Can a forum have too many subforums?

[Ravenfreak]

Do you believe that a forum can have too many subforums? I believe so, if there's too many sections to navigate a forum it can be cluttered. Though I also feel that having not enough sections can be a bit off putting as well. There is a perfect balance somewhere, I say depending on the niche having around 10 or 11 sub forums might be okay. Any more than that then it's a bit excessive.

 

[Shortie]

Yes, I do feel that if you over do sub forums it can make the forum feel way too over cluttered and can be off putting to people who come along and view your forum. As you say having too few sections can also have the same affect and people can find that off putting as well. It's about finding the right balance of both so you don't over clutter the main page but so that you have enough areas that people will show interest in.

 

[MisterBobbyPin]

I've seen it happen before. It easily happens when you try to include everything instead of focus on a specific few things. Which quickly leads to a confusing layout.

 

[Cory]

I think it can indeed have a disorganized impact on the overall board and make it seem cluttered, but then again subforums aren’t as bad as sub-subforums and beyond that, which make it especially hard to navigate the board and get lost in its cluttered-ness.

 

[ZandraJoi]

When a forum is just starting out, I do believe there can be too many. It makes the forum appear less active which is not good for drawing in members. I added in some as my forum grew. i.e. I used to just have it be Pets & Animals. But now I have it divided. Not as congested that way.

 

[Heatman]

I'm of the opinion in this one that it's too much work to have too many sections in your forum. It's going to make it too much chore for members to navigate all sections.
You can have too much sections as much as you want in your forum but the question is whether it's going to be beneficial to your forum's growth or will it make members lose interest too quickly?