REVIEW REQUEST: http://cybercasey1.hyperboards2.com/

Welcome to TWF Casey :wave:

The rules of this forum do state that before posting your site for a critique you are requested to help some of the other memebers by reviewing their sites and then they in turn will help you by looking at your site. Please could you do this then I'll come back later and have a look for you when I have more than a few seconds.

I believe that there is a fairly popular forum out there called Webmaster Talk so you might want to reconsider that name. Getting a domain will be particularly advantageous for a site like this, but I assume you'll be looking into that later.

I think you must have some errors in your code - in Opera I see a > and then nothing after the add area. Check that. Oh, wait, there's nothing there in IE either. You're going to have to put something on this page to explain what people are supposed to do next - if you have to register to see the boards people should know that. Most places let you at least browse without registering. This could also seriously hurt your ability to grow the forums - I'm not about to register without seeing what the place is like first, and I'm sure most others would be in a similar situation.

Edit: Well, what do you know, it works in Mozilla. Gee, thanks for copying all the forum titles from TWF. How original. Are you going to be changing that later? Really, what's the point of starting up a forum if you're going to do the exact same thing as someone else? Actually, you had better change those forum descriptions - that's copyright infringement.

The addition of the top section is actually kind of a turn-off to me. Putting all that stuff at the top tells me that you're mainly interested in general chat and buying/selling stuff, rather than actual webmastering issues. Pop-up ads are annoying - I would never become a regular at a forum that had pop-ups.

I am also of the opinion that it's best to start a community with a small number of forums and build up from there when it becomes necessary. Reducing the number of forums concentrates posts in fewer areas and makes you look busier than you are. This is important because nobody's going to want to join a dead forum.

I'm also not entirely keen on the dark colour scheme - dark is okay for sites that aren't text-heavy and for gaming sites (since they like it that way), but I find that large amounts of text are much easier to read with dark text on a light background.

I agree with Megan, I'm not registering until I know what kind of stuff goes on there and pop-ups are just plain annoying anywhere! So I can't really offer any more of a critique as I can't see anything other than the header and you really need to get some kind of logo for the identity of the site.

I think that there a some technical difficulties and I'm currently trying to work them out. I will keep you updated. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you as well as anytime that you have have wasted.

No worries, if you are having technical problems just let us know by reposting on this thread when things are working again

Another thing I'm sorry for copying webmaster-forums forum titles and decriptions. I will change them a soon as I get get my forum up and running again.

Casey Grim

I don't see it in IE but do in Mozilla, your "proud member of sitepoint .." isn't showing up thou.

I agree with the above,

wow for a webmaster related site the code is pretty bad, i think this line may be causing some problems:
</script>

and this is the main one, causing the page not to load:
<script language="JavaScript"></script>

notice the </script> tag is after the <script> one, exposing all the javascript, there is no end comment tag, surprising it doesnt work in IE

also dont use CSS in old HTML tags: is a big no no

Due to technical difficulties beyond my control I have created another webmaster related board called Webmaster Planet(http://cgrim2210.suddenlaunch.com/)Instead of viewing the previous requested website please review this website instead. It it online and contains no errors. And as I said before review it and give any feedback or suggestions. It would really help me to get more people to visit it and come back again and again. If you like it please sign up and tell your friends to sign up.

Casey Grim
Owner,http://cgrim2210.suddenlaunch.com/

My advise is to listen to what Megan said

Quote: I am also of the opinion that it's best to start a community with a small number of forums and build up from there when it becomes necessary. Reducing the number of forums concentrates posts in fewer areas and makes you look busier than you are. This is important because nobody's going to want to join a dead forum.

Start small and build up!

You need to provide something unique and as there are so many other forums, especially webmaster stuff you are really up against some long standing sites. You need to get a domain on ad free webspace and make the layout/feel of the site unique. Start with a better logo and maybe try to get a differnt colour scheme that'll be welcoming, blue can be a bit cold.

One other suggestion is that if you have to have ads make them relevant to the subject of the forum??

One of the mock-ups for the TWF logo had a planet in behind the words. It was pretty cool looking but (obviously) didn't work for us. There's a dingbat font called DF Diversities that has a good planet.

Otherwise, what I said above about the number of forums and the organization of them stands. What you put at the top is going to tell people a lot about what your priorities are. Here, IMO, all the important stuff is at the bottom or lost in the middle. So, in this case you're primarily concerned about your own site, then about hanging out.

I think that the board itself looks nice, but it's rather bland considering that the site name is "Webmaster Planet" - you could really get away with a funky colour scheme with this one, so I'm a little disappointed to see shades of blue.

And just a word of caution - building a community is hard work. There's a lot of struggles along the way in building membership and keeping things going. This is expecially difficult when you've got a lot of competition and no attached content site. Good luck!

