Just wanted to ask, does using an overused theme really matter? I mean, if you're going to pick a free theme (Or even a premium, non-custom one), if you want to use something good of course it will be pretty popular, and most likely on a lot of other sites.
That's kind of the point of a custom theme, to get something that isn't used anywhere else at all. So basically, why is "You have an overused theme" a problem when rating sites? We can't expect everyone to buy a custom theme, and when they don't have one the responses are always "You have a bad theme" or "You have an overused theme".
Just was hoping to maybe get some clarity here or get rid of comments like this.
If you're using an overused theme, the other aspects of making a site successful need to be spot on. That's content, activity, look (number of sections etc).
You could argue that they all need to be spot on anyway, but if you have a really unique design then you can get away with less of the others as it gives potential new users a great reason to join the site.
On webmaster sites, people are used to seeing MyBB forum after MyBB forum so overdone themes can get boring. On sites unrelated to technology though, most members probably haven't even used MyBB before so they won't notice or care.
(2012-09-15, 10:42 PM)Anxiety Wrote: [ -> ]If you're using an overused theme, the other aspects of making a site successful need to be spot on. That's content, activity, look (number of sections etc).
You could argue that they all need to be spot on anyway, but if you have a really unique design then you can get away with less of the others as it gives potential new users a great reason to join the site.
Alright, I can understand that. It should probably weigh into a site, though if other things are lacking, those should be pointed out (No use in pointing out an overused theme if they already have tons of other things to fix). If other things aren't lacking, there's also no reason to point out their theme (They have enough good features to make up for it).
It's stated a lot in the Showcase forum because people believe that it is one out of several factors for creating a successful forum. Of course, there are always going to be exceptions, but it never hurts to make a site as unique as possible.
I don't think it's so much that the themes are being overused, but more that they aren't customized at all. It seems as if a lot of new forum owners put no effort into customizing, even slightly, the themes that they download or purchase.
That's the initial impression a lot of admins get when they see forums with a popular theme that is installed and hasn't been edited: no real effort.
Exactly.
The most common misconception here though is that free themes or popular premium themes is a no no. That's certainly not the case, but I do think you should be customising the themes slightly to fit your niche. Luxure for example is my favourite premium theme in MyBB, but it doesn't fit ANY niche. So use it and customise it around your niche. That's my two cents anyway.
I just don't see the point in premade themes. A website should be designed specifically around its needs and purpose. You shouldn't settle for the nicest premade theme you can find, not even if they're premium. Get something well thought of that serves your content as great as possible. Customizing a premade theme doesn't quite cut it either. It's an improvement, but you're still accepting some of the design decisions the author made (possibly not suited for your website).
Ah, alright, thanks for explaining it, makes a lot more sense now. I definitely agree that just slapping a basic theme on your forum without changing anything isn't the way to go (Though I did it with WD, not that it's an easy niche to customize a design for).
(2012-09-15, 10:56 PM)Fábio Maia Wrote: [ -> ]I just don't see the point in premade themes. A website should be designed specifically around its needs and purpose. You shouldn't settle for the nicest premade theme you can find, not even if they're premium. Get something well thought of that serves your content as great as possible. Customizing a premade theme doesn't quite cut it either. It's an improvement, but you're still accepting some of the design decisions the author made (possibly not suited for your website).
Assuming that people have the cash to purchase a custom theme is pretty flippant of you. Just saying.
Personally, I think that in the grand scheme of things, the theme is one of the things that catches the users eye and makes them stop. It's sort of like when you are looking at books, you judge them alot on how their cover looks. Personally, I think as long as the theme is aesthetically appealing, it doesn't really matter. After that, it becomes an issue of reeling people in with that first snippet of content that they see.
In regards to overused themes, I think its kinda stupid to label a theme as "overused" because of the reasons you provided. Continuing that line of thought, I think one of the best things you can do to offset that mentality is to customize it, either in house or out of house (depending on the circumstances).
You shouldn't run a serious website (note the serious) if you're not willing to invest some money into it. If you don't then your site is destined to fail and therefore choosing a premade theme or not is irrelevant. Again, note the serious. I'm not talking about the average beginner that wants to create a gaming forum on a free subdomain hosted on free web hosting that uses Apart as a theme. I started off just like that, with no money and no real understanding of how to create a successful website. In the end these are actually the sites that make up the notion of an "overused" theme.
