[Michael]

How do you prefer your forums to be setout visually and both content wise, with regards to are you overwelhming your visitors with a vast supply of forums to post in, compiled with lots of addons and modifications to keep them attracted elsewhere, yet still interally. Or do you prefer keeping it simple and focus on the content and its quality more?

[Hector]

Keep it simple, with high quality, and an easy to navigate layout.

[+ Ryan]

Maybe it is just me, but I like forums with a lot of really, really active forums. Not the inactive ones with like 100 forums with 2 posts in them. I mean, I like it when the forums are well organized, because it makes it easier for members to find what they are looking for.

So yeah, feature packed. =D

[ShinLi]

If a forum is organized, and has active members, then I don't really mind if it's a simple board, or a very feature packed one. If the quality is good, I'll join. But if there are like 10 boards, where there barely has been posted in, then I'm out.

For my own board, I'm trying to get a layout that not every HP board has, but also a layout that is nice, simple and organized. Addons and Modifications I don't really use that much, only the neccesary stuff that will spice it a bit up, and give it that HP feel to it ^^, So I'm going for quality

[//Aneurysm\\]

I focus on getting members....then I work on that stuff

[Michael]

Originally Posted By: //Aneurysm\\ I focus on getting members....then I work on that stuff

How you gonna get members without any posts to attract them in the first place though? I agree with what Ryan was saying that the most offputing thing for me when viewing a new forum is that they are all the same, default skin, thousands and thousands and thousands of forums which appear to have been thought up at complete random without any organisation. And it pains me, literally, each time to see how they can make the same mistake. I guess i'll have to make an Article about this offputing matter!

[Moparx]

Simplicity is the key. While you want to give your members extra features for them to enjoy, you do not want to overload them with every conceivable feature imaginable.

Graphic intensive sites can also be a huge problem for members and visitors alike. One problem with these sites is accessibility for users who still have dial-up. A light skin is most beneficial in this case.

I personally keep my forum fairly simple visually... One reason is that I never really liked graphic intensive sites and the other is that simplicity has always been the motto of my forum. I even made it a point to convey my reason in my forums 'about us' page (i have pasted an excerpt below).

I'm sure you guys will agree:

Originally Posted By: Virtual Infusion - About Us page We will freely admit that we may not be the most visually appealing or unique forum available on the internet, but we've found that the foundation that provides any online site with its staying power is the overall sense of community and friendship it provides. Fancy graphics and roll-over effects are all fine, but they dont mean anything if a potential or even current member do not feel welcome enough to stay there...

[jluerken]

I think you should do both.

Offer a basic style for board newbies and a pro style for people who got already used to your board.

Keep in mind that if you do so, you have to keep 2 styles up-to-date
In the very beginning this is not a problem but if you start to add hacks and modify your board this can become a lot of work.