Mailing Lists Custom Error Pgs Forums SPAM Assassin Email Setup
Forums

Home
Up

 

How to Create a phpBB Forum

fo·rum

    fo·rum (fôr¹em, for¹-) noun     

    1. a. The public square or marketplace of an ancient Roman city that was the assembly place for judicial activity and public business. b. A public meeting place for open discussion. c. A medium of open discussion or voicing of ideas, such as a newspaper or a radio or television program. (or website!)

    2. A public meeting or presentation involving a discussion usually among experts and often including audience participation.


Okay, now that we know what it is...

Why Use a Forum?

A forum is a great way to pass information on to your website's visitors.  A well-designed forum can help bring visitors back to your site over and over.  It is an excellent medium for providing free technical support.  The phpBB software includes a "search" button that allows anyone to search for term(s) in the postings that are already present.  Help one person, you may help a dozen more down the road simply by posting the questions and answers in the forum.  Forums are also a great way for musicians to keep in touch with their fans.  Used in conjunction with a mailing list, your fans will always know when and where your next gig is going to be.

One thing a forum is not:  it is not a chat room.  The main difference is, chat rooms operate in real-time (e.g., you can carry on a "conversation") and they do not preserve the text.  Forums do not operate in real-time, but everything is saved for all to see (more or less - you can control group membership to each forum, if needed).

Okay, I'm sold...get on with the how-to, already!

You asked for it...here it is in step-by-step format:

  1. Login to your control panel.
  2. Under "CGI Scripts", click on "Bulletin Board".
  3. Type in a name for the forum ("forum" is a logical choice).
  4. Click the "Install" button.
  5. Look for a confirmation message, such as "Install OK".  Click the "Back" link.
  6. You should see your forum listed at the bottom under "Modify an existing Board".
  7. Click "Upgrade to phpBB 2.0.4" if it the link is available.
  8. Use your browser's "back" button to go back after the upgrade is completed.
  9. Click on your forum's link listed under "Modify an existing Board".  A new window will open.
  10. This is your forum!  Your login is the same as your web hosting account.
  11. Once you have logged in, click the "Go to Administration Panel" link at the bottom of the page.
  12. Click "Configuration" under the "General Admin" section to start your customizations.
  13. Read the User's Guide at the phpBB website for more details on forum administration.
  14. Want to change the logo?  See the FAQ at the phpBB website.

Hints for working with advanced features:
  • You need to be comfortable uploading and managing files and directory structures.
  • You WILL need an FTP client if you plan to upload avatars. We recommend WS_FTP LE.
  • If you totally screw something up, relax!  Use your control panel's file manager to delete your /forum directory and everything below it (don't try it with FTP - it won't let you delete folders that aren't empty).
  • You will probably have to delete the mySQL database before you can re-install the forum (go to Databases, then click "Manage Mysql").

 

This may sound like a daunting task, but it really isn't too bad.  But just in case...you might want to backup your website using the Backup utility located under "Site Management".  Click "Download Today's Home Backup" and save the compressed file to your desktop or some other location where you can find it again in an emergency.  It is a good idea to do this anytime you are going to make major changes or install a new feature to your site.  Download the aliases and filters if you want to save all the settings of your email accounts and filters.
 
If you get stuck and need help, post your questions at our Tech Support Forum.
 
 
 
© 2006 VolcanoHost.com