Name of Site: Discussion HQ Site Genre: General Discussion Site URL:http://discussionhq.com/ Type of Review ( Full/Quick ): Quick Opening Date: September 23, 2013 Additional Notes: My last review; viewtopic.php?f=36&t=110895
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Simple, Sweet Skin
Many times people seek modern, complicated, and sexy modifications. While it is not wrong at all to reach such situation, sometimes simplicity works best. I especially think it works best for a general discussion forum because such forum is usually aimed to have a laid-back atmosphere, a simple yet fun place to be. And an overly complicated theme may backfire that purpose.
I enjoy the color combination of the skin. I remember that it used to be all blue. Now you added green tints to the color scheme. It gives an impression of being more colorful, and most importantly the combination does not hurt the eyes because both colors are calm and subtle. The banner and header feels a little lonely for me, though. Perhaps adding a tagline will help? I also like the background image of both the banner and the forum background. The shape/texture provided is very simple, it looks good on the eyes. The one thing missing is how it does not truly relate to a discussion. Perhaps a caricature or hand-made image of people talking, or random spread of your category/forum icons as the background will be able to give stronger impression. I would suggest to keep the transparency level as it is now, though; it's perfect.
Talking about category/forum icons, I'm happy to see that you customized it that far. My only suggestion is to make it look slightly different when a forum has been marked read, aside from the missing 'New' notification at the end of the forum title. The very simple way is to make the pictures' color changed into gray when it has been marked as read. Or adding a red cross icon, or something else to mark it.
My one last random suggestion is to add icons next to the left part of the navigation bar too, much like what I see as a member at the right part of the navigation bar, for links pertaining to user account control. That will decorate the navigation bar even better and spices things up.
Activity and Content
I would like to commend the overall activity and content of the forum. I see members regularly come and go to make some posts and enjoy themselves at the forum, and you seem to at least have a circle of active posters, supported by interested staff members. That is a good way to start. It is needless to say that it will always need to be improved, expanding the circle. Exploring the content is one of the possible ways to do so. You already have some interesting discussions. Not very unique and specific yet, but the ideas are there, seeds have been planted. Now it is a matter of methods on how to nurture them so they will grow strong and big. Let's take one simple example, this thread about eye colors. Judging by the topic of thread, and looking into the replies, it is obvious that this is one kind of I-just-need-to-post-a-reply-and-then-I-am-done thread. When everyone has posted their eye colors there, the thread will die. If you think there is nothing else you can do about it but to watch it grow to die, think again. What do you think of starting discussions about the meaning of eye colors? Perhaps a specific eye color can be a sign of a specific disease? Or if Yuna (Final Fantasy X reference)'s different eye colors is possible to happen in real life? This is the kind of thread you need to find and pay attention to. That is what a general discussion is about. Not simply a place to discuss, but also a place to expand knowledge whenever possible, given how large the resources available.
One small note is about the huge gap between the owner and other (staff) member(s) post counts. I appreciate the fact that it means the forum owner and sole administrator is very dedicated and eager to assist the forum, but try to pump out more from your fellow members to balance things out.
Weaknesses:
Components Organization
In one other easy word, it is about the layout of the forum. Not an enormous weakness, so do not have a heart attack just yet. In fact, it is quite easy to fix these little points. I believe small details make up the big impressions, so here we go with my thoughts for a while more.
I will start with the sidebar. The sidebar contains standard information about the forum, from users online to forum statistics. I would like to first note the repetitive online list for staff members and for users. I think one is enough for both; a legend for the user group colors may be the best option to give all info someone may need about the online list. That way, you can give more space to highlight specific content of your forum. For example, you can put a link to on-going contest or quiz, best member of the previous month, or new threads which need some love, or most popular discussion, and so on. I feel that the sidebar can still be explored more.
I also want to touch the footer quickly, mainly the bottom right part of the index page. 'Contact Us' and 'Terms and Rules' links are okay to be there, although they both may be better off at the top navigation bar, given the importance of such links. There is a repetition of 'Home' link; there is one so close at the left part of the bottom of index page.
Last thought is about the forum organization. Some forums have sub-forums inside, which are not too effective, in my opinion. Take for example the lack of activity in sub-forums of 'TV, Movies, & Videos'. I am not sure why you need to dedicate one section for YouTube videos, while one thread can substitute it since there is not really high activity there. Same goes with the 'Review' sub-forum. Or one whole sub-forum for mobile phones. It feels way too specific. It is okay to have sub-forums, since it gives more space for discussion without branching the attention too much, but if there is not much activity and content generated for this, it may also be merged into the main board as usual.
Details Variation/General Professionalism
I do not normally mention this as a weakness, but it does not mean that you have a huge problem with this. However, I see some points which can be improved to make visits more fun and interesting.
First I want to talk about the way you name your categories/sections. They are straight to the point, very clear. It also means very generic, unfortunately. Being a general discussion forum, I feel that you can truly experiment in naming your sections, to make it fun and different from other forums. The common names go well with your forum's name "DiscussionHQ", but I think more unique names will not hurt, and may even give a more uplifting spirit to the community. In compensation, you can work on the descriptions even more to state the usage of the section, should a guest or a member feel confused. About forum descriptions, I notice inconsistency with your grammar. In a part you write "Grab your headphones and blast the sound of music." but you also write "Tech freaks and Internet addicts, Welcome to your new Kingdom." or "Discuss Learning, Education, Careers, and much more regarding Jobs and Classes." I believe for forum descriptions, the first sentence is the best example in regards to capital letters. You can also improve on the forum descriptions to make it more fun and cheerful, reflecting the atmosphere of the community. Same goes with your forum rules which I find in your 'Rules' link. Some sentences are confusing when I read it, and can be simplified with fewer words and go straight to the point.
Final Remarks:
I actually enjoy my stay around DiscussionHQ for this review. I had visited your forum few times before reviewing, and it feels great to see it growing so much, gradually but surely. Keep the pace up. I do not doubt that you already know that it is important to be unique and effective in designing your forum, but do not forget the community as well. My suggestions above may require experiment to see which one(s) go(es) well with the community, so whatever makes them happy and stay in good spirit to enjoy the content of the forum is the key to a long and happy stay. You have potentials, starting from the technical details to dedicated (staff) members, so do not let it go to waste. I wish you all the best!
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Thank you for the review, phio! I will certainly take these points into consideration and work on improving the "fun" atmosphere and less of the "serious" one 😛
You're welcome, Eclipse! Glad I could help. Good luck. 🙂
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