Thinking of opening a forum need advice.

[revolution1]

Hi, I own the domain computerforum.ca and am thinking of developing it into a comunity like the one here, different topic obviously, but am unsure about a couple of things. First of all the .com and .de are both developed and i was wondering if I could do the same thing legally without stepping on the toes of either website?

Next what is the best way to generate a user base, I know it takes time and dedication however i think this name is the perfect forum domain, if there ever was one that i would develop.

Additionally do you think there is any point in searching for alternative forum software to vBulletin? Or is this the best? I know others who have used PHPbb in the past and been hacked so I am a little weary of going open source.

Thanks in advance,
Christian.

[mulligan]

Try SMF, it's free and is a good starting point so you can get an idea of whether your forum is going to be a success or not without spending money on vBulletin:
http://www.simplemachines.org/

I have had no issues with it as long as it is kept up to date.
vBulletin is hackable and there isn't any software that I know of that is hack-proof

[James Jean]

I just saw your post and I am in the same boat with my domain ComputerSci.com I spent some time today using PHPbb and I decided that I'm going to use SMF instead. If you're worried about being hack, make sure you always update often and monitor the boards for new vulnerabilities listed by members. Stay vigilant especially since your site is dealing with computers which will undoubtedly have a few hackers or script kiddies eventually join. Good luck!

[Provider]

guys, before opening a forum you should take into consideration that most of the free
forum software is spammed all the time. You will get some bodus users posting about some drug that will make some parts of your body bigger. You will have to login every single day to remove them. Also think about dedicating some time every day to administrate the forum.

[revolution1]

What about the issue of sharing a similar name with the dot com forum??? Or is that an issue since it is such a generic name???

[dcristo]

What about the issue of sharing a similar name with the dot com forum??? Or is that an issue since it is such a generic name???

No issue. There is no TM infringement because it's such a generic name.

My suggestion would be to worry about getting traffic to the site first before starting the forum. There is nothing worse then seeing an empty forum with little activity, there's no incentive to join and participate.

[mulligan]

guys, before opening a forum you should take into consideration that most of the free
forum software is spammed all the time. You will get some bodus users posting about some drug that will make some parts of your body bigger. You will have to login every single day to remove them.

Errm ... And vBulletin doesn't get spammed?

This is the same as any forum software, not just paid.
Use the tools available to you to prevent as much spam as possible, captcha being one. There are also settings in SMF that allow the admin to approve members before they can post (Not an ideal solution)

Basically, versions of all the anti-spam tools for vBulletin are available for SMF so that isn't a reason to choose a paid over a free.

[dcristo]

^^ agreed. Save the money for promotion to begin with.

[revolution1]

In terms of promotion what do you think about a contest . Like first to 250 meaningful posts gets an ipod nano??? Or something along those lines???

[webd]

Additionally do you think there is any point in searching for alternative forum software to vBulletin? Or is this the best? I know others who have used PHPbb in the past and been hacked so I am a little weary of going open source.

Just go with vBulletin and save the hassle. I've used phpBB, punBB, SMF, and wouldn't go back.

[smashfactory]

In terms of promotion what do you think about a contest . Like first to 250 meaningful posts gets an ipod nano??? Or something along those lines???

well, you would have to define, and defend "meaningful"- after you are set up solidly, start with a soft open- word of mouth, friends- nice and slow. work out bugs within the first month or so before you invite the masses (there is nothing worse than opening your door, and nothing works right)-


then, there are several inexpensive places you can advertise, and start to get some new people in the door- the key to keeping them is- do your research.....

whatever is wrong in all these other forums, do your best to NOT have that crap going on-

people will stay, you will grow-

[lordbyroniv]

why

[webd]

Well Im narrowed down btwn PHPBB and VBulletin

phpBB is a mess. Definitely go with vBulletin. Also get vbSEO if you can...