Please review http://www.webdevshack.com/. Is the color scheme ok, is the general layout ok? and pleasing to the eye. Any recommendations, suggestions to help increase the number of visitors to this new forum would help. We will be changing the design a little bit to make it fit properly on a 1024x768 resulution, right now I think it's set at 1280x960 resolution. The skin was designed by vbskinz, NOT me.

We will be starting to advertise on some other websites. What other methods should I use to get more visitors? Any and all suggestions would help. I just started the website last weekend.

Feel free to check it out and join .

Thanks.

Personally that is my favorite vbskinz vBulletin style. However, it is getting quite overused and I see it quite often actually. I would strongly consider coming up with something unique if you want your forum to flourish in the long run.

Other than that, it's a nice site. It does seem a bit squished though. Perhaps move the AdSense and the Latest News all to one side, so there is only one sidebar?

I agree, you see that a lot... but it is nice...

Yes, I agree with Dani. 1 side bar, not two.
I rarely spend much time on websites that think they are
so important that they should occupy the entire width of
my 1024x768 screen. A game can have the whole screen,
everything else is multi-tasked and multi-windowed.

The google ad fonts are much too large and being on the left
you imply they are more imporant than your content and your site
(because we read left to right).

Personally, I don't know how you are going to "break through"
competing head-to-head with 100 (or more?) other
"forums for web designers"

What's your niche? What's "your value added proposition?"
What will you do special (and changing your forum skin doesn't count)
that will make designers move their activity from where they are
now to you?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying don't have another forum, but I
think there is room for HUGE improvement on the "message forum"
paradigm, simply by virtue of the fact that it's same-old-same-old on
a zillion sites and everyone (owners and members) take it completely
for granted that "this is just how *it* works."

It's when *everyone* "in the know" *believes* the same thing
for a period of time that "conventional wisdom" replaces creativity
and innovation. That's when the time is right for a breakthrough.

What will you do that lures designers to you and keeps them coming
back like an addict?

Dan

Color scheme and design are nice but I agree with previous posts that the format is very similar to many other sites of this type.

I just did a clean installation of phpBB, I had to start all over after moving to a new server.

I am looking for more people to make posts, I ordered some banners and I will try to advertise it around. There are so many websites that are similar in content to mine, that I'm finding it very hard to get it started.

After a long, long time I fnally got vBulletin and it has finally been installed.. I just did a clean installation, so join us today.

you've forgotten your </blatant advertising> tag

Personally im so very bored of seeing vbulletin all over the place. This is another forum that does nothing to hide that fact too.
if you want to appear as a central source for web developers, you would obviously want to show off the skill level available out there and really stand out as clear professionals and a place for experts to come (and also attract new-comers).
It currently doesnt give the impression of professionalism nor skill.
By the way, the layout is all wrong. The left side is the place for navigation and links to be followed, not ads. Move the ads over to the right side, thus shifting the links in the forum headers to the left, ergo, instinctive clicky place. Much more user friendly.

I'd advise skinning it significantly but not too much graphics or banners. Keep it efficient and fast.
I will be signing up anyways cos its pretty much a place for me really. be interested in becoming a moderator if you need one.
Also if you cant find anyone else to skin it, I will do it for you. I'm bored.
I can skin IPB, phpBB and vB 2 or 3. (all versions of all 3).
most recent is http://www.hl2db.com's forums. (yeah i know, i didnt pick the colours or the logo, the owners choice) IPB .even with IPBs new silly zend encryption i still did it (flips the birdy to Invision)
Anyways, thats my blunt, and frankly harsh view.
You can hurt me now.

p.s. the abundance of similar sites should make it easier via the use of affiliates and such.