Forum at Main Page?

[dezinerite]

Do you guys think it's better to have a forum at the main page (like Namepros), would you mind having a welcome page and have the forum at e.g. '/forum' or does it matter as long as the site is interesting?

I don't really know how important it is to have the forum on the main page of a site, but if you guys think it's important then I'll base my decision on that.

Thanks! :D

 

[Miyavi]

I often debate this and what I've decided for the time being is that when a site is new, having a welcome page is perfectly acceptable for a month or so. It's simple to do, too... because a forum's front page is always /index.php and, therefore, all you have to do is make your welcome page /index.html and remove it when you feel it's time for visitors to go directly to your forum.

:tu:

 

[dezinerite]

Thanks for your reply NemesisXG, it does make sense to start out with a simple welcome page at first. That should explain a bit about the site so people might want to check out the forum even. I guess if it starts out as a forum...esp. one that's empty (since it's new) it might even scare people away too quickly! :D

 

[bensd]

It also depends on what the site is for. If it is purely for a forum (like namepros) then the forum should be on the mainpage. However sometimes the forum is just part of a bigger site.

-Ben

 

[Miyavi]

Thanks for your reply NemesisXG, it does make sense to start out with a simple welcome page at first. That should explain a bit about the site so people might want to check out the forum even. I guess if it starts out as a forum...esp. one that's empty (since it's new) it might even scare people away too quickly! :D

Exactly my thinking as well. :tu:

Of course, as bensd pointed out... if it's not just a forum site... then linking to /forum/ is perfectly acceptable.