Gaming Force
First Impression: 9/15
Originality: 8/10
Forum Layout (Categories/Forums): 9/15
Graphical Layout (Skin, Board Graphics): 8/10
Members Count Per Post Count: 7/10
Activity (Separate from Members Count): 7/10
Staff Etiquette: 15/20
Member's Etiquette: 8/10
Total Points: 71/100
Review Percentage: 71%
Star Rating: *******
Reviewer’s Note: Since not all parts of the forum were not visible to guests and a review account was not provided; but this is part of a package, so I had to register a new account.
First Impression: By looking over your forum, the activity looks good but the layout and organization is poor, which will be problematic for potential members. The skin matches the theme of the forum and the graphics go well with the current Kman skin. And the growth this forum has sustained in 5 weeks is good. I’ll get more specific as the review develops, but the Gaming Force gives a nice first impression.
Originality: It’s hard these days being innovative concerning gaming forums. Gaming Force has the typical forums and some common topics. However, it’s obvious that your forum is trying to offer more and it’s good that there are a lot of topics to get involved in. The idea of a scrolling Announcements Box has become less common among most forums, which makes your forum unique. But, I suggest using one that is vertical and not horizontal since it takes sometime to just read a single sentence thus saving time for members and guests. You offer several different things, such as a Music Box, Arcade, Store, and much more. That’s a very good thing since it gives members something else to do.
Forum Layout (Categories/Forums): I’m sorry to say that the organization of your forum is mediocre at best. You have several forums that can be combined (ie. Help, Feedback & Suggestions, Report a Bug). Then you have some forums that are redundant (ie. Anime Freaks and Anime), and shouldn’t “Favorite Anime Pictures Thread†be in the “Anime Drawings†forum? And there is no clear distinction between the “Anime and TV†and “Creative Side†categories. You should consider combining these two categories and using sub-forums to make it look cleaner. It is very important to proofread your forum descriptions and fix any capitalization mistakes. Those simple mistakes can discourage potential members.
Graphical Layout (Skin, Board Graphics): The Kman skin chosen for Gaming Force is a good one. The only problem that I can see is that the submenu is vertically stretched to the point that the background repeats itself. Since Kman gives people the privilege to edit his skins, I recommend that you fix it as soon as possible. The graphics set works well as stated earlier. Even though the current banner matches the skin, it could be improved.
Members Count Per Post Count: After calculating, the number of members per posts, we arrive at 24.56. It’s a good start for forum, but it can always be improved.
Activity (Separate from Members Count): The number of posts accumulated and the number of users registered for a forum being opened for about 5 weeks is a good accomplishment. You should refocus on getting inactive members posting again, 31% of your members haven’t posted yet and several members with posts haven’t been active for at least a day, while trying to attract new members. Try pming or bulk e-mailing members that have gone inactive. You offer a lot of extras at your forum, which is good, so there shouldn’t be any reason for members to get “bored.†I’ve seen many forums with a ShoutBox, which does help in a few ways, but “Live Chat†can take away several potential threads from the forums.
Staff Etiquette: Most of your staff appears to be very active throughout the forum and seem to be the highest posters as well. Unfortunately, you have an Administrator that currently has 26 posts while the other two are in the triple digits, maybe this Admin is more active behind the scenes but it would be better to se more activity from this member in the forum. Then you have a Global Moderator that hasn’t been active for a week.
Besides having a few poorly active staff members, seeing a member of the staff promoting the deliberate breaking of another forum’s rules is worse. Being part of the staff, they act as role models to newer members and must always be a good example. One of your staff members has asked others to join and PM advertise three specific forums, which none allow such actions. That member even admits to knowing the consequences, which will lead to bans. Maybe it’s a joke, or maybe the member is serious, either way, suggesting the idea of going to other forums and breaking the rules shows poor character and judgment.
Looking past the bad actions of one member, the two leading Administrators appear to be doing a good job in keeping members updated with forum changes/advancements. The overall staff is responsive in answering or replying to members’ comments/questions. A reliable staff is an important quality that is not overlooked.
Member's Etiquette: Even though a lot of members have gone inactive, you have a good handful of active ones. This forum also has the luxury of little flaming and spam, and you should try to keep it that way which is always a plus. Always remember to keep the members in line and keep them active. It’s always good to see loyal members in a growing forum.
Final Overview: This forum has the potential to be a really great forum in the future. You have the dedication; it’s clear by the amount of posts made by the Administration in several forums in attempt to increase activity. Unfortunately, that one staff member just ruins the image of the staff as a whole. There are things still holding this forum back, particularly the layout and it’s highly recommended that you reorganize it. Simple fixes throughout the forum can really change the direction of Gaming Force towards a better one. Even though this review may have been critical, I’m not going to fool you, every forum can improve one way or another.
Remember, this is a review and I’ve tried to keep it as unbiased as possible. These are only comments and suggestions, so keep that in mind. It is your choice to acknowledge or ignore any tips or criticisms in this review. If you have any comments or concerns, feel free to contact me via pm.
