How big and fancy do you want it to be? I have three options for developing it, and I'd like to see how much interest exists before I proceed. Here's two related topics for reference: Topic #843 and Topic #721

Option 1: Do as I've been doing: Keep working on the existing site, without making any drastic changes to it.

Pros
It's easy.
Doesn't cost anything.

Cons
The current setup is very limited.
The site could become messy and hard to navigate if I add a lot of HTML-based content.


Option 2: Make a better site with basic SQL and PHP: Build a more functional site with a fancier database system.

Pros
Should provide a lot more flexibility and scalability for future expansion.
Someone offered to help.
I'm taking a class on SQL, and I'm willing to learn the basics of PHP so I can connect the database to the site.
I can still use free hosting for this, and future growth shouldn't necessitate an expensive hosting plan.

Cons
Requires some investment of time and effort.
The things I'll be hosting might not be interesting to anyone!
Declining participation on the forum might mean there's little point in doing this.


Option 3: Do something really big and ambitious: Perhaps something akin to a friendlier, safer-for-work dA.

Pros
A number of people have expressed interest in this.
We can build from scratch, or Option 3 could potentially grow into this if people are interested.

Cons
Could require an expensive hosting plan.
Mass marketing isn't my strong point.
Others would need to help with programming, design, and promotion.
Current plans for the site are rather vague.

Well that depends. What is the site supposed to be? if it's a gallery with a forum in the corner I'm not sure it'll really stand out that much.


I've already talked to your about my gallery/forum hybrid idea though, granted I wasn't sure if Bibby Team would really want to transition towards that.


Also I realize this is out of nowhere for the other people here on BT but for some background, I've been talking with Vinny and a few others about a collaborative art site, and I was thinking of having it be a forum, but with the main board being a gallery. Think a smaller version of DA's front page on top of the index of a forum, where the gallery entries are all forum threads.

given the size of the forums right now, i'd say 2 would work best. there's not that much of a userbase for bibby team at the moment, but i think having something that isn't purely html-based would make for an easier to use site.

Personally, I think that the Bibby Team site should mostly just focus on you and the stuff you've made (like your games, for instance).

What you have now seems like it would work for this purpose, but I dunno.

Also, pardon me if I misunderstood anything you were saying here.

I'm inclined to choose Option 2. I wouldn't have to do anything too fancy with PHP to get the site going, and I'm already familiar with the basics of HTML and SQL. I can't guarantee that it'll become popular, but it would be an interesting challenge, and I'm sure I'd learn some useful skills as I did it. Starting out, the site would serve as a host for games, music, artwork, writing projects, and similar content. Most of the submissions would be from myself and the other active members here. If the site became popular, we'd be able to attract new members and implement new features, including some of the ideas McKnackus has discussed. I think I can do all this myself, with a little hand-holding from Tsuka, but if anyone else wants to help, let me know.