Forum Review

[Messi99]

Your Forum Review
Lionel Messi

Generalities

1. First Impressions (Score: 16/20):
   As I first entered your forum with the account information that you have given, I realized that your banner was a bit too small in width, so your forum looked stretched out. Another thing was that the navigation bar is a bit pixelated, but I'll get into depth with that criteria later on in the review. Overall, I like the forum, and it seems pretty stable.
   
   
2. Categories & Forums (Score: 2/10):
   Several things I want to suggest for your categories and discussion forums...
   • I believe you should combine the 'Introduction' category with the 'The Forum' category considering that the discussion forums in tose two categories are forum-related.
   • Something else you should do is disable the appearance of subforums on the forum index ('Admin Panel`-> 'Display`-> 'Structure and Hierarchy`-> 'Pick the bottom-center structure because it's the usual structure on any basic forum`.) After disabling the subforum appearance, set the 'Lionel Messi Picture Gallery' and 'Lionel Messi Video Gallery' subforums as normal forums. Doing so will make your forum's categories and forums appeal a lot more clearer and neater.
   • Combine the 'Sport Talk', 'Fun and Games', and 'Randomnicity' categories with the 'Off-Topic' category, and change the title of the 'Sport Talk' discussion forum to 'Other Sports Discussion' or 'Other Sports Talk.' That would look much better instead of having multiple general/miscellaneous discussion forums lying around.
   

Generalities total: 18/30

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Forum Style

1. Banner & Navigation Bar (Score: 3/10):
   Banner
   My opinion would be that you get a new and wider banner with text which font is more readable. Also, making the banner wider and a bit taller in height will make your forum look more professional and non-stretched. Another thing, try adding a border as well. 2/5
   Navigation Bar
   I like the effect you having going on with your navigation bar, and that's fine. But, the navigation buttons themeelves are qut horible if you ask me. They are really pixelated, and most of them are a bit white around the corners. Definitely fix up the navigation bar. 1/5
   
2. Forum Layout & Color Scheme (Score: 8/10):
   I like the design you having going on. It's like a really dark teal and a white color scheme on an Invision forum version. I like it; keep that layout.
   
3. Images & Icons (Score: 3/10):
   The 'New posts', 'No new posts', and 'Forum is locked' icons are okay and a bit original, but they seem very plain and a little bit pixelated. Try upgrading with web2.0 by using more of a glossier set of icons. Having pixelated boxes for your forum icons displayed on your categories and forums section seems dull and unconvenient.
   

Style total: 14/30

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Population & Groups

1. Staff Population (Score: 10/10):
   From what I understand, I can't click on the usergroups and tell how many members are in that staff group, but from what I can see, you don't have your 'Users active in the past 24 hours:' clogged up with tons of users with red-colored usernames (Administrators) and green-colored usernames (Moderators), and I like that.
   
2. Staff Groups / User Groups (Score: 9/10):
   You kept to only the Administration and Moderation staff groups, and that's great because you don't have over 5 or 6 usergroups ovcerflowed on the Usergroup Legend. But still, I think you should at least make one usergroup that's a bit relevant to your forum's general topic: Lionel Messi.
   

Usergroup total: 19/20

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Forum Activity

1. Post/Member Ratio & Quantity (Score: 10/10):
   

   Our users have posted a total of 28653 messages
   We have 406 registered users
   

   
   If you divide all of those posts up into that approximate 400 registered members on your forum, the ratio would be about 70 posts per member. That's quite a nice achievement and role that you should keep managing each and every day in your forum. Good job!
   
2. Users Active (Score: 5/10):
   

   Members connected during last 24 hours : ?pOiSoNaPpLe?, Alouette, aseel, EMZ, franckribery, henna, hiddenstar, IsLaM, jaypep, Kariemessi, LoyseR, Masha84, mel, Messi99, Nicola?, playmymusic., reemba, sirmister, sofieke5555, username, Yana
   

   
   Well, for a forum with over 400 members, I don't believe that over 20 members is a great amount of users active in the past 24 hours. Be sure that you send out weekly newletters and inactive notifications to your members so that they can drop back to your forum to increase activity. But still, you still have some members coming in and out of your forum; so, that's a good sign... it means you still have lots of fuel your forum is running on. ^.^
   

Activity total: 15/20

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Overall Mark: 66/100

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Conclusion

What could be done to improve your forum:
Just pin-point the things you feel that you are capable of fixing on your forum that is stated in this review, and you will be pretty much cleared up and potentially set.

The best thing I like about your forum:
I like how you only kept to a few amount of usergroups instead of having over 6 or 7 that are taking away space on your forum. Good job on building up your forum!

Great work, and best of luck to you and your forum!

[IsLaM ッ]

i thought it was called other sports already!
and my bad, i made it a whole forum, i just thought it's not completly off topic
and i totally agree with the first point
a wide banner, almost done, it was going to be a surprise but what the heck now
yes, i thought the icons are pretty much not the same type of the colors, can be changed!
the un-active users, god

very good dom, well done, congrats. everyone

[SeñoritaAmericana]

freaking....users.



