How to start one of these forums

[comedydog]

I am now living in Bromley and we need something like this

how does one start one off?

does one need to be an administrator? with web skills to create this?

Mike

[El Pibe]

1. get a server:

if you have a broadband connection your ISP probably gives you a bit of webspace as part of the package, good place to learn and try stuff out.

2. find some forum software:

loads of free open source stuff out there, find one where functionality fits your requirements, this runs on something called Phorum.

3. install it on your server, you'll learn lots about FTP here.

That's pretty much it, buy yourself a likely domain name and you're off. You don't need web skills, but you'll certainly have administration and maintenance skills soon after you start.

THe hardest bit is getting anyone to use the damn thing, see http://www.westdulwichforum.co.uk/ for details

[Mark]

El Pibe sums up the technicalities nicely. I think the software Simple Machine Forum is quite nice http://www.simplemachines.org if Phorum's too technical and I'd recommend Heart Internet for hosting.

Aside from the technical side you need to attract people, you'll need some some simple marketing cunning for that, and some balls of steel and assistance from a great administration team of moderators when it gets going. The main thing to make it work though is the users, sound local people enjoying it and finding it fun and useful and having a sense of ownership of it. You will get the odd nasty, bitter person who tries to spoil it and ruin the fun people are having so get rid of them asap.

I hope that helps, please feel free to copy the format of this forum but please put a nice reference to it if you do.

Good luck

[DulwichFox]

It's not quite that easy..

You will need A Powerfull Server with a lot of Disk Space.

You will need a second Server to Disk Shadow to ensure Data is secure if your Master Server goes down.

Servers are expensive to run. They need to be on 24/7

You will need to be Competent in the following:

MySQL database Development and Management.

PHP Programming.

phpmyadmin. A front end for creating Data Bases without the tedium of creating them line by line in MySQL

If using Windows can can download the W.A.M.P package Windows . Apache. MySQL. PHP

If using Linux can can download the L.A.M.P package Linux . Apache. MySQL. PHP

You then need to know how to relate PHP with MySqL and be able to set up the php.ini file. & php-config data.

You will need to allocate system security for all data.

You will need to encrypting software set up to keep Users passwords secure.

You will be responsible that Threads do not contain libelous material / Pornographic content and much more.

It is a full time job that requires a lot of work to maintain.

Software upgrades

Nightly backups.

Good House keeping.

Also Commercial Anti-virus / Malware prevention Software.

That should be enough to be getting on with.

Fox.

[Ted Max]

+ a spare return key.

[El Pibe]

I think most of those are hurdles to cross once the traffic has risen dramatically.

As I said a bit of server space to knock up a web site is pretty cheap to hire from most ISPs or hosting companies and all the firewall, virus malware, backups etc is in place and they'll maintain the apache web server. It's fire and forget from that point of view.

It's no point getting comedydog to fork out a fortune for a 256 core unix box now is it and get allll that software in place just for 10 people to log on in the first year is it.

Don't scare him off, there's o reason it should be an intimidating prospect, and at the very least he'll pick up some good technical skills along the way.

and 'creating databases' is much easier in T-SQL than it is with a front end, though obviously knowing T-SQL is pretty key to that ;-P

That said I most forum software installations have the DB side all scripted out.

"It is a full time job that requires a lot of work to maintain."

Non!! You honestly think this is Admin's day job? You're off your rocker mate.

[Mark]

DulwichFox Wrote:

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> It's not quite that easy...

To start it up, yes it is.