Link Directory

For those of you that have had experience with any of vBulletin's Link Directory add-ons, which would you recommend to replace our current phpLD?

I'm thinking we should go with vBAdvanced Link Directory or GARS with the link directory add-on. They're both similar in price so the only question is which would suit us better, and which is more supported?

 

I think we may be leaning toward the vBadvanced Link Directory, but some opinions from you guys would be nice before we take the leap.

 

the vBa link directory is awesome. I wouln't use anything else.
You can take a look at mine here - Website Directory

 

Another vote for vBadvanced Link Directory - I have been using it for about 18 months. And, they just released a new version. So I need to renew my license and get that one installed. Overall, I like it.

 

I think we will be going with vBAdvanced because they obviously support and develop their product, whereas GARS seems to be a little quiet in terms of development and even support.

 

I was going to use vBlinks too, but I want to see if I can use the vbCMS to make one customised for my own needs. The directory on one of my sites is going to be a big deal so I don't want to rush it.

 

vBadvanced Directory, here we come.

 

Yeah, to be honest I think vB Advanced is the best route to go down.

 

Brian and Kevin both, at excellent with support.

 

Your Link Directory looks great now

Nick is it possible to get some information about how you customized it?

I have been wanting to remove some of the columns like last post , post count and views

Thanks

 

I shouldn't really comment - I am in no way a major coder who can easily do things with vb at all - I installed vbadvanced on a site I am working on, purchased vbalinks and vba dynamics (multiple instances) and they are not that easy to link and use together.

But in looking at this site you guys have some coders who can easily make it work so I would say that as long as you know what your doing you should be right.

 

Is there an option to put the screenshot thumbnail on the Links In Category pages?

 

I had to spend a lot of time editing and tweaking the templates. It wasn't exactly difficult, but there was trial & error involved, and it took some time.

Yes. I have just temporarily enabled it and taken a screenshot so you can see:

 

Ah, thank you, I was also wondering about getting a links directory add-on, but I would want the thumbnails visible on that page.

Do any of these directory add-ons also handle listings without web sites, i.e. businesses with physical addresses only?

 

If you want a custom directory type of thing, I would recommend vBAdvanced Dynamics. I'm considering it for a directory of people/businesses - not website links.

If that doesn't work out, then I'll look into GARS.

 

That's exactly what I am doing now. Many flooring pros don't have websites and I think Dynamics is just the ticket for that. In fact, with the multi-page option for listings, I can offer my members an opportunity to have something quite like a website for a lot less money.

PRO Directory of Flooring Products and Services <-- still in the very beginning stages and no listings at this time (just installed it this morning and have been tweaking templates and the rest of the site - I also just upgraded the forum software and created a new design).

Jim

 

Well I've spent some time setting up my Dynamics directory and I'm not so sure it will work out. My audience isn't a very tech-savvy one, so I'm not sure it will be easy for them to navigate. I'm sorting listings in region-based categories (Country - State/Province - City) and using the business name as the listing title.

I'll have to play around with it to see if I can strip it down and simplify it for my users.

 

Is there a good free links directory add on? I have tried the microhellas business directory but it just isnt functioning as I would like it to

 

I looked here and on the site you link to in your postbit, but only saw vBa Links Directory, not Dyna. Is it hidden? But I did notice a problem you've had at least since the beginning of this topic (I noticed it then). I thought you were in the process of changing it, but maybe you just don't know:

View attachment 268

That's what it looks like in IE8 - it looks quite different - normal - in Firefox and Opera.

I also have the problem of lack of geekiness on my flooring forum. Members and visitors alike tend not to be tech-savvy, so I am trying to make navigation easy and intuitive. But the one thing I do like about Dyna is the lack of that damn drop-down menu whenever you click a listing title. I wanna know about the listing before I decide that's the site I wanna visit. And I want to click it and go straight there. If I want to send the page to a friend or visit the site or report it to a moderator, I can do that from the listing's excerpt page or the listing itself.

I realize most link directories do it the other way - they are all so predictable in that way. But my feeling is I want traffic to stay on my site. I have ads to click and other features to enjoy. Visitors can find their way to all those other sites I list easily enough, but I ain't gonna dump them off too quick.

Dyna also lets me set up the directory listings a lot different than I have seen on other directories. I'm still in the beginning stages, but I think it's gonna turn out great - for me and for the lister.

Jim

 

Oh wow, I did not even realize that it's screwed up like that in IE. Thank you for sharing. I'm not even sure how to ago about fixing it, but I guess I'll take a look.

Also, the Dynamics installation on my forum is private (well it's not, but the link isn't available to the public) because there's really nothing to it. But if you want to check it out, here it is: Lineolated Parakeet Breeders Directory

We previously used a regular forum/thread setup for the Breeder Directory; I used the import tool and imported them all into the IMPORT category, which you will see as soon as you visit the link above. I guess what turns me off is that I am going to have to go through and change all of the titles (because they have the location in them -- which will no longer be necessary now that entries are organized into separate categories). It just seems like a lot of work.