The homepage itself in my opinion can use quite a few improvements. There's a lot of white space in which you are not utilizing that can be filled with more content for better SEO and overall to make it more useful.
Also, why doesn't your homepage match your forums? I would try my best to make sure that the forums and homepage look like the same website. Right now, they look like 2 completely different websites. Even when I click on topics from your homepage, it opens in a new window, that should open in the same window, since you're not technically leaving the website. Also, the google ad you have on the homepage won't convert much since there's not enough content for it to read and adjust to for a related ad. The placement is also questionable.
As for the forums, it is extremely blue. Try and work on some more contrast. I like that you went with columned structure for the forums. In my opinion, this is definitely the best way to lay it out. However, I would still try and incorporate the latest thread this way you have more content showing and this way that page isn't always showing the same thing (better for seo) :up:
|