-AngelKing || CL Reviewer
First Impression: 9/15
Originality: 8/10
Forum Layout (Categories/Forums): 9/15
Graphical Layout (Skin, Board Graphics): 8/10
Members Count Per Post Count: 7/10
Activity (Separate from Members Count): 7/10
Staff Etiquette: 15/20
Member's Etiquette: 8/10
Total Points: 71/100
Review Percentage: 71%
Star Rating: *******
Reviewer’s Note: Since not all parts of the forum were not visible to guests and a review account was not provided; but this is part of a package, so I had to register a new account.
First Impression: By looking over your forum, the activity looks good but the layout and organization is poor, which will be problematic for potential members. The skin matches the theme of the forum and the graphics go well with the current Kman skin. And the growth this forum has sustained in 5 weeks is good. I’ll get more specific as the review develops, but the Gaming Force gives a nice first impression.
Originality: It’s hard these days being innovative concerning gaming forums. Gaming Force has the typical forums and some common topics. However, it’s obvious that your forum is trying to offer more and it’s good that there are a lot of topics to get involved in. The idea of a scrolling Announcements Box has become less common among most forums, which makes your forum unique. But, I suggest using one that is vertical and not horizontal since it takes sometime to just read a single sentence thus saving time for members and guests. You offer several different things, such as a Music Box, Arcade, Store, and much more. That’s a very good thing since it gives members something else to do.
Forum Layout (Categories/Forums): I’m sorry to say that the organization of your forum is mediocre at best. You have several forums that can be combined (ie. Help, Feedback & Suggestions, Report a Bug). Then you have some forums that are redundant (ie. Anime Freaks and Anime), and shouldn’t “Favorite Anime Pictures Thread†be in the “Anime Drawings†forum? And there is no clear distinction between the “Anime and TV†and “Creative Side†categories. You should consider combining these two categories and using sub-forums to make it look cleaner. It is very important to proofread your forum descriptions and fix any capitalization mistakes. Those simple mistakes can discourage potential members.
Graphical Layout (Skin, Board Graphics): The Kman skin chosen for Gaming Force is a good one. The only problem that I can see is that the submenu is vertically stretched to the point that the background repeats itself. Since Kman gives people the privilege to edit his skins, I recommend that you fix it as soon as possible. The graphics set works well as stated earlier. Even though the current banner matches the skin, it could be improved.
Members Count Per Post Count: After calculating, the number of members per posts, we arrive at 24.56. It’s a good start for forum, but it can always be improved.
Activity (Separate from Members Count): The number of posts accumulated and the number of users registered for a forum being opened for about 5 weeks is a good accomplishment. You should refocus on getting inactive members posting again, 31% of your members haven’t posted yet and several members with posts haven’t been active for at least a day, while trying to attract new members. Try pming or bulk e-mailing members that have gone inactive. You offer a lot of extras at your forum, which is good, so there shouldn’t be any reason for members to get “bored.†I’ve seen many forums with a ShoutBox, which does help in a few ways, but “Live Chat†can take away several potential threads from the forums.
Staff Etiquette: Most of your staff appears to be very active throughout the forum and seem to be the highest posters as well. Unfortunately, you have an Administrator that currently has 26 posts while the other two are in the triple digits, maybe this Admin is more active behind the scenes but it would be better to se more activity from this member in the forum. Then you have a Global Moderator that hasn’t been active for a week.
Besides having a few poorly active staff members, seeing a member of the staff promoting the deliberate breaking of another forum’s rules is worse. Being part of the staff, they act as role models to newer members and must always be a good example. One of your staff members has asked others to join and PM advertise three specific forums, which none allow such actions. That member even admits to knowing the consequences, which will lead to bans. Maybe it’s a joke, or maybe the member is serious, either way, suggesting the idea of going to other forums and breaking the rules shows poor character and judgment.
Looking past the bad actions of one member, the two leading Administrators appear to be doing a good job in keeping members updated with forum changes/advancements. The overall staff is responsive in answering or replying to members’ comments/questions. A reliable staff is an important quality that is not overlooked.
Member's Etiquette: Even though a lot of members have gone inactive, you have a good handful of active ones. This forum also has the luxury of little flaming and spam, and you should try to keep it that way which is always a plus. Always remember to keep the members in line and keep them active. It’s always good to see loyal members in a growing forum.
Final Overview: This forum has the potential to be a really great forum in the future. You have the dedication; it’s clear by the amount of posts made by the Administration in several forums in attempt to increase activity. Unfortunately, that one staff member just ruins the image of the staff as a whole. There are things still holding this forum back, particularly the layout and it’s highly recommended that you reorganize it. Simple fixes throughout the forum can really change the direction of Gaming Force towards a better one. Even though this review may have been critical, I’m not going to fool you, every forum can improve one way or another.
Remember, this is a review and I’ve tried to keep it as unbiased as possible. These are only comments and suggestions, so keep that in mind. It is your choice to acknowledge or ignore any tips or criticisms in this review. If you have any comments or concerns, feel free to contact me via pm.
-AngelKing || CL Reviewer