Database driven site? How much

Boberto

If i wanted a website converted into a database driven system or at least an empty shell developed for it, how much would it cost? We're talking about the site mentioned in my sig. It's something i started a few years ago and it runs itself now and tho the guys making the pages do a great job i know it could be far easier on them if we had a db system. We would want to implement the forums member database into the site also.

Plus i want the added benefits of a search engine for the site, polls, galleries and all of the other interactive features that could be used and the ability to add new sections easily with different content pages (such as one for a gallery, one for reviews, etc..) Someone once suggested customising a phpnuke to my needs but i was wondering if anyone has suggestions. Cheers.

aidan_walsh

Most hosting solutions come with PHP and MySQL as standard, so in that respect unless you have to change hosts you may not have to buy anything more.

Now if you mean getting someone to convert the site for you, thats really a per person thing. Individual people, individual costs, I'm afraid...

Boberto

Yeah the server isn't the question. We have whatever services are needed. IT's really the individual we need. If anyone knows and companies or people who do this kind of thing and could provide quotes then please let me know

cormie

Try http://www.consultclifford.com
I am getting my website designed by him. It is almost complete and will be able to see it online from Saturday evening.

Check it out here

It's exactly the way I wanted it and it's looking great. Allot of great features have been implemented and he is very professional about his work.

Tell him Corm sent you;)

Ph3n0m

cormie wrote:

Try http://www.consultclifford.com

yikes, wouldnt be too impressed with that site myself

Sposs

cormie wrote:

Try http://www.consultclifford.com

Whats with the big long intro , bored me to death had to click away before i even got to the site

Ph3n0m

aye, couldnt skip past the intro at all, and when I got into the main site, it was broken beyond belief, especially with the snazzy horizontal scrollage

ConsultClifford

Yes lads its old old site.

will be updated shortly.... but hey i dont have enough time - got too much work at the moment how bad (long may it go on)

Ph3n0m

yeah but you could just throw up something basic and looks nice - not looking for the sun, moon and stars

ChicoMendez

Ph3n0m wrote:

yeah but you could just throw up something basic and looks nice - not looking for the sun, moon and stars

Ph3n0m

I think its both a basic and nice holding page.



Clifford,
I await the new site.
I will have a site that needs doing up next year, Ill send you a mail and see what you can propose


cormie

what sort of features do you have on your site?

Ph3n0m

ChicoMendez wrote:

Ph3n0m

I think its both a basic and nice holding page.

er what part exactly is nice and basic? The irritating flash intro you cant skip or the pointless and broken subsequent page

Personally I know if I was judging on who to do my site, www.consultclifford.com would not be near the top of my list

*edit - which I have just noticed has been fixed and no longer contains the flash or dodgy horizontal scrolling - good stuff

ChicoMendez

Ph3n0m wrote:

Personally I know if I was judging on who to do my site

lucky you can judge who does your site then!

dont you just love these big headed dublin based web developers - ur probably from D4 ey? :eek:

I've been in touch with the above and seen some of his sites. Im impressed anyhow.. think i might have found someone to do my site next year.

Ph3n0m, why dont you PM me with some of your sites ....

cormie
what sort of features do you have on your site?
when will it be online?

JustHalf

ChicoMendez wrote:

lucky you can judge who does your site then!

dont you just love these big headed dublin based web developers - ur probably from D4 ey? :eek:

What? I'm lost.

Giblet

You paid someone to do that cormie?
Seems a bit messed up in firefox.
Look up PHP-News, and put that into your site, it's what I'm using.
Works grand.
http://www.sleevesmahoney.com
I didn't have any prior database knowledge before I attempted that site btw, so you can see how easy it is.

ChicoMendez

Giblet wrote:

Seems a bit messed up in firefox.

Looks grand in my firefox


http://www.sleevesmahoney.com

Giblet wrote:

I didn't have any prior database knowledge before I attempted that site btw,

Ya it shows


No offence or anything.. i dont have that much experience with the internet other than surfing but that does look an extremely basic site.
Looks like you installed a script (with its sick looking template) and did not change a thing.

