option and I am aware that blogs are extremely search engine friendly but I just don't see a blog being robust enough to work from.
I was merely referring to using WordPress as a home page for a vBulletin backend/forum.  It would be sparse, but what's wrong with simple?

- I'm not looking to make a lateral move from a CMS/forum perspective, I'm looking for a large upgrade in functionality, useability, aesthetic and SEO.
Good luck 




Q: Did you know vBulletin is likely *EVENTUALLY* *maybe* getting a CMS ?  It'll be expensive likely and it might be out in 3 months or 3 years.  They barely acknowledge that they are working on it.

I am going to deploy a (3) solution soon.  What I really want is a robust #1 solution, might try that too.  You should take a long hard look at (2).

[EMRhelp]

read about SMF-Joomla integration here --> http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/board,149.0.html

SMF also has a "portal" frontend as well ... http://www.tinyportal.com

[EMRhelp]

I suppose if you don't mind phpBB you could use what this guy is using ... http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,141538.0.html - over at http://raymarineforum.com/index.php  - I did notice that upon logging in I had the usual problem with these bridges ... I was logged into the forums but not the CMS homepage Joomla!

MEH !

[-Duke-]

I'm not too sure how I feel about Simple Machines Forum to be perfectly honest. I don't have any experience with it other than membering at a few websites that use the software (here and one other vB/SMF solution, http://www.totaldamage.org/v2.0/ ) but I'm not sure if I really like it much. It does have child boards which is a function I really crave and is one of the reasons for a move to vB from phpbb or more accurately, bbtonuke.

My usage of phpbb is really a side effect of using phpnuke and even though I consider phpnuke to be one of the best starter CMS packages available, it doesn't offer a robust solution if your interested in expanding, offering blogs, calendars, galleries, shopping carts and SEO. BTW, I've never used anything higher than 7.8 as phpnuke integrated an FCK Editor into core code and opened up a world of trouble. I've only ever used 7.0 (my first year) and moved to ravenuke .76 w/Nuke Sentinal and CGI Auth dual admin abstraction layer login. I know a lot of people say phpnuke is not secure but these are the masses (sadly) using latter versions, unpatched and likely as Fantastico (or some other power tool) three-click installs. I'd also say the same for all the nuke forks such as nuke evo, platinum, etc., as they are feature rich, highly configurable, etc., but also, highly unstable and exploitable (IMHO).

I hope all the above helps paint a clearer picture of why I find myself where I am, onto the points:

- Security.
You use phpBB, the least secure forum of any we've mentioned.  phpNuke aint that secure either.  vB is quite secure, SMF probably is.  I'd say Joomla! is secure as well.
I know vB is secure and I think Joomla is as well, it's the grey areas created by a bridge that worry me. If I do move to this solution, I'll have to delve into the world of Cron Jobs to ensure my info., is backed up nightly.

- Shared permissions between forum and CMS (backwards compatible between CMS registration or forum registration). If this is not possible, then option to disable CMS registration but must have login block for vB on CMS pages. Also, another must is for registered users to have the ability to comment on news/reviews/links/downloads without having to register and/or login twice.
This is a good must, all three of my solutions have that.  You'd have to double check about the Joomla! SMF solution though.
Good to have some feedback on this since I've already pretty much ruled out SMF. I'm not a big fan of the way SMF seems to handle forum url's which I'll address below...

- ***FORUM AND CMS SEO***
One Big question is How much does SEO matter at all ?  Some people say it's mostly FUD.
vBulletin itself has SEO (vBSEO = expensive, Zoints = free, there are other SEO options as well).
Joomla! has OpenSEF.
Made by Mary's articles do not have SEO, but are possibly getting vBSEO integration coming up.
-SMF no idea about SEO/SEF.
I'm sure that there are those that don't believe SEO is a necessity but I'd ask them, how many of their targeted keywords and keyword phrases are on page one/result one in google? I've managed to hit between pages 1 - 3 in 5 of my 10 targeted keyword phrases and it's all due to SEO techniques in phpnuke (which isn't even optimized). My problem is that my forum content is rather extensive and much more keyword heavy than any news article I write so I'm wasting all that forum content with no SEO techniques. Every single keyword/phrase points to my main domain (lifesupporters.com). I can't find one listing for any keyword I can conceive that points to any of my forum topics which is not only a waste of time, money and resources, it's a crying shame.

Those who don't believe SEO is important are welcome to their opinion but it is one I do not share as I've seen what proper techniques can do to a site built from scratch. I'm not buying into SEO because some marketing guru told me I had to, I believe in it because it has helped my main site, now I want it to help my forum.

