- Thread starter
- #6
camski
Contributor
I realize that it depends on the complexity, but what would (in general)startup costs be?
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Free registration at the forum removes this block.I guess I beat you by 10 seconds. TAZ has very good information.Damn you beat me to it! TAZ is an awesome resource. :icon_super:
I'm not MJ, but here is a link where you will find answers to every single question you have about running a forum. http://www.theadminzone.com/forums/
Building a forum isn't that hard; this is my 2nd - what is difficult is getting traffic and users.
1) You really can't protect your idea. Your idea, once launched, becomes public. Anyone can copy it. You can get people to sign an NDA for those that will have sensitive information.
2) You can find people on various websites that can help in technical. Elance.com was mentioned here before and offers a great repositiory for finding contract help.
3) You can buy a board license and then buy skins for the board. There are "off-the-shelf" skins you can buy without needing to know much about web programming. Examples: ForumMonkeys.com and MinerSkinz.com.
4) Sign-up to TheAdminZone.com -- great forum for board administrators and literally overflowing with board information on how to run successfully.
5) Generating revenue from a board is done via advertising and sponsors. You can run AdSense via Google and earn $$ on Pay-Per-Click. If your board is receiving 100,000 page views a day and 500 people click, you'd earn $100/per day. (Estimates.) Sponsors pay monthly and can sponsor a forum section. For example, a publishing house might want to sponsor their own book section here.
You also can offer premium content. One of my favorite boards (LamboPower.com) has a "VIP Member" section that charges $15/mo for premium content and access. Their "premium content" is naked women, arcades, and a special discussion section for premium members.
Steps:
1) Buy domain name
2) Order hosting plan that can run the board software
3) Buy board software (I recommend vBulletin)
4) Install board software
5) Buy skin and modify to taste (I bought one and modified it myself).
6) promote
7) promote
8) promote
9) promote
10) promote
Good info MJ!
You can do steps 1-2-4 and 5 all at www.aptohosting.com.
If you want to get started just call me at 1-866-404-9090 or email me at tom@aptohosting.com.
Thanks
Tom C.
www.aptohosting.com
When you "register" a domain name, you're basically buying the rights to the "property" for a set period of time. Usually, you'll have the option of 1-5 years.Sorry if this question is extremely novice, but is "buying" a domain name the same as "registering" a domain name?
I have come up with a couple of business ideas that would be mainly internet based. As of right now, the .com names I would want for them are available.
Websites are something that I am not real sharp on yet, however, these ideas that I have come up with are pretty solid and at least one of them I am considering running with.
Thanks.
I would highly recommend Apto, especially if you're just getting started. He'll gladly help you out along the way. It may cost a few bucks more (about $5 more than GoDaddy for domain registrations, I believe), but it's worth it to avoid getting bombarded with advertisement. Additionally, you'll get top notch customer support.Yanks,
Thank you.
Is this something that I could accomplish with a company like the Fastlane's sponsor AptoHosting? Or is it something I would have to look elsewhere to do?
I would highly recommend Apto, especially if you're just getting started. He'll gladly help you out along the way. It may cost a few bucks more (about $5 more than GoDaddy for domain registrations, I believe), but it's worth it to avoid getting bombarded with advertisement. Additionally, you'll get top notch customer support.
Good luck!
Ryan
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