Forum Review Request

Jan

2010

Name of the Forum: Stan's State
Address: http://stanwalker.soulsboard.com/index.htm
Area's you wish the reviewer to review: full review

You'll need a username and password to login. I'll send you a PM Very Happy

Thank you.

1 Jophy, on 07/01/2010 at 12h53

Tagged, Please wait til' your review is conducted, Thanks

I'll try to do this in about 24-48 hours.

2 Jophy, on 09/01/2010 at 12h52

Stab's State

Congratulations! Your free forum review has been completed. The forum review will hold many tips, suggestions, comments, and feedback that's convenient and voluntary for your forum. Here is your forum review:

Generalities

First Impressions (Score: 15/20):
First, When I came up on the forum(when I'm not yet logged in), I saw only 1 forum which is a note to all guests, looking and makes them alert why they don't see any forums, so nice work there, when I first logged on to the forum, naturally, all the contents of the forum will be shown, so let's get started with the review, the top portion of the forum looks good with some informations about the forum that can be read there, nice work. As I scrolled down to the forum, I saw the the forum's colors are a little bit odd, they are not the same and some are altering(I'll explain more later), further, when I logged, I still saw the only forum shown when you are in the forum as a guest, so you need to definitely remove that permission to the members because it is only a message for guests so they'll not see it, try to fix that, as I scrolled further more, the index looks under construction with some forums having images while some have none, although it makes the forum look a bit designed, but the size of the index is fine, not too long and not too short, The forum also seemed to be active with some members being logged while I'm starting the review, you had a nice work here but you need to adjust some things like I mentioned above.
Categories & Forums (Score: 6/10):
Before I review the other forums, as I'd mentioned above, I also saw the only forum shown for guests while I'm logged in, that forum is definitely a message for guests so you need to activate it only for guests not for members also, so try to fix that, let's get further on this criteria, I saw that you didn't had many forums but it's good, you also had a nice set of discussions forums for the subject of the forum, the organization of the forums is not bad but you need to adjust some forums that will make it look more professional, like putting the 'announcement' forum on the first place than being second, all of the forum on the index looks really active with large amount of posts, nice work, the descriptions on every forums are just fine, you had a nice work also on this criteria but you would need to fix some things as I'd mentioned above.

Generalities total :: 21/30

Forum Style

Major Graphics (Score: 10/10):
Banner-First, I would say that when I first came into the forum, I first noticed the banner, It looks good and fine for me and looks brilliant! I also liked some designs used there and the sparky effect on the banner makes it look to stand out, the forum's banner gives emphasis to the forum's main subject and that's good, it's really eyecatching and a guest/comer on the forum would definitely know what the forum is all about with the banner, so nice work on the banner.(5/5)

Navigation Bar-The navigation bars on the index are not bad and they look good a bit on the forum, but it's not really that easy to find it because it looks like it's mixed with the homepage message(at the top) but it still looks good, the font makes it look not simple, the main navigation bars are good, the other navigation bars(post reply, new topic) are more looking good than the main navigation bars, it definitely partners with the color of the forum's theme, the main navigation bar may look more good if you will make it also like this. Nice work here!(5/5)
Forum Layout & Color Scheme (Score: 5/10):
When the first time I came to the forum, I noticed that it looks like a darky forum but as I scrolled to the middle page, it looks like a lighty forum and when I scrolled down to the bottom, it's again dark, so as I'd mentioned above from the first impressions, there are alternatives/alternating colors which is not looking good, I would stick in 1 color and adding a secondary color, this way, the index will look more good and not messy, so here, i would suggest you a black color, it will be more good, otherwise, black is more unique being seen on fan forums than having light colors, so just try to fix that one.
Images & Icons (Score: 7/10):
The images/people seen on the banner is fine, it looks very related to the main subject of the forum, nothing wrong there, the images some forums are also fine, it's a nice work having them with same sizes, but if you like to put images on forums, you should have it completely to all of them, because the index looks under construction if you won't have images on all forums or for the meantime, remove the images unless you have some for other forums, so try to fix that, the images on the widgets namely 'who is online?', 'Birthdays', 'Forthcoming Calendar Events within the next 5 days', 'chatbox' & 'Statistics' are fine but you had same icons on the 'birthdays' & forthcoming events' widgets, So try to fix those things I'd mentioned.

Forum Style total :: 22/30

Usergroups

Population of Groups (Score: 2/10):
First, I thing there are only 1 staff on the forum which is the administrator(which is you), and I didn't saw any other staff members such as administrators and moderators on the forum but it's bad if you won't have any other staffs on the forum like moderators or administrators, and it looks unprofessional, if you don't have any other staff members with you, it will be hard for you to look out your forum for rule breaker so you definitely have to hire some moderators or admins on the forum that will help you out, so you just need to add some staff on the forum, and this will be good.
Staff Groups / User Groups (Score: 5/10):
First, the total of groups on the forum is 5, 1 for staff status and 4 for other uses, but as I'd observed, you didn't have any other staff groups other than the administrators group, so what you need here is to add a moderator group where they can moderate the forum to help you out keeping an eye on the forum, having mods on the forum will help you and will make it look professional, so you need to add that, the other groups is not bad as long as they are not too many. So add some staff groups.

