A Hardware Forum That's Not Actually A Forum

[bittr 0]

Hey!

You've probably seen a lot of discussion forums, some worse, some better.

I invite to take a look at my website: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

Although I can't find a better way to quickly describe it than a "hardware forum", it's actually much more that a forum. And you'll feel this right after you see it. It's a very user-friendly system, based on questions and answers. The best answers get voted by other users, so you'll surely find the best answers always on top, when you are curious about a question. And the system has many other interesting aspects.

The underlying platform is a brand new one, developed two years ago, and already used on the biggest programming website.

I'm actually quite curious what do you think about this type of system. Do you like it better than the omnipresent phpBB forums?
Also, I'm curious if you like the design. I and my friends spent quite some time tweeking it.

[bittr 0]

Now really, nobody has any feedback on it?I'm really curious, if you like the format, if you think it's appropriate for a Q&A site on computer hardware.Also, suggestions for the design, or any suggestions at all, are highly welcomed.Thanks!

[Saint_Michael 3]

Nice layout with a digg/yahoo answers type deal going on and yeah I wouldn't be calling it a forum since its more like a question and answer service then actual interaction between users.

[DodgyPhil 1]

Now really, nobody has any feedback on it?

 

I'm really curious, if you like the format, if you think it's appropriate for a Q&A site on computer hardware.

Also, suggestions for the design, or any suggestions at all, are highly welcomed.

 

Thanks!

Relax, people need time to absorb the site..

 

Which was really great! Seriously, I know there are a lot of technology based 'forums' (I see what you mean now), but your's was actually pretty good. Not being very technologically gifted myself, I was less interested in the content- than the theme. Very very Web 2.0! Couldn't see Times New Roman anywhere on the page! Web-arts did a fine job.

With that said, the site seemed very useable- and the use of red to highlight unanswered questions really attracted attention to where it was needed. Kudos.

[truefusion 3]

The website seems far too overwhelming, and more emphasis seems to be placed on the tags rather than the topics themselves. Yes, i do realize that it is practically an exact copy of Stack Overflow (do to the system being used). Here's what i think should be done: Place less emphasis on the information that isn't as important as the topics themselves (obviously). Be creative, don't stick to any default style. Pretend you are a visitor to the site: What would you be most interested in? Think about the kind of visitors that come to your site. If i wanted to help provide hardware information to others, what would i be interested in? Obviously the topics, but what about the topics? Wouldn't i be interested more in the ones that have the less responses (preferably 0 responses)? What if i am someone who wants to ask a question? Why is "Ask Question" far off in the corner? And if i require to log in or register in order to ask a question, why not place the log in link next to "Ask Question"?Work a little bit on the colors, too. Consider more warmer colors, colors that contrast better with the background. Clicking on a "question" reveals that the question and the responses are in pink, a bright pink. I'm not against pink, but it's too bright to be with that background color (white) and it is slightly inconsistent following from the topic title.

[bittr 0]

Thanks both for your input!

I'll clarify some things...

Yes, i do realize that it is practically an exact copy of Stack Overflow (do to the system being used).

Correct. More exactly, it is based on the Stack Exchange platform, which is also the basis for Stack Overflow.We did, though, what customizations we thought were necessary. However, the platform is really good, so mainly we concentrate in getting it in the right direction - as our hardware topic is vastly different than the programming world.

Work a little bit on the colors, too. Consider more warmer colors, colors that contrast better with the background. Clicking on a "question" reveals that the question and the responses are in pink, a bright pink. I'm not against pink, but it's too bright to be with that background color (white) and it is slightly inconsistent following from the topic title.

The pink invasion was an April 1st joke ... We had a message warning new users of it, you must have missed it.
Now we are back to our normal colors - you can check the site again, I think you'll find them rather pleasant.

If i wanted to help provide hardware information to others, what would i be interested in? Obviously the topics, but what about the topics? Wouldn't i be interested more in the ones that have the less responses (preferably 0 responses)?

Well, the questions with 0 answers do have that 0 in red - it should be more noticeable now, without the pink invasion.
Also, there is an "Unanswered" tab, where you can see all the unanswered questions.

What if i am someone who wants to ask a question? Why is "Ask Question" far off in the corner? And if i require to log in or register in order to ask a question, why not place the log in link next to "Ask Question"?

First of all, the beauty of the system is that you don't have to log in or register to ask or answer questions, you can post them as simply as you'd post comments on a blog.
Next, the button is deliberately far off in the corner. We'd want users first to get used with the system, see what kind of questions they can ask, and only then ask questions of their own.
Of course, this is a subjective topic. You could argue both ways. We talked about it and decided it was better for the site to have the button in a bit more subtle position.


And again, thanks a lot for the feedback.
Although I seem to dismiss most of it, we gather different opinions and then we do changes on the site - things that make sense for most of the guys that give us feedback.