I am thinking about starting a business listing directory (specifically attorneys of a certain specialty in Northern California) and would like to use phpld 3.3. Does anyone have any recommendations of mods of this nature? The volume of listings going to be low (probably 200 or less) but I would like to have in-depth information on each listing (either entered by me or entered by the attorneys themselves.) Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
I dont see what you are asking. You have stated your objective and chosen your script. Just ensure the content is good quality and you will do fine.
You are correct - I think there will be a small number of listings as well which is why I am trying to find some type of mod to allow greater information about each individual listing. I also do not mind the small size of the potential niche because I have a content site that relates to same legal specialty and geographic location and the idea is to give users of the content site a directory of lawyers to potentially contact.
Are you looking at being able to list their phone number, address and more info like that? As a mimimum i think over at phpld forums someone showed how to add additional forms and set it for what information you would like to add, ive not checked out the latest phpld version so im not sure if anything like this has been added. But maybe your looking to add even more info for the listings in a different way? Is the further info you would like to be able to add for each listing statistics related maybe? or is it strictly more about, say the owners name, address, phone number, a mini map for each listing maybe. Or is it a combination of all of that, it makes complete sense you wanting to add more details.
Ive not checked, but would a yellow pages script maybe suit this better? or are they lacking in what you have in mind?
The latest version of phpld has some nice features including the automatic adding of a google map to the location, etc which is why I am hoping to find a mod to just add some additional custom data fields because I like the core phpld functionality and system admin area. Regardless, thanks for the interest and when I find a mod and get it online I'll give and update.
Custom data fields can be added as far as i remember, i remember reading about it over at their forums, well good luck and yes please do report back if you find the solution/s for your requirements.
regg @ the phpld forum can add them as he added additional ones to a client of mine you would just have to let him know what you want
After some searching I found that virtual solutions (http://www.monster-submit.com/) has what I was looking for. They provide a tutorial expaining how to add custom data fields and also have mods that add important things like the ability to review listings. Now I just need to get the site up, running and populated. Cheers.
Excellent Jhar im really pleased you found what you needed, i have that mods pack from there, i cant believe i didn't look at any mods packs and forums for mods im signed up with, im happy you got it though. Will look forward to seeing your setup if you end up announcing it.
I would suggest you think about the information people use to decide which lawyer to hire within this specialty. If looking for a medical malpractice or wrongful injury lawyer, having medical professionals on their staff is a great selling point. If looking for a divorce attorney, medical professionals are not as important. Perhaps if you know a lawyer working in the specialty ask them what information they are typically asked and would love to be able to include in their advertisement. I know some attorneys will provide a free consultation. Some only let you talk to their paralegals and other staff members for free. It seems like the primary mod you would need will be custom fields as has already been discussed. Is this a specialty that can generate decent publicity for particular lawyers and cases? Then maybe a news feed of some sort with each listing would be good. Since the niche is so small, it gives you a bit of room to provide more information on each lawyer. The more info, the better the SERPS and the more useful your website will be. Good luck.
Thanks for the unashamed plug at the brilliant features of phpld, how much did you get paid for that? Hope you do find your 'mods' and when you do perhaps post them in the relative section of the forum like everyone else has to would be good, that way we can't be accused of over promotion of any particular script.
Thanks for the thoughtful advice. The main important attributes are the: focus on the specialty (vs doing anything else), geographic focus (knowing the specific county court, judges and DA is important, free consultation, years of experience, free consultation and their case record (win/ loss as well as how many go to trial vs plea bargin.) The last one they will never share on a directory but everything else plus contact info and the like should be good. Articles, and/ or news feed would be a plus. Cheers.
I can't agree that saying a product has "some nice features" is an "unashamed plug." Regardless, I am just trying to find the best solution for my directory idea and would welcome input for alternative directory products if they are more capable for this type of niche directory. Cheers.
Ignore me, I'm just being sarcastic because every time anyone mentions the features of phpLynx which happen to be just as good or better we get exactly that. You don't need 'Mods' for the phpLynx script to suit your need jhar, they are already built in as standard features and are more capable of doing what you need out of the box than your present selection.
Then I will check out phpLynx. I was planning to use phpLD mainly because that is what I am familiar with (I once purchased a directory and it had that script installed.) For a number of reasons, I want to go another direction with a completely new directory and want to make it the best possible therefore I am looking for the best solution. Cheers.