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TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR BOARD LOOK NICER
If you are suffering from the bulletin board blahs, you may find these guidelines helpful.
1. BE TASTEFUL. Don't mix clashing patterns (i.e. stripes and polka-dots smacked together). When you are using
a pattern anywhere on your site, make sure at least ONE color in the pattern is used in solid form somewhere else
on that particular page. Think of your message board as an outfit you would want to wear.
2. TRY TO KEEP IT SIMPLE. You don't want to give your board too many colors and images. Not only does this slow
the message board down, but it also makes it look tacky to your visitors. On the other hand, don't make it TOO
plain. Images and color add life to your site. If the design is too dull, people don't think you've spent a lot
of time and effort to build your site, and they won't post there.
3. KEEP IT BRIGHT. If your bulletin board consists of dark colors only, the environment can be too gloomy and depressing
to your users. If you really desire a black background, have something bright somewhere on the page, like the text
or the table headers. If you ask me, I prefer brighter backgrounds.
4. HAVE A GOOD ASSORTMENT. Try to have balanced 'plain' tables and images. Don't make your whole board one color.
Use as many colors you can without making your bulletin board look gaudy.
5. USE CATEGORIES. If your board powerer has forum categories as a customization option, use them. They make
things look a little more spread out, and this will give you and other users a sense of looseness and flexibility.
6. DON'T FILL THE BOARD WITH ANIMATED GRAPHICS. It distracts people from the messages, and it makes them dizzy.
These are just suggestions out of my opinions, and it's really up to you to decide what you think looks best for
your site.