I like a lot of this stuff, but I have no idea if it's even possible. I mean Frank can't just download any little modification he wants onto the forum.
I don't exactly like the shop idea, it seems like it'd be a little difficult to maintain. The way the profiles are set up, are specifically built around the way vBulletin has it set up, I think. It may revolve around the theme, or you could change it with a mod, but still...all of these things need to be fixed with a mod (except the user ranks, those are a good and easy idea).
The chat? First of all, we have a chat box. If you want instant messaging, get your buddies to download MSN or something. That'd be pointless to have on the forums.
I don't mind the social networking ideas, but I don't see them that useful either. I doubt many people would be tweeting posts, unless it's really important. And if they had to, they could just link the post. I mean Facebook, you can pretty much do that in your status by posting the URL anyways.
A lot of sites are having that "log in with Facebook" feature, but if you notice, it's a lot of big sites. EA Games, Call of Duty, that sorta thing. Not a lot of smaller sites have it. Although, we can comment on Ryan Clark's reports via Facebook accounts, so I wouldn't see why I can't be done. Still, it's not really that much of an issue to me. What would happen anyways? Would are accounts change to our names? Would we have new accounts? Either way, it'd be way too confusing.
Some of these can work, some of them can't. When you suggest things, you also have to think if it can actually be done. A shop? A shop would take way too much time and effort to make, for any site, hell...it'd take months for Facebook to add a feature like that. So I highly doubt Frank would be able to do it alone...on a forum.
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