Themes - do they impact a forum’s success?

[kono]

I stopped by many forums and they were a big turn off because, those themes were clashy, and had small fonts.Also I hate it when the main icons used with a theme doesn't go with it. I didn't even go any further looking at topics. There should at least be 3 themes for members to choose from. default,a neutral and one that goes with what the forum is about.

[velostergirl]

I have one theme and currently having one made...but i choose colors that dont clash or make the site look gawdy. but yeah if i come across a site that has a nice theme/layout then i'd most definitely join.

[zimcat]

I tried to make mine look beautiful and colorful, but if something didn't "look right" I would change it. Mostly it's tuned to my tastes and had some compliments

[lesbrewer]

Personally, if you have what it takes to make great themes then go for it as I believe they really do set the feel for your board. Sadly me in particular, as much as I have tried simply can't make stunning themes - Some people have come by and promised th earth to say that they can help but never see them again!

I have come to the state of mind that my forum is what it is and those who like it, like it more for what it represents.....

[Philip]

Proboards already supplies a theme which is quite good in regards to syntax and SEO.

I think what alot of people fail to realize is, proboards already has great tools built in to help you style that default theme. You don't even need to touch code.

Alot of forums look really poor because they don't have alot of contrast, really bad typography and Zero whitespace.

This is 101 for a web designer, which is why you should always get feedback in the correct section of this forum.

Does it impact how well your forum will do? simply NO! If you have poor content or do some degree people can't read your yellow text on a green background then maybe.

[zimcat]

just wanted to say I'm IN LOVE with the Bamboo Panda theme

[zimcat]

I realized you can't just throw together colors you like

[STLUEE]

I was going to join a forum, the portal was transparency ok. When I joined it was off balanced the print hard to read,the font color same color as back ground (main burgundy)The font was small to. I checked to see if there was another theme there wasn't. I had to delete my account. Yes default themes matter.

[Shaliza]

I would have to say that yes, forum themes do impact its success. I don't like boards where you can barely see the font or where the color scheme is so painful to the eye that you can't bear to look at it. I also don't like it when you don't have any other themes to change to, if you don't like the default one. Options are very important, in this regard. 

I also think it's important to have some plain themes as well as ones that have more graphics and trimmings, because not everyone likes the same stuff.

[Retread]

Excellent topic for discussion, imho.

Sept 16, 2016 12:35:38 GMT -8 Scott said:

Shortly after I started working at ProBoards I had a conversation with VS Admin , and he explained that a lot of research went into the overall layout of our forums. The default layout we offer is optimized for the best user interaction. Looking at our current list of top forums, 9 out of the top 10 have made no layout alterations other than changing some color, and a few have added the sidebar.

It's a proper starting point. And in many cases little is really needed to be added.

But many does not mean all.
Every forum has different needs. All forums do share some basic similarities, though.

Themes can enhance the user experience. Offering more than one theme to choose from allows the member to have a more personal connection to the forum. If you expect a member to spend a lot of time on your forum, then having multiple themes gives the user a sense of control over the environment they’re committing their time to.

There are some keywords worth noting. Can. Enhance. Sense of Control. Environment.
All are good things.

So what does this say? The purpose of the forum and its content are the key.

Themes can't take the place of the most important keys to success.
The people involved and the tone set by the staff and those who frequent the forum.
If you have the right people and inspire conversation, you can make a bland environment vivacious.
All the pretty dressings will not make a forum where the users feel unnecessarily constricted successful.

Each forum has a different purpose or purposes. Is it for entertaining conversations? Teaching? Presenting news and opinions? Hot-topic Debates? All the above?

Is your forum more of a top-down environment where experts offer articles and others expand the discussions? Or are they more of a bottom-up or side-to-side environment where any and all start conversations. Both can exist within one forum, but often they should be segregated into separate boards.

Think of themes and layouts as an important and valuable tool to put icing on the cake.
But the base for success is the people who use your forum.
They make it or break it.

It's probably a good idea to take a hard look at ways to dress your forum most appropriately. But I would advise against an overwhelming appearance. A little is good, more might be better, too much is bad. If the theme and layout distracts from the conversations and intimidates newcomers, it's not serving you or your members properly. And serving those who frequent the forum is what an Admin's goal should (imho) be.

[STLUEE]

I have gone back to the forum and still hard to read. Still one theme to choose from. If you knew someone wanted to join, wouldnt you make a default so you can have a new member? I would.

[bai]

I am starting to think that forum themes don't really impact member base if someone is really intent on joining. I have seen quite a few rather successful ProBoards forums with the ugliest or most basic, limited modifications to themes have very high post counts and - what looks like - activity. So I'd say theme only matters to people who are web designers themselves or people who are looking for a superficial reason to join your site rather than just diving in and posting.

Before I realized this, I would have said yes a theme can wholeheartedly make or break your forum/website, but it's really not the case in my experience.

[STLUEE]

Im beginning to wonder if there is a clique going on?The themes really dont matter? It seems the I will join your board if you join mine, is what keeps them going

[bai]

Feb 26, 2018 16:30:24 GMT -8 STLUEE said:

Im beginning to wonder if there is a clique going on?The themes really dont matter? It seems the I will join your board if you join mine, is what keeps them going

Are you see that on this forum or is this a general observation? I didn't even really think of this to be honest. Doesn't seem like this kind of practice would be beneficial to either party unless they were actually interested in each other's forums.

[Philip]

Personality is where it's at. You gain followers through social media, even if your not on video, people will get a sense of you from your postings. It is just like someone on Youtube, people will follow you(join your forum) if they think you have a warm personality.  

Youtube personalities need to use social media too, they reach each out to people on facebook/twitter to inform people of a new video, in our case a new post.

Youtube sensors ALOT(95%) of content and the only way for them to reach people, (MOSTLY) is through social interactions.  It makes me sad when I see a post on here (oh facebook ruined my forums) NO! you need to leverage platforms like facebook/twitter.


The only reason people may not want to visit your forums is because they are not mobile first(which is changing)