How to make a decent forum.

Matt SimsÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢ Guide on making a good forum

Recently a large amount of people have been posting RuneScape and other related forums that in my opinion just look very lame. They are made with the worst software using the worst hosts and just look rubbish.

As requested by you here is my small guide on making a successful forum :P

1. Big no-noÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s and forum providers

The first thing I want to comment on is forum software and hosts which I believe are terrible and make your forum look bad. I am only going to comment on a few sites that have been posted here as some point, I hope the ppl whoÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s sites ive linked to wont mind.

MyphpBB ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ Very good service run by James from WebspaceUK. All you do is register on the forums and follow a specialized link to generate your forum. Runs very similar to to dk3 but with much better support. There are several themes which you can install and themes are available to install on request. You can also chose to upgrade your forum to pay hosting when the time comes very cheaply and get full access to the database and files.

Example forum: http://www.myphpbb.co.uk/phpbb/index.php?forum=elitesf

Board-Host ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ Another relatively new service for hosting forums. Very similar to the system used at MyphpBB.co.uk as you do not have access to the database.

Example forum: http://phpbb.board-host.org/phpbb/index.php?forum=demo

PhpBB Host ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ Another excellent forum hosting provider, they host phpBB, WoltLab or Invision Board. Only catch is that there are more adverts then the above two providers. A banner under the header and one in the footer. Still its free what do you expect.

Example forum: None - Currently experiencing downtime

eZboard ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ ok now this is one of the worst forum providers. Its incredibly slow and sluggish, even on broadband, and is full of irrelevant adverts. It also uses some buggy forum software and charges a fortune to take the adverts off. Forums made with ezboard are a real turn off for me and I immediately close the window.

Example forum: http://p204.ezboard.com/bclanoftheblackdragons

UnrealForum ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ I had never come across this software until recently and I immediately closed it down. ItÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s a terrible piece of software and even asks for $52 a year to use it without adverts. Words cannot describe how bad this software is.

Example forum: None - This site is now shutting down.

AvidGamers2 ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ Ok I admit this is actually quite good. It has no adverts and has a reasonable amount of features however the security is poor and I see many AG sites get hacked. For some portal software its good but as a forum its bad. Lack of features really lets this down

Example forum: http://hmgy.avidgamers.com/forums.html

Proboards ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ Another of the worst forum sites. Buggy software, spammed with adverts and a terrible colour scheme. I donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t reall need to say much more apart from linking you to the example site

Example forum: http://0282.proboards20.com/index.cgi

Hyperboards ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ Very similar to Proboards. L A M E

Example forum: http://runescape.hyperboards.com

InvisionFree ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ This is one of the best. It uses the php based Invision Board software which is very powerful and is the one used at RSC. However the InvisionFree version has far less features than the true version and it always slow. Even on a broadband connections red xÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s are common place

Example forum: http://invisionfree.com/forums/Runescape_Jungle

DK3 ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ This provider was once one of the best AND NOW IS THE WORST. Its run by money hungry gits who would rather spend their time adding porn popups to their hosted sites than fixing the critical security bugs they leave behind.

It uses a modification of the best bb software aroundÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâæ phpBB. However, over the last year dk3 has got worse and worse. More adverts, more laggy, more board errors all coupled with a highly stripped down admin control panel giving no access to the root db. It does have a limited number of themes but none of theme are anything like the real thing. DK3 makes phpBB look bad and itÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s a shame because it used to be so good

Example forum: http://www.rsboard.board.dk3.com/2/

2. Choosing the right software

Currently the 3 best bb software at the mo is phpBB, Invision Power Board and vBulletin

I will go though some pros and cons for each and try to provide some examples.

phpBB ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ Arguably the best forum software around. Its secure and reliable. It has plenty of features and a huge mods database. Its open source too so you can modify it to suit your needs. Apart from having a huge amount of features phpBB is also 100% free with no adverts. All they ask is you keep the copyright at the bottom.

Unfortunately the downside to phpBB is the templating system. ItÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s very hard to get used too and not for beginners. However there is a good amount of templates already made by other people available for free.

Site: http://www.phpbb.com

Examples: http://forum.tip.it

Invision Board ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ This is the newcomer to the forum world and has a hell of a lot of features. The templating system is easy to use and with its large amount of features for the price of just $0.00 its makes it a very viable alternative to phpBB and vBulletin.