The categories and forums thing.... we can work on that easily.
Good job on forum decisions though, such as the layout.


and the rest of forum style...ummm

[IsLaM ッ]

the weird thing about it is that most of the things the reviewer thought of i did think of myself
i kinda felt lazy to change some to be honest

[SeñoritaAmericana]

The only thing i thought of was the combining of the last few sections.....


but i was like nooooo that's stupid.




another member today -_-

[IsLaM ッ]

yes, english
but doesn't seem to be active O.O

[SeñoritaAmericana]

should do what Dom did to Henna, she came eventually...but left again. =/

[Messi99]

So..

- Banner, Nav Bar, Icons, Images.... that can be done quite easily

-

• I believe you should combine the 'Introduction' category with the 'The Forum' category considering that the discussion forums in those two categories are forum-related.

Opinions? Thinking about it, maybe he is right.

• Something else you should do is disable the appearance of subforums on the forum index ('Admin Panel`-> 'Display`-> 'Structure and Hierarchy`-> 'Pick the bottom-center structure because it's the usual structure on any basic forum`.) After disabling the subforum appearance, set the 'Lionel Messi Picture Gallery' and 'Lionel Messi Video Gallery' subforums as normal forums. Doing so will make your forum's categories and forums appeal a lot more clearer and neater.

Opinions? Maybe Pics and Vids are worthy of their own? I dont think its THAT important.

• Combine the 'Sport Talk', 'Fun and Games', and 'Randomnicity' categories with the 'Off-Topic' category, and change the title of the 'Sport Talk' discussion forum to 'Other Sports Discussion' or 'Other Sports Talk.' That would look much better instead of having multiple general/miscellaneous discussion forums lying around.

Opinions? That means off topics gonna be hugee!!

Well, for a forum with over 400 members, I don't believe that over 20 members is a great amount of users active in the past 24 hours. Be sure that you send out weekly newletters and inactive notifications to your members so that they can drop back to your forum to increase activity. But still, you still have some members coming in and out of your forum; so, that's a good sign... it means you still have lots of fuel your forum is running on. ^.^

What can we do about that!

[IsLaM ッ]

he is so right, i've never noticed it to be honest

but i think keeping it in front
agreed, maybe the chat should be by it self, and the gallery should be on it's own

i don't kno, i feel sports talk is some some, i don't kno about that really, but changing it's name, i thought it was already named other sports!

i was just discussing with stephanie, a minimum to have avater, to view certain forum, and indeed, sending them some, but not sure if it's going to work :/

[Messi99]

i was just discussing with stephanie, a minimum to have avater, to view certain forum, and indeed, sending them some, but not sure if it's going to work :/

Could you possibly re-explain this

[Messi99]

a wide banner, almost done, it was going to be a surprise but what the heck now

Would have been an awesome surprise to just see it there one day
But mmaaannn a new banner would be awesome anyway

[I am the Doogleman]

What he means is make it mandatory for users to have a display pic and post in certain topics, mainly introductions and something messi related.

[IsLaM ッ]

yes, new member, that's pretty much what i meant
minimum number of posts
like, 5 posts to be able to have an avater
seven to be able to watch the gallery
10 to be able to post in the fun & games

stuff like that

i wanted the banner to be a surprise

[IsLaM ッ]

btw, i just noticed
i had a group of lionel messi
called lionel messi fan
where's it?

[Messi99]

I have zero idea about groups. Tbh, I hardly see much point in them.

And as regarding a minimum number of posts to view a part... is that possible?
Could be possible through groups :/

[SeñoritaAmericana]

yes, new member, that's pretty much what i meant

im not a new member
im your other admin.

[Messi99]

• I believe you should combine the 'Introduction' category with the 'The Forum' category considering that the discussion forums in those two categories are forum-related.

• Something else you should do is disable the appearance of subforums on the forum index ('Admin Panel`-> 'Display`-> 'Structure and Hierarchy`-> 'Pick the bottom-center structure because it's the usual structure on any basic forum`.) After disabling the subforum appearance, set the 'Lionel Messi Picture Gallery' and 'Lionel Messi Video Gallery' subforums as normal forums. Doing so will make your forum's categories and forums appeal a lot more clearer and neater.

• Combine the 'Sport Talk', 'Fun and Games', and 'Randomnicity' categories with the 'Off-Topic' category, and change the title of the 'Sport Talk' discussion forum to 'Other Sports Discussion' or 'Other Sports Talk.' That would look much better instead of having multiple general/miscellaneous discussion forums lying around.

Follow these three points or not?

[IsLaM ッ]

they are pointless, yes, but in big forums some times neccessary
first one is ok
second one, yes
third, i really don't kno, not sure

[SeñoritaAmericana]

idk...


do you guys wanna try it out?

[Messi99]

Some time maybeee... Currently too tired and have a cold