Content sharing buttons

[KnocksX]

Can we start looking at making it easier to integrate share buttons from social media and other content sharing sites into the forum? While it's possible to add "like" buttons to the main forum URL manually, it requires editing code in at least 3 different places (metadata, javascript, and actual button code) for every social network you would like to integrate. I propose the ability to add the metadata, javascript, and generic button code in ACP, with the ability for writers of styles to tweak the exact placement of the buttons.

A slightly more complex problem is the ability to share individual topics or "like" individual posts. This is currently somewhat accomplished with a mod but doesn't work in all scenarios, mostly because of the reason mentioned above--adding the metadata and javascript code correctly is still a chore.

For forums that do have this sort of content sharing or "liking" enabled, it really does wonders for their traffic. A "like" of a single post has the ability to bring exposure to hundreds of people.

Please note that there already is a topic called Social networks integration, but it discusses integrating the Facebook login system into the forum which is different from this topic.

[Senky]

Sharing buttons overally are just great example of extension. I cannot imagine why we should integrate such feature into the core. While now it is quite complex MOD, in 3.1 user will not care extension is 0.5MB big, or just 0.1kb small - they will not modify anything themselves.

[KnocksX]

I think if you want to look forward, it really needs to be in the core. Sharing has become such a major force that it is making its way into pretty much every website, let alone apps that are inherently social, like forums. Several forum teams, such as XenForo, are implementing it already.

I currently use my own code instead of the mod you've mentioned, but there are issues with asynchronous loading of the different javascripts, which reflects both on performance and the way the forum and the buttons load for the user. It would be much better if it was centralized in ACP and the loading was optimized in sync with the forum code.

[Vinny]

I agree totally with Senky.

There are great MODs on CBD for this purpose that can be converted in extension.

I even started the conversion of my Share On MOD in extension to 3.1.

[callumacrae]

I'm against this. Even if I did think the features should be implemented, there is no good way to implement them - Google's +1 button (and probably some others) cannot be loaded asynchronously. That means that if the social network goes down, or there are DNS issues, or if you work in an office which blocks the social network, they will kill the loading of the page (for example, route the google +1 URL to http://blackhole.webpagetest.org/ and try to load the chrome web store / mashable / business insider).

[MichaelC]

Content sharing, not follow us etc.

Maybe an implementation of something like Add This?

[Senky]

I still think it is the job of an extension. Even sharing code sometimes change, and slowness of phpBB's development could kill all possible sharing. I know all extensions are to be validated, so fix may come as slow as new version of phpB, however, the core code should not rely on remote, unstable code... (it is something else to use parts of Symfony, because they are part of core code, so there is not chance of change without knowledge of phpBB's development team. While sharing buttons are something else, not managed on phpBB's side...)