The obsession with installing add ons

[Cedric]

I have a confession to make: I have a minor obsession with adding features and add ons to my websites. Do they define a community? Absolutely not. Can they make your forum better? Heck yeah. There's just something incredibly exciting and satisfying about enhancing our online platforms with new functionalities, isn't there? I can't be the only one feeling this way, right?

I've always believed that a website should be dynamic, constantly evolving to meet the changing needs and expectations of its users. And what better way to achieve that than by adding a plethora of features and add ons? From sleek contact forms and interactive galleries to fully functional stores for enhancing user profiles and social media integrations such as groups, the possibilities are endless.

But here's the thing: it's not just about the practicality. It's also about the sense of creativity and innovation that comes with it. It's like being a kid in a candy store, excitedly exploring the vast array of tools and plugins available, and imagining all the incredible things we can do with them. It's about pushing the boundaries and creating an exceptional user experience that leaves visitors in awe. You know, being better than your competition.

Of course, there can be a fine line between enhancing a website and overloading it with unnecessary bells and whistles. Keep in mind loading times, some add ons increase loading times significantly. We need to strike a balance between functionality and simplicity, ensuring that the features we add truly serve a purpose and enhance the overall usability of the site. It's about understanding our audience and their needs, and tailoring the experience accordingly.

So, dear fellow webmasters, do you share this minor obsession with adding features and add ons? What are some of your favorite tools or plugins that you simply can't resist incorporating into your websites? Have you encountered any challenges or pitfalls along the way? How do you ensure that your websites remain user-friendly despite the abundance of features?

 

[veloman]

I've been terrible for it! I think most people expect certain functions and abilities these days so I do feel many are necessary, and as long as pages still load fairly quickly, everything look nice, and it all functions properly I don't see any harm.

I also think we're spoilt for choice these days. Whenever I want to add a feature (or have an idea) 9 times out of 10 there's an add-on to help. I'm always happy to try them, and if it doesn't work or doesn't add value then it just gets added to my list of disabled add-on and there's no harm done!

 

[Tracy]

I don't understand some admins that are "proud" that they have 150+ add-ons installed, and they brag about it.
It simply adds a level of complexity to trouble shooting that is not often needed. Do you "need" every one of the features those add-ons provide... or do you (or one or two of your users) want them?
I try to concentrate on major add-ons that bring extended functioning to the site (for the niche it's in). I'm pretty much settled on where my current one should be, so now I'm in the process of tweaking the looks/functions of those add-ons using custom user fields and the display of those custom user fields in the content and styled prefixes for each of those add-ons I use.

 

[Arantor]

I think there is a perception of needing to react to perceived member needs and be a people pleaser, and there is a perception of making a site unique or distinct.

The reality is you rarely need that many plugins, or if you do need the functionality, chances are you only *need* one side element of a given plug-in that can be handled some other way.

I also wouldn’t be surprised if by “150 plugins” we mean 5 substantial plugins, 50 plugins used lightly and 100 plugins that are a dozen line tweaks that were added once because one person asked, and no one else used it.

 

[Tracy]

100 plugins that are a dozen line tweaks that were added once because one person asked, and no one else used it.

Pretty much what I referenced.... most of those add-ons were "one-offs".... and the majority of users would never use nor realize them.
BUT they do add complexity to the trouble-shooting with a script when having to figure out interactions. There is one XF developer who is VERY prolific with his add-on/remove-ons... and VERY frequently they cause issues with other add-ons. In fact, he's been called on the carpet in the past by the XF developers due to his coding habits not being consistent with best practices.

 

[Arantor]

I even know who you mean, though I believe they’re doing better these days. But I actually think that certain plug-in providers demonstrate the foibles of the system by having three-digits worth of plugins available in the first place, which seems to legitimise the idea.

I personally find that not everything needs to have a knob to twiddle or a switch to flick.

 

[Tracy]

I even know who you mean, though I believe they’re doing better these days.

I figured you would be aware of whom I speak of.... back in the 1.x days there as another similar "prolific" developer... he ended up dumping most of his add-ons, and I think ended up kicking the bucket (no, I'm not talking about Iam).
Luckily a few other developers took over some of the more "major" add-ons and continued support of them.

foibles of the system by having three-digits worth of plugins available in the first place, which seems to legitimise the idea.

I do a few things on my site with the native TMS functions... some of which those very add-ons by the developer I commented on do. I simply maintain them myself.

 

[Arantor]

I think there can be some value for some people to have TMS changes in an addon so they don’t have to remember where it came from or manually manage it themselves, but that gets into the weird space around how much responsibility site owners should assume.

The usual analogy for me is like a car - some people are just “I fill it with go-go juice and occasionally check the oil and the mechanic does everything else”, others include “I’ll change a flat tyre” and others will do all the work themselves.

I find it often is quite a heated debate about how far down that rabbit hole one can go.

 

[Tracy]

Yeah, I prefer to use TMS so that I don't have to "keep up" in a manual all the template edit changes that I have made... and the nice thing is if the base template changes in a major way, it's not going to bring your site to a screeching halt.
There is a natural "understanding" that to use TMS, you do need a decent working knowledge of the templating system in XF.
It's one of the things that I REALLY missed when I was running IPS 4.3.

 

[Ravenfreak]

I don't usually install too many add ons. I just install the ones I think will benefit my community, I'll ask my members if they have any suggestions on which add ons they would like to see on the community and go from there.