lostintexas
25th December 2006, 05:28 AM
A how to from a somewhat user/admin prespective.
When I started my community I had a user base of about 800 users from a defunked easy board forum. I gave up on the conversiion process after the crash at one point. I at first went with PHPBB and everything was well and great untill more than 5 people accessed the forum at one time. This was not any fault of PHPBB but of the host I chose. I chose (name not shown) and they limited the number of connections to the database.
Now as a typical end user of forum software I had never heard or known of such a thing. Why limit me access to my own database? It was later explained that on a shared server, everyone on that server must share resources. I somehow exceeded my resources every day for about a month untill I raised the money for a virtual private server. I was still blaiming PHPBB at this point and still had little idea of the grasp of what I was actually doing. I was loosing members daily.
I purchases Vbulletin and converted my PHPBB over one weekend after I had surgery. I had planned for a "local" company to take care of the hosting for me and expected great results. I later found out the "local" hosting company was a bunch of idiots and I had no actual access to the server other than my web page. I had no access to update or ftp in at all.
I some how ripped a backup of the database through the admincp and moved to the host I am on now. They charge me money but when I call them ( thats right, I get to call them) they fix it while I am on the phone.
I now have a nice forum and about half the user base. I am working on getting back the members I once had access the page as well as future members. I have tried google addsense and It does pay a few dollars. The money from google so far does not compare to what the community as a whole has gathered and donated to me. They have pretty much payed for the forum hosting and I have put 20 or 30 dollars in my pocket every month for the past 6 months.
I threw up a paypal link one day just for the hell of it and The payments have been bumped from there. The members of my small community of loyal members descided to help pay for the site. I am convinced that what you need are loyal members to build a community and I am well on my way in my little niche.
Will you get rich running a forum? maybe? probably not.
Can you be happy running a forum? yes, the rewards are endless.
Will the users help? Yes, do not be affraid to ask for help paying the bills.
Thsi was not meant as a how to or what to do or what not to do. Just as a guide as to my steps in the process. There are no hard lines drawn in the sand. You will run into problems. I myself have alot in front of me. I am getting back up to the user base I started with and need to expand and develope a skin I can use. I will get through, I may take me a day or to, but I know I can do it with vbulletin.
Mike King
Admin
Copiertalk.com
When I started my community I had a user base of about 800 users from a defunked easy board forum. I gave up on the conversiion process after the crash at one point. I at first went with PHPBB and everything was well and great untill more than 5 people accessed the forum at one time. This was not any fault of PHPBB but of the host I chose. I chose (name not shown) and they limited the number of connections to the database.
Now as a typical end user of forum software I had never heard or known of such a thing. Why limit me access to my own database? It was later explained that on a shared server, everyone on that server must share resources. I somehow exceeded my resources every day for about a month untill I raised the money for a virtual private server. I was still blaiming PHPBB at this point and still had little idea of the grasp of what I was actually doing. I was loosing members daily.
I purchases Vbulletin and converted my PHPBB over one weekend after I had surgery. I had planned for a "local" company to take care of the hosting for me and expected great results. I later found out the "local" hosting company was a bunch of idiots and I had no actual access to the server other than my web page. I had no access to update or ftp in at all.
I some how ripped a backup of the database through the admincp and moved to the host I am on now. They charge me money but when I call them ( thats right, I get to call them) they fix it while I am on the phone.
I now have a nice forum and about half the user base. I am working on getting back the members I once had access the page as well as future members. I have tried google addsense and It does pay a few dollars. The money from google so far does not compare to what the community as a whole has gathered and donated to me. They have pretty much payed for the forum hosting and I have put 20 or 30 dollars in my pocket every month for the past 6 months.
I threw up a paypal link one day just for the hell of it and The payments have been bumped from there. The members of my small community of loyal members descided to help pay for the site. I am convinced that what you need are loyal members to build a community and I am well on my way in my little niche.
Will you get rich running a forum? maybe? probably not.
Can you be happy running a forum? yes, the rewards are endless.
Will the users help? Yes, do not be affraid to ask for help paying the bills.
Thsi was not meant as a how to or what to do or what not to do. Just as a guide as to my steps in the process. There are no hard lines drawn in the sand. You will run into problems. I myself have alot in front of me. I am getting back up to the user base I started with and need to expand and develope a skin I can use. I will get through, I may take me a day or to, but I know I can do it with vbulletin.
Mike King
Admin
Copiertalk.com