I ran a very large and very popular scuba diving forum for about 5 years, so I am speaking from a bit of experience in these matters... and I would like to offer two suggestions.
(1) I never really cared for user "titles" but I have to say that calling a new user a "stranger" is kinda crappy. "Newbie" works, "Forum Neophyte" too, but continuing to refer to a user as a Stranger doesn't really do anything to build community with new users. Just sayin.
(2) A greater degree of organization would probably be helpful Having one large catch-all forum is a bit odd, plus it means a lot of stuff, like this post, gets lumped in with other stuff in a place where is doesn't really belong.
If any mods or admins are out there who might like to talk to a person with some experience in this matter, I would be willing to offer my services...
(1) I never really cared for user "titles" but I have to say that calling a new user a "stranger" is kinda crappy. "Newbie" works, "Forum Neophyte" too, but continuing to refer to a user as a Stranger doesn't really do anything to build community with new users. Just sayin.
(2) A greater degree of organization would probably be helpful Having one large catch-all forum is a bit odd, plus it means a lot of stuff, like this post, gets lumped in with other stuff in a place where is doesn't really belong.
If any mods or admins are out there who might like to talk to a person with some experience in this matter, I would be willing to offer my services...