What attracts you to a forum?

Oh - the look is super important! I want something that feels real. I also like it to be developed. Community is important, but if a site is unfinished or if its lore doesn't make sense - not fun.

 

For me, its community / attitude. I'm not madly bothered about look - although there are some off putting things. But community. Also, lore. A world to immerse in.

 

For the most part it has to be the story, and the freedom from the admins to be able to help add to the plot.

 

This may sound super petty, but the overall skin and layout is the first deal breaker for me. In saying that, I like to think I'm easily impressed, especially with how impressive a lot of forums look these days (a far cry from the nearly default Proboards forum I made as a teen). If a site is difficult to navigate or the colours making it too difficult to read or look at, then I'm out of there pretty quickly.

 

The first thing I look at is the overall appearance of a site and how user-friendly it is. If things are difficult to navigate, you can't find things and figure out what is needed, or if there's at all an overwhelming feel to the site, I typically will move away from it. I also look for a good overall plot of the site and what it is about/ what the world is like.

 

It's a whole myriad of things. Initial impressions always hit first. Does the skin burn my eyes and can I navigate? Stuff like that, but a site can look slick af but still have lore that's just... empty and boring. If the lore of a place is limiting or just straight-up boring, it won't entice me. Also, if there's a bunch of symbols and icons with no text to tell me what they are... I'm out immediately. I didn't come here to decipher hieroglyphics! ;_;

 

First it's the layout for me cause if the colors are too much or it's hard to navigate, then I won't stick around for very long. After that, it's the storyline and if there are restrictions at all for character development (I feel spoiled now having run sites lately with little restrictions). Then of course activity and inclusivity are important as well. It's a little awkward having a big welcome party when I join a discord server, but it's nice to feel noticed at the same time. Especially if people include me in their conversations and don't talk over me. If a discord server is cliquey at all or it has the same few people spamming the chat with their own conversation/jokes, it's a quick turn off for me.

 

Dark themes! White background hurt my eyes so much, especially late at night. If a site had a dark theme, I'll stick around to read more. If not, I'm instantly out.

 

• Length of rules/getting started pages - I have a strong preference for super short ones
• Complexity - I like simple games
• Out of character spaces - I pay heavy attention to the style of voice people use in order to gauge the level of drama at a glance.

While I definitely care about the UX/aesthetics of a place, I usually just end up writing my own script to override the CSS on the page anyway if the text is too small or something isn't working for me. Not everyone is a UX designer and that's okay

 

I'd say an active site that is organized. And by that, I mean, the site layout is logical enough that you don't get lost and that you can look at without eye strain. I also love sites that have open world/world building aspects.

 

Activity. If there isn't frequent activity I move on. Light or dark doesn't matter to me. However, the way the forum is set up is also a deciding factor for me. I'm sure we all have our favorite genres to play, as I do.. another thing I look for are the post lengths. I'm not into one liners or even chat/text speak in ANY roleplay unless it fits the story.

With so many forums that come and go, I also look for one that's well established.

 

I am drawn to well crafted, internally consisted worlds. Settings where the universe is above OC's and they influence it. As a writer I find worlds that serve as window dressing to be boring. (Subjective claim.)

 

It has got to be activity for me, as a site can look so beautiful, and have the most perfectly crafted layout, but that's just a waste to me if there is no activity there. People can help with layouts and offer to improve them, so if a community is good. If it has active, quality writers, then that is the most important thing to me. As much as I admittedly do love aesthetics.

 

I like nice, clean skins.. something that isn't going to hurt my eyes. I don't like image-heavy skins, either, or sites that require members to use lots of gifs. I also love when site information is easy to find. I don't want to jump through hoops to find site rules or application information. And I actually prefer sites that don't use Discord because not everyone likes or uses Discord and it can become pretty alienating if you're forced to use something you don't like or want to use.

 

Mainly I look for a skin that doesn't hurt my eyes, content I would enjoy (obviously), and then an active discord server where I can interact / get to know the community uwu

 

A Discord. The vibe given off in any community's Discord can tell you SO much about what the vibe could be in-play. I'll maybe chat people up, toss ideas here and there, and see if it's a match creatively and personally. What I appreciate about this is that I can test the waters without investing too much time. Also, if it's too hectic/immature, I can dip and won't be noticed.

Equally important is the site (Shallow, I know.). Lore can't be too convoluted. It also needs to be readable. While I'm all for creativity, I cannot stand when posting templates are a free-for-all, so those are very key for me in deciding whether to join or not, too. I can't have a too-chaotic environment.

 

Activity, genre, and the general vibe of the e members. And simplicity! I will be the first to admit I am kind of dumb and get overwhelmed quickly

 

Activity is probably the biggest, but looks are important too. I think these days, mobile-friendly is a must.

 

Activity and friendly OOC spaces are very important to me! Also an easy-to-navigate site; if I can't find the things I'm looking for immediately, I'm usually out pretty fast.

 

I agree in that the community is the biggest deal of all for me. I want the place to not only be welcoming - but supportive to an extent. Not everyone has to be friends, but feeling some level of safety is a big deal for me.