I've spent a lot of time over the past three years on three different Honda/Acura boards that are very similar to this one.

Sal, you might want to lurk on http://www.preludeonline.com
It's a much younger group of members, but the layout and ideas are very good. It's been up (in its current form) for a little over a year now. It's evolved into a pretty solid board, although the under-21 crowd can get a little annoying at times. Other boards with similar subject matter are Honda-Acura.net, Honda-Tech.com, and HondaPrelude.com.

The potential for building a cyber-community of car owners with similar interests and experiences is just as good for a Cadillac board. One of the most active sections was simply entitled "Off-Topic" and it helped keep the other sections of the forum a lot cleaner. Moderators have the authority to move threads to Off-Topic if they didn't fit where they were originally posted. A lot of times they get moved AND locked.

Also helpful is a FAQ section where members posted step-by-step instructions and photos of some of the custom enhancements they performed on their cars.

Good luck with this board. It's already off to a great start.

Thanks, Elvis! Okay.. So what do you like best about their layout?

I agree that this place has the potential of becoming really big - and I intend on that happening... We do have an off-topic area.. Could it be labeled better?

As for the FAQ section.. That might be a good idea.. I mean, there are some FAQ links here and there - but maybe a section dedicated entirely to it.. At the moment, I'm trying to keep the number of individual forums to a minimum - it's best for the infancy of an online community.. But, we will be growing...

Thank you!

Sal

I agree, keep it simple here until you get the growth you want.

The Off-Topic idea may become necessary when people get to know each other better, and when there are more members checking in every day.

Of course, the average age here will probably be higher. The more mature a group is, the less need there is for clean-up. Some of the kids over at the site I mentioned seem to have nothing better to do than make up kill stories and post suggestive pictures. They usually get run off quickly.

I hear that. We'll certainly have a much more mature audience here. I really think this is going to be great... As for layout.. Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Sal

I think the current layout is pretty solid. You did an excelent job and i thank you for creating a such site for us cad owners.

I agree with :devil: . This site came up just when I needed it.BTW This is one of the best layouts I've seen anywhere. Hell even the colors are easy on the eyes.

Cool. Thank you. :) I'm always looking for ways to improve, though. So don't feel bad to tell me something doesn't look right...

Is there anyway you could set up some sort of live chat area?

I'm new to this stuff (message boards, etc.) but like what you have done. It's well organized, easy to navigate and fairly user-friendly. As I check out other boards, maybe I can generate an idea or two.

PS - I like the comment about "a mature audience"...I fit that description!

Thank you, JerseyMan! I appreciate your kind words. "fairly user-friendly" is pretty good for someone new to message boards. But if you have any ideas on how to make the site easier to use, let me know. If you happen to have suggestions on how to make these forums easier to use, I will certainly forward your suggestions to the makers of the software - Jelsoft...

Welcome aboard! And thank you for signing up...