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Demontec

Demontec

Demontec

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Joined
3 Feb 2003
Posts
435
Hey.

I am looking for information on setting up a internet forum.

What sort of costs would be involved? What level of hosting package would I need for a 300 user internet forum?

What software is best and easiest to use?

Can I run the forum software that Overclockers run or is that really expensive?

I am basically after general information cause I am not entirely sure of the difficulty or essential things needed to run a internet forum
 
Well the software that runs this forum is called vBulletin available here. It's got a number of different licenses so you would have to see whats best for you.

I personally run a forum with Invision Powerboard available here. This is again not free so you have to choose a license. I've used it for a year now and have found it to be stable, secure and a breeze to configure to my needs.

If money is an issue then you can consider open source forums such as phpbb, punbb or Vanilla to name but a few.

The sort of hosting package you need will vary as it depends on what you're using the forum for. If there's going to be a lot of media on it then you'll need plenty of space (a few Gb maybe) and quite a bit of bandwidth. As a rule of thumb I always get slightly more than what I need just to be safe.

Actually installing a forum is quite easy, the time consuming part is configuring the software to your needs and setting up the forums and permissions etc etc.
 
Just get a hosting package with php, mysql ( most have this ) and as much bandwidth as you can afford, setting up a forum is simple, some hosting companies even have an easy to use control panel and you can set up if with a few clicks.

If you want to pay for a forum I would recommend Invision Powerboard, I know a lot of people who have moved away from vbulliten to Invision.

For a free forum my fav is smf http://www.simplemachines.org/
 
vBulletin is by far my favourite PHP based forum software. It shouldn't break the bank. Steer clear of PHPBB due to ongoing security issues.

With regard to hosting, some of the smaller forums we host use between 5GB to 10GB of data transfer per month. Budget for 500MB of diskspace. Don't go overboard to start with - you can always upgrade.

www.ochostreview.co.uk for a list of suitable hosts.

Good luck with your forum :).
 
Should be fine as it looks like they have php and mysql, not sure how much bandwidth a 300 user forum would use though. Once you get this just create a mysql database with the control panel they use then ftp the forum software to your account and you should be good to go :)
 
Most hosts (both of mine do) let you install forums with the click of a button, so if you get a host you may have a few ones you can easily try out first. although these will obviously just be free ones, it would make things easier if you want to test some out.
 
Chaos said:
Should be fine as it looks like they have php and mysql, not sure how much bandwidth a 300 user forum would use though.
Click to expand...

Do you mean 300 registered users, or 300 users online at any time? :)
 
Adz said:
vBulletin is by far my favourite PHP based forum software. It shouldn't break the bank. Steer clear of PHPBB due to ongoing security issues.

With regard to hosting, some of the smaller forums we host use between 5GB to 10GB of data transfer per month. Budget for 500MB of diskspace. Don't go overboard to start with - you can always upgrade.

www.ochostreview.co.uk for a list of suitable hosts.

Good luck with your forum :).
Click to expand...
I agree with Adz :)

I'd budget 400Mb disk space per half million posts, though this could vary lots depending on number of members, whether you allow hosted attachments, and so on.

In terms of bandwidth, I'd budget ~10Gb again depending on whether you have a simple skin, host images etc too, and so on.

In terms of forum software I'd go for vB. vB 3.5 absolutely rocks. IPB is nothing in comparison. And for a free forum, SMF is another popular option :)
 
Demontec said:
Hey.

I am looking for information on setting up a internet forum.

What sort of costs would be involved? What level of hosting package would I need for a 300 user internet forum?

What software is best and easiest to use?

Can I run the forum software that Overclockers run or is that really expensive?

I am basically after general information cause I am not entirely sure of the difficulty or essential things needed to run a internet forum
Click to expand...

vBulletin - £80. It's good, lots of nice features but you can get phpBB for free (www.phpbb.com)
Hosting - I'm not aloud to suggest the one I use here but look around on the net and you'll find some good deals on hosting packages.

Craig.
 
So long as you aren't involved with the host and will not receive any £££ for mentioning them, I don't believe there's any restrictions :)

Unless it's an adult host or a secret host, of course :D
 
Think about it for a second, does "unlimited everything for £6/year" sound like a sustainable business model to you? Their site is nasty and there is no address/telephone number.

One of 2 things will happen. They'll drop you from their servers when your forum starts using more CPU time than 50p/month affords you *or* they'll just get bored with hosting and pack up. I've seen it happen so many times.

On the plus side, it's only £6, you won't lose much - it depends how 'serious' your site is :).
 
hehe, ok point taken. I think the best one for me to go with the the £35 hosting option offered by tsohost.

Unless anyone can recommend another?

I presume that I can have a forum running on my webspace but also use some for hosting personal pics etc?
 
You won't go far wrong with TSO.

Demontec said:
I presume that I can have a forum running on my webspace but also use some for hosting personal pics etc?
Click to expand...

If you're buying webhosting then yes, you'll be able to host anything you like alongside your forum. That would only possibly change if you're buying dedicated 'forum hosting'.
 
Their is only one URL you need: http://www.vidahost.com/

These guys will customise everything for you and give you exactly what you need, and their prices are really cool. I got myself a Resller Package for a very good price and I'm sure they can be just as good to you ;).

The package for £35 can be beaten by a long shot if you go to VidaHost! :)

Phil.
 
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