How do you set up a Forum ?

Hi peeps,

We have a small/med business and are part of a group of franchises, I have suggested that we have a forum so that we can all discuss 'things' away from the main site.
Yes they said, off you go hun, set one up.
So I've tried googling etc and am flummoxed to say the least, I am now asking you 'experts' out there to help me please.
If possible I'd like to keep it free or a small layout and in pounds not US dollars, Chinese yen, Rubles or whatever. Oh and maybe up to say around a max of 500 - 1000 usernames, allowing for offices opening/closing down and new people leaving and joining.

p.s. answers in plain english please.

[enaid]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

PASS pmsl

[Caspar]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

Sapph,

Do you have a website at the moment. If so, what format is it in.

If not Google Joomla - looks complicated to start with, but isn't. It will let you build a website and host it for you. You can try it free of charge and will be assigned someone to look after you if you have problems. There are also loads of free templates there you can use, which include ones with forums.

Alternatively you buy a program like Dreamweaver and build it yourself from scratch using html code.

[Sapphire]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

Thanks for the reply, yes there is a website but we want to set up a forum that is no way attached to the site a all and is basically totally independent. I suppose as an example I'd say very much like this site but a lot smaller.
Any more ideas ?

[WendyB]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

Try this Sapph. ProBoards - Free Forums Free Message Boards One of the forums I'm on is Proboards and it's very easy to use.

[Amethyst]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

Lots of sites use php when they start up http://www.phpbb.com/

I don't know much about it though am afraid as we went straight on to VB here.

[Celestine]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

Absolutely no bloody idea love

[saltedm8]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

setting up a forum can be reletivly simple..

if your website host uses cpanel for example, you may have got another application called fantastico with it.

This is an installer for open source software ( like some forums ) that you can use without any knowledge of installing one from scratch.

there are loads of different forums so you have to do your own research based on the list fantastico gives you to see which you want to use, but as its the simplest method and unless you know how to install one from scratch you will be restricted to the list fantastico gives you.

Of course there are other options, like for example if you are prepared for a little learning and want a better software and are prepared to pay a yearly licence for it, you could try something like vbulletin and invision power board ( look them up ) as for a small fee they also offer an install service and set it up for you, although to do a proper job you need to learn the back end of the software so you can add forum cats etc etc, but that would be the case even with fantastico.

.p.s

I am a professional website designer and if you want a site with a unique domain name and one that people will find in the search engines ( very important for forums as they are community based ) dont use a free 'quick start' forum.. of course if none of that matters then go ahead.

[Caspar]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

Sapph,

Don't know whether you've resolved this yet. I've set one up using a place called freeforums.org

They are free, though you have to pay a small fee if you want no ads on it, dead easy to set up and they do the job. Don't look as nice as this in the free version but mine was up and running in a matter of one night, starting with zero knowledge.

[Mrs James]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

Lots of sites use php when they start up http://www.phpbb.com/

I don't know much about it though am afraid as we went straight on to VB here.

I have my own site and use phpbb. I'm no geek by any means but found it really easy to set up and run. It's free and they have a staff forum where if you get stuck you can get lots of help and advice. The only drawback is you do get adverts on the site, but you can pay to have them removed, or use adblocker which is free.

If I can be of any help, don't hesitate to let me know.

[Turboman]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

Lots of sites use php when they start up http://www.phpbb.com/

I don't know much about it though am afraid as we went straight on to VB here.

Sapphy-just realized PAG uses phpbb---you are a member there of course---lol

Penalty Action Group View topic - Welcome Sapphire

[Sapphire]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

Thanks for all your advice guys, I've done some work on one and am hoping to have it ready to roll our at end of March whilst I'm at the convention and can announce it to the members.

[strangewayofsavin]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

try GVOhosting.com (nothing to do with them), for a monthly fee for web domain, fantastico/ forum software is included, also includes squeeze pages, traffic reports, traffic generation tools, auto responders the lot, and data base tools, starts $4.95 - £44.95 per month, which depends on the band width etc.

[bluebottle]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

If you are looking for web authoring software that is easy to use and has just about everything you need to get going, look at Serif's WEBPLUS package at Web Design, Photo Editing and DTP software | Serif Inspiring Creativity. Oh yes. And Serif offer hosting as well.

[upcomingsport]

Re: How do you set up a Forum ?

Instructions

1. • 1 Download phpBB (See Resources below) and install it on your server. A step-by-step installation guide is provided on the site. Installation is quite straightforward and shouldn't take long. Many servers also offer a free installation of phpBB which can be done through the server administration panel. This is the easiest way of installing phpBB. If you're unsure how to do this, or whether your server offers this, contact them to ask.
     
     
   • 2 Customize the settings of your forum once you have installed the phpBB forum software. Log in as an administrator and click the "Go To Administration Panel" link at the bottom of the site. Start at the Configuration settings under General Admin, or Board Settings in the most recent versions. Here you can set the name of your forum and a site description. You can also adjust board settings for posting and messaging.
     
     
   • 3 Set up your forum structure under the Forum Admin section. Forums are generally divided into categories according to subject. You can first of all create categories for your forums, and then create forums within those categories. So for example, if you are setting up a forum on the subject of cookery, you might create categories for "Recipes" and "Discussion." Then within the Recipes category you could create forums for "Chinese," "Italian," French" and so on, and then in the Discussion category you could create forums for "Advice," Cook Book reviews" and so on. To create a category, click the "Create New Category" link, and then to create a forum click the "Create New Forum" link next to it.
     
     
   • 4 Design the look and layout of your forum in the Styles admin section. PhpBB uses templates and themes to control the look of your board, and you can customize these, or install new ones.
     
     
   • 5 Ask friends or invite web site members to start posting; the most difficult part of starting a forum is getting users to post. It's rather like a snowball effect, but you need to put some effort into getting active users posting on your forum.