I thought I'd add that ZOINTS isn't very good (AFAIK) so I'm stuck forking out even more cash for VBSEO which sux.

- advertising options, configurability
Joomla has advertising, vB has advertising, SMF probably does. I think you wouldn't have CMS-Forum integrated advertising in any solution except #3, but that aint a big thing

- calendar
that's easy for any solution.

- usergroups
vB has robust usergroups.  Solution (3) would be the best here.  I doubt you really need complex usergroups, you just need to plan it well.  All three should meet your needs.

I didn't want to add this stuff really but it popped in my head when you asked my needs so I just prattled on. I kinda figured what you replied above would be the case but it never hurts to have an outside opinion IMHO.

- weblinks directory w/permission based view/submit options
vB/vBadvanced has options -  vBadvanced Links Directory ($35), vB has coppermine intergration, amongst many other paid/unpaid solutions.  Not sure if #2 could have an integrated gallery, they probably could.
I can create this in a number of ways on any page really, even a seperate content page adequately linked to in my main module browser. The only requirement that I have is either the link submission is permission based or perhaps has a security layer such as captcha so bots can't spam the crap out of me. As much as I like vB, there is no way I'll pay another penny for something I can create and optimize myself. I do like vB but I'm not interested in putting myself in the poor house because of it. If I really wanted to, I could prolly use a media wiki plugin and get all the above functionality (and more). 

- downloads module w/permission based view/submit/download options
vB has links and download manager, and a couple other reasonable ones.
Q: could a Joomla!-bbpixel-vB solution have a Joomla! download plugin where the download permissions are determined by vB settings ?  I think so. You'd have to plan it out well.
Same as Weblink answer really. In actual fact, I can likely get away with not even having a dl area at lifesupporters and perhaps link offsite to gamemoviemaking.com or another of my Network Sites (still under construction).

- forum url's that are not hidden within a wrapper or module.php? extension (I'm flexible on the module.php but not on a CMS wrapper)
not sure here.  (3) would have no wrapper, but I believe the articles has a module.php extension. 
So long as the url appears static and is index friendly it doesn't matter really if the module extension is in there. My biggest concerns here are session ID's because bots still seem to have trouble with them. I've heard cookie based solutions are more bot friendly but I have no practical experience in this regard.

- ecommerce, donations, tiered membership configurability.
vB has all those.  Joomla! might not have tiered membership configurability.  Maybe Joomla!-CommunityBuilder would but then that wouldn't work with bbpixel.
As embarrassing as this is to admit, I've seen Community Builder referred to many times and I haven't the foggiest idea what that actually means and what it can do for me.

- I've looked at the Wordpress Option and I am aware that blogs are extremely search engine friendly but I just don't see a blog being robust enough to work from.
I was merely referring to using WordPress as a home page for a vBulletin backend/forum.  It would be sparse, but what's wrong with simple?
I did understand your reference and I think I may have come across as a bit of an @ss in my previous reply. IMHO, simple is good but there is such a thing as too simple as well. Whatever move I make has to be a step up and allow for more than one or two bland looking solutions which I already suffer from within the confines of phpnuke. From where I sit right now, Wordpress would constitute manual db populating from phpnuke and would afford me no additional luxuries to phpnuke. While it's true that it can integrate with vB the same can be done for vBA and perhaps Drupal with far less work and one or two db changes instead of 3 or 4. Not only that but I'm now stuck with a blog that I have to theme separately and everything else I require has me shopping continually for modules/addons.

It may be my shortcoming but I view a blog as a blog, not as a CMS and I need a CMS.

Phew, I think I'm developing carpel-tunnel from all this typing lol.

Lastly, I've heard of the vB CMS but I don't think we'll ever see one and much of the vB community believes the same.

In closing, I'm on board with wanting #1. I'm really not too pro on SMF because I already own a vB license and need to use it somewhere. I also don't like the SMF url's and I don't see them helping me in the SERPS. I'll likely try a #1 and pick your brain about the issues that arise in the process.

Thanks again for your insight EMR, as far as I'm concerned, you should be staff here!

Kind regards,

Ken

[-Duke-]

I suppose if you don't mind phpBB you could use what this guy is using ... http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,141538.0.html - over at http://raymarineforum.com/index.php  - I did notice that upon logging in I had the usual problem with these bridges ... I was logged into the forums but not the CMS homepage Joomla!

MEH !

This is exactly what I don't want. There is no continuity between Front End and Back End so it ends up looking like two seperate sites. As nice as his site looks (it is skinned and organized very well) it really needs to be adjusted so the forum fits the main and vice-versa.

