You might be interested in PHPBB Fully modded, as seen at http://support.phpbbfm.net/index_fm.php. It comes with a bunch of mods (hacks) already installed, so it might save you lots of time.

I'll...

Dani has mentioned to me that AdWords has really spurred growth on Daniweb. Personally, I have not had quite as much luck with my own sites -- but if you have a budget, its worth a shot!

It also says if somebody bans you from a site, you shouldn't re-register via a proxy. ;)

I've moderated at quite a few forums -- including this one -- and I've really seen the need to enforce the rules. Without consequences, everybody would be 'spamvertising' threads with their own URLs,...

What if the members cause chaos on your forum? Isn't it worth taking a hit of a few members each month to make the community as a whole happy?

How do you find a moderator for your community? Do you pay moderators? Do you reward frequent posters with the title? How much power do you give mods?

Moderators can make for break a forum -- if...

I presume you mean an unlicensed version? What actions did Jelsoft take? :(

Negative ;)

Many forums face spamvertising tactics from other forums and communities, looking to steal members. Do you think it is a good idea to ban links to other BBs and communities in threads and site...

From my experience, as a generalization (although there are certainly exceptions) vBulletin comes off as much more professional.

Here is exactly why -- Money tends to screen out the newbies and...

I was wondering: what would you think the worst way to promote a community is?

Obviously spamming is --- but what else is something bad to do? Giving away prizes for the biggest posters?...

Good luck with your venture, though I'd recommend vBulletin if you're looking for something professional.

You'll probably need to do some advertising, either paid for free advertising.

Do you think its a good idea to run advertisements on your own forum site to make a profit?

Clearly the only way a website can survive is with a revenue source, but how far should individuals go...

I don't think Daniweb has this feature enabled, but vB3 comes with a feature that allows users to upload a profile picture.

This picture is only seen when a visitor clicks on the users profile,...

I realize you might be on a tight budget, but in reality, starting a website isn't as expensive as it seems.

Try and produce $60.


4$/mo - 48$ a year

8.88 - Domain name, 1 year
...

I think I'm going to run over to my site and customize the emails. My only concern is that individuals might mistake customized emails as spam, since they're probably expecting the default vB emails....

Its important to remember that just like any venture, advertising is key to promoting it to large scale proportions.

Keep in mind though, the best advertising is not always the paid stuff.
...

I agree completely --

Proving yourself to be a diligent responsible, and respected member of ANY community will attract visitors to your profile links, and as an owner of a community myself, I...

I always tell newbies one key word: Unique.

What makes your site unique? Does it have a catchy name? A nice forum skin? Interesting people? Etc...

Sit down at your kitchen table and write...