Are too many forums and sub-forums...

... unappealing even if they are packed with never-ending activity? Not many people have forums that are so active, but the general vibe is that seeing too many sub-forums and categories is a turn-off, especially when they are hardly used (one of the biggest mistakes by new forum owners)... but what about when they're not stagnant?

Do you believe that there should be as many sections/sub-forums/categories as are dictated by activity levels, or do you believe that things should be kept to a minimum as much as possible?

 

If they're all linked off the forum index, then yes, it's very unappealing even with high activity. It just looks overwhelming for the poor person who scrolls down the page and watches it go on forever...

But if you seperate them, like for different site sections and what not, it's not as unappealing.

 

The biggest problem with having many forums is deciding where people should put their post. If that is spelled out and arranged clearly then it is not so bad.

For instance a classifieds forum on a horse forum in the USA might have a subforum for every state (50 of them), that is fairly clear how to use.

 

Depending on layout and organization. Keep the layout to a minimum number of forums showing and sub-forums organized with appropriate topics.

 

I think Sub-Category's can come in useful, sure! But I've always felt they shouldn't be overdone though. You see some forums out there having many more Subs than Main forums in place to keep the length of the forumhome displayed much shorter (too many main boards). But it all looks rather confusing and doesn't add to the general ease of using that forum.

I think the better option is try to use less Subs and create less Main forums "that can cover many topics" per main forum board. IE: Why have many different forums for Cars, Lorries, Motorbikes. When you can have one forum called "Automobile Racetrack", then maybe one sub-forum called "Mechanics Garage". And that's everything to do with automotive transport covered?

 

I believe the # of forums/subs on a board should be dictated by activity level.

If an area is not active, turn it off til there's a need for it.
But if they are active, I don't care if there's 100 forums on a board. Obviously people want them there, or they wouldn't be posting in them.