InvestComics Review
First Impressions & Appearance - (Out of 20)
This site is visually impressive, short and sweet. It's well balanced, it's not overly simple to the point of being bland, yet it doesn't rely on flashy graphics or complicated structure to attract people. I especially like the glass look throughout, it gives the impression of a clean and orderly site immediately because it's so different from the many other default skins and designs. I like how your icons are simple, and to the point, despite being a comic themed forum, you don't alienate anyone with an obscure character or figure, and it fits well.
There are a few items you can improve on, though. Most notably, the quite off-center main banner, it looks unprofessional and may dissuade guests from joining because simple technical errs such as those may ascribe that to an incompetent programmer, and so forth. Another item, not so much a problem as is a personal preference. When one hovers over a forum, it highlights it white, instead of remaining glassy. The reason I bring this up is that when you look at how orderly the site appears, and then abruptly flashes of white come at you when you scroll, it's not aesthetically pleasing, and I'm reasonably certain that the highlighters aren't needed to know which forum they're about to click on. The moderators group hue of green shows up rather poorly, perhaps adjusting its brightness or changing the color will be easier on the eyes. The last area I feel I should suggest work on is the new topic and reply button. They're a basic black button with plain white font, and they look too simple compared to the rest of the well kept forum, and perhaps a glass button with etched font would fit better.
Now, aside from my ridiculous nitpicking, this site has excellent visual design, and I commend you on your work.
(Scored 17/20)
Site Layout - (Out of 20)
The layout is also artfully done. It's not needlessly long, with several dozen forums to give users the appearance of activity. Rather, you take the simplistic approach and go for the most required and called for forums, which generate activity well enough on their own, and I agree with that strategy. As for your navigation, why it's even better than the design, arguably. You took the minimalist viewpoint and cut down on everything that isn't directly related to the forum, which keeps the flow and activity focused, simple, easy to understand, which all add up to guest friendliness in the end. There's not much else to add when so much is done right, however, it's not to say it's perfect.
There are a couple of forums I think you could do without. Namely, the business discussion and debate, they both could fall under your water cooler forum, and save index space for the more feature forums. I say this because I don't believe forums should be made on assumptions, guessing the users would like to talk about x topic, and y theme. I think if there's a demand for it, it should be made based off of that, which you've done fairly well. Sometimes forums become plagued with sponsors, affiliates, and advertisements. However, your affiliate banners are linked to other well-made sites, and they're aesthetically appealing to look at, and that much more professionalism to it. Lastly, there's the issue of navigation. Now, navigating at your site isn't a hassle unless I happen to leave your forum and go to your site. Then the confusion starts. The only problem is a big one, I can't seem to find a direct link to the forum itself, only the forum link that has it small, and wrapped around the home page. I'd suggest making a button that leads to the full and whole forum.
(Scored 18/20)
Statistics and Activity - (Out of 20)
The overall activity is rather impressive for a site 5 months old. On average, your users have posted a total of 88 times each, which comes to 18 times a month, and 4 times a week. Having 77 users do this is pretty outstanding, to say the least. I can't say much to the activity, it's not dead, which is a relief, it's rather active and alive for such a young site, it's evident that you put forth a lot effort in this area. It's not super booming, but taking into account the age, it's outstanding.
(Scored 18/20)
Staff Moderation - (Out of 20)
I suppose I should have requested a demo account for this review, because I'm not allowed as a guest to view your usergroups or moderation team. I was forced to search for specific topics started by staff, or listlessly scan threads for replies by them. However, aside from this there isn't much I can say, they do their job, and they do it well, I couldn't find much of a problem with member's conduct that the staff couldn't handle, and it seemed they took their position with professionalism in mind. Well done.
(Scored 18/20)
Spelling/Grammar & Professionalism - (Out of 20)
The grammar and professionalism of your members isn't perfect, but then again, what site is? There were a few members who tended to type in all lowercase, or use the occasional chatting phrase, but overall it's very decent, especially the posts of the staff. You seem to take pride in grammatical correctness, and you don't have too many members who are actively debasing the language, which I applaud.
(Scored 18/20)
Total Score - (89 Out of 100)
Final Remarks:
What was most liked about the website/forums: The sleek design and excellent attention to detail and quality.
What was disliked most about the website/forums: The off-center banner and confusing navigation.
How could I get you (the reviewer) to join my website? If you corrected the banner and made it easier to reach the forum, I'd join immediately, if not already.
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