how do imake one ? i neefd good programs

Dani AI

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A short, practical primer to fill gaps in the thread and make the project usable long-term. The replies already cover the basic choices; the notes below tighten that into an action list and flag the common maintenance and safety items that beginners often miss. Mentions tie back to earlier suggestions from , and the edit-reminder from .

  • Pick hosted vs self-hosted first. Hosted services reduce server ops and maintenance; self-hosting gives more control and lower long-term platform-costs for large sites. See a short comparison of cloud vs on-premises tradeoffs. (). ()

  • Register a domain and choose a platform that meets the desired moderation, theming and plugin needs (start simple; avoid over-customizing until traffic justifies it).

  • Always enable HTTPS for logins and form submissions; certificates are free and automation makes this low-effort. (Why use HTTPS). (letsencrypt.org)

  • Implement automated backups and test restores on a schedule. Backups should include both the database and uploaded files; test a full restore occasionally. (MySQL backup best practices). (percona.com)

  • Keep forum software and plugins up to date; outdated components are a common attack vector. Automate updates where safe and monitor security advisories. (Outdated-software risks and guidance). (owasp.org)

  • Add spam defenses (email verification, captchas, blocklists) and rate-limits on new accounts to reduce bot signups. Official developer guidance for common captcha solutions is here. (reCAPTCHA developer guide). (developers.google.com)

Practical housekeeping: seed the forum with a handful of useful threads before inviting people; write clear posting and moderation rules; appoint at least one trusted moderator; log actions (moderation, backups, and updates). For a logo, keep it simple and scalable (think readable at favicon size), provide both PNG and vector formats, and avoid busy text overlays.

Notes: the thread already shows early steps (a hosted forum was created by ); the next priorities are security, backups, spam control and a small moderation plan so the site stays usable as traffic grows.

Recommended Answers

All 24 Replies

Do you mean forum? I don't know what a furom is. :cool: If it's a forum, then do you want to create one from scratch or use premade ones? Let me know. Both require a little know how, but setting up a premade one is easier.

yes i spelled it wrong,,, can u help

You can get a "remotely hosted" forum (things like proboard or ezboard). Or, you can download free (or paid) forum software and install it yourself on your own webspace. If it is a flat files forum, you will only need PHP, but most forums require some form of Database environment (usually MySQL). So, your host will also have to have MySQL installed. If your host doesn't meet those, I recommend googling for a remotely hosted forum.

if you really cant spell forum. and you DONT know what one is i wouldnt suggest trying to run one yet

I don't know about that Faranth. You can run a forum without knowing how to spell the word ;) roberdin is constantly making fun of me for using "forums" as opposed to "fora"

Is the plural really fora?

there is a thread on vBulletin.com about it

Check Websters ;D it says Forums is proper

Fora also refers to plants :)

please dont tripple post there is a EDIT BUTTON learn to use it please :)

i will use it forgot but were can i find tools for forum

i really dont like using proboards because of there ads, i'd much rather get a nice one like phpBB, if you cant install it or set it up, get a free hosted one from , they set it up for you and they have no pop-ups OR ads. i use them

were can i get tools
it say this You need to be approved to geta free forum by a Moderator. The reason for this can be because of some posts you may of sent or your attitude to the Website. [img][/img][img][/img][img][/img]

You can get free hosted Ikonboards at http://www.myikonboard.com/

Might suit you I used to use ikonboard on my own server and it wasn't bad.

soory problem fix now i need just any good tools and i want anybody to help me and join ill put site later
vbmenu_register("postmenu_13900", true);

Fora also refers to plants :)

isnt that flora ?

Flora is also correct :)

I think you mean fauna. Flora and fauna.

Hi there,

You have a nice question. Having a forum as a web site or as part of your total web site is a great idea to get customers or friends to return to your site. It drives instant traffic and results in a more active web site with more up to date content.

When you go pick a specific road to take your next step to enhance your site, think about what you know, what you want to learn. How much control you want and compare that against the costs and budget that you have.

Make a small list of major features that you'd like to see in the forum software and from that result, compare hosting specifications against the requirements of those forums that are left over. Of course, as mentioned earlier in this thread, you could decide to take a remote hosted forum. But for some reason I never really get provoked to sign up on those high-level spam/advertisement sites where the staff have almost no control over. I would advice investing into getting control yourself, and an additional administrator and staff to help you gets things started and keep things going.

Your choices would be shared hosting (cheapest: where you share 1 server with more clients and you get your own account). Managed hosting (more expansive, then you hire a server which is semi dedicated and others do stuff for you. But it is more expansive). Dedicated hosting (almost the same price level as managed hosting, and handy for big sites where you require more space, traffic and control over the server resources: You will be the only one on that whole server, no sharing resources). And finally co-location (you pay for the hardware, the software and licenses and get 100% control over your own stuff in some hosting company: Most costs go in here).

Since you are starting up, I advice shared hosting, with support for linux / apache / php and mysql / ftp and a control panel like cpanel or plesk if they don't support telnet/ssh (shell access).

If you can't afford a forum software license, like for IPB or vBulletin, then I advice browsing some freeware forums like phpBB or OpenBB .. but you might find out that investing into a license with proper support, completed features and quality developers will result in a more stable web site and less problems. My personal fav is vBulletin (but then again, I have vBulletin.nl for a reason).

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask. Hopefully my little step-in-to-forums guide to get you started finding some info over google might help.

commented: Informative post which got the topic back on track +36
commented: Nicely Done :) +36

nice explanation floris ;)

Faranth said fora refers to plants. But it doesn't - Flora does. I think he got confused cuz a lot of people refer to nature as "flora and fauna" for plans 'n' animals.

In any case, let's try to keep this thread on topic.

If you have a domain name, you can always download free software that can be found when doing a search on google.com. Or, a lot of web hosts offer forum installation with accounts, very commonly used forum software is PhPBB

there is a thread on vBulletin.com about it

Check Websters ;D it says Forums is proper

Fora also refers to plants :)

Fora doesn't refer to plants; that would be "flora"... :rolleyes:
"Fora" can be used as plural for forum, though, if you want to be pedantic about it.

Thank you for draging up an age old thread.

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