HG -- Forum Review

Cosmic

Manners maketh man
Joined
Jul 4, 2009
Messages
12,888
Reaction score
951
FP$
29
Name of Forum:Heart of Gielinor (HG)
Forum Link:Click here.
Type of Review ( Quick Review / Forum Review ):Forum review
Date Forum Opened:03 Oct 2009, 00:28 (A month or two of development time went on before that.)
Demo Account for reviewer (Supplied by requester): Username: reviewer Password: password (This user is on the moderation queue as his account information is being displayed publicly. Logging into this account is optional and won't gain you very much more access than without.)
Additional Notes:Try to focus on web design and styling as much as possible. don't just consider the forum, but the site as a whole.
 
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Your forum is an important part of your site, so I think it deserves a good portion of the review. However, I will mention the rest of your site in this review as much as possible. 🙂




Your Forum Review




First Impressions & Appearance - (Out of 20)
Your site doesn't look bad, but it looks a bit bland and dull. The header is nice (although I may recommend a different font), but the body and buttons are very plain. I don't particularly like the way that everything is the exact same color on your web pages. I love the way your forum looks, though. The gray color goes really, really well with the background color. If possible, I would definitely recommend introducing some gray into the main pages of your site similar to the way it is on the forum. I would recommend making the tables for the news posts (the ones that are currently dark blue) dark gray as they are on your forum. Also, notice how awesome the dark blue cell pictures look on your forum. I would recommend using those images as backing for the headings on your web site (i.e. the background images for the tables that contain titles of news posts). I would even recommend using the cell picture for the background of your navigation bar across the top. I would also recommend making some snazzier looking buttons for the aforementioned navigation bar. I think that if your entire site followed the color scheme that your forum does, it would look great.

Aside from appearance, your forum looks a little inactive at a glance. You have an empty forum ("Guest Feedback"), which can be off-putting to prospective members. I would recommend posting at least an announcement of some sort in that forum so that it's not completely empty. Your forum's stats also look fairly low at first glance. However, as I have mentioned, your forum is very attractive.
(Scored 12/20)

Site Layout - (Out of 20)
The layout of your website is decent, but it's a bit cluttered in some spots. On your "Home" page, I recommend moving the "Level your skills the fast way!" image to the right side of your web site under the navigation menu. You should be able to do this while maintaining the aspect ratio of the photo by using percentages for the width and height rather than numbers (I notice that the aspect ratio is a little messed up currently). I would also recommend moving your forum's statistics to the right side. There should be plenty of room to move the statistics without adjusting the size at all. Other than being a bit cluttered in that one spot, though, your site's layout looks great.

The layout of your forum is concise and organized. This allows for very easy navigation. The one recommendation I can make is to remove the "Guest Feedback" forum. I see little purpose in having a separate forum for guests to provide their feedback; if anything, just allow guest posting in your regular feedback forum. This change will also make your layout appear a little more balanced. Right now, your top category is larger than the RuneScape category, which is where the main focus of the layout should be.
(Scored 15/20)

Statistics and Activity - 70 (Out of 20)
I realize that your site isn't fully open yet, so consider this section of the review information for future reference.

Before you open your site, be sure that you have plenty of guides and articles written; I would recommend having at least fifteen to twenty of each (have as many as possible, though; more guides/articles will be more pleasing to your users. I see that even though your site isn't open yet, you have posted news periodically regarding the development. This is good; it keeps your future users up to date.

I would recommend doing some post exchanges for your forum as soon as possible. There are many users out there who play RuneScape and may be willing to add some content to your forum. This will also make your site as a whole look more active to prospective users.
(Scored 10/20)

Staff Moderation - (Out of 20)
It is great that you have an easily accessible list of your staff members. It is very helpful for users to know exactly whom they are able to go to for help. I see that your current staff members have begun to generate content, but you may wish to hire one or two additional staff members solely for writing guides. These people should be knowledgeable about RuneScape and willing to share their knowledge with other players. You shouldn't have too much of a problem finding people who fit these qualifications.

On the forum side, I see that your staff is heavily involved in the forum for the most part. However, one staff member only has three posts. You may wish to encourage this staff member to become more involved in the forum. Staff members who post often appear to be more dedicated to the forum to prospective members.
(Scored 15/20)

Spelling/Grammar & Professionalism - (Out of 20)
The spelling and grammar on your site is good for the most part. However, I do see a few typos at the top of the "Home" page. A quick proofread should allow you to catch these errors. I am not going to minutely dissect the grammar of your site, as this review would go on for ages (plus, there simply aren't very many mistakes that people would notice). Just be a little more cautious of typos on your site, and you should be okay.

I also recommend adding descriptions to your forums. Not only does it look more professional, but simply reading descriptions of forums can tell you a lot about a forum. Humorous descriptions may suggest that a site is laid back, while serious and incredibly detailed descriptions may suggest that a site is more serious. I may just be a dork, but I think that descriptions add a lot to a forum.

Keep in mind that if you choose to add descriptions, you really should make sure that they are free of grammar errors. While it's easy to forgive grammar mistakes in a large paragraph (such as on your main site and in your guides), it is harder to forgive them in a two sentence description.
(Scored 17/20)

Score - 69 (Out of 100)


Closing remarks: I see some definite potential here.

Forum's strong points: Despite a few minor flaws on the home page, your site is laid out well. Your forum has a lot of eye appeal that I'd like to see diffused to the rest of the site.

Improvements to make: You need to add more content, get your forum's activity rolling, and add some forum descriptions.


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