benevolent001
msg:3881281 | 7:03 pm on Mar 29, 2009 (gmt 0) |
Hello Kangaroolegs , welcome to WebmasterWorld Its great you purchased domain , if you want to start forum now you read about free forum scripts like phpbb , smf etc then you can buy some space to start your website.
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Karma
msg:3881682 | 2:44 pm on Mar 30, 2009 (gmt 0) |
Welcome :) In a nut-shell... You'll first want to find out which forum script you want to use (I like SMF but phpBB is a good one to start with). Take a look at their sites as they have live demos. Once you know which one you want to use, I suggest you get yourself some hosting (one that supports PHP and a MySQL database). Once you have the hosting, you'll want your hosting control panel and FTP address/username and password. Log in to your hosting control panel and create a MySQL database and note the username/password. Download the forum script and upload to your hosting, then access the forum setup address in your browser. Fill in the required info and you're pretty much done. Best of luck :)
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wheel
msg:3881904 | 7:36 pm on Mar 30, 2009 (gmt 0) |
As above, but go get vbulletin instead of what they suggested. And seriously, count on 2 years of your posting to a blank page without anyone else helping out. I find forums take about that long before there is enough people posting for it to be self sufficient. if you think you'll have regular members posting away in six months, you'll be disappointed in six months.
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Asia_Expat
msg:3881929 | 8:18 pm on Mar 30, 2009 (gmt 0) |
My vote goes to IPB... version three is being released soon and I've seen the beta... they've seo'd it pretty well and it ships with url rewriting i.e. no need for third party hacks.
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g1smd
msg:3884256 | 6:28 pm on Apr 2, 2009 (gmt 0) |
The advice from wheel is spot on. You'll need to be on your forum for many hours every day to build it up. That will likely take several years - and may never happen if there are other sites already covering the same topic.
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Karma
msg:3884266 | 6:45 pm on Apr 2, 2009 (gmt 0) |
Forming a forum community isn't that hard if it's properly and well promoted but as above, it's really not a case of just putting it out there.
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dailypress
msg:3885067 | 7:34 pm on Apr 3, 2009 (gmt 0) |
I would suggest checking out vbulletin
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Asia_Expat
msg:3886970 | 8:16 am on Apr 7, 2009 (gmt 0) |
I've been at it for four years now... and it only just beginning to self perpetuate (I know this because I'm on a month long holiday and forcing myself to stay away from the website... but it's keeping itself alive (just)).
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dailypress
msg:3888559 | 12:21 am on Apr 9, 2009 (gmt 0) |
| And seriously, count on 2 years of your posting to a blank page without anyone else helping out |
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Ive had my forum for a few months now and I agree. Its very difficult to persuade even your best friends to post! Write some good content until you get some search engine traffic.
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tangor
msg:3888636 | 3:03 am on Apr 9, 2009 (gmt 0) |
All the above apply. There is, however, the "star factor" which needs to be included. Is the proposed forum a grip for the general audience? Rusty Red Widgets might not have the same allure as Bright Shiny Widgets. Even in niche markets if your forum speaks to some you'll get participation, but it will take several to six months. Get a half dozen posting (and you bouncing off each of those) you'll get the back content necessary for the search engines to spread news you exist. It is a matter of time and perseverance.
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