Usergroups :: 7/20

Forum Activity

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

Our users have posted a total of 4405 messages
We have 142 registered users
The newest registered user is Renni

4,405 message is quite a good score for 142 members, this is a good start, this actually shows that the forum is running smoothly and makes it look active, this will attract more guests, I'd seen about up to 6 forums having the latest post made Today and that's good, as I'd mentioned above, this is a good start since the forum is still growing, also, all of the forums had plenty amount of posts and that's good, just keep it running!
Users Active (Score: 10/10):

Members connected during last 24 hours :Avalost, dearstan_ily, Hikoi, hirohutch, josephineperrot, kaha, kalaivani, KrystaBel, loggie4eva, medz007, nick_93, radelaide, Renni, RobynH99, Sammy, sarahbunny, Snixi, Taichimisty, wishfulthinker, wolfpackgirl10, xstan8318x, zoids25

Nice work earning these kind of many members being logged in each period, I'd seen also that there about up to 3 members and 2 guests being logged in while I'm reviewing the forum, this shows that the forum has a little bit traffic and that's good, the number of members being the most online is also cool, (20), nice work earning it, send out weekly newsletters about the latest updates on your forum to get the inactive members back.

Forum Activity total :: 20/20

Overall Marking: 70/100
You have passed!

What could be done to improve your forum:
Follow what I suggested above
The best thing I like about your forum:
The graphics of the forum, just needs adjusting.

Would you like to share your review on your forum, on another forum, or with your friends? Then here you go... grab the code!

