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Hope this is the right place for this?

I'm hoping for some suggestion for sites whereby I can create a free forum/message board, web-based without requiring computer downloads.

I have an apartment in a problematic building, and there's a general feeling that residents are upset and worried, but too fearful to speak up. A forum/message board might be perfect to give people a chance to discover if they have like-minded neighbors, and might be a first step to solving problems. Unfortunately, I'm not knowledgeable about the internet, and actually don't even have my own computer. (Embarrassing to admit.)

I'm hoping that you experts might provide a few bits of information. I know there are various sites that host boards for free, but I gather that those are to hook up to an existing website and require that the administrator has his/her own computer. Are there any places offering message boards that are web-based, in the sense that I can manage it from public computers (at a library or internet cafe)?

I think we'd need something fairly simple - 5 or 6 forums to be used by maybe 40-90 people. However, I don't want anything like the Yahoo groups options, which I find limited and unattractve. I'm hoping for something with a layout comparable to phpbb, with as few ads as possible, and something that provides serious anonymity, so that people (including me!) won't be paranoid about building management harassing them.

Any suggestions would be gratefully explored. But keep in mind that I'm a novice, so please go easy on jargon!

:cheesy:

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A short, practical update to the original suggestions from , with modern, low‑tech options and privacy cautions.

If no personal computer is available, the simplest route is a fully hosted forum service: these are managed entirely in a browser (no local installs) and are set up in minutes so administration can be done from a library or Internet cafe. Hosted providers now advertise “remotely hosted / no downloads” admin panels and built‑in moderation tools. ProBoards and other hosted services follow this model. (proboards.com)

Tradeoffs: free hosted forums are normally ad‑supported and limit certain customizations; most offer paid “ad‑free” upgrades and extra features if needed. For a small apartment community (40–90 people), a freemium message‑board or a free groups service with a low member cap can be enough — but always check the host’s moderation and privacy settings before committing. (proboards.com)

Anonymity and safety: use an anonymous or privacy‑focused email account for registration (for example, Proton’s free email allows signups without personal details), avoid posting names or flat numbers, and prefer moderated signups so posts appear only after approval. For stronger IP‑level privacy when registering or posting from public machines, follow Tor/EFF guidance (download Tor only from the Tor Project and use the EFF “Surveillance Self‑Defense” tips). These steps won’t guarantee absolute anonymity, but they greatly reduce casual tracking. (proton.me)

Quick checklist tied to earlier advice from and : 1) pick a hosted forum (browser admin) or ask a small host for a free PHP/MySQL account if deeper control is needed; 2) create a privacy email and register the admin account from a public PC or Tor; 3) set registrations to “approval only” and disable public member lists; 4) recruit one trusted neighbor as a co‑admin to handle occasional tech issues. For most apartment groups this yields a fast, low‑cost, reasonably private forum without any software installs. (proboards.com)

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Member Avatar for webecedarian

Omigod! Is cscgal Dani herself? I got a reply from The Great Dani!?! I'm stunned. And humbled.

However, that said, I appreciated the suggestion, but I notice that the person on the earlier thread didn't get any helpful replies.

Myindya, that's a great listof sites, but what I'd love to know is whether you have had any experience with any of them, any preferences, any sense of things that would make them better or worse choices. Any opinions on that score?

Member Avatar for Dani

Hehe! :) To be honest, what I would do is browse our web hosting offers and web hosting requests forums. (You'll find them at http://www.daniweb.com/techtalkforums/forum33.html) If you could find a small to mid-sized web hosting company, and explain to them your situation, many of them might be more than willing to give you a free account in exchange for a link back or something small. It's good publicity for them to instantly reach to everyone in a building. Just make sure that the account comes with PHP/MySQL support. If it does, it doesn't take very much work to then download phpBB from www.phpbb.com and install it. In the long run, this will also give you much more freedom to configure the site should you so desire.

Member Avatar for webecedarian

Unfortunately, Cscgal, as I mentioned, I don't have my own computer to use so ... nothing to download with. :sad:

However, I'm intrigued at the idea of having a discussion with the host company to work something out. On some of the sites I've looked at, they seem to be hiding from the public, so I didn't know how much of an exchange would be possible. In the same way, I don't know how to determine which would be small companies, or which companies have been around for awhile, as opposed to new arrivals. I wish they'd all provide a bit more information. Sorry I haven't picked up more replies from members here so far.

Hey, why do the outside smilies for post icons never match the inside smilies?

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