Discussion HQ
Quick Review by Red Herring
Analysis:
Ah, this is an excellent change a pace. Today, I shall be reviewing a general discussion forum known as "Discussion HQ", a forum that I am already somewhat familiar with having fulfilled a post exchange for it some time ago. It's been quite awhile since I've gotten the chance to review a simple discussion forum and it's quite a nice and refreshing break from the unusual websites and genres I have been reviewing lately.
I suppose I could compare this to something of a spa treatment from my end, or taking a relaxing stroll through the park; just a nice casual little review of which I can enjoy writing. Fitting, because that's what a discussion forum is all about: taking in the fresh air, breathing in the community and just all-around having an enjoyable experience with your peers in conversation. So, on that note, Discussion HQ has inadvertently made a pretty good impression on me already.
Now. That's enough of my rambling. Time to get to work.
Strengths:
- Aesthetics
Well, as individual who has been silently lurking around Discussion HQ and observing it for well over a month now, I can say from a first-hand experience that it has gradually been improving its design and general aesthetics. Day by day and week by week, Discussion HQ has slowly picked apart and done away with the flaws it has had with its design, and I am quite ecstatic to see a forum that strives ever forward towards self-improvement and general perfection. That's not to say I don't have my complaints, but all-in-all, I feel the design aesthetics make a positive impact here.
So let's break it down. As always, I will begin with the header. Now, at one point, Discussion HQ didn't even have a logo. It was just a small string of text that read "Discussion HQ" on a pitiful tiny header. Fortunately, this is no longer the case. Instead, everyone is now greeted with a brilliantly bold logo with a tweaked message bubble for its icon. It may not be the most original design, but it is quite effective. The header is no longer tiny and minimized and is outfitted with stock Xenforo navigation elements. To be honest, I am slightly disappointed that the header does not make the effort to deviate a bit from its primary blue colors, but it's still quite delightful.
Moving on to the index, forum design consists of large blue rectangular category header contrasted by sleek tableless forums with subtle separators. Sub-forums are categorized by a Xenforo dropdown menu. I will admit to not being very fond of that kind of element, as I prefer my sub-forums to be listed on the index with one click required to access them, but this is personal preference on my part. Lastly, there's one more aspect that I've always appreciated being included in design; that aspect being forum icons. Each and every forum on the board has its own unique forum icon. Even the sub-forums. This is an attention to detail I am always very pleased to commend an owner for, and Discussion HQ definitely earns it.
In general, excellent design aesthetics. I do have some complaints, but overall my eyes are very pleased with this display.
- Dedication
There's one thing that I find disturbingly rare in the webmaster scene these days: Dedication. Simply put, attempting to find an administrator willing to sacrifice a great deal of his or her personal time to their website or forum is a trait very difficult to encounter these days. Very unfortunate. No matter how meritable one's website may be in concept and design, it's very unlikely to succeed if the administrator does not care enough to sacrifice a huge portion of their time table to it. It's always a bit sad for me when I see a forum or website with a great concept but with a lax administrator.
This is definitely not the case with Discussion HQ. Everywhere I look around this beautiful discussion forum, I see only steadfast dedication from its administrator. The activity is struggling immensely, but this administrator is doing everything in his power to improve it. The vast majority of all threads across the board were created by the administrator, proving he's fully willing and capable to keep discussion flowing by his own two hands if necessary. The fact that aesthetics and design have been slowly improving over the past couple months also suggest to me that he's willing to continuously improve upon this forum, to ensure it offers the best experience possible.
This administrator is willing to run the miles necessary to support his forum. Dedication like that is so very difficult to find these days, and I greatly admire the administrator for willing to do so. I would be quite proud to have such an administrator leading a community I enjoy. I salute you and your steadfast dedication. Keep at it.
Weaknesses:
- Lack of Color
I mentioned earlier that I did have some complaints regarding the aesthetics. And that is very much true, but most of it is minor nit-picking at worst. However, there is one somewhat higher concern I have for the design, that being that it seems to be suffering from a severe lack of color, which is unfitting of a general discussion forum; the environment should be refreshing, and even a bit colorful. One should feel as though they're standing amidst a beautiful grassy landscape dotted with colorful flowers and a beautiful horizon.
Let me elaborate. For starters, there are really only two colors in the Discussion HQ forum: light blue and white. It's not that these colors don't blend well together. In fact, they're a pretty solid choice, given the theme of this forum. It's just that with no other colors to compliment them, the combination ends up feeling rather...well...bland. Especially considering the header uses the same colors and textures as the background.
There's an easy way to help alleviate this problem, and I find myself somewhat disappointed that it wasn't included already. As I mentioned in Aesthetics, one element I always find myself appreciating are forum icons. One reason being that forum icons add a bit more to design variety. However, the other reason is they're also a great way to add a bit more color to your forum, especially when it comes to more minimalistic themes like the one that Discussion HQ currently uses. So imagine my disappointment when I find a forum that makes use of forum icons only to also find that these forum icons all use the same boring monotone color. They're great icons, but their presence is a bit wasted using such a boring and uniformed color. I would highly recommend replacing them with icons that display a wide variety of color. It will go a long way in making Discussion HQ feel more varied.
- Lack of Unique Content
I will admit to feeling a bit guilty to using this last section as a weakness. Why? Because it's titled as "Lack of Unique Content." In any other forum genre, this would be a completely valid and legitimate point. In fact, even with Discussion HQ, it is still a completely valid and legitimate point. The issue is that pure discussion forums generally don't specialize in offering unique content, because the appeal is in the discussion and community itself. So when it comes to suggesting the idea of adding unique content, it is an incredibly difficult challenge for them to do so, because their purpose is limited and their subject is broad.
Even with that being said, I still feel that it should mentioned. Discussion HQ...is not a unique forum. There is not one ounce of unique content to be found anywhere here. The best way to describe this forum would be to call it a "dime-a-dozen discussion forum." And I'll admit, it is a very shiny dime with a premium forum software, but in the end, it's still just a dime. Few individuals are willing to even make the effort to stoop down and pick it up. It has no unique appeal of its own.
The unfortunate part is that I really can't offer much in the way of actual suggestion or ideas, because the subject is simply too broad and I have no idea what the administrator desires. However, I still feel this truly needs to be addressed, because without unique content or appeal, traffic is bound to suffer. Greatly. Community events and contests (of which you have began to touch on already) would be a start, but the community really isn't large enough to begin hosting the more "fun" events.
Regardless, I implore you to try and think of some unique content to fit into Discussion HQ. Because at the moment, the only appeal is in the community and the discussion. And there isn't much of a community and there are many more general discussion boards that are much more active.
Final Remarks:
In general, I'd have to say that my experience with Discussion HQ was a pleasant one. The aesthetics are pure eye candy, the board is properly organized and covers every subject a general discussion forum should, and it's host to a very rare sight: a
dedicated administrator. These are all definitely some very pristine aspects to be had for a forum.
However, I did find myself with several minor complaints. While most of them may have been minor nit-picking, I still found myself quite distressed by the lack of color in this forum and feel that it hangs a bit too much on minimalism. Lastly, and most importantly, Discussion HQ lacks any unique content or appeal of its own, and in the end, it will severely suffer for it unless it can find a unique twist of its own for its community to experience and enjoy. I find myself saddened by this, because such a dedicated administrator really deserves for his forum to succeed and I very much hope it does.
Best regards, Discussion HQ. Whatever road you take, whatever path you travel, I wish you the very best of luck.
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