[EMRhelp]

Another solution I thought of might be phpfox and vbulletin.

http://www.phpfox.com - see if it has alot of stuff you want.

It's not a Joomla! CMS but it is "one packabe".  I assume it works OK with vbulletin.  I just heard of phpfox yesterday.

I am making a vBadvanced/vbWiki/vB/ site now. To be determined: gallery (not crucial), maybe blogs, and reasonable articles section.  I also want chat, probably IRC with java IRC bridge, email, and a pretty style to make it all look good.

I was interested in your SEO ideas.  It's a challenging field.  The people who I feel know the most say this: "Content, Content, Content".  No SEO tricks will trump content. 

I also found, god knows how, vbCMS !  It's German, don't look that much better/different than vBadvanced, but it's "something".  Hope your German is good.  http://www.vbdesigns.de/products/vbulle ... m-1-5.html

[-Duke-]

Another solution I thought of might be phpfox and vbulletin.

http://www.phpfox.com - see if it has alot of stuff you want.

It's not a Joomla! CMS but it is "one packabe".  I assume it works OK with vbulletin.  I just heard of phpfox yesterday.

I am making a vBadvanced/vbWiki/vB/ site now. To be determined: gallery (not crucial), maybe blogs, and reasonable articles section.  I also want chat, probably IRC with java IRC bridge, email, and a pretty style to make it all look good.

I was interested in your SEO ideas.  It's a challenging field.  The people who I feel know the most say this: "Content, Content, Content".  No SEO tricks will trump content. 

I also found, god knows how, vbCMS !  It's German, don't look that much better/different than vBadvanced, but it's "something".  Hope your German is good.  http://www.vbdesigns.de/products/vbulle ... m-1-5.html

Wow, that phpfox is one sexy looking package but I just don't have bottomless pockets considering how much vB + vBSEO costs. Unless I misunderstood the pricing, it looks to be $300 for a yearly license (with updates) or $40/month, that's outrageous. For that price I'd rather pick up something like subDreamer and keep some cash in my pocket.

I've been considering my options as far as vB/Joomla are concerned and I realized that the only reason I want integration between the two is so people can comment on news articles. The more I think of it, I don't really care if people can add comments as I can always create a link to an adjacent forum topic adding to my keyword density both on main page and forum while enticing guests to enter my site deeper to read the forum discussion.

It does represent a bit of a pain for staff to require two accounts but is that really a big deal either? This way if Joomla gets hacked then my vB db is untouched and vice versa so I'm not sure whether or not monkeying around with a bridge is necessary. I will be trying a few different configs in the near future but I'm starting to think I may be able to fake continuity between Joomla and vB with an include command in one or the others header info. The rest of the skinning will take time but so long as I can have header and topnav consistancy, the rest can be faked.

As for the SEO topic, I won't get into it too deeply here because I fear it's only going to take us too far off topic. I will say that everyone you know uses SEO and I guarantee you, some of them don't even know it. To me, SEO really means that the more your content overlaps and supports your sites theme/direction, the higher you place. When I talk about SEO tactics, I take for granted everyone knows I mean SEO within the body of an article or discussion. SEO incorporates many other things of course such as "alt" and "title" text in your links/images, bot friendly url's, sitemaps, etc., but I focus primarily on content (until I upgrade).

As a clear example of Content SEO, I submit the following:

Non-SEO Article:

Topic Title: Widgets

Content: blah, blah, blah, blah-de-blah, blahblah... Usage of words other than widgets such as it, those, them, etc.

Keyword: Widgets

SEO Article:

Topic Title: Widgets, Whatsits and Thingamabobs

Content: Over the past few years, Widgets have... If you'd like to extend the use of your Widgets, there is a Whatsit bridge to make your Widget function as a Thingamabob.

  


The added functionality with your new Thingamabob includes but is not limited to:
- supporting point 1
- supporting point 2
- supporting point 3, etc...

Keywords: Widgets, Whatsits, Thingamabobs, Whatsit Bridge.

As you can clearly see from the second example, all I've done is re-affirm my Article Title in both Article body and image labelling. I cannot say for sure how much of the image labelling the bots recognize but since you can use it without it being considered keyword spamming, does it hurt to include "alt" and "title" text? The only thing I would caution you about is having "alt" and "title" match each other as this could be mistaken for spam. I realize I did this with one of the images but I was drawing a blank to be honest. 

To return to my first point earlier on people using SEO and not knowing it, I'd say everyone does this and you need look no further than the search results for overlapping words used by everyone, everywhere:

Keyword: and Results 1 - 10 of about 5,370,000,000 for and.