But, and itÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s a big but, if you want your site really secure then id advice against this software. We all know what happened to RSC and itÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s a shame. IPB isnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t very secure, there are mods around to fix the holes but it shouldnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t be an issue. It also doesnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t cope that well with lots of users.

Site: http://www.invisionboard.com

Examples: http://www.runescapecommunity.com

vBulletin ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Ãâ The most secure and feature rich software (without mods) is vBulletin. Its been around the longest and has come a long way. The templating is easy to use and the admin control panel simple to learn. ItÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s a powerful piece of software but it comes at a price. vBulletin is very expensive and you have to pay even more for support and other things. Its also not open source so you cannot modify it yourself under the license. ItÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢s very good as a bulletin board but I donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t consider it to be worth the money

Site: http://www.vbulletin.com

Examples: http://www.webhostingtalk.com

3. What Host?

Once you have chosen the right software you will need somewhere to put it. You may already own your own web space but here is a small list of places that support php/mysql for free.

http://www.lycos.co.uk

http://www.coolfreepages.com

Your ISP may have also given you some web space, you can use this also

Places what donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t offer a mysql database can still be used to host a forum using a website called http://www.freesql.org which lets you use their servers to host the database remotely.

Free hosts are great at first but still looks rubbish. How many people would prefer the domain name http://www.daves-forum.com

Pay hosts neednÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t be that expensive and you can get decent hosting and a domain name from at little as $5 a month. I donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t want to advertise web hosts in case the mods donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t allow it but http://www.webspaceuk.com very fast and reliable.

4. Installing your forum

Ok I donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t have that much experience with setting up all the different forum software so I am only going to go through phpBB. If anyone else wants to [wagon] to this topic with a guide on vBulletin or Invision Board I would be grateful.

So youÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢ve downloaded phpBB from the web siteÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâæ what next?

Firstly you will have to upload the files onto your webspace. This isnÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t that hard and can usually be done via the hosts own webftp or using an ftp program such as CuteFTP (http://www.cuteftp.com) or WSFTP (http://www.wsftp.com)

Once you have uploaded your files it is time to install it to your website. I wonÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t go into detail here or I will run out of space to type but be sure to read the installation documents that come with your download. They should be in the /docs/ folder

After you have success fully installed and deleted the /install/ and /contrib/ folders from the forum directory it is time to configure your forum. Log in like you would scapeboard and you should see a link at the bottom of your screen saying ÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâ¹ÃâAdministrator Control PanelÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢ or something like that.

One this page is loaded click the Configuration link to add your forum title and set options like signatures and avatars.

Well done. You have now configured your forum to work on your website. I am not going to go on about how to set up forum and permissions as it is all in the phpBB documentation which I suggest you read. But here are a few tipsÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâæ.

# Try to space out your categories into sections eg. Runescape, Market Boards etc

# Do not have too many categories in each section. Runescape one talk, Runescape2 Talk, General Runescape, Runescape discussion, Runescape p2p, Runescape ideasÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ãâæ. Etc is too many

# You donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t want a ghost forum so donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t make too many categories when your site is new. Only a few sections will suffice and you can always add more at a later date

Now here is where most ppl go wrong. Once they have installed and set up their forum they spam advertise it everywhere and many donÃÆââââ¬Å¡Ã¬Ã¢ââ¬Å¾Ã¢t even bother changing the default logo. In the next stage I will explain what make a unique forum

5. Customizing

A lot and I mean A LOT of people see to think that the standard theme with the default logo is going to get them hits, well it aint.

You need to make your site unique and that means adding a few mods and a customized theme. You need to make your forum stand out from the crowd of badly made forums. I am simply going to list a few sites with modified templates and modifications for you to look at and also link to a few template/mod sites

phpBB

http://www.runevillage.com ,

http://www.forumimages.com

Invision Board

http://www.runescapecommunity.com

http://www.invision-skins.de/forum

vBulletin

http://www.graphics-forum.com

http://www.vbulletinstyles.com

Well ive ranted enough for now. Good luck with your forums and if you have any problems drop me a pm, ill be glad to help.