Your board is not really integrated into the site design either- look at the www.poker.ie one - simpler - nicer

Cormie - whats the story with all the adverts :eek: :eek: - i know u probably want to make money ! but dont like them

I know its just on line today but its a bit bare of news and stuff . Ill call back in a few weeks and check it out . Ill keep an eye out for an event in Wicklow... might pop along!

Ph3n0m

what do you think of http://www.sleevesmahoney.com ??
id like to hear your opinion from a designer point of view (since ur a web developer)

Tnx

Ph3n0m

ChicoMendez wrote:

what do you think of http://www.sleevesmahoney.com ??
id like to hear your opinion from a designer point of view (since ur a web developer)

Very simple site, nice use of green pallete.

Pet peeves

The images opening in the same window - I would have used a pop up for larger image display

Loading each page, the styling doesnt take effect until the page loads - which I find kind of irritating

Other then that, a fine site

cormie

Hi,
Yes, the site does seem very bare at the moment. That's because it was just launched yesterday (Saturday, 11th Dec) so hopefully it will become the place poker players go. The event calendar should be a strong point of it.

So can you guys see this getting popular?

Has anybody any experience of starting off like this?

Personally, if I went to a website with such little forum posts, I wouldn't bother posting myself. How can we encourage visitors to register and post?

What problems are you seeing in your browser Giblet?

Is anybody else having problems with it?

Thanks:)

ChicoMendez

cormie wrote:

Hi,
So can you guys see this getting popular?

Depends on how u market it - i guess - u need to get it an active community - takes time i suppose.


I like your login system by the way - and the forum
much simpler and neater than the install script (and nothing but the install script) used by http://www.sleevesmahoney.com :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

cormie

ChicoMendez wrote:

Depends on how u market it - i guess - u need to get it an active community - takes time i suppose.


I like your login system by the way - and the forum
much simpler and neater than the install script (and nothing but the install script) used by http://www.sleevesmahoney.com :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Which is the install script?

I was just thinking, boards.ie for example... how long from launch did it take to get popular I wonder.

dahamsta

Depends what you mean by "popular". I imagine it was popular with the gaming community quite early, since it was developed specifically for that purpose. And the definition of popular for it as a general site pretty much changed every month it ran.

Invariably these things take a long time to build up. I run an Irish soccer site that's been up for almost as long as Boards and that's always been popular with Cork City fans; and because of that other club fans were wary of it. But now it's well populated by most eL club fans, and just last month a huge surge of Ireland fans joined the site (200+ a day at one stage). These things just happen with sites that are set up by amateurs or on a not-for-profit basis, the word gets out and all of a sudden you're de facto standard. It's fun but it can be a lot of hard work too.

adam

cormie

dahamsta wrote:

Depends what you mean by "popular". I imagine it was popular with the gaming community quite early, since it was developed specifically for that purpose. And the definition of popular for it as a general site pretty much changed every month it ran.

Invariably these things take a long time to build up. I run an Irish soccer site that's been up for almost as long as Boards and that's always been popular with Cork City fans; and because of that other club fans were wary of it. But now it's well populated by most eL club fans, and just last month a huge surge of Ireland fans joined the site (200+ a day at one stage). These things just happen with sites that are set up by amateurs or on a not-for-profit basis, the word gets out and all of a sudden you're de facto standard. It's fun but it can be a lot of hard work too.

adam

Well poker.ie does have allot of use for Irish poker players so hopefully it will excell. Word of mouth I suppose is the best.

The Corinthian

While it can be easy enough to build a site from scratch around an existing content management system, such as PHPNuke, attempting to adapt an existing site to it can result in a whole World of square-peg-in-round-hole pain. Ironically a bespoke job would take less time and give a better result that trying to convert an existing content management system.

I would probably suggest you get a bespoke job done and converted to deal with dynamic content in phases, as budget allows. Once the initial CMS is put together, it should be straightforward to convert additional sections and bolt on new administration pages for editing them.

So, I recommend that you require reference sites from whoever is going to do the work from you as well as getting a specifications document that will list the expected deliverables. As for price, you could expect anything between a few hundred and a packet of peanuts to ten grand and your firstborn. Something in the low thousands would probably be a fair market rate for a complete conversion. Don’t touch anything either too expensive or too cheap.

Needless to say, if you’re interested in a quote from us, we’d be happy to oblige