How do I get a Forum going?

[MorseLady]

I run a number of Yahoo Groups for my fellow radio amateurs and find Yahoo rather limiting. I wondered how much expertise is required to run a Forum on the lines of Windrivers and if it costs anything and if so how much?

My level of expertise or lack of is well documented on here ie hobby webmaster, candidate/student for MCSA on Server 2003 and done old A plus and doing new A plus soon. Do I have enough to administer a group like this?

[NooNoo]

Well, if you have broadband you could run your own webserver - but check with your isp about their policy on running servers....

You need some webspace... a domain name is optional if you are using your isp's freebie webspace, then depending on the services offered on the webspace you will need a bulletin board package like this one.

Bandwidth would not be much - but you have to keep a close eye on it.

How are you on html and php coding?

[Mayet]

It is easy, many paid for hosts have a phpbb already built into the control panel
http://www.2globalmart.com is one such host. You just need sql for most which once again most hosts have got built in. Snitz is a free forum that is used with .asp if you haven't got php available.

I use invisionboard, instead of the phpbb, it has a free trial version but i think it is a paid program now although there is older free versions floating around. I find the invisionboard to have everything I need.

They set up easily with their own wizard, you just have to fill in the names and so on and it sets up. Then you go to the control panel and create the forums and users groups and so on.

They are simple to administer. All self explantory. Included is text file instructions that even I could follow with no issues on how to upload via ftp and what permissions to change and what files to delete.

The invisionboard has loads of extras and plugins, you can skin it, upload emoticons and avatars and generally have a great time making it your own.
Check the link in my sig, it takes you to one invisionboard forum that I have created and modifyed. Even with invisionboard being paid sub now, it is well worth the perpetual licence after trialling a download. Its less than 200 dollars for a permanent licence and 69 a year if you go in single years.

http://www.invisionboard.com/
http://forum.snitz.com/
http://www.phpbb2.de/dload.php

[WebHead]

Get hosting with hostrocket.com. They have 1337 phpbb forums built in and it's only like 6 bucks p/month for everything.

[Mayet]

$29.90 a year on 2globalmart for everything...........including the built in phpbb2.

But having said that I still prefer invisionboard and place that on my 2globalmart accounts and leave the phpbb2 unconfigured. I have used the phpBB2 for some clients but I find it limiting.
Overall the administration abilities of invisionboard rock over the phpBB2.

[WebHead]

$29.90 a year on 2globalmart for everything...........including the built in phpbb2.

But having said that I still prefer invisionboard and place that on my 2globalmart accounts and leave the phpbb2 unconfigured. I have used the phpBB2 for some clients but I find it limiting.
Overall the administration abilities of invisionboard rock over the phpBB2.

$29.90 for the whole year? Is that a special offer? It shows that price as per month on their website: http://www.2globalmart.com/

EDIT:
Oh,.. nevermind. I found it. But that's for the 150mb plan. With hostrocket, I get around 2gb of storage, 75gb of traffic, 2 domain names, tons of email addy's for 10 bucks p/month. Cost/Benefit.

[Mayet]

you dont need 2 gbs of storage though and the plans on 2global are great, unix based full of extras the 59.90 a year has unlimited emails and two domains

[WebHead]

you dont need 2 gbs of storage though and the plans on 2global are great, unix based full of extras the 59.90 a year has unlimited emails and two domains

Perhaps,.. but 150mb is not very much. I have more than that on my usb key.

Also,.. pretty much all hosting is Unix based. Yes,.. even Windows servers are Unix based. Just run the command prompt and it will tell you so.

However,.. If I needed to host a .NET site, then I'd prolly go with 2global. Hostrocket doesn't do Win2K servers with ASP support unfortunately. They are mostly Linux based servers (great for open source apps).

[Mayet]

I have heard good reports about hostrocket especially there uptime. 2global is a host I stick with only because I have been with them so long, they do what I need, help me in my blonde moments and are still very competitive pricewise.

I know Cobra was with them a few years ago but changed because of their uptime outages and site reliability. That has improved dramatically over the last year so I don't have any problems with them now.

I also like h-sphere, the control panel program they use, its easy to navigate, nice graphical interfece.... hey come on I am a girl after all, I like the pretty colours.. and the extras are great. Shopping carts, trackers, free search engines and all that. Hostrocket seems to have similiar, What control panel program do they run and is it easy to use?


I also go with 2global for customers sites because of the profit margin here in Australia. Local hosting and bandwidth is expensive. For 29.90 a year a small business or small community website doesn't need any special doodads or heaps of space. I can make a large profit on that in residual income that keeps turning over without me doing to much, freeing me up to concentrate on catching up education on servicing and builds to the last year I missed being out of the business so to speak.