Quote: Originally posted by Megan
The addition of the top section is actually kind of a turn-off to me. Putting all that stuff at the top tells me that you're mainly interested in general chat and buying/selling stuff, rather than actual webmastering issues. Pop-up ads are annoying - I would never become a regular at a forum that had pop-ups.

I have changed the order of the forum so that the important stuff is on the top and in the middle and the non inmportant suff is on the bottom. I was also wondering what would be a good color sceme for a website called "Webmaster Planet?" I need some suggestions to make the site more interesting. Please Help!!!

Casey Grim

colours like blue, green, white relate to planet (water/sky, land/grass, snow/clouds) or the color of people on the planet, black, white, yellow, green (sick white people), blue (cold white people) ...

Its a hard one because "webmaster" doesnt really have a color, I suppose white, grey and black (text editors etc).

just go netural colours, easy on the eye, pleasing to look at, doesnt overpower the content.

I think picking colors is one of the hardest parts

See, I was thinking of something really funky and hip, like purple. That's the kind of connotation "planet" has for me - not earth-like (yawn), not naturalistic in that sense. The challenge would be to create something modern and cool, yet not overpowering.

P.S. The mock-up of TWF that I mentioned earlier waws the same as it is now, except with a planet where the arrows in a circle are below the words. I just threw the planet in while we were deiciding what else to put there. I had it in three colours - blue, red (as it is), and purple which I really liked (Chad didn't). So, you could go with purple, grey, black, and white. A lot of people really don't like purple though. You could try orange instead - that's another cool, funky colour.

I guess there are two directions you could go in here.

get rid of the popups and ads :S

lol @ funky world

I use black, white, grey and purple on my main site, the colors do go well together.
I find myself looking at cartoons for colours these days, like shrek (yeah also i'm a big kid), but blue, white and grids etc have been done to death. one of my sites layout change was inspired by an iron (white, grey/blue, orange) and another idea is solid black, thin orange, wide white (seen on tv advert)

I agree that funky colours are good for a change from blues everywhere and I like purple

I was thinking on my way home last night that this really goes back to the type of audience you want to attract. Since you're doing something that's already been done many times, presumably your doing it because you think you can do it better in some way. So, what's the difference between Webmaster Planet and other web development communities?

For example, the TWF design uses warm colours and curves to present a feeling of warmth and friendlyness. At the same time, it's a rather simple design, demonstrating the low-key environement here. We may not be as busy as other forums, but here, people get to know each other better than they would elsewhere.

With Webmaster Planet you may decide to cater to a younger, "cooler" audience. Maybe you think peole at other forums are too old and boring, too businesslike. You want something more informal. You want a design that's funky and "with it" to attract the type of audience you want.

Just a hypothetical situation - you'll have to decide for yourself what kind of a community you want to have.

I guess I'm asking the same questions everyone else is asking themselves.

What makes your forum special? You've made it much harder for yourself because you can't get away with being just special, you have to be very special because of the 'annoyance factor' of your pop-up ads. Small, subtle, tasteful, and targeted ads aren't so bad. In your face pop-ups are like a lunatic screaming in your ears - you either plug your ears and put up with it, or you leave.

What are you going to do or focus on that will encourage people to stay, instead of moving on to more established forums?

Peter

I have changed the catagories and the color as well as the name. What would be a good color sceme/logo for a site called "Webmaster World?" Please help!!!

PS: I'm sorry for the pop ups and advertisments on the webpages but do to the lack of money I can not get rid of the ads. Sorry.

Casey Grim

What address are we supposed to be going to now?

I hate to rain on your parade but there is already a very long standing form called WebmasterWorld!

http://cgrim2210.suddenlaunch.com/

Now you've got "webmaster hangout". I still think that "planet" was a better name but whatever. Most of what I said above still stands. It seems that you're cating your forum to general chat... not sure how successful that will be. There' still waaaayy too many forums. Colour scheme is okay but looks a little sitepoint-ish. A better logo is still needed.

Quote: Originally posted by Megan

http://cgrim2210.suddenlaunch.com/

Now you've got "webmaster hangout". I still think that "planet" was a better name but whatever. Most of what I said above still stands. It seems that you're cating your forum to general chat... not sure how successful that will be. There' still waaaayy too many forums. Colour scheme is okay but looks a little sitepoint-ish. A better logo is still needed.

If you think "planet" was better then I will change it back to planet. I'm having trouble finding a logo. Can someone help me find a logo? I'm still working on the site everyday to to improve it. I will put the important stuff on top and in the middle and the less important stuff on the bottom. What do you think a good color scheme would be? Please Help!!

