honestly, I liked the other forum better. It was quicker to post, and easier to use.

Larry -

It's a DOS-era page layout - you could create every visual element here with a typewriter.

Engaging people long-term requires an involvement of both sides of the brain.

This can be as simple as having a forum moderator illustrate a thread with appropriate clip art photos or other licensed content. Even graphical (not just type) bumper-sticker-short sermonizing artwork (something between those worker safety posters and the trying-to-be-funny bar napkins) can break up these all-type pages.

Also, there needs to be a graphics designer on hand to help create a page with better eye-fall and better eye-flow; the column to the right is a distraction to this one.

And finally - maybe because of my age - I can't help but feel that this is a place where people may come because they feel obliged to, not because they feel compelled to. If you have implicit answers to my infamous two questions (who cares? why bother?) deal with them directly and dramatically.

Even the term "social networking" is unknown to most of the people you want to be participating here.

What are you solving? Kids keeping bad company? Kids wandering into online dangerous places? Their decisions to do that are emotionally driven and not terribly easy to dissuade - be accepted or be isolated - be an insider or be an outcast - manipulating them is all too easy.

And not one of them is going to wade through enough scare stories to change the knee-jerk response to what seems to be an exciting invitation.

Successful bad guys are the ones they (and maybe we) will never recognize.

To paraphrase Clara Peller: where's the pith?

Sort the threads in the other direction. Put the original post(topic) at the top and all of the responses under it.

Thanks

Thanks Bernie. Not sure whether we can add those icons (the site is built on a platform with some controls but we have some constraints) but we can definately add fun articles. Perhaps written by yourself. For those who don't know Bernie, he's the world's expert when it comes to helping people have fun. Check him out at DeepFun.com

Larry

Hi Larry,

I like the new look very much. Just one suggestion, most bbs forums have the topic post at the top, then the following posts under it. I understand that you have the topic on top, but it would make things easier to read. I am finding myself reading the topic twice, which is not really a bad thing, but confuses me a little.

Other than that, the layout is a big improvement.

Regards,

Michael Goldberg

We could really use some user feedback about this new forum. We're still working out some kinks and would love to hear what people think of its user interface, including the process of registering and signing in. If you haven't registered please take a moment to do so (it's pretty quick) and let us know what you think of the process. We're trying to find ways to make it even easier to use.

Larry
Co-director
BlogSafety.com