Any chance you could give your opinions on Hortorian Forums? Thanks!
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Hortorian Forums
- Thread starter DarkRaven
- Start date
Take all of this at face value, I am no expert, only some observations upon clicking your link.
-I had no idea what "hortorian" was. I had to go to your main site and read the bottom. This may be OK, if you are assuming everyone is coming from your main site and just use your forums as a supplement to that site. However, if they found your link to the FORUMS in google, would they know what it is all about? I think not. Perhaps something in your forum banner? "..for young writers" or something like that.
-I liked your forum's theme. Everything works well together to include the background and other graphics. I was a little taken aback by the blue forum icons, to me at least, it seems an odd color choice but it still works (if that makes sense).
-Navigation is a breeze. I could easily locate where to register and login. I am under the impression that the forums that cater most to your potential user-base should be forefront. On your site, I see "Hortian Forums" category placed first as I would have placed the main purpose forums on top, in your case, the writing forums. But that is certainly up to you.
-Your "recently added topics" box on the side certainly adds to the usability. +1 there.
-I hate COPPA screens on board registrations. I don't think they are very effective anyways and add yet another step to registration.
-I was "restricted" from viewing your writing forums. Again, this is the main focus of your site and forums. If you restrict guests from viewing content, what compels them to register and get involved in a topic? This was mentioned on communityspark as a bad thing to do as far a community-building goes.
Anyways, like I said, take what you will from all of this and I hope you can take it constructively.
Cheers and good luck,
Brandon
-I had no idea what "hortorian" was. I had to go to your main site and read the bottom. This may be OK, if you are assuming everyone is coming from your main site and just use your forums as a supplement to that site. However, if they found your link to the FORUMS in google, would they know what it is all about? I think not. Perhaps something in your forum banner? "..for young writers" or something like that.
-I liked your forum's theme. Everything works well together to include the background and other graphics. I was a little taken aback by the blue forum icons, to me at least, it seems an odd color choice but it still works (if that makes sense).
-Navigation is a breeze. I could easily locate where to register and login. I am under the impression that the forums that cater most to your potential user-base should be forefront. On your site, I see "Hortian Forums" category placed first as I would have placed the main purpose forums on top, in your case, the writing forums. But that is certainly up to you.
-Your "recently added topics" box on the side certainly adds to the usability. +1 there.
-I hate COPPA screens on board registrations. I don't think they are very effective anyways and add yet another step to registration.
-I was "restricted" from viewing your writing forums. Again, this is the main focus of your site and forums. If you restrict guests from viewing content, what compels them to register and get involved in a topic? This was mentioned on communityspark as a bad thing to do as far a community-building goes.
Anyways, like I said, take what you will from all of this and I hope you can take it constructively.
Cheers and good luck,
Brandon
COPPA, sadly, is a legal requirement so there is nothing we can do there. Our main category is blocked for copyright reasons - our members were concerned their stories and poems would be ripped off. Again, nothing we can do.
As for the name being baffling, I'll consider what we can do to improve that. I like your idea of putting a description in the header.
As for the name being baffling, I'll consider what we can do to improve that. I like your idea of putting a description in the header.
DarkRaven said:COPPA, sadly, is a legal requirement so there is nothing we can do there. Our main category is blocked for copyright reasons - our members were concerned their stories and poems would be ripped off. Again, nothing we can do.
As for the name being baffling, I'll consider what we can do to improve that. I like your idea of putting a description in the header.
Alright, since your site is aimed a "young persons", I stand corrected on the COPPA screen. I just read about it, I didn't really know what it was all about.
As far as blocking content, there is indeed something you can do. How about offering "previews" to guests of your members' work? I would have no idea how to implement that, but to read the full item, a guest would have to register. That actually might be a good way to encourage people to join, sort of like a teaser. Newspapers use this all of the time, just look at their front pages. I have a pretty firm stance on this. I strongly believe that folks should minimize the amount of "restricted" forums, especially forums that are the main focus of the entire site.
My first impression is this:
Pick a theme:
Either your background..or your banner.
Why? Because they don't go together. Both look pretty good, but they don't look good together.
So possibly changing one of those is a decision to make.
Last thing..
Art & Design
Art Discussion
Why not combine both?
Pick a theme:
Either your background..or your banner.
Why? Because they don't go together. Both look pretty good, but they don't look good together.
So possibly changing one of those is a decision to make.
Last thing..
Art & Design
Art Discussion
Why not combine both?
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