You've got your new forum installed, the forum layout in place, but you're running on the default style and have no content. What do you focus on first? Do you spend time getting your style just right or do you get some content on first? Personally I'm of the opinion that content comes first - once you have some in place - hopefully this isn't something you'll have to do alone - you can work on a style over time, perfecting it with input from your budding community.
I would usually style first before launching. Default themes look temporary and tacky. Style, then content, then open.
I kinda go the other way around, content, style and then open. That way I have content being indexed while I'm still working on the site. I never open a site on a default style, but I don't always have a custom style from the get-go
I'm rubbish at styling so content comes first, if the content is good normally users aren't bothered with the aesthetics. I will then pick up an off the shelf skin.
Content first absolutely, I think having a unique style certainly adds to the attraction of your community but I'm a member at enough large, active forums which never bothered with anything more than a custom logo up top to know that the lack of a style is not that big of a barrier.
My experience and post is unrelated to forums, but with 30 Day Challenges and any site I'm coding, I always get the code out first (which allows for the content creation) THEN worry about the style. Most of my styles are simplistic, just CSS, no images (drives Morrigan insane, and I'll wager a few others too ), so my content is most important. On a forum, I'll just throw a pre made one up, then promise myself I'll get a custom one later, then never get one.
For experienced forum users style may be key, but for inexperienced users content will be key. I have seen the most horrible outdated skins being used, but the content being absolutley gold. Personally, content is the most important thing, a forum can be as pretty as you please, but if there is no substance it will be a very pretty forum, but a dead forum. Admins have to walk a tightrope of visually exquisite and useful/informative. For me it is 50/50. But you also need to consider how 'user friendly' is your forum, or, how easy is it for people to engage on your forum. As experienced forum users it is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking anyone and everyone will be able to immediately join in, is it that easy though?
I'm a huge content fan, but I'd go for style bout one third first THEN content. A person's gotta feel like they're enjoying themselves when they show up at a forum. And for that initial mood, it's going to come down to the style. Skin, colors, all that taken in in the blink of an eye, that initial first impression to never be lost or forgotten. When we first started with out forum we were using the ugly blue invision free skin, and it actually took us about a month to figger out how to do skinning back five years ago. Twas a lot of fun, however I'm not so sure the audience is as receptive these days specially considering that it's almost impossibble to have anything look too ugly with forums that are able to pop out with almost everything ready to go except for posters. So I'd say style first only because it's so easy to do, almost nothing to it in fact. Buy a a skin, an Bing...you're in. Content is a magnitude of order more important, that's what's going to give you your success and is much, much harder to do. gogo
With the amount of very large forums that use default styles without so much as a logo change I'd say style matters very little to the average Joe. Content is and always will be king.
It's a very rare occasion I launch with the Default skin for any software in place. So I focus on that BEFORE launching. Then gradually add content as I go.
My vote goes to content as well. I didn't even have my forum open for the first month while building content
Style and content are both important to me. I made sure that I have those two set up well before I launched my site.
Both are very important and, if you want to get a decent site up, you need to work on BOTH. Anyway .. the first thing after getting the forums installed is to start adding some threads. And get a designer to work on your theme or start doing it yourself. I usually work simultaneously on content/design, since I hate running the default skin. So in 2-3 days I usually have something in place
If you judge a book my its cover and not dive into what it within it, then you are a boring person and the book doesn't need you... Same with forums, if you don't join because of the software or looks without seeing the content as well, the forum is probably better off without your membership
I completely agree with this, Shelley. Sometimes people feel rushed to release their forums, I don't know why because they have all the time in the world to develop, I mean at least take a month to develop your forums or a bit more, invite friends over to generate content, ask someone to design your forums, hell do it yourself if you can. There is no excuse or no rush for you to release your forum in a "bad" state. I am a fan of style, nonetheless. Once the style is done, generating content can take 100% of my time.
