Since we are trying to plug Bowlingchat.net with this, lets talk some about what is wrong with THAT site. As someone who does this sort of work for a living, let me give you folks at Bowling Chat a few pointers.
1. If you want to have people enjoy reading your site, don't use the dark background with the eye searing bright green text. That crap just gives people a headache. Notice how this site has a simple, easy to read format? Take the lesson from the designer of this site, simple and clean is always better.
2. This is a mistake a LOT of amature website designers make, more color is NOT better. Knock it off with the rainbow effect with the color coded names, labels and box frames. And the next time you feel the need to color code a text entry box with a really bright noticeable color (such as bright red), check yourself. Limit your color palette to 3 or 4 BASIC colors, pastels work nicely. Fluorescent Green is always a mistake. Just don't do it.
3. Stop it with the "Open in new page" redirects. Use a pop-up screen like the designer here does. It will use less resources for the end user.
Now, for a few good things about your site. The sorting and filtering options are a nice touch. The ability to see who is viewing the current topic is nice as well. Otherwise, the site is a classic lesson in how it shouldn't be done.
