alright so i was wondering how much it is to start a forum and NO it isnt a graphics forum so B) and after i pay all those fees will there be like weekly/monthly/yearly fees? B) for helpers
well he's right, you can use invisionfree for free, or use a powerboard like GR.. and i dont know how much one would cost, but it would help if we knew what you wanted.
Well you'll need hosting, for small sites it's around 100-150 USD a year, if its decent. And a domain, which are like 13.95 for two years, or so, could be way cheaper. And then, PunBB is free, IPB is around 135 for a license? VBulletin is alot more, so depending on what you get, not too much.
well, i'd suggest using SMF for the forum, its easy, and less hackers, it toook my friend around 300 dollars in the first year of setting up his site, and he made 150 off of ads and stuff that year too, so in total, it costed him 150.... he just asked membbers to click the ads like twice a day if possible to help him out.
well you aren't allowed to tell people to click the ads just for money really. The ad provider might cancel if they find out. So be stealthy about it
Hosting: Usually $5-$10 a month, for a decent host with good size/bw Domain: $8-$10 a year for a .com/.net/etc depending on where you buy it Forum Software: IPB = $70 (With it you get to use IPB for life, but only support and updates for 1 year) Phpbb = Free VB = Not how much it is, but its more then IPB
yup just a fourm like this one....punbb sounds kinda...cheap... but can you get a paid version of it? i know punbb is easy to hack and stuff
Lol, I've never heard of a PunBB being hacked. It's got some exploits true, but it's a newer kinda board.
I've never seen any decent looking SMF skins, PunBB is quite ugly, but its efficient, and IPB is great and great looking, just not free.
InvisionFree is ok, but offers no room for you to expand - and when your ready to do so, you have to pay them to take your members/post with you. punBB has no modifications compared to phpBB, vBulletin, or Invision Power Board - and I have heard of several punBB boards being attacked. It has enough exploits to make it unsafe, as does phpBB. If your going to create a forum, there are usually three routes: - Using vBulletin - Using Invision Power Board - Creating your own bulletin software or paying someone to do so The difference between option #1 & #2 compared to #3 is you have literally millions of beta testers, and a lot more options for a lot cheaper price. vBulletin and IPB are very close, I'll sum it by saying the ACP for IPB is tons better(a documented fact from both vB and IPB users) but vB has more skinning options if you choose to buy a skin instead of creating your own(which is preferred). Invision Power Board gives you more time on your forum on a yearly license then vBulletin does. Once your license expires with vB, they ask you to remove your forum - IPB doesn't. So that standard cost of running a website with an IPB forum would be as following: - $60 USD for board license - $20 - $50 for a unique or bought skin for the board - $10 dollars for a domain name - $5 to $115 a month for hosting, depending on what you choose The skin price would be a once-time investment, as would the board license if you do not choose to update. The domain name would be a recurring price every year. You can find a lot of hosting sites out there that offer these large packages for small prices, don't be fooled. Quality costs money, so remember that when choosing a host. If you need help, send me a PM. Hope this helps, Andrew
