Tipping My Hat

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When I first discovered MLP Forums in December, I was enthralled. The sheer beauty of the skin was unlike anything I'd previously seen on a forum. It featured both a playful personality, yet ultimate sophistication. I visited again a week or so later, and noticed the banner had changed. I assumed it was a weekly thing and suddenly found myself with the urge to see the succeeding week's banner. So, sure enough, the next week I was back to see the delectable digital treat in store for me. I was satisfied. After erratic strings of visits, I finally buckled down in April and decided to create an account, despite not being a fan of MLP:FiM.

 

I didn't post much; I just watched as the site slowly evolved and added on. I asked questions about how the site was created, and months later, I started to avidly post and was eventually sucked into the community. After being on here for eight months (four as a member), I can finally give my calculated opinions. Frankly, I see MLP Forums as the forum equivalent as Apple. We have our visionary, Feld0, his flawless design team, and the protective moderating team.

 

Time and time again, I find myself loving the whole MLP Forums experience. The pleasure I get out of composing a post creates a sort of aura; an aura of class, an aura of quality, an aura of sophistication. That feeling you get when you know you're using something that just feels good in the hands, like when you first pick up an iPhone. You can feel the materials it's constructed of and you know it's a great product. That's how it is on MLP Forums. The morals, methods, and aesthetics I've seen executed here on MLP Forums are nothing short of spectacular.

 

I've never seen such innovations as the CSS-layered/night controlled background. That initially stunned me and really is such a luxury that I'm grateful has been implemented. The header is gorgeous, with the continuous flow of weekly banners that also have a consistent standard of quality that really is addictive. It's like Lady Gaga; you just can't wait to see what she'll do next, and that's the same here. CSS is utilized so heavily on MLP Forums that it really begs the question why other forums don't do the same. The rounded bevels on the forums that add a splash of color to threads, the splendid-to-look-at category headers, and the refreshing navigation bar that alleviates space that stock-IPB takes up while simultaneously looking fabulous in doing so. Badges are another innovation that surprised the hell out of me, but once again begs the question: why is this not a commonality on forums? It really made me realize that all that information under avatars isn't needed when it can all be explained in one appetizing image. Finally, little things like the breadcrumbs navigation bar add aesthetic power to the overall experience; it's just a minor detail, but a detail that counts.

 

In conclusion, I'd like to tip my hat to Feld0, Kurtiss, and other personnel essential to the vision of MLP Forums. I'm particularly mesmerized by Feld0's leadership; I've never met someone who, while simultaneously juggling an academic career, has built such an innovative website so quickly. 4,000+ posts per day in ten months? That's nothing short of jaw dropping. The amount of features being released under him is amazing, really, and I truly admire the way that the staff controversy was handled. He is extremely articulate, more than I'd believed so. He piloted his way through the incident successfully, and I applaud him for that. All that being said, I am far more comfortable with the MLP Forums staff as long as Feld0 is at the helm.

 

Just thought I'd post my feedback!

Edited July 22, 2012 by Dylan

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Frankly, I see MLP Forums as the forum equivalent as Apple. We have our visionary, Feld0, his flawless design team, and the protective moderating team.

 

 

Thanks for the positive feedback Dylan! Glad to hear that the aesthetic qualities of the forums are to your liking; I know that when I first stumbled across the forums prior to their launch, it was the canon style art (originally designed by Grendo) and cleanly structured layout that caught my attention, and kept me here long enough for me to fall in love with the rest of the place. ^^

 

Feld0 placed allot of effort into maximising the emphasis on post content itself to prospective members (such as the removal of visible signatures and brohoof counts to guests), as well as removing any unnecessary clutter for those who register on the site, so it's much appreciated when people acknowledge such efforts.

 

We're always looking to improve upon the forums overall form and function where possible, so you can expect more positive changes to come.