Pit Droid Cafe Has Arrived

Pit Droid Cafe
Pit Droid Cafe


Several weeks ago, I decided that it would be interesting to start a forum site of my very own, one that would not only incorporate Star Wars fan discussion but would also cover a spectrum of different topics. Using the JCF as my source of inspiration, I created Pit Droid Cafe, a forum site anchored by Star Wars films and EU discussions. However, I have also added some original ideas for forums in hopes that they would attract more people to the site and to add some variety. For example, there is a forum for humor, one for YouTube videos, and even a forum regarding the site newsletter that I am currently producing.

I would really appreciate getting feedback from everyone on my site in hopes that I can make it better than it is now.

 

Looks like a solid enough start. The design is pretty good, and I got a nice chuckle out of the banner. Unless it was on purpose, the cropping in the banner could be cleaned up a bit, though. Also, for a brand new forum with only eleven registered members, I think you have WAAAAAAAY too many staff positions. I don't know if they're are filled, but according to the bottom of your main page you have eight distinct staff positions set up. Although it's nice to think about having a staff like that, you're getting a little ahead of yourself here. When you first start out, you're not going to be in a position where you will need all those staff jobs. You could moderate the entire website by yourself even if there were thirty members or so. Until you get more people, I highly suggest you cut back on the amount of jobs, and then gradually (ie, slowly but surely) add some back in.

Also, taking a look at the types of boards you have, there is one thing that I notice and that's that nothing really stands out, even in regards to what you mentioned in your first post here, as a lot of boards have joke forums, video forums and newsletters, even if it's all part of one "general discussion board" or, shall we say, a "Jedi Council Community". Basically, I'll ask you what I ask a lot of people when they first make a site: because there are thousands upon thousands of websites out there, most of which fail, what sets your board apart from the rest and what is going to make it succeed unlike virtually every other board?

Well, as I said, you're off to a good start. You do have a lot of work ahead of you, though. Hopefully this helps a bit.

 

Yeah, I have gotten too far ahead of myself on the staff positions.

I'll work on it some more. Thanks for the input.

 

You're welcome.

 

Ok, I'm going to try again with that banner. I'm still getting used to the program. I don't have PaintShopPro, or whatever, and I can't get that Gimp thing, so I'm working with what I have.

What sets us apart other than we have a pretty horrible banner? Um... Not much. Although, hopefully, my suggestion for a sparring forum will be used...

 

The banner is far from being horrible. It's actually kind of a cool design the way it is, since it looks like a bit of a collage. As far as your suggestion, what's a sparring forum? Do you mean role-playing duels?

 

I think that's what it is supposed to be, or at least an offshoot of that.

 

It's sort of like roll playing, except that you are yourself. The first step is finding a partner. There would be a thread for that. You then choose some Force abilities and weapons that you can use while sparring. (That can be changed from match to match.) Then you spar. You can use lightsabers, or anything else in the Star Wars universe. You and your partner also need to agree on a setting for your duel, and whether it will be in third person or first.

It's really fun! (No one steal my idea!)

 

The white around the pit droids in the banner reminds me of a card from Magic: The Gathering.

In particular, Auratog.

Otherwise, meh, its a forum. Anyone can make those.

 

Well, that's what we were able to come up with without having to spend any money.

 

You definitely DO NOT have to spend money to get a website up. If you want to get hosting that will let you do anything, and have unlimited disk space, plus a domain name of your own (like what I have), then you will need to spend money. However, if you are looking for just a little bit of storage (around 1-2 GB max), and you can settle for a subdomain name, then you don't even need to touch your wallet.

Also, if you mean the tools to make the site, all you need is a few internet tutorials, a good text editor (free ones are available, such as Notepad++), and maybe a free graphic program such as GIMP or PaintDotNet. However, that is less convenient, and takes more time.

PM me if you want a main site to go with those forums, plus a free host that can suit your needs.

 

I'm using Photobie. I had a look at GIMP, but I'm not completely computer literate. That little Auratog thing creeps me out...

 

Agreed. Plenty of free options out there.

 

OK. I'll have to look into some of these other programs.

 

Just bumping this thread up.