Zathyus Networks Resources

Site in question.

Note: I have been a member of this forum for about three years. On and off.

Zathyus Networks Resources is a resource board. This is where I usually find my themes/skins and I usually request the other needed graphics at the same site. And I go to this place just to do that. Why? Well, the Skin Zone/Theme Zone/whatever doesn’t feel the same community-wise.

Zathyus Networks Resources have underwent countless skin and theme changes in the past years. They’ve all been professional-looking and decent, at least to my memory. It has a variety of very original contests, the most recent being the Apprentice, a set of tasks battling each other out in two teams. Applications have been sent and approved, and I guess the best gets into the games. Resource forums is a long-used genre of forums, most of them having a resource database for themes and skins and a graphic database, also attached to that graphic requests and skin requests (a few resource forums has skin requests too). They have a Theme of the Month kind of thing; members vote on a theme they like in the database and the one with the most votes get their theme up on the selector for a month.

So, they got the originality going on and the professional look that’s fitting for a board. What makes this resource forum so horrible? One thing: The community doesn’t feel the same as before. Staff members (who are extremely excellent at skins/themes) no longer make new themes once a week. The members don’t participate on the community topics that much, except on Forum Games, which isn’t really community. And the list goes on and on.

Here’s a protip: Content also includes your community, not the other stuff. For this reason, Zathyus Networks Resources gets a 4/10.

The Roleplaying Zone

http://www.theroleplayzone.com/

The Roleplaying Zone forum is about general roleplaying. No, there’s no plot centered on the forum like a bit of other roleplaying forums, not like there’s anything bad about that.

Now, to first impressions. When I first started on this forum, it started with a black and green techy-looking skin. Then a new theme arrived, its main color scheme being a strange blue color and very techy, but not in a way that its old skin had. It has been more than 6 months after the old skin has been applied. While this is good, it seems a little too early to change skins. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; change skins when you feel that the new skin feels old. The administrator probably felt that when she changed the old skin, though.

The forum has been running for about two years. It is fairly active, but not really that active for a two-year-old forum. I suggest advertising it at several forums and using the word of mouth method, as well as exchanges, if necessary. Also, new contests are encouraged.

The forum is strong in community for those who are actually active. While the active members are just really posting in the forum games area, the chatbox is used to strengthen and liven up its community. Unfortunately, the strong community isn’t obvious in the actual discussions.

Now, the forum has a little incentive; a little point store. You could use your points to buy (at the store) a new emote for the board, your own blog, a rank or a colored username. The new emote thing promotes community. The blog also promotes community, but clutters up the forum. The other incentives both promote community. While these little things are nice, it doesn’t bring anything new to the board. Bring something new.

Overall, a good forum that needs a little more to strive it up.