3DS Pedia
Review by Cierra
First Impressions
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When I first visit 3DS Pedia, I see a pleasant theme and background. I like the 3DS Pedia logo, but I am not sure what it represents, especially the dragon icon. Although, it is still aesthetically pleasing. One thing I recommend right off the bat is the option to change the background via a background switcher. While I like the current background, some people may want a solid/single color background or a dark background if they have trouble with light colors.
I also notice two things that aren't needed in my opinion on the sidebar: Today's Birthdays, and 3DS Pedia Clock (EDT). The reason being for the birthday sidebar, you have so many members that that sidebar potentially could grow very long- for instance I see twenty nine birthdays today. If it is someone's birthday I think that other forum members and staff could wish them a happy birthday through private messaging or leaving a profile comment. The clock is not needed in my opinion because members will go by their own clock anyways and I do not see what purpose it serves. 3DS Pedia scores well overall in first impressions.
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Good
Design Quality
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I like the theme, it is simple and unique at the same time. The forum icons add a colorful and nice touch to the categories also. I am not sure if you offer additional themes, but if you don't, you should.That is a great way to give your members choice over how they would like to view the forum, and some members may simply not like the current theme. I recommend adding a dark theme also because some people can not read on light themes or it hurts their eyes.
This is most common with older members but some younger members may just prefer a dark theme as well. I am not a fan of having the "Forum Statistics" on the sidebar, but if you think it suits the forum keep it. I recommend having it underneath the forums in the footer area. I think their needs to be more emphasis on the "Contact Us" and "Privacy Policy" links in the footer as they are important. Maybe add them to the header navigation links and color or bold them? They look a little hidden away currently.
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Good
Site Structure
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3DS Pedia currently has: Discussions: 14,712, Messages: 216,391, and Members:10,453. Those are great statistics. You do have more messages than discussions, so I would try to get the discussion rate up a bit. I see that 3DS Pedia has a "Play Coin" system, the amount earned per thread can be increased some to give users an incentive to post more threads around the forum. Adding an RSS feed forum might help also.
Basically, an RSS plugin could be set to pull in the latest news and information from internet sources, such as the official Nintendo blogs or gaming websites. This would create a lot of new content for members to reply to. You could have it post daily, or twice daily, etc. Here is one RSS Feed Xenforo plugin I found:
Feeder. Staff should be posting a lot of new threads daily also.
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Excellent
Final Remarks
I think 3DS Pedia is a great forum and resource for Nintendo users and gamers. With a couple of improvements I'm sure the forum can reach it's maximum potential. It has many strong points across the board. Good luck with 3DS Pedia,[user]Skyler[/user]!
Your Score
