How much to start a forum???

Hello all,
I'm new here and I wanted to say this place is great.
I would also like to know how much it would cost to start and maintain a website/forum?


Thanx
PCfuzz

 

There are free forum scripts available like PHPBB, SMF , MYBB etc.

You only need money for domain, web host and for forum promotion(if you want)

 

I have just spent $1,000 on a new site/ forum which is based on different technology issues

 

Here are some costs associated with starting a (good) forum:
$100 forum software and installation (vbulletin)
$10-? domain name
$5-? hosting
$25-$500 template or unique layout
$50-$300 logo
$50-$500 paid posting
$50-? advertising
$? some type of contest
$? your time involved
$? building backlinks, articles, press release, etc

Surely this isnt everything, but I hope it gives you a little more insight. Good luck.

 

Secure a domain, find a gread web host that offers MySql and allows you to set up PHPBB and you can get started for about $100. Over and above that, your advertising/promotional costs can range from nearly nothing to any sky high figure that you can imagine. You can view a forum that I run using PHPBB if you like.

 

Also if you want to see a VBulletin forum click here

thanks

 

Thanx for the replys. Does anyone know of a good step by step guide???


Thanx
PCfuzz

 

$$ For promotion and advertisement, can be substituted by putting in about 8hrs of work everyday placing your links in direcotories and other means of promotion (free promotion) .. That should cut down start up costs and etc for a while

 

I admire your blatancy. Was there anything wrong with telling him THIS forum runs VB?

 

The easy part about running a site would be the initial securing a domain name, getting a web hosting plan and installing the forum software.

The hardest part would be to not only get people to know about your forum but to get them to be interested enough to want to stay and post. A lot probably has to do with the theme of the forum and how much people are interested in that topic. General forums would probably not do as well as niche ones. You must also be passionate about the topics in your forums and must be able to start off some conversations. Topics must have mass appeal too.

The thing is that there are probably going to be more lurkers than posters so you need to find a way to get them out of their shell and start posting. Lurkers usually would not initiate posts and if they see a small number or no posts, they probably may turn away to somewhere else.

I guess in doing forums, it is probably very important to have friends who are passionate about the topics and can initiate conversation. Maybe giving people some incentives to posts may have jumpstart things. The worst forums are those where it gets monotonous and you find yourself talking to yourself.

 

In a technical sense, you can do it for free by using one of those free hosting sites and a free forum script such as PHPBB or BBPress.

If you want your own domain that usually costs around $9 a year ($14 for two years etc). If your looking to start with a paid forum script such as vBulletin then it costs $160 for an owned license (I'm not so sure about leased).

You can get hosting really cheaply.

If I was you I'd go the free route first to get used to building a community and to see if you actually want a forum before plonking down some cash.

 

$5-$100,000 would be a good start

 

That's a good range. LOL

 

Not needed.

Only thing really required - THIS

www.hostmatrix.org = free hosting

Learn to make your own and learn to do, or use and edit one of the many current templates

WHY?!? I never ever pay for a logo, i make it myself.

You can invest time, and not money in this area.

Maybe, but directorys and forums like digitialpoint are FREE to advertise..

Free domains always work.

The most costly one here. More time spent = less money spent!

Not needed.

All in all, i would pay around $8.88/year for my sites, advertise them on the correct places and then i am done. and the cost - for domains. You only need paid hosting if your site gets too big, by which time you would have adsense or some form of ads.

You dont need to pay a few thousand for a good site.

Rob

Rob

 

Yes, you can start a forum for very little (under $10). However, you would be spending many many hours with marketing, building content, etc. Mine was just my suggestion for starting a somewhat large and quality (no DP though) forum. In all honesty it depends how much you have to spend. A forum can be started with $10 or $100,000 (like said). All depends how much you want to spend.

 

i would say forum needs investors, it cant be a one man show,
start one if you have strong backing up to ensure activity , and $5 - $10000 would be the right budget, would depend on how much you can spend out of your pocket to attract people get into your board.

 

I looked at your forum. Looks great.. can I know how long have you been running and how are you promoting it??

Thanks

 

Wow.. I like your forum, may I know which mod are you using to put the advertisements?
Thanks

 

I'd recommend vbulletin it's 160 dollars though, or 80 for a year.

 

In my honest opinion vbulletin is the way to go. $160 is defiantly worth an owned licence. You get plenty of hacks and free styles you can use from coders and designers on the official forum (as soon as you get a licence). Once you get to grips with it its very easy to use and manipulate.

A select few sites that ive worked on that use vbulletin:
www.caymanclub.net/forums
www.secretpips.com/forums
www.mangahunter.com/forums

The Official vbulletin site that you can get free hacks and styles from:
www.vbulletin.org

A select few style sites you can buy skins from:
www.vbskinworks.com
www.extremepixels.com
www.transversestyles.com