When you come to the homepage, as a newbie would do, there's no easy way to reach the forum. There is a forum link on the left, which is the first thing a sensible person will click when looking for a forum, but that doesn't work (ioi confirmed this).

- There is a forum tab smack dab in the middle of the header on the front page. When you drag over it, you can choose specifically where in the forums you would like to go. Newbies should be able to figure out how that works as long as they aren't completely unfamiliar with the internet.

The top menu is the only real way to get around the site. Unfortunatly again, most casuals or newbies would not ever even scroll their mouse over that area, so would never see the submenus, and probably just leave the site. Heck, it puzzled me for a bit at first.

- Like I said, unless the Newbies are unfamiliar with the internet in general, they should be just fine with the navigation of the top bar.

And the top menu forum link, which mot people looking for a forum will click, doesn't work either. It only brings up the submenu, then requiring you to slide your mouse down to reach, again, far too tricky for most casuals.

- I won't reiterate again...

I have a hard time describing why. but it's just terrible. The top level forum links need to be fixed, and frankly the whole top menu system should be junked imo. Standard fixed links should be placed instead imo.

- And again...

Also, one should be able to easily scan the whole forum index rather than having to choose to go to a subforum from the start because no link that says "forum" actually works. Kind of a real basic flaw.

- This isn't realy a "flaw" as you put it, but it wouldn't hurt if it was added so I'm for it.

I notice this site should be a LOT more popular than it is imo. It's alwas about 90 registered users and 600 browsers. For the most popular site that deals in game sales it should be exploded far beyond that popularity. I believe the difficult menu system and non working links are why. If one is a regular and willing to put up with a lot of crap, the forums can be navigated. However, a lot of work is necessary to do it, and casuals will leave this site faster than you can blink. I dont think it's an accident most of the posters are the same core group.

- The traffic is quite healthy here. Sometimes we've had so much that the servers went down (although most of those times were courteousy of digg).

Of course, every website is looking for means of expansion and getting their names out there, but I do not think the reasons you listed are of any matter. They seem quite trivial in fact. Any one who is interested in the slightest will be able to figure these things out on their own. It's nowhere near difficult.

The main problem that I've been noticing/hearing from other forums are about "trust". A lot of people still don't trust these numbers and stick to the NDP figures (while some even foolishly cling to NexGenWars...). Interestingly enough, NPD and VGChartz seem to be quite close and NGW's seems to be just mimicking both factions at this point, it almost doesn't matter whose numbers you follow.

I have a feeling that in due time, as VGChartz gets older and it's name gets out there in News blocks and articles more and more often, traffic will enevitabley pick up, and all worries will be washed away.