[ufmace]

I have to agree with that. There's real value in going to one site to see all of your threads and replies on 20 topics, rather than going to 20 different sites. Plus, the sheer size of the site and core quality of their engine makes it possible for lots of relatively tiny communities to thrive that are too small, devoid of tech skill, and undercapitalized to create forums of their own.

As for the ugly, I think it looks fine. At least, I'd rather have it be a bit on the plain side than have megabytes of garish colors everywhere like a 2003 Myspace page that takes 30 seconds for each page to load.