Help building a site and forums

[bored911]

ok so i am an active member of an Xbox Live Clan (The Shadow Corporation), but I did not like how things were being handled to me and a few members are breaking off to form a new clan (invites are open to all macrumors members!). So now we need a new site. I have been put in charge of this because i have the most computer knowledge, but that's not saying much compared to you guys. Our old homepage was made with Joomla! (www.theshadowcorporation.net) and our forums with php.bb (i think).I know i could do the same thing, but i was wondering if you guys knew any good template sites where i could get a good homepage design, and where and how i can make the forums? Thanks a ton i really appreciate it!

[Trip.Tucker]

Stick with Joomla - it's a great CMS and run Fireboard as your forum engine. It's free and integrates perfectly with Joomla and it comes from the same guys who brought you Joomla. No need to run a bridge module/component for authentication. If you can manage the cost, you may want to consider purchasing a complete template to save yourself time - after all, you want to expend your energy running a clan...not playing web designer. Check out some of the template sites below:
http://rockettheme.com
http://yootheme.com
http://space5.com

Drupal is another free alternative to Joomla but lags behind in features, available addons, etc. You should also consider the benefits of working with something you already know, again to save start up time.

[bored911]

thanks for the advice! i think i will stick with joomla, and definetly looking into fireboard!

[bored911]

ok, sorry about this, are there arny free alternatives, i thought we could afford this but apparently not, we're all poor college kids or less :(