Star Wars Online!

Name of Fan Site:
Star Wars Online

URL:
http://z3.invisionfree.com/Star_Wars_Online/index.php

Description:
Star Wars Online (SWO for short) is a place where fans of all ages can come together and discuss anything and everything that has to do with Star Wars. From books and games to movies and fan-creations - if it has something to do with Star Wars, both New and Old Republic, SWO is the place to go!

Why create SWO when there are so many Star Wars sites out there? Well, I had been looking for a good forum to join for a long time, but the ones I found were either dead or so vast and convoluted that it would be difficult for a newcomer to just jump in on the conversations. Because of that, I decided to start off with a clean slate - a new forum for people to populate without getting lost in the countless confusing threads.

Some things I've added on for SWO are book reviews, game reviews, and maybe an RPG section once we get enough members. We also have a News section to keep members up to date with events related/pertaining to to the Star Wars fandom. So look around, discuss your most and least favorites, dish out on the pros and cons of the games you've played, shows you've watched, and books you've read, and have fun being part of a community that appreciates and understands your love (maybe even obsession) of Star Wars.

I hope to see you there!

Side Note:
I'd love any advice members have to offer. Also, I'd love any help with getting a better banner. I'm okay with GIMP, but no where good enough to make a decent looking banner. Bleh.

 

Hi there! Your site looks very interesting, but I want to know one thing: what makes your forums stand out from other Star Wars fan sites? Is there something more unique that stands out about your forums that other sites don't offer?

 

Other than I made it? Just kidding!

I like to think it stands out because we have fellow fans critiquing Star Wars games and books, as opposed to reading critiques from some stuffy "professional critic" with too much bias and pomp. Because they are fans, and they enjoy gaming and/or reading, they'll be able to offer a better critique of a game or a book because they'll have the background knowledge necessary to give it a good review, and they can give it in a way that will appeal to other Star Wars fans. I currently have one book critic and I'm looking for a game critic if anyone's interested. If someone wants to be a book and game critic, that's fine too since my current book critic is too swamped with work to post his review. ()

We also cater to broad areas of discussion, as opposed to focusing on the Rebel Alliance, the Jedi, Anakin+Padme, etc etc. I don't know how many kudos points that gets my board, but it's something.

I would eventually like to start a small rpg section (I have a couple of good story lines) once we get somewhere around twenty *active* members that are interested in RPing. That's a tall order, I know, which is why I'm trying to promote my site as much as possible.

It's hard to really make my board stand out since there are so many Star Wars sites that have "Been there, done that", you know? I just wanted to create something that had a small community feel where fans won't have to worry about jumping into conversations that have been going on for months/years; and a place where people who aren't huge Star Wars fans (but want to learn more) can come in, feel welcomed, and get edumacated in Star Wars fandom.

 

I think that if you're really trying to key in on the fact that your site is more about "the little people," you should really focus on advertising that not only by your own word, but in the banner at the top and in the forum titles, etc. Anything you can do to set that kind of a mood is going to help you out significantly.

There are many, many boards, however, that function in the same manner. It seems like everyone has a broad set of boards, really. That being said, again, focus on the stuff that makes your boards special. Best of luck to you.

 

Thanks for the tips!! I'm actually working on getting a new banner. The one up right now is something I made, and I'm absolutely rubbish at banner stuff. At the moment, I'm giving what few members are on there a chance to make something. That way they get involved in helping to form the site. If that doesn't work, however, I'll outsource.

 

As you know Allera, I already registered there. I just wanted to tell other people that you guys should check it out. It's slow now, but all we need is a few more members and maybe we'll get the place moving!

 

Hey Allera! Good start to your boards!

I am going to give you a couple tips that you may want to try out. You don't have to, these are just a few things that will set your site apart from other sites.

While your style is not bad, I don't think the style you use really matches. You have all these shades of blue and then green font. I think I have also seen that background image in several places. I would suggest starting from scratch and creating your own style. Mess with the CSS a bit (it's difficult if you have never done it, but it is doable) or find someone else willing to.

Another thing, I would replace all those forum icons with something that you made or found on your own. The thing is, a lot of people have those same exact images on their boards and that makes you just like them. These are just little things, but they are things that people notice and things that will really make your site unique.

One last thing. This is definitely not something you have to do, but try and create more creative names for your forums. For example, rather than having "Star Wars News", have something like "The Holonet". That particular example may not be what you want, but get creative with it.

Again, keep in mind these are just tips I have picked up over the years of trying to create my own forums. Good luck!

 

Those are really good tips! I'll try working on personalizing the forum some more when my summer vacation comes around, or sometime shortly after finals week. I've dabbled a little in CSS, but it's not fun, haha. It'll be worth it, though. Do I have to use a program to create my own buttons? I've never tried that before.

As for the name thing, I'll try making more of those have a Star Wars theme.

 

Creating your own buttons would be similar to making a personal banner. Using GIMP or Photoshop to create them might be a little easier that making an elaborate banner since you've mentioned having a little trouble with it before. Alternatively, there might be some packaged buttons to be found for the type of forums you have... they might be listed underneath a "style" or "theme" in your admin options, or a package might be available for download somewhere on the Internet.

 

Oh, okay. The board I use doesn't come with any pre-made sets except the default, but if I have time I'll try to make some new buttons. Thanks for the advice.