Forum Re-Organization

Hello Happy Folks! I come bearing gifts (or suggestions?)

Anyway, I find the layout of this forum ineffective and will as such give my expert opinion on how to improve it to perfection worthy of me:

First, groupings! Several forums should be regrouped for clearer overview and secondly, some places should be renamed to make things more elegant.

Suggested Improved Forum-list:
Forum News and Discussion
-Forum Suggestions
-Talk to the Staff

Introduce Yourself

News and Events

Tech News and Help (Could this be grouped under something?)

Discussion:
-Random Chatter (I dislike using "The [Subject] Forum".)
-Conversation
-Opinion and Debate
-Life Discussion

Gaming:
-Computer Gaming
--Diablo 2
--Starcraft 2
-Console Gaming
--Sub-categories
-Gaming Culture and Misc. (Would fit other things such as current Generic Gaming and Expos)

Hobbies and Interests (New title?)
-Science is Awesome!
-Animation and Comics
--Japanese Animation and Comics
-Media Stuff!
-The Arts
-Automotive
-History

(Some of these ideas might have been stolen!)

You steal your expert opinions?

The forum used to have six or seven such groupings, and it did look rather a mess, however much I liked it (hey, it was the familiar - who dislikes the familiar?). The current organisation of forums and sub-forums is based upon Grav's "Gravitised" version of the forums, and personally I think it works well.

I do like your idea about a separate Gaming section, though. If it were me suggesting a new layout, I'd split the Basement into two, and keep the Symposium and Lounge more or less as they are... in fact, I'll list it in your style in the order I'd put the forums:

The Zelaron Symposium
Forum News and Discussion
- Forum Suggestions
- Talk to the Staff
Introduce Yourself
Test Forum

The Lounge
News and Events
Opinion and Debate
Life Discussion
Conversation Forum
The Chat Forum
- World Record Thread
Flame Forum

Gaming
General Gaming
Diablo 2
- D2 Sub-forums
Computer Games and MMOs
- Starcraft 2
- WoW
Console Games and System
- Final Fantasy
- PS3
- 360
- Wii
- PC
Gaming Cons

The Basement
Entertainment and Sport
- Hobbies and Interests
The Arts
- Anime Forum
Automotive Forum
History Forum
Science Forum
RPGMaker
Tech News and Help


"-" denotes a sub forum

I agree that a few names could do with a bit of work. "Zelaron Laboratories" instead of "Science Forum", say, but you get the general idea.

@Medieval Bob: Thanks for your input, I will consider it!

Oh Lenny, I think your suggestion would not be much of an improvement as the basement would still be very chaotic. But putting News and Events under the Lounge would be good.

An improved suggestion from me would be:

Zelaron Symposium:
-Introduce Yourself
-Forum News and Discussion
--Forum Suggestions
--Talk to the Staff

The Lounge:
-News and Events
-Random Chatter
--Flame Forum?
-Conversation
-Opinion and Debate
-Life Discussion

Zelaron Gaming:
-Computer Gaming
--Diablo 2
--Starcraft 2
--WoW
-Console Gaming
--Sub-categories
-Traditional Games
--Warhammer and stuff?
-Gaming Culture and Misc.
-Game Design and RPGMaker

The Basement:
-Science is Awesome!
-Automotive
-History
-The Arts
-Media Stuff!
-Animation and Comics
--Japanese Animation and Comics
-Tech News and Help - could it be changed into a more generic title? Like... Technology or something. Generic tech... Stuff.

Hmm, I think this can be further improved... Will think more about this.

EDIT: The Basement-area could need improvement... Hmm...

Updated list:

Zelaron Symposium:
-Forum News and Discussion
--Talk to the Staff (text-link)
-Introduce Yourself
-News and Events
-Light Discussion
--Flame Forum
-Serious Discussion
--Life Discussion

Zelaron Gaming:
-Digital Gaming
--Diablo 2
-Traditional Gaming
-Game Design and Theory
--RPGMaker
-Gaming Culture and Misc.

The Basement:
-Science and Technology
--Tech News and Help
--Come Singularity!
-Art and Culture
--Animation and Comics

Numerous of these would be merges of previous forums (Animation and Comics include it's Japanese brothers and sisters in Anime and Manga.)

Status: COMPLETE

• "Forum News and Discussion" will be merged with "Forum Suggestions".
  
  
• "Talk to the Staff" to become a sub-forum link under Forum News and Discussion (only if it can be made sufficiently notable).
  
  
• "Introduce Yourself" will remain.
  
  
• "Light Discussion", "Serious Discussion" and "News and Events" will remain as front-page sub-forums. "Life Discussion" will be kept as a sub-forum (a text link) of Serious Discussion. If possible, it should be merged entirely with Serious Discussion, but we'll keep it as a sub-forum for now.
  
  
• Merge "Chat Forum" with "Light Discussion".
  
  
• Make "Flame Forum" a sub-forum of "Light Discussion".
  
  
• "World Record Thread" to be a sub-forum of "Light Discussion" (text link).
  
  
• Merge "conversation Forum" with "Serious Discussion".
  
  
• "Test Forum" will be a sub-forum (text link) of "Forum News and Discussion".
  
  
• "Style Test Forums" will follow.

Status: COMPLETE

• Split "The Basement" into "Zelaron Gaming" and "The Basement".
  
  
• Create four main gaming forums under "Zelaron Gaming": "Digital Gaming", "Traditional Gaming", "Game Culture" and "Misc, Game Design and Theory".
  
  
• Merge "General Gaming" with "Digital Gaming".
  
  
• Make "Diablo 2" a visible sub-forum of "Digital Gaming". Keep the D2 sub-forums intact.
  
  
• Make "Starcraft 2" a visible sub-forum of "Digital Gaming".
  
  
• Merge "Game Cons" with "Game Culture".
  
  
• Merge "Computer Games and MMOs" with "General Gaming". Make "WoW" a visible sub-forum of "Digital Gaming".
  
  
• Merge "Console Games and Systems" with "Digital Gaming". Use prefixes.
  
  
• Make "RPGMaker" a visible sub-forum of "Misc, Game Design and Theory".

Status: COMPLETE

• "Science and Technology", "Art and Culture" and "Hobbies and Interests" as main forums.
  
  
• Keep "Hobbies and Interests".
  
  
• Merge "Zelaron Laboratories" with "Science and Technology".
  
  
• Rename "Anime Forum" to "Animation and Comics", and make sub-forum of "Art and Culture".
  
  
• Split "Entertainment and Sports" into "Entertainment" and "Sports".
  
  
• Make "Sports" a sub-forum of "Hobbies and Interests".
  
  
• Make "Entertainment" a sub-forum of "Art and Culture".
  
  
• Merge "The Arts" with "Art and Culture".
  
  
• (Allow both visual arts and literature to be posted in "Arts and Culture".)
  
  
• Make "Automotive Forum" a sub-forum of "Hobbies and Interests".
  
  
• Make "History Forum" a sub-forum of "Hobbies and Interests".
  
  
• Make "Tech News and Help" a visible sub-forum of "Science and Technology".
  
  
• Create a "Singularity" sub-forum for "Science and Technology".

Having forums "life" and "light" discussion is a bit confusing.

Great, things are much better now. Although there are still things that can be done better and some of the symbols are... Bad, I mean - clip art?