WashingtonBOY!!!!

[Country Girl 43]

Your wifey said I could ask you some questions about the forum set up...:)

I want to get a local forum here and I really like the set up of this one. So my questions are...

1) How hard is it to get up and running with this software?

2) Is it hard to keep it up and running? How much time daily do I need to commit?

3) Can it be made a Private Forum? Meaning that you have to sign up first before you can view the forum?

4) I am assuming I have to get a Domain name and a Web Hosting service?

5) If I send you a link to another Forum provider could you let me know if it is really FREE as it mentions?

Sorry, I don't know anything about hosting a forum and I need to know HOW difficult it will be..:huh:

Thanks for any help you can give me....

[WashingtonBoy]

1) How hard is it to get up and running with this software?The primary things you will need to know is how to upload files to a server via FTP, and how to create a database. The hardest and most time consuming part comes after the installation... setting up the forum structure and configuring everything. The administration area has many many pages of options and settings, so it can be quite daunting and overwhelming at first.2) Is it hard to keep it up and running? How much time daily do I need to commit?Once the preliminary setup and configuration are done, it shouldn't take too much. For about the first month, I spent about an hour a day, more on the weekends, checking over the configuration options, customizing the interface, testing and installing various addons, etc. Since then, it's been about an hour or two a week.3) Can it be made a Private Forum? Meaning that you have to sign up first before you can view the forum?Yes, that is an option. You can make certain subforums, or the entire forum, viewable only by registered members.4) I am assuming I have to get a Domain name and a Web Hosting service?Yes. I believe there are sites where you can set up your own forum without hosting or a domain name, but I don't have any experience with those.5) If I send you a link to another Forum provider could you let me know if it is really FREE as it mentions?Sure, I can take a look at it and see if I can tell. :)

This particular software, vBulletin (http://www.vbulletin.com/), costs about $180. There are also quite a few free forum software packages available, the most popular being phpBB (http://www.phpbb.com/).

[Country Girl 43]

Thanks Washington Boy....wow..it sounds difficult..

the other software is www.YaBBforum.com . I was looking through it and it has a lot of techincal talk but it also says it's FREE.

A appreciate your help. :)

[WashingtonBoy]

the other software is www.YaBBforum.com (http://www.YaBBforum.com) . I was looking through it and it has a lot of techincal talk but it also says it's FREE.I haven't heard of that particular software before, but it looks pretty nice. And yes, it is free. :)

[Country Girl 43]

Sorry to bother you again. Can you tell me what hosting service you use? I heard GoDaddy was pretty good, but I also saw others on the vBulletin site.

[WashingtonBay]

We use WestHost.com (http://www.westhost.com/)

[Country Girl 43]

One more question...I hope...

Do you have your regular website up too? Or did you just start the forum and will build your website around it?

My head is spinning with all the options and stuff..:crazy:

[WashingtonBay]

You mean the website for the stable? No - it's not up yet. We'll build the main website at the main address baywindfarm.com eventually with /forum being the forum, but right now, you end up here no matter what you type in. I think we also bought the .org variation and maybe a few of the others and for now, they all redirect here.

Unrelated, we also have a blog for our families to stay in touch and a couple of other small websites and I think he's moved everything over to Westhost.

We've sure been happy with their customer support. Although the forum has gone down a few times, they were real responsive with keeping us posted when it did, and getting it back up again, really quickly.

[Country Girl 43]

Well I guess they did get back to you quickly, as I never knew the forum has been down....LOL

Who were you using before westhost.com ?

[WashingtonBay]

I'm not sure. We started up with Westhost when we launched the forum and then moved our other stuff over. The web design firm hubby works for uses them for their sites as well.

[Country Girl 43]

The web design firm hubby works for uses them for their sites as well.

Ahhhh, well THAT explains why he's so handy! :)

[WashingtonBay]

Heh... yes, it would! :)

[gaited07]

Thank you CG, Very helpful;)