Setting up a forum

Fanny Cradock

I'm toying with the idea of setting up a forum, and I'm looking for some info on what to expect with regards to the basic requirements. There are a couple questions below, but please feel free to fire any info or experiences at me beyond these.

I would be leaning towards Vbulletin over rivals like phpBB because of it's functionality, but how easy would this package be to set-up, run and maintain for a novice?

Also, I expect that hosting would be a requirement. Again, would there be any specialist knowledge needed to run the forum off it?

Thanks

Nerin

http://www.softcoded.com/web_design/phpBB_forum.php

the above link claims its easy, but so did wordpress, and i required a good samaritan to help me with my site.

whizgremlin

hi craddock,

I also toyed with the idea of using vbulletin, but for a free alternative and completely easy to set up even for a notice I would recommend myBB

URL: http://www.mybboard.net/

There is also a community forum on their site with loads of tutorials and help, just a suggestion that you should also consider this option, I have never looked back!

Fanny Cradock

Cheers guys.

I've considered using phpBB, but at the moment vBulletin is leading by a nose. Still, it is an option worth investigating. At the moment I'm really just looking at what I would need to get any forum software up and running. The link Nerin kindly provided seems to suggest it's relatively easy.

I may post on the vbulletin/ phpBB forum and see if I can get some more details. But please feel free to post any other thoughts.

none

I presume you only look into PHP options? I don't know PHP so I went with ASP boards. Tried Snitz and WebWiz and ended with MegaBBS which is quite easy to setup and configure. Again, this might be of no use if you're OK with PHP but there are non-PHP options too

bp1989

SMF (simple machines) are a great free alternative. PHPbb has some huge security flaws. As does mybb. SMF has a huge user base and loads of mods are available. And the best part: it's free!

TomCullen

www.freeforums.org pretty much sets it all up for u

The_B_Man

i set up a forum to learn about SEO and stuff. I went for phpBB3 basically coz it was free. As I was only really setting it up as a hobby, i figured no point breaking the bank.

phpBB3 has been grand. Coz its open source, it has all the features of vBulletin through user submitted addons. You can even get a theme that gives you the same colours and stuff.

But in terms of setup, i reckon phpBB3 is easier than vBulletin. thats based on my very little experience of setting up vBulletin (think i tried it once a few years ago).

for phpBB3, u upload the files to yoursite.com, then open ur browser to yoursite.com, and just keep clicking next! thats it. takes about a minute and a half tops!

if you're interested in playing with one, you can help me with mine (in sig). Its getting a bit quiet now so i need more users to keep it going. I'll make you an admin even (if ya can get me more users ) so you can play about with phpBB3. If you dont like it then at least you've seen it, then you can move onto vBulletin.

vbulletin does seem more solid though, but i suppose thats coz it costs over 100 euro.

I've usedr other forums like InVision i think it was called. Its not great but has a good few enhancements. I'd say stick with either phpBB3 or vBulletin though. definately the best 2.

UhLukas100

and I Quote go to the following link to literally Build a forum
https://www.boards.ie/categories/forum-requests The Forum Requests Forum is the Proper Forum to Make a forum but ultimately please make sure that you have met the requirements to actually make a forum!

Thank You For Creating A Post at [Boards.ie](https://boards.ie)

From my experience when requesting a forum I got told that I do not meet the requirement as a restriction so maybe you should check your profile & learn from my mistake of making a forum thanks!

WARNING: this post by @UhLukas100 Is Not a Moderator or Boards.ie employee thanks