I can move the Shoutbox below the content but that would be bad IMHO

I don't think we need a shoutbox on the downloads page, if it's removable.

Wondered what you were talking about with the shoutbox above everything. Seems you're on the downloads page. On the home page, the shoutbox is below the forums. Which is fine.

Moved latest downloads to the right side below user info. Checked and there's no way to change the character limit for Shoutbox.

I meant to say "upper right," obviously. Also sucks that the shoutbox only holds a few messages and can't be scrolled to see older ones. Gotta click the "archives." Boo.

This now sits in the header panel so is it is visible before all content (so even shows above downloads etc) which isn't ideal but it is set at 5 visible posts so won't get bigger than it is

Also, the shoutbox has a pretty limited max character allowance. I couldn't put the previous two shouts in a single message. No big deal, I guess.

That way it could be seen without having to scroll down.

See if you can't move the "Latest Downloads" sidebar currently on the left of the shoutbox over to the right side directly underneath the user profile box on the upper left.

Dunno!! Been too busy scanning mags. But the Shoutbox was scrunched up on the sidebar and was bugging me so I thought it worth trying something new to see if it made a difference