Code:: [center][img]http://i87.servimg.com/u/f87/13/67/77/07/yourfo10.png[/img] [color=limegreen][b][font=Trebuchet MS Bold Italic][size=24]Stab's State[/font][/b][/size][/color] [/center] [table][tr][td][img]http://i87.servimg.com/u/f87/13/67/77/07/review12.png[/img][/td] [td]Congratulations! Your free forum review has been completed. The forum review will hold many tips, suggestions, comments, and feedback that's convenient and voluntary for your forum. Here is your forum review:[/td][/tr][/table] [img]http://i87.servimg.com/u/f87/13/67/77/07/genera12.png[/img] [b][color=limegreen][size=19]Generalities[/size][/color][/b] [list=1] [*][b]First Impressions (Score: 15/20):[/b] First, When I came up on the forum(when I'm not yet logged in), I saw only 1 forum which is a note to all guests, looking and makes them alert why they don't see any forums, so nice work there, when I first logged on to the forum, naturally, all the contents of the forum will be shown, so let's get started with the review, the top portion of the forum looks good with some informations about the forum that can be read there, nice work. As I scrolled down to the forum, I saw the the forum's colors are a little bit odd, they are not the same and some are altering(I'll explain more later), further, when I logged, I still saw the only forum shown when you are in the forum as a guest, so you need to definitely remove that permission to the members because it is only a message for guests so they'll not see it, try to fix that, as I scrolled further more, the index looks under construction with some forums having images while some have none, although it makes the forum look a bit designed, but the size of the index is fine, not too long and not too short, The forum also seemed to be active with some members being logged while I'm starting the review, you had a nice work here but you need to adjust some things like I mentioned above. [*][b]Categories & Forums (Score: 6/10):[/b] Before I review the other forums, as I'd mentioned above, I also saw the only forum shown for guests while I'm logged in, that forum is definitely a message for guests so you need to activate it only for guests not for members also, so try to fix that, let's get further on this criteria, I saw that you didn't had many forums but it's good, you also had a nice set of discussions forums for the subject of the forum, the organization of the forums is not bad but you need to adjust some forums that will make it look more professional, like putting the 'announcement' forum on the first place than being second, all of the forum on the index looks really active with large amount of posts, nice work, the descriptions on every forums are just fine, you had a nice work also on this criteria but you would need to fix some things as I'd mentioned above. [/list] [color=limegreen]Generalities total :: 21/30[/color] [img]http://i87.servimg.com/u/f87/13/67/77/07/forums10.png[/img] [b][color=darkred][size=19]Forum Style[/color][/b][/size] [list=1] [*][b]Major Graphics (Score: 10/10):[/b] [size=11][u][b]Banner[/b][/u][/size]-First, I would say that when I first came into the forum, I first noticed the banner, It looks good and fine for me and looks brilliant! I also liked some designs used there and the sparky effect on the banner makes it look to stand out, the forum's banner gives emphasis to the forum's main subject and that's good, it's really eyecatching and a guest/comer on the forum would definitely know what the forum is all about with the banner, so nice work on the banner.(5/5) [size=11][u][b]Navigation Bar[/b][/u][/size]-The navigation bars on the index are not bad and they look good a bit on the forum, but it's not really that easy to find it because it looks like it's mixed with the homepage message(at the top) but it still looks good, the font makes it look not simple, the main navigation bars are good, the other navigation bars(post reply, new topic) are more looking good than the main navigation bars, it definitely partners with the color of the forum's theme, the main navigation bar may look more good if you will make it also like this. Nice work here!(5/5) [*][b]Forum Layout & Color Scheme (Score: 5/10):[/b] When the first time I came to the forum, I noticed that it looks like a darky forum but as I scrolled to the middle page, it looks like a lighty forum and when I scrolled down to the bottom, it's again dark, so as I'd mentioned above from the first impressions, there are alternatives/alternating colors which is not looking good, I would stick in 1 color and adding a secondary color, this way, the index will look more good and not messy, so here, i would suggest you a black color, it will be more good, otherwise, black is more unique being seen on fan forums than having light colors, so just try to fix that one. [*][b]Images & Icons (Score: 7/10):[/b] The images/people seen on the banner is fine, it looks very related to the main subject of the forum, nothing wrong there, the images some forums are also fine, it's a nice work having them with same sizes, but if you like to put images on forums, you should have it completely to all of them, because the index looks under construction if you won't have images on all forums or for the meantime, remove the images unless you have some for other forums, so try to fix that, the images on the widgets namely 'who is online?', 'Birthdays', 'Forthcoming Calendar Events within the next 5 days', 'chatbox' & 'Statistics' are fine but you had same icons on the 'birthdays' & forthcoming events' widgets, So try to fix those things I'd mentioned. [/list] [color=darkred]Forum Style total :: 22/30[/color] [img]http://i87.servimg.com/u/f87/13/67/77/07/usergr10.png[/img] [b][color=teal][size=19]Usergroups[/size][/color][/b] [list=1] [*][b]Population of Groups (Score: 2/10):[/b] First, I thing there are only 1 staff on the forum which is the administrator(which is you), and I didn't saw any other staff members such as administrators and moderators on the forum but it's bad if you won't have any other staffs on the forum like moderators or administrators, and it looks unprofessional, if you don't have any other staff members with you, it will be hard for you to look out your forum for rule breaker so you definitely have to hire some moderators or admins on the forum that will help you out, so you just need to add some staff on the forum, and this will be good. [*][b]Staff Groups / User Groups (Score: 5/10):[/b] First, the total of groups on the forum is 5, 1 for staff status and 4 for other uses, but as I'd observed, you didn't have any other staff groups other than the administrators group, so what you need here is to add a moderator group where they can moderate the forum to help you out keeping an eye on the forum, having mods on the forum will help you and will make it look professional, so you need to add that, the other groups is not bad as long as they are not too many. So add some staff groups. [/list] [color=teal]Usergroups :: 7/20[/color] [img]http://i87.servimg.com/u/f87/13/67/77/07/foruma30.png[/img] [b][color=orange][size=19]Forum Activity[/color][/b][/size] [list=1] [*][b]Post/Member Ratio & Quantity (Score: 10/10):[/b] [quote]Our users have posted a total of 4405 messages We have 142 registered users The newest registered user is Renni[/quote] 4,405 message is quite a good score for 142 members, this is a good start, this actually shows that the forum is running smoothly and makes it look active, this will attract more guests, I'd seen about up to 6 forums having the latest post made Today and that's good, as I'd mentioned above, this is a good start since the forum is still growing, also, all of the forums had plenty amount of posts and that's good, just keep it running! [*][b]Users Active (Score: 10/10):[/b] [quote]Members connected during last 24 hours :Avalost, dearstan_ily, Hikoi, hirohutch, josephineperrot, kaha, kalaivani, KrystaBel, loggie4eva, medz007, nick_93, radelaide, Renni, RobynH99, Sammy, sarahbunny, Snixi, Taichimisty, wishfulthinker, wolfpackgirl10, xstan8318x, zoids25[/quote] Nice work earning these kind of many members being logged in each period, I'd seen also that there about up to 3 members and 2 guests being logged in while I'm reviewing the forum, this shows that the forum has a little bit traffic and that's good, the number of members being the most online is also cool, (20), nice work earning it, send out weekly newsletters about the latest updates on your forum to get the inactive members back. [/list] [color=orange]Forum Activity total :: 20/20[/color] [center][img]http://i87.servimg.com/u/f87/13/67/77/07/yourov10.png[/img] [b][color=#00000e][size=20]Overall Marking: 70/100[/size][/color][/b] [size=24][b][color=limegreen]You have passed![/color][/b][/size] [img]http://i87.servimg.com/u/f87/13/67/77/07/conclu10.png[/img][/center] [b][color=teal][size=14]What could be done to improve your forum:[/color][/b][color=teal][/size][/color] Follow what I suggested above [b][color=teal][size=14]The best thing I like about your forum:[/color][/b][color=teal][/size][/color] The graphics of the forum, just needs adjusting.

3 Jophy, on 10/01/2010 at 10h06

Complete