Pre-Launch Review
Site Name: Gamerz Depot
Site Type: Gaming
Age: 6 days
Appearance
The appearance of your forum on first visit does not say "gaming forum" at all. The first thing that I think of when I visit your forum is punk rock or alcohol discussions. I would suggest looking into a different theme to better suit your genera. There are plenty of free gaming themes out there, you just need to find one that fits your interest. If you are dead set on keeping this theme, then I have a couple suggestions. Remove the invisible box to the left of the header that links to the index. This will remove confusion on if there is supposed to be a banner or logo there for visitors to click on. Make the text "Gamerz Depot Forums" clickable and link it to the index page. This will give visitors a quick and noticeable way to locate the index page. Also look into a different set of forum icons to better match the genera of your forum.
Layout
Your layout is a little confusing to me. I see a link to a chat room first, which should not be the first thing that your visitors see. You should place a board with announcements and updates so that you can keep your members informed. Also a board dedicated to suggestions and feedback would make your members feel more like their input is valued, rather then having a single thread where suggestions could get lost in the number of replies. Your gaming section is very general and that is probably a good thing for this stage of your forum. Once you grow, however, you will want to expand away from just the general boards and include boards for the major titles, such as Call of Duty. For your off topic section, you could probably merge all 3 of the boards into one, at least until you get more activity in that section.
First Impressions and Interest
My first impression is not a very good one. I cannot tell, other then the name, that your forum is about gaming. The colors do blend and go together very well though. My overall interest in your forum is very minimal. As the gaming niche is very saturated, as a first time visitor to your forum there is nothing that would draw me in and make me want to become an active member of your community. Browse other gaming forums for ideas on what to add to your community to help draw in new members that will be active.
Content
You have a decent amount of content for only having 4
real members. Of the posts that I read, everyone has excellent grammar. The only thing that really bothers me, and this is a pet peeve of mine on forums, especially from staff, is that you do not use proper capilization. It may not seem like a big deal, but it does add up to the guests who are browsing your forum looking for a home. I would suggest trying to improve that and post more yourself and encourage your other staff members to do the same.
Words from the Reviewer
There are a few things that could be changed to make your community stand out a bit more. Take what I have suggested to heart and discuss them with your staff. I wish you the best of luck with your community. It will be a long and bumpy road, but if you are truly dedicated to your community you will go far.
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