Originally posted back on the old forums.

this should be made a sticky thing..

all u ever needed to know about forums by mercifull lol

ahh, wonder how many times ive seen this posted on some guy trying to advertise their dk3 board. I can look forward to many times in the future too :lol:

Thanks for the sticky mods :D

Now that this is a fully working forum ill actually be able to edit this post now with new information.

ahh, wonder how many times ive seen this posted on some guy trying to advertise their dk3 board. I can look forward to many times in the future too :lol:

Something I'd like to add:

Unique-ness is easily the most important thing to keep in mind when making a forum. Sure, you could make the 376th Tip.it Forums copy, but you won't get any users. Face it, there are countless Runescape forums out there and if you don't have a major site to back it up yours won't have any chance at all of getting anywhere. Also, if your dead-set on making a Runescape forum, ask yourself why your users should use it. If there are hundreds of similar boards, you will need something to draw users to the site. You as the owner is not a good argument to attract users, neither is "First 10 are mods".

Just look at the other big Runescape forums today, and you'll see that most of them are different from each other. These boards are "general" boards for Runescape, the Inn is specialized on roleplaying, New Era is specialized on PK'ing etc. They all have something that makes them different from each other, and thus attract users. Most of them also have a site about the game attached to them.

On topic: Great guide :)

I strogly advise noone use a host were they dont have access to the database.

Keep your own backups.

Move as soon as you host removes you access to your forums database

I strogly advise noone use a host were they dont have access to the database.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Keeps your own backups.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Move as soon as you host removes you access to your forums database

Not a single free provider will let you use the database freely. Its their way of making you stay with them displaying adverts. If you ask nicely tho some places will let you have the database when you decide to leave.

wow thats a great tutorial... i think im going to make a bored, but i dont know what for :?

wow thats a great tutorial... i think im going to make a bored, but i dont know what for :?

Well whatever you do DONT make a forum for everything. General off topic forums dont work and have already been done many times before. Pick a specialist subject, preferably one that no1 else has done and rake in the members.

 

wow thats a great tutorial... i think im going to make a bored, but i dont know what for :?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well whatever you do DONT make a forum for everything. General off topic forums dont work and have already been done many times before. Pick a specialist subject, preferably one that no1 else has done and rake in the members.

Just a place for mates to hang out and chill and.. kinda talk about anything which comes up :P It's more IRC based.. with some web dev on the side though ;)

 

 

wow thats a great tutorial... i think im going to make a bored, but i dont know what for :?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well whatever you do DONT make a forum for everything. General off topic forums dont work and have already been done many times before. Pick a specialist subject, preferably one that no1 else has done and rake in the members.

Mine is sort of like that :P

 

 

 

Just a place for mates to hang out and chill and.. kinda talk about anything which comes up :P It's more IRC based.. with some web dev on the side though ;)

Yeah but the community was there before the forum. Rather than you simply making a forum and hoping ppl will go there.

That's how the IRC room started :P

It seems that the host http://www.spaceports.com doesn't offer free webhosting anymore. Thought I'd let you know :)

It seems that the host http://www.spaceports.com doesn't offer free webhosting anymore. Thought I'd let you know :)

Cheers, i'll remove it from my post.

it seems evilmerc.com has had changes since you listed it as an example forum 8)

 

 

wow thats a great tutorial... i think im going to make a bored, but i dont know what for :?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well whatever you do DONT make a forum for everything. General off topic forums dont work and have already been done many times before. Pick a specialist subject, preferably one that no1 else has done and rake in the members.

Mine is sort of like that :P

 

 

 

Just a place for mates to hang out and chill and.. kinda talk about anything which comes up :P

Mines like that to.

only diffrence mine came from people i knew in RL

and who already knew each other

and darkwebz came from the tip.it community and we get to know each other

Yabb2 is nice

Yabb2 is nice

Ive not really had any experience in it to be honest so i couldnt give a good review on it.

http://wf.com.au/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi

software look farmiliar?

i think proboard may use a lamerfied version of it

http://wf.com.au/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

software look farmiliar?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i think proboard may use a lamerfied version of it

both eZboard and Proboards have botched up YaBB yes.

are any of these forum providers free?

are any of these forum providers free?

All the ones i posted are free yes. :D

 

are any of these forum providers free?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the ones i posted are free yes. :D

ok well I have a clan website (and its has a bad message board) so how do I get one of these kinds of message boards on my website?

 

 

are any of these forum providers free?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the ones i posted are free yes. :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ok well I have a clan website (and its has a bad message board) so how do I get one of these kinds of message boards on my website?

You will have to visit each site and read their information.

 

 

 

are any of these forum providers free?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the ones i posted are free yes. :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ok well I have a clan website (and its has a bad message board) so how do I get one of these kinds of message boards on my website?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will have to visit each site and read their information.

Could you give me the site to the one you recommend most?