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Many years since they were first introduced, internet based message boards remain as important as they have always been, if not even more so. With many new forums opening every day, it can sometimes be difficult for a new forum to attract an audience of it’s own, but having a game plan ready in advance should certainly help you. This article should help to get your planning under way, and to give a better indicator on what lies ahead.

One of the first things you will want to do for your new forum is decide how and what you will be using it for, and if you are planning to use it as a stand alone forum in place of a website, or in addition to one. When you already have a website with a dedicated following, it can help to generate interest in your forum right out of the box, and you should generally find this route easier, than if you were to try and start a brand new forum from scratch, with no audience at the ready.

Another important decision is if you want to go with a forum at a pay host, or if you want to try out a free forum host, and contrary to what some people may say, free forum hosts offer a nice starting point for new forum owners, who aren’t yet sure if they want to invest in a paid forum, which may potentially fail. Also be sure to take a look at the various types of forum software out there, and see which one looks the best to you, and has all the features that you want or need. Currently, the most popular forum software is Vbulletin, Phpbb, and Invision Power Board. While Vbulletin and Invision require buying licenses which can cost hundreds of dollars, Phpbb can be used entirely