Name of Site: The Book Nook Site Genre: Literature / Creativity / Art Site URL:http://w11.zetaboards.com/The_Book_Nook/index/ Type of Review: Quick Opening Date: 04.07.2014 Additional Notes: I just want to say "Thank you!" to the reviewer that completes this for me. 😀
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Appearance
The first thing I said when I clicked The Book Nook's link was, "What!? She changed the theme!?" *cries* Well, maybe without the crying; but I was super taken-aback by the change in theme. I thought the other theme really suited the forum if it were possible to fix its bugs. However, as I use the forum a bit now, I can feel the newer theme come into place. I certainly enjoy how the logo matches some of the forum icons and your favicon is neat and swirly. I would do something with that gaping hole in the upper right of the forum though. It's depths of nothingness draw me in!
Weaknesses:
Funky Affiliates
First off, I don't think this huge space that you've used for affiliates is a good idea. I know you may be rather limited with zetaboards, but affiliates really shouldn't take up a huge space on your site. Doing so decreases the visual aesthetics and just uses more space that your users have to load... However, you're using affiliates, so I wanted to point out that a few of yours are broken.
Fixing these would be a quick fix and would make your site look a tad bit better.
Poor Statistics
Whereas the Book Nook has been open for a month or so (correct?) it only has 240ish posts. Where I understand that the subject is pretty narrow, and you don't find too many avid readers on the internet, you still have some pretty icky statistics. I don't really have any suggestions to fix this, and it's one of the biggest problems new forums have. All I can really do is wish you luck and hope you bring in some new members!
Username Colors
The username colors that have been chosen are incredibly hard on the eyes against your dark background. For instance, here is a small screenshot of the Administrator's names.
As you can see, it's extremely hard to see the name. I would go with colors that are more balanced with the dark background. I don't have any to suggest, so just play around with it!
Shopping Mall
This is going to be real short, but why does a book discussion forum have a store? This is one of the mistakes that people make: overcomplicating their forums. I'm not sure you need the Cash mod on your forum, or even the shop and inventory mods. They don't add anything productive to your forum, and can just serve to be confusing! Always stay true to the topic of your board, and only use features that contribute to that.
Final Remarks:
I always have certain sites I love reviewing and seeing grow. The Book Nook is one of those. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to perfect it, but I believe with a little TLC, you can do it! 🙂
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