Review for my webmaster forum

[webmasterfor]

Going on day 3, still trying to figure out how to attract users.

Webmaster Forum

Please give me a review or your opinion about the template (it will have to do for now, because I don't have the money to get a custom one made), and a opinion on how I set up the categories (content).

I am new to being a forum webmaster, and I know I am nowhere near the first on the block.

I am a little bit overwhelmed, and am worried about failure. So if you have any tips, ideas or or just plain criticism, please dish it out.

My plan is to have 100 T-shirts made, and to give them away when a member reaches 200 posts. What do you think about this?

Thanks in advance for all the info you can give me.

[Shelley_c]

The layout is clean. However, I'll focus on the visuals as i'm sure the other people will critique other areas.

Default vbulletin images. rid these from your board. They don't compliment the style at all and I suggest in replacing the icons in the (what's going on area) for something custom. I'm not sure if you've replaced the "whole" button set but i did wander off in one thread and the default closed button is vb stock. Again, replace this for something custom, that fits with the theme of your style.

Also, try and replace the threadmarkers (thread Display). Again, these (visually) don't do your style any justice and I have to point the default stock threadmarkers out because I think the variation of blue in them just doesn't look great with the colours of your style.

I notice there's remnants of a squared border showing in the forum status icons. There is a trick I always do when applying icons onto gradients is that you take a screenshot of the page and find a blank area of the gradient crop it and place it in the bottom layer of the forum icon file and then overwrite the image. result being the icon will look seamless against the background to which it's applied onto.

There are still remnants of stock vbulletin icons (lastpost) and i'm sure other little icons you may have overlooked. Again, replace these for something custom whilst maintaining consistency with regards to the visuals as the blue colouring in vb stock images doesn't look great on your colour skin.

Regardless of that, nice work and goodluck.

[KTBleeding]

lol, Shelley.. vB stock icons are to you, what default vBadvaned installs are to me..

OP, I rarely bring this up.. but you really do have a lot of forums for the amount of activity. You can reduce quite a bit of them.. for example: CSS / HTML can go hand in hand, really.

I mean, what you're doing is drawing someone in, they get excited (or whatever) and want to make a post.. but FIRST.. they need to read through ~40 different forum topics to make sure they are doing it in the right place. It's big, intimidating, and not many people will do it due to laziness. Hell, we rent movies through the mail now because we are too lazy to drive a few blocks away. We are.. lazy.

Keep it simple. Your style isn't bad. It's a little too gradient filled and glossy for my taste, but it doesn't look bad.

[Jon Tolzien]

Is their a way for to reduce the amount of categories. To me as user, I have a hard time finding where i am supposed to post. I really like the layout of these forums. So if you can simplify your area that would help alot.

Center your ad on the top...

Find a way to reduce the categories. Expand them if you need to, but right now less is more.

Your member login, why is the graphic that way. Why does the bottom shine sideways and slanted a little. To me that's inconsistent.

OH and also, don' t know if it is just me. But your forum pages seem slow loading. Maybe its because mine don't have as many images, but just what i noticed

Overall i like the forums. Good idea, good graphics, but with a few improvements i think you can make it look nice.

[webmasterfor]

Thanks for the critique. I will merge html and css together into one forum.

What other forums should I cut down or merge with another?

And I had planned on changing the blue closed image, just have not gotten to it yet.

[petchat]

I'd merge all of the Search Engine forums into one for the time being, then split it if/when the need arises, that'll lose you 5, then business & legal into one "Business & legal Forum"

You could also consider merging all of the coding forums, then again, splitting them when the need arises?

[webmasterfor]

I just made a new closed thread button for the site. Slowly working on everything.

How do you get new members to post? lol or do I just need to be patient.

Most people try to spam and then I delete their threads.

[kevcj]

Originally Posted by webmasterfor

Going on day 3, still trying to figure out how to attract users.

3 DAYS???? And you dont have 100,000,000,000 members yet?? What is your problem???

As long as you own a forum you will be looking for ways to attract members. I just hit 12,000 members on one of my forums and I am still thinking of ways to get more people to sign up.

----- About your forum -----

You have too many sections. There is no use in having lots of sections if there is no content in them. This is one of the first mistakes that new forum owners make.

Condense your sections so that the site looks more active and fuller. When you get a few hundred threads that can be used in another section, then open it, and move those threads into the new section.

At least you did not copy the forum sections on digital point. I have seen people that made an exact copy of DP, and then expect people to join. :down:

The dark colors are nice, but are not a real professional color. Bright colors might be a better choice for your topic.

[GSeybold]

Helllo Webm.

Nice clean forum, however I wouldn't register because of the colors and too much gradient. I've noticed that many of the very active webmaster forums online stay close to the vb orginal. . Your black on white is difficult to read for me, too shiney/glaring.

I wish you much success.

Gabby