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Thread: Newb question

  1. #1

    Newb question

    I was looking all over the forum for a newb section because I didn't want to get crushed for the questions I am about to ask..

    I've been debating starting a forum for quite some time now and have researched quite a bit. I've been having a lot of people ask me when I am going to start it up. I have a few questions I hope I can get some help on. I was comparing hosts and narrowed it down to a few. I was thinking about fatcow, but was unsure what else I needed to start the forum if I purchased the web hosting service from them? Would I have to then purchase a vbulletin type software?

    I am looking for the unlimited bandwidth as well as emails. Maybe I can get a few pointers on here because I do see that there are some very knowledgeable people on here. Thanks in advance and I'm sure I'll have a million more questions....

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by USMCGRUNT View Post
    Would I have to then purchase a vbulletin type software?
    Once you have purchased a domain name and web hosting, you simply need to install a forum software. vBulletin is a paid software so you would have to purchase it. If you are looking for a free software, take a look at SMF, phpBB, etc.

    Also unlimited diskspace/bandwidth does not exist. The host will always have strict limits in place to prevent you from using large amount of resources. Always a good idea to read the terms of service carefully.
    Last edited by CrocWeb Cloud; 03-27-2011 at 08:49 PM.
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  3. #3
    vbulletin is a paid one... try something free that you can get from fantastico or softaculous.. most hosting company will have that feature in cpanel..

    as i can see, fatcow offers unlimited email/bandwidth as you are required...

  4. #4
    Thank you for the quick responses. I see that a lot of forums use phpBB so once I get my domain and host I'll look into them. Benny thanks for the other two and I am going to look into them as well.

  5. #5
    no worries

  6. #6
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    USMCGRUNT, google around for phpbb3 templates to start it off with an easy to use, and most importantly FREE forum software.

    As for webhosting, make sure there is no limit on the emails you can create. storage space, etc. Also search around the forum here there are a few topics ranking webhosting companies etc.

    Your next step should be getting a domainname, you can go to namecheap.com or from your webhost(a lot of them offer a free domain with a 1 year prepayment or more)

    Hope that helps, good luck on your forum.

    Is it for the Marine Core (just guessing by your name )

    - Bo

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Bo | TMZhosting View Post
    USMCGRUNT, google around for phpbb3 templates to start it off with an easy to use, and most importantly FREE forum software.

    As for webhosting, make sure there is no limit on the emails you can create. storage space, etc. Also search around the forum here there are a few topics ranking webhosting companies etc.

    Your next step should be getting a domainname, you can go to namecheap.com or from your webhost(a lot of them offer a free domain with a 1 year prepayment or more)

    Hope that helps, good luck on your forum.

    Is it for the Marine Core (just guessing by your name )

    - Bo

    Bo, thanks for the info. I am pretty sure that fatcow offers the domain name. The forum isn't exactly for the Marine Corps, but very close. I am quite positive a fair amount of Marines will look into it (hopefully)

  8. #8
    yeap.. i think most hosting company will give free domain for a contract of like 1 - 3 years..
    Looking for shared or reseller or VPS Hosting ?
    Try our service at https://www.sosys.net!
    Singapore - Indonesia - Malaysia

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by USMCGRUNT View Post
    I am looking for the unlimited bandwidth as well as emails. Maybe I can get a few pointers on here because I do see that there are some very knowledgeable people on here. Thanks in advance and I'm sure I'll have a million more questions....
    You can get unlimited bandwidth at Godaddy, Dream Host, Blue Host and other Hosting. I want to suggest you, using free forum software would be better as it needs just one click software installation in most of the hosting plans.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by USMCGRUNT View Post
    Bo, thanks for the info. I am pretty sure that fatcow offers the domain name. The forum isn't exactly for the Marine Corps, but very close. I am quite positive a fair amount of Marines will look into it (hopefully)
    Based on what I have read, Fatcow is probably not your option in regards to web hosting (definitely not worth signing up with them just for the domain name). Since you seem rather new, I'd suggest maybe registering your domain name at a registrar (like namecheap.com) and then setting up a separate web hosting account with a different web hosting company.

    As a general rule, I always recommend staying away from the companies claiming to offer unlimited diskspace/bandwidth as its almost always a red flag for sub par services.

    With that being said, here are some hosts I have come across on this forum that appear to have a pretty decent reputation..

    MDDHosting, Stablehost, Hawkhost, Downtownhost

    Hope that helps!
    Looking for an awesome VPS Offer? CLICK HERE

    "Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do." – Bruce Lee

  11. #11
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    Bo, thanks for the info. I am pretty sure that fatcow offers the domain name.
    Perhaps they do, but don't let the $10 per year you'd save on the domain registering, sway you to a host. Based on my experience, Fatcow is not really a great host for a forum. Server performance was never all that great. Further, a forum will always be limited first by the CPU and memory used, and only second by the bandwidth. When you pay $5 for the hosting, you can expect to share a server with several hundred other customers. If your usage causes trouble on that server, your host will immediately turn you into a candidate for account suspension (coupled with a suggestion to upgrade to a more expensive hosting package/solution).

  12. #12
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    I have run "modern style" forums since 2003, and they can usually fit into a shared account. As you grow, so will your resource usage. But to be honest, it isn't disk space and bandwidth that will be the issue, but database and CPU performance.

    messing-about.com/forums/ is my oldest forum, and its now running with IPBoard. Like vB, it is a commercial solution that costs about $150 up front and then another $100 a year. I went with it simply because of the superior spam filtering you get with vB or IPB. I also host a non-profit's SMF forum at http://byyb.org/forum/ that is much smaller (less than 300 users), but takes up some CPU and database connections (which hurts a bit, since I donate that space to them).

    I'm with MDDHosting for my VPS that's running those two sites, plus 20+ others. You don't need a VPS to get started, and probably won't need one for a while, but I can recommend MDDHosting in terms of their support (very good) and the upgrade path they have ... when you need to grow, they can move you quickly and easily to another server. (No matter what other hosts tell you, it is NOT insignificant to move a forum!)

    I love community sites so if you need any input, let me know. My advice is free, and often worth what you pay!

  13. #13
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    How much time does MDDhosting's support takes to respond to a support ticket?

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Farrukh View Post
    How much time does MDDhosting's support takes to respond to a support ticket?
    32 seconds.

  15. #15
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    is that the average time ?

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Farrukh View Post
    How much time does MDDhosting's support takes to respond to a support ticket?
    I've had 25 tickets in to them, and in vast majority of cases the solution ... not just a response, but the solution ... comes in about 30 minutes.

    There were a few times it took longer. In one, they advised me within a few minutes that they were waiting for an update to WHMCS and it had to be added to their download section when it was available. The download appeared within 4 hours of the original ticket. In two other cases the issue took longer than 30 minutes, but only because I challenged the response. Come to find out they were right (it had to do with a passive FTP issue that one of my customers had, and it was probably a firewall on their computer).

    The answer above about "30 seconds" is also true; they auto-acknowledge your tickets like most everyone else. But they don't count that as a response, and neither do I.

    So, from my experience, with 25 support tickets, it averages 30 minutes for a resolution. Not a response, but a resolution.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by fshagan View Post
    I've had 25 tickets in to them, and in vast majority of cases the solution ... not just a response, but the solution ... comes in about 30 minutes.

    There were a few times it took longer. In one, they advised me within a few minutes that they were waiting for an update to WHMCS and it had to be added to their download section when it was available. The download appeared within 4 hours of the original ticket. In two other cases the issue took longer than 30 minutes, but only because I challenged the response. Come to find out they were right (it had to do with a passive FTP issue that one of my customers had, and it was probably a firewall on their computer).

    The answer above about "30 seconds" is also true; they auto-acknowledge your tickets like most everyone else. But they don't count that as a response, and neither do I.

    So, from my experience, with 25 support tickets, it averages 30 minutes for a resolution. Not a response, but a resolution.

    Thanks fshagan for your review. Its appreciated.

  18. #18
    Thank you all for the valuable input. I took the boards suggestion and registered a Domain name today. This now keeps me out of having to choose a host that provides domain names. I am going to look into MDD as well as the others mentioned. For this being a forum, is there something instead of the unlimited bandwidth I should be looking for? And I would think that having a certain amount of emails would be a good incentive?

  19. #19
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    Maybe finding a host with upgrades on demand until you find out what your AVG usage is?

  20. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by nerdie View Post
    32 seconds.
    haha so true. They respond almost immediately (I'm trying to get out of the habit of saying "he").
    My personal blog -- rubiverse.net

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by flam316 View Post
    haha so true. They respond almost immediately (I'm trying to get out of the habit of saying "he").

    Hello flam

    If you dont mind me asking, Which package did you choose to go with MDD ?

  22. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Farrukh View Post
    Hello flam

    If you dont mind me asking, Which package did you choose to go with MDD ?
    The most basic package they offer.
    My personal blog -- rubiverse.net

  23. #23
    Since Ive gotten so many other answers I figured I'd keep going.
    I started using MDD as my host today and linked my domain. Are there any basic videos or tutorials for someone brand new on how to set up their website from scratch? I tried the how to videos in cpanel, but I am still extremely confused. Any suggestions would help. Thanks.

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by USMCGRUNT View Post
    Since Ive gotten so many other answers I figured I'd keep going.
    I started using MDD as my host today and linked my domain. Are there any basic videos or tutorials for someone brand new on how to set up their website from scratch? I tried the how to videos in cpanel, but I am still extremely confused. Any suggestions would help. Thanks.
    Assuming you want to use phpBB for your forum software, and you want people to reach the forum when they type "http://yourdomain.com" in their browser, go into cPanel and click on "Softaculous" in the "Software / Services" section. It will load, then click on "Forums" in the left column, then "phpBB" when the "Forums" section expands.

    Across of the top of the "phpBB" page will be a menu; click on "Install". You will get a page of options; you can accept the default on most except for:

    In directory: (leave this blank)

    Site Name: (your choice!)
    Site Description: (your choice!)
    Board email: (your email address)

    Admin Username: (put a unique username here, replacing "Admin")
    Admin Password: (put a fairly complex password here, but don't include special characters like "&", "$", "#", etc., as some of the scripts choke on them and you won't be able to log in. Use letters and numbers only).
    Admin Email: (your email)

    And then click "Install". Its amazingly fast.

    You will then do all your configuration of the forums from within the phpBB admin interface.

  25. #25
    fshagan, thank you for the help. I have successfully set up my phpBB. Now being new to this I need to find out what people use for their settings? And how to maximize protection for my website? Do you know how I access my controls to start designing my site? And can I take it offline while I am under construction?
    Sorry for all the questions, but you all are helping me a great deal!

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