Any suggestions? How to improve it?

[sergioloporto]

Hi all!
I have just created a new site where people can discuss, ask for help and share their knowledge on IT Security.


What do you think about it? It's really new and I need your help to make it grow.

How can I improve it and make people use it? What can you suggest me?

Ciao

http://www.security-exchange.net

[Shelley_c]

From a visual stance your style has many range of colours which compliment one another very well so I'll give you top marks on colour usage. I especially like the forum status icons they have that prominenence that is often adsent in many forums that I review. So again, nice work.

However, still reviewing the index page... the "whos_online & stats" icon should be changed from the visually terrible vbulletin stock to something custom that will compliment the rest of your nice icons.

Again, with the vbulletin stock images lingering in your style (forum display) I would set about changing the default threadmarkers for something custom as the default just looks awfull though I'm sure you will address those once you have the time.

Overall. Nice layout, an excellent visually pleasing style which is clean, easy to navigate and very well thought out from your team. Nice work.

[sergioloporto]

Thank you for the suggestion about the icons, I didn't think about it. I will change them in the future, for now I think it is very important to make it start and work.

So my next questions are the following:

What do you think about the logo? The part where there is written "Security Exchange" was a part of the template in which I had to change the text and make it bigger. But I wanted to personalize it... I was thinking about a lock and/or a chain... then I had the idea of a simple black umbrella... simple to make it and I think it is ok... what do you think about this idea?

What do you think about the main page? What put in the middle? Just continue like this showing the most recents posts in the top? Or you have any suggestion?

What you suggest me to do in order to make people like it and start registering and posting?

[Shelley_c]

With regards to the logo, I would personally go with a padlock. Design it implementing some perspective so it's zooming out the base of the logo. Sure the umbrella is easier but you'll gain more satisfaction from adding/designing the padlock and not to mention the padlock just seems more fitting to your sites niche.

I'll leave other members of the community to make suggestions on your frontpage.

Getting people to register and post. Well, firstly.. give them the kind of content that will entice those guests to register and want to post. You have a nice design, now you need the content to entice them. It's easy to get guests to register, it's a hell of a lot harder to get them to post. I'm sure plenty of the big board admins can give better advice on this subject and I'm just them will give you plenty of tips/suggestions shortly.