Your Forum Review
First Impressions & Appearance - (Out of 20)
At first glance, I knew automatically I was on a gaming forum, just by the banner. The forum's skin is very well done. However, it does sort of give off the 'Halloween' vibe. The 'N64GC News:' scroller is ok, though I suggest making the scroll speed maybe faster by one speed.
The white buttons at the top (Search, Members etc) look ok, but if at all possible, maybe change the font for those buttons. (I don't use Zetaboards much..if this isn't possible, just ignore it)
The emulator/mod/hack reference put me off. It's disgraceful to even allow emulation discussions. Mods and hacks included. You don't buy a game system to do illegal things (excluding Grand Theft Auto). That's like buying GTA SanAndreas just to find the hidden scene.
(Scored 12/20)
Site Layout - (Out of 20)
Scrolling down your forum, I notice you cover several different games, which is a good sign of variety. The 'report' board you have, I would recommend getting rid of it and having users PM you instead with reports. Then, you and the staff can decide if it's worth posting for other members to know of.
Even then, I still don't recommend letting all the members know of a report unless it involves them. If I got in trouble by my boss, I sure wouldn't want him posting it in the public forums where everyone could see.
The 'marketplace' is a nice idea, but I'd advise making it hidden to guests. Otherwise, if a guest sees someone selling something they want, that guest could register and make 10 spammy posts in order to be able to buy that product.
(Scored 15/20)
Statistics and Activity - (Out of 20)
When looking at your stats, you have over 13K posts, and only about 200 (not exactly 200, but close). When I look at your post count, compared to a few of your members, you have allot more than an admin should compared to the activity ratio. What I mean is, only a few members have 1K posts or more, the rest have under that, mostly in the 100s.
Don't get me wrong, it's good that the main admin is active, but when that admin has 4k posts, and the majority of members have under 100, that tells me the majority of posts are made by you, and not the members. This can be off putting to potential members, as it appears the admin is desperate for activity, so he/she makes x amount of posts in order to make the forum look active.
(Scored 13/20)
Staff Moderation - (Out of 20)
You have 5 staff members, 6, if we include you. 3 admins, and 3 global mods. The 3 admins is definitely overkill. In my personal opinion, a forum should only have two admins at most, until there becomes a real reason for 3 admins.
Same thing for global mods. The mods are active, which is a good thing, but 3 mods for a few members? If activity picks up allot, then I see a need for more staff. But at this point, I'd advise maybe decreasing your staff count.
(Scored 12/20)
Spelling/Grammar & Professionalism - (Out of 20)
For the 'announcements' description; I'd change
This section is for the announcement of the updates and the other important notices of the forum. Here every members can reply but only the admins have got the authority to start topics. to
This section is for announcements/updates and any other important notices relating to the forum.
For 'Interviews'; It would sound better if you changed it to;
Let yourself be known to the board by answering all the question asked to you. I removed
deeply because it could make some people not want to be interviewed if they think people are going to ask deep, personal questions about them.
(Scored 14/20)
Total Score - 66 (Out of 100)
Final Remarks: The forum is very nice and the colors are appealing.
What was most liked about the website/forums:
The post ratio was pretty good.
What was disliked most about the website/forums:
The overkill of staff members, and emulation/mod/hack discussion.
How could I get you (The Reviewer) to join my website? Lose the illegal discussions.
After you have read your review, please click the following link and rate our service to help us make it better for you.... [
Click Here]
.
