Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

How do I create my own online forum?

flyfish29

flyfish29

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Feb 4, 2003
2,175
4
New HAMpshire
Hello, my wife and I work in an education department at a graduate school and wants to create an online forum. We would like to create a place where educators could visit to discuss school reform, etc. I like this format and have seen it so many places.

How does one go about creating one?

How/where do you get the format similar to the one here on MacRumors and what does it cost?

Any other info or sources for creating an online forum would be appriated.

How difficult is it to set up a forum? Also, to manage the forum?

Thanks so much,

Johnny
 
phpBB is good for free forum software, but vBulletin (3.0) is amazing, and if you want to have real control over the forums is worth the cost. The admin CP is incredible.

Other than that you will need a web server that supports php & mySQL.
 
The programs mentioned so far are good ones.

The other thing you'll need to a server to host your Web site that also allows you to run a MySQL database. The bulletin board needs this database to store and retrieve data; in this case, the Forums, Threads and individual Posts.

Given the audience you described, phpBB (http://www.phpbb.com/), from my experience should be fine. A number of Web hosts offer phpBB as a free add-on to their service. As such, they also have the MySQL database capabilities. In many cases, installing the bulletin board is simply a matter of clicking an "install" button through the domain's control panel.

You would then configure the bulletin board through phpBB's Web-based configuration panel.

Hope that helps.
 
edesignuk said:
vBulletin (3.0) is amazing, and if you want to have real control over the forums is worth the cost. The admin CP is incredible.
Click to expand...

If I'm not mistaken, vBulletin offers its service on a hosted basis. That option may be of interest to you, if you have access to your school's server to host the web site but not a bulletin board
 
Thank you for everything so far. I am also wondering how much space we would need on a server to run a forum that maybe had a few hundred members to start with. I know this is a variable number, but what ballpark figure would I need to take to our tech person to see if they have enough space designated for our department.

If the VBulletin price I see online for one forum on one web address is right (someplace under $200) then I might just go with that as that is very little money to spend for us to get this thing up and running. (obviously I would have to take time to set up groups, etc. but doesn't sound too difficult.

thanks again!

Johnny
 
vBulletin costs about 160 $ / year. UNLESS you have 10,000 or more active members, you don't need vbulletin. It rocks, but ... $ says something.

Some suggest invision. It is a good alternative, lots of skins available.

Also Woltlab is a good free option (1.2 is free) .. www.woltlab.de has the downloads, and using the search button here will make you find links of examples using that. Or just as few - http://www.bodynet.org/forum/main.php - http://www.anorexia.wbbhost4u.com/forum/main.php - http://wbbhost4u.com/wbb2/index.php?sid= - http://www.bsolinks.com/wbb2/index.php?sid=
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back