Hiya. I'm a web designer and I would like to contribute!

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I have 0 involvement in doing anything for this site, so my advice is don't give me advice.

I maintain the servers and the software running on them. Anything inside the site's web application code is not my problem.

Having said that - in my view it's incredibly unlikely that whatever software this site eventually does get moved to, it won't be phpBB or php-Nuke.

My suggestion was based on actually being able to get something done. If you want to create a new look for WP - fine, that's great. Don't wait for permission from Alex, just do it. Make something pretty, functional, and amazing. But don't concern yourself with writing PHP to implement dynamic functionality, especially if you lack the web programming experience to do it. Leave that to Alex to figure out how he wants to implement that functionality - be it with a COTS system, or with custom code (PHP or otherwise).

I was going to say something earlier about not wanting to use PHP Nuke because of its lack of support (especially in comparison to WordPress), but I see you guys already understand...

First of all, I don't know for sure anything that Alex is planning. I know that he is working on a new version of the site.

What I would do, if I were Alex (again, to be 100% clear, everything that follows is 100% my own opinion and not indicative at all of what Alex is planning), would be to set up wordpress multisite to fix the user blog functionality (and enable image/media uploads), set up vBulletin or another forum package that is equally scalable and stable, tie the authentication mechanisms together via oAuth, charge forum users for blog packages (and media upload capability associated with that), and use the money from that to fund the forum and get rid of a lot of the ads.

I've seen more than just the average uses of WordPress though. While I know how it's used on MOST sites, I also know what it is truly capable of. I spend a lot of time browsing sites like Vandelay Design and Smashing Magazine. WordPress can do amazing things if put into the right hands.

phpBB is also one of the oldest web-forum packages out there, and while it has a large install base, it has a very small install base with a very large user base. Those implementations that do use phpBB for large forums have heavily modified the application to make it scale.

Scaling a phpBB forum presents a lot of issues because the architecture of the application was never built with scalability in mind.

Integration with Wordpress is entirely irrelevant. Both Wordpress and many other CMSs, as well as phpBB, vBulletin, and many other forum software supports external authentication. Authentication is the only piece that needs to be integrated, therefore it's a non-issue.

As for the issue of ads, fundamentally I agree. However, there is no point in having ads if you can fund your site another way. Essentially what I'm proposing is charging members for the service of providing them file storage space, and a blog. WP doesn't provide file hosting for images posted on the forum - and I've seen a few instances where members would appreciate such a service. Additionally, WP offers blogs for users (and not many users take advantage of the system), but the system is so broken it's difficult for anyone to use it effectively - yet people are still interested in the service.

I see nothing wrong with offering these services at a fair price to keep the site afloat - with the full knowledge that free alternatives are available. It's something like a fundraising drive for a public access radio/tv station - the primary purpose of the transaction is to keep the organization alive, but contributors are rewarded for their donations.

The return rate on network ad providers is so low, even with carefully targeted ads, that a system of direct contribution by members would likely bring more money in than ads would. As long as the key attributes of the community are accessible to all (by that I mean the forums and chat) - I see no issue providing additional services to those people who financially support the site.

Asking people to pay to host material on the site in order to support the site? Is that what you're saying? If that is, I doubt that would work. That doesn't sound like something I think people would be eager to do...

It's a separation between core functions of the site that people come here for (the forums) - and services that not everybody needs or wants, but some people do and would be willing to pay for it here as opposed to somewhere else if they knew that their money was going to help the site.

I associate premium membership with a somehow elevated status that gives you access to "special" areas of the site - which is exactly what I'm not trying to do. I'm offering the same community for everyone, but offering additional services to people that they would generally have to go elsewhere for.