Keyword: as Results 1 - 10 of about 3,290,000,000 for as.

Keyword: if Results 1 - 10 of about 2,840,000,000 for if.

Keyword: of Results 1 - 10 of about 5,940,000,000 for of.

The above keywords are used every day around the net as you can clearly see by the size of the indexed search results. As far as I know, these are the most commonly used words indexed by bots and everyone uses them. This is SEO and the results represent SERP placement.

IMHO, at the end of the day you can have all the content in the world but don't count on it putting bread on the table. It's easy to have tons of content and still rank in the back pages of the SERPS due to lack of keywords.

BTW, I agree that vbCMS is virtually the same (if not exactly the same) as vBA.

[EMRhelp]

I've been considering my options as far as vB/Joomla are concerned and I realized that the only reason I want integration between the two is so people can comment on news articles. The more I think of it, I don't really care if people can add comments as I can always create a link to an adjacent forum topic adding to my keyword density both on main page and forum while enticing guests to enter my site deeper to read the forum discussion.

I think that the now defunct vBridge did accomplish this task for sure.  If all you want is vB comments on Joomla! articles ........... I think that might be quite easily done.

Other products I am looking at:

(1) Vivvo CMS - just got vBulletin Integration today( ?).  It is a peppy AJAX CMS.  I really like the AJAX in it.  There are almost *NO* details about this "integration".  I saw the forums (vB, BTW) has a user trying to figure it out.

http://www.vivvo.net/forums/showthread.php?t=697

(2) MODx - an Open Source CMS with no vB integration.  [:(]  AJAX though.

[-Duke-]

I'm actually re-thinking my whole future strategy and I'm still not sure whether or not Joomla actually fits into the picture anymore. From where I currently stand, I'm almost better to stick with phpnuke and re-skin it from the bottom up, transferring only my forum content to vB. Moving to Joomla is only going to require a lot of additional work and it's just not worth it in the end. As silly and idea as this is, it really represents much less work than moving to Joomla and the vB integration process or lack thereof, means I do not gain or lose any functionality staying with phpnuke.

At the end of the day, this community reminds me a lot of the postnuke community because the info is spread out everywhere and your lucky if you can get any kind of helpful input much of the time. Your help has been very much appreciated though and if ever there's a vote to add you to staff here, let me know where to comment and I'll do so immediately.

As for all the other CMS options, I'm aware of a good number of them but there seem to be so many CMS (or CMS wannabes) out there that your really just rolling the dice in choosing one over the other. I really wish I was more php savy or I'd create a bridging app myself but alas, thats not possible.

Before I give up entirely though I may as well ask, do you know of Joomla modules that show vB info such as "Who's Online", "Calendar", "Login/Logout", "User Details", etc.?

Thanks again!

Ken

[EMRhelp]

Huge news.

Never mind vBulletin, unless your forum is going to be huge.

FireBoard came out today. 

Looks HOT 


---===FIREBOARD ===----

http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,161531.0.html

[EMRhelp]

I found this yesterday ... it is pligg's attempt to integrate with vBulletin database.  They did successfully do so.

There is some very informed discussion of the major hurdles in doing so, and if anyone wants to make an open source bridge to vBulletin .... this would be a good read.

Vbulletin + Pligg bridge co-op
http://forums.pligg.com/showthread.php?t=1605

[-Duke-]

lol, it looks like the posts concerning Fireboard have been split from this topic and moved to an entirely new thread. I'm not sure who did it but c00d0s to the staff member who split the topic instead of deleting it!!!

Onto business,

nice find EMRhelp!

Correct me if I'm wrong here though but isn't Pligg still essentially a beta CMS? There are a few reasons why I personally would not use Pligg and one of the biggest would be just how nasty the featured sites look. If you actually take the time to view the featured sites at Pliggs homepage http://www.pligg.com/ you'll see what I mean.

I also took a look around Pliggs demo just for giggles and I can't say that I came across as extremely satisfied. The interface seems quite clunky for now and the finished product either looks like a link nightmare with no clear structure and/or a blog. Please don't get me wrong because I don't know enough about Pligg to give a proper review but I don't believe Pligg can be labeled as an "apples to apples" Content Management System when compared to Joomla or even Drupal, phpnuke, pn or Xoops for that matter.

As for integration, integration means many things to me and one is theme sharing which this solution clearly does not have. As with com_connector, vBridge, and other solutions mentioned, this is another attempt at a bridging solution between vBulletin and an existing CMS.

I've personally abandoned my quest for CMS/vB integration because I'm not interested in changing any core files to do so. Even if it's an easy process I still worry about any Gaps that said bridging solution may create. I think as a webmaster it's vitally important that you ask yourself exactly why you think you need integration. In my case it was simply for posting news and commenting on news on my CMS site which really isn't a need but more of a want. I'd encourage you all to really think about what integration and/or bridging means to you prior to using any CMS solution because there are far more important things to consider such as SERP placement, security and growth.

What’s important to me is SEO and continuity between the main page and forum. SEO is something I'll have to pay for to get decent results such as VBSEO (for vBulletin) and prolly SEF Advance (for Joomla) so that takes care of one issue. As for site continuity, well, that can be faked in a variety of ways. What I've done is found a vBulletin template that I think matches the overall theme of my site and adjusted the default Joomla theme (rhuk_solarflare_ii) to match the aesthetic of the forum template. The great thing about vB is I can pretty much do whatever I want with the header so I'll now create an .html clone header of my Joomla site and use it to replace my existing vB header.

For an example of what I mean, goto http://www.lifesupporters.com/forums and the default theme (oceanzero) has the look and feel I want in my forums. Now if you navigate to http://www.joomla.lifesupporters.com you'll see that nothing fancy was done here with the exception of modifying Joomla's base theme (rhuk_solarflare_ii) to resemble the forum theme. Navbar links such as Calendar, FAQ, Forums were altered to be url's that simply re-direct to my vB forum while News and Weblinks remain linked as default. I'll also add another level of search where the user has the opportunity to search the forums or search the news just for ease of use.

I'm also very much toying with the idea of creating a login/register jumpbox to vBulletin on the main joomla page as well as a few blocks such as forum stats, who's online (vB), and possibly a scrolling latest topics. Of course this may be a few months away as the priority now is moving my last 3 years of news articles over to Joomla and updating them for SEO a bit better while correcting the corrupted characters that I've incurred over the past few db server migrations.

Anyway, I've gotten a bit off track but my message to those of you interested is this, really put some thought and research into what functionality your require from your website. Will your site remain small with some news, reviews, possibly weblinks and a small forum? If this is the case, virtually any CMS or Blog solution will fit your needs. If you want a larger, more configurable and busier website then that’s where your options start running out some. Assuming you do want a larger site, is integration between the CMS and forum necessary or would you be satisfied in simulating integration? <-- This to me is the most important question and far less limiting than any FREE integrated solution to date.

As always, thanks for the updates EMRhelp!

Ken

[EMRhelp]

well looky here.

coder mlmorr0 ( a very talented guy I might add) has made some Joomla! History - he's got a Joomla!-vBulletin bridge that works and is released under the GPL !

I have followed vB integration with Joomla! for years. This is a big step forward. If alot of Joomla!'s plugins work, this will be a MASSIVE step forward.

Joomla! is a great CMS. Makes darn functional sites with minimal effort. There are a plethora of modules and components. Very active userbase and a very bright future, 1.5 sounds like a platform for the future.  It's never had a great forum to work with it.  I "think" FireBoard (released last month) is a frankly reasonable forum for Joomla! which has been missing for a long time. Certainly Fireboard is not vBulletin (but watch out vB!).  People on the Mambo and Joomla forums have been harping for years to get a good forum to integrate into Joomla!.

Michael's uber skills really come to the forefront here - many great coders have failed to bridge Joomla! and vB. To up the ante (especially for vB types) he's added template integration. To ice the cake, there is no vBulletin hacking. Incredible !

Many Joomla! users will be unimpressed Michael doesn't use Joomla!'s templates.  He says he is considering other options once Joomla! 1.5 goes final (at least past October 2007, maybe longer).

Other notes:

vJoomla! is
(1) not vBSEO compatible.
(2) any component or module for Joomla that requires Register Globals emulation to be turned on WILL NOT WORK! (most do not though - developers have been moving away from register globals for awhile now).
(3) may not work with certain components or modules that don't themselves use Joomla's templating.

Reminder:  vJoomla! will change how your Joomla! looks - entirely.  If you want Joomla! to work with vBulletin but have Joomla! still use Joomla! templates, you'll have to use bbpixel.

[-Duke-]

Thanks for the update.

I think I'll wait 'til all the bugs have been worked out and security has been tightened because it will likely have gaping holes here and there.

For those of you considering vJoomla, be sure to read all you can because I'm pretty sure that vJoomla is only meant to be used in a testing environment for now and not on a working or published website.

[EMRhelp]

FYI all, http://www.vjoomla.com is on hold until some security things are worked out.