Software choice advice for forums?

[RenoCarolina]

I have limited website knowledge but know someone building a discussion forum site, much like this one.  I sent a DM to Igo about what software he utilizes but thought I'd ask for help here.

Any advice or directions appreciated!

[jayboogieman]

Scroll to the bottom of the page, click the last line and it'll take you to the platform's site.

Edited January 31, 2023 by jayboogieman

[RenoCarolina]

20 hours ago, jayboogieman said:

Scroll to the bottom of the page, click the last line and it'll take you to the platform's site.

Thanks  again.  Interesting that I could not see it due to an advertisement covering the bottom of page! (note to self)

Do you guys think the days of internet forums are done?  I am reading several articles that Facebook and Reddit have made them obsolete.  And that the political climate has made it very tough to moderate boards (we are on "exhibit A") and also successful forums are targets for spam and hackers.

I initially thought a good way to build some passive income would be to go the ecommerce route but the good one's are so dependent on Amazon and really over priced or just sell crap so I am thinking building a site is way to go.  I don't have the skillz but a family member does, I just have to make the decision and pull the $ trigger so curious what you think.

 

[PanthersATL]

also consider vBulletin. 

Some hosting services may offer forum software as part of their installation/feature package. Takes some of the guesswork out of choosing/installing one.

I use to run a forum using Web Wiz Forums (which is still available now it seems), in part because it was free, highly customizable, and I knew the language well enough to customize it extensively.  Ran pretty well for about 3 years before we had to take it offline for various reasons

 

[PanthersATL]

To answer your question: are forums still a thing?  Yes -- if you're able to keep the conversation focused on the topic at hand and set groundrules for what constitutes good/bad member behaviour.   Eventually the thing becomes self-moderating, but it won't be at the start.

[PanthersATL]

On 2/1/2023 at 11:25 AM, RenoCarolina said:

Do you guys think the days of internet forums are done?  I am reading several articles that Facebook and Reddit have made them obsolete.  And that the political climate has made it very tough to moderate boards (we are on "exhibit A") and also successful forums are targets for spam and hackers.

Not everybody is or wants to be on FB.  Same with Reddit (although browsing Reddit is easier than browsing FB).

Think of a dedicated forum like a community that can stand on its own, rather than being dependent on someone else's real estate and traffic.

Lots of boards are successful in avoiding political or other polarizing discussion, and spam/hackers can be dealt with in various manners.  

[PanthersATL]

On 2/1/2023 at 11:25 AM, RenoCarolina said:

I initially thought a good way to build some passive income would be to go the ecommerce route but the good one's are so dependent on Amazon and really over priced or just sell crap so I am thinking building a site is way to go.  I don't have the skillz but a family member does, I just have to make the decision and pull the $ trigger so curious what you think.

A forum isn't necessarily the guaranteed passive income you think it will be.  Lots of work to maintain/manage for little $ return until you get the dedicated base of traffic. And going immediately along the subscription route is tough if you haven't already established your forum as THE authority on the topic first.

Don't buy into the online hype you see from influencer articles where people are travelling the world claiming they only work "1-2 hours a week". They had to put in 80+ hour weeks on their part-time gig first. And not everybody is willing to put in that sort of effort.

[RenoCarolina]

2 hours ago, PanthersATL said:

A forum isn't necessarily the guaranteed passive income you think it will be.  Lots of work to maintain/manage for little $ return until you get the dedicated base of traffic. And going immediately along the subscription route is tough if you haven't already established your forum as THE authority on the topic first.

Don't buy into the online hype you see from influencer articles where people are travelling the world claiming they only work "1-2 hours a week". They had to put in 80+ hour weeks on their part-time gig first. And not everybody is willing to put in that sort of effort.

great input, thank you!

Definitely do not have subscriptions in mind until much, much later.  And I have plans for content to go along with the forum, but I am counting on the forum to drive traffic and members.  Thanks again!

 

[PanthersATL]

20 minutes ago, RenoCarolina said:

great input, thank you!

Definitely do not have subscriptions in mind until much, much later.  And I have plans for content to go along with the forum, but I am counting on the forum to drive traffic and members.  Thanks again!

 

You need to have content to go along with the forum.

I'd suggest establishing the content first to establish traffic/authority before moving on to a forum space. See how your content engages users via on-site comments, etc.  Find out if you even have an audience to warrant creating a forum in the first place?

[PanthersATL]

23 minutes ago, RenoCarolina said:

Definitely do not have subscriptions in mind until much, much later.  And I have plans for content to go along with the forum, but I am counting on the forum to drive traffic and members.  Thanks again!

having run a forum before: consider legal liabilities/protections and copyright awareness (among other related topics when it comes to hosting a community) before spinning up yours. 

[RenoCarolina]

5 minutes ago, PanthersATL said:

having run a forum before: consider legal liabilities/protections and copyright awareness (among other related topics when it comes to hosting a community) before spinning up yours. 

legality is new concept for me, had not considered.

In this new endeavor the "content" is not where I'd be initially competitive.  In other words, I would be utilizing the value of the forum to drive traffic so had focused there.  I see where I would have to educate myself to make sure I was not violating any copyrights thanks again!

Need a side gig?  

[PanthersATL]

26 minutes ago, RenoCarolina said:

Need a side gig?  

Thanks for asking.  Been there, done that. Literally got a tshirt.

Happy to offer advice from experience, but not currently looking for more things to do.