Reguards,
Casey Grim

Hi Everyone,

Over the weekend I was looking at all to replies to my review request, I came across some interesting post that I not have replied to or want to add a to those replies. So I will reply to or add on to those post now (Please Note: The quotes below are portions of the original reply and are those that I want to reply to) Posted by Busy on Nov 28,2002 “ I find myself looking at cartoons for colours these days, like shrek (yeah also i’m a big kid), but blue, white and grids etc. have been done to death, one of my sites layout change was inspired by an iron (white, grey/blue, orange) and another idea is solid black, thin orange, wide white (seen on tv advert)” It is interesting how you can get color ideas form your environment such a other website and tv. “ With Webmaster Planet you may decide to cater to a younger, “cooler” audience. Maybe you think people at other forums are too old and boring, too businesslike. You want something informal. You want a design that is funky and “with it” to attract the type of audience you want”’ Just a hypothetical situation- you’ll have to decide for yourself what kind of community you want” Posted by Megan on Nov 28,2002. I think that I was trying to aim it at the younger “cooler” audience such as teens. I personally think that the other webmaster forums are aimed for the more “mature” audience and are some what boring and businesslike. I want the forum to be simple and interesting so that teens won’t get bored viewing the forum. “ I’m guessing i’m asking the same questions everyone else is asking themselves.What makes your forum special? You’ve made it much harder for yourself because you can’t get away with being just special, you have to be very special because of the “annoyance factor.” Posted by pmj7 on Nov 29, 2002 “What is the annoyance factor?” and what does it have to do with me? As I said before it is primarily aired for Teens and because I’m and teenage myself at 17 I think that I can relate to other teenagers that are webmasters. I think that I can help out giving Webmaster advice to other teenage webmasters. When I turn 18 on August 18 I will aim for the adult audience and provide advise and suggestions for the “Adult” audience. I also have a few questions that I would like answered: What do you think about Webmaster Hangout or Webmaster Central for the name? I prefer Webmaster Central, but what even one you think I should use I will use. If you have any suggestions for the name please let me know. What would be a good funky color scheme? Why should I start with a small number of forums and build up? Where can I find information on building a online community? I would really appreciate any advice anyone can provide.

Regards,
Casey Grim

Okay, I don't think it's a good idea to plan on changing your audience. It's going to take a long time to build up a good user base. You don't to have to start all over again in less than a year. I do think the "Webmaster Planet" name is much more teen friendly than the others you've posted. It would also be easier to work with as far as colours and logos go. "Webmaster Central" is too general - it's going to be harder to generate interest with such a generic name.

Next time you post a message check out the vBCode link - you can use some simple html-like code to do simple formatting, including a special quote tag. That will make your message easier to read when referencing others.

What are the types of sites you like going to, as a teenager? Have a good look at them and then pick a colour scheme based on the things you like from other sites. For the logo I would find a planet image (doesn't have to be the earth) and put it behind your 'Webmaster Planet' done in a unique font. You could even find some little alien people to represent different things to tie the theme together. Have a look at Alien Dingbats as there are loads there and you may get some inspiration from there!

We suggest starting small with your forums and expanding, rather than having loads of forums to begin with, as when you are starting out it's better to have a few fuller forums rather than loads of empty ones.

I need a new name. Webmaster Planet is already taken. I was thinking of something like Webmaster Hangout or Webmaster Central. If your hame any suggestions for names please let me know.

I don't think the age thing should even be a factor, on the web, age is only a number. Apart from the post in the general section of this forum, no one would know how old everyone is.
I know some young teenagers that would blow some older adults away, then again I know some adults that would blow some teenagers away.
Most teenagers that are into web design/development etc are serious about it and would hate to be included insomething that had mickey mouse ears on it, they'd want a stock enchange look and feel.

I think you have to pick a market, since there are so many "general" webmaster forums around, pick a topic and go with that, you can always branch off later.

Why does the name have to be webmaster ... ? why not something like webworld, webcentral, (to early to be thinking this hard lol) or even go humorous "interweb forums" we have an ad on tv and the old guy says i signed up for that interweb thing (meant to be internet).

I think you could say that a teen audiecne may generally have different interests than adults would. They'd probably be less interested in business and more interested in hanging out. Generally speaking, not always of course. They probably really like flash and things like that. They would use words like kewl and l8r that just don't fly here. I could see how you'd want to cater to teens, although maybe you could broaden that a bit just to attract a generally "cooler" audience.

You'd want to keep any business-focused forums to a minimum. Definitely have a forum for beginners, and one on flash. In this case you could even keep the general chat stuff towards the top, if you're assuming that your audience would be highly interested in that. Keep a funky colour scheme - including bright colours like purple, orange, lime green, hot pink, things like that. You could even go with a black background - "cool" people would like that.

Megan, are you trying to say we are not cool here! LOL

I agree, don't try to cater to a particular age group as it will be very hard to move it along with your age, just keep it informal and fun. If you liked the idea of the planet what about webplanetforums?

I was aimed for teen but I guess anyone can use it.

I think this would be the case for any site. You have a defined target audience, you'll create your site with that audience in mind, but you're not exactly discouraging others from visiting.