Your Forum Review
First Impressions & Appearance - (Out of 20)
I’ll give you this - your forum’s skin is not generic. I really like the music notes at the top, those look really cool. The color scheme is nice, with the orange and grays mixing together quite nicely. Also the post view is clean, simple, and easy to read, which is important. All that being said, there is still something about your skin that I don’t really like, and it’s hard to describe. I think what it is that the top of your index looks so smooth and bright, and glossy. That’s good, but then below where the actual forums are listed everything is square and blocky. Also it’s gray instead of the nice glossy orange. I don’t like it like that and it really makes it look off-balance.
(Scored 13/20)
Site Layout - (Out of 20)
Let’s start off with the positive. Your forums correctly match up with the category they are in. The categories are in a good order. Unfortunately, there are some problems I have with your layout. First off, I think Announcements should be at the top, above Introductions. That’s where most go and Announcements should be the most important part of the forum. The other major thing I see is that you have 7 music related forums. That’s fine. However, you have 7 off-topic forums, making your forum seem less like “MusicBuzz” and more like a general discussion forum. I would seriously re-evaluate which off-topic forums are needed and remove as desired.
(Scored 10/20)
Statistics and Activity - (Out of 20)
Unfortunately for a forum that’s only been open a few days I really can’t fairly evaluate this section. It’s too early to tell. I would suggest requesting another review in the future and then this section can be assessed more. It does show that you care about activity be reopening and advertising the forum.
(Scored 20/20)
Staff Moderation - (Out of 20)
Your site denied me access to the staff and member list, so I just went off what I saw on the forum. From what I see it’s you and a co-admin. If this is in fact the case then I think that’s a perfect amount for your forum. A co-admin is always helpful.
(Scored 20/20)
Spelling/Grammar & Professionalism - (Out of 20)
Oh my, I am seriously impressed. Your grammar was near spot-on perfect, which is very rare and I almost never see. The only minor thing I noticed was that many of your descriptions were like this:
“Talk about the latest Pop music in this section or let anyone know about your favourite songs.”
That is for the most part fine, but since “pop” is not a proper noun shouldn’t be capitalized, so should be,
“Talk about the latest pop music in this section or let anyone know about your favourite songs.”
The following forums had this issue in the description (the forum names themselves are still OK):
Pop Music
Hip-Hop
Rock & Heavy Metal
Dance & Trance
Music Making & Software
Entertainment
Techno World
Sports World
Arts and Graphics
Forum Games
That’s a very minor issue and I can see where you were coming from capitalizing those. The only other thing is “staffs” in Report Central should be “staff’s”
As far as professionalism, I would maybe brighten and improve some of the skin images. Also, Report Central is a horrible idea, and highly unprofessional. Having everyone publicly and easily see who’s reporting them and getting in trouble will cause arguments, fights, etc. A member report and the action taken should be strictly confidential between them and the staff. That should be through a report button or PM. I would highly suggest removing Report Central immediately.
(Scored 17/20)
Total Score - 73 (Out of 100)
Final Remarks: Your forum has potential, but has some flaws.
What was most liked about the website/forums: The fact of how simple but functional the site was.
What was disliked most about the website/forums: The layout and lack of confidentiality in reports.
How could I get you (The Reviewer) to join my website? I don’t have the time to join forums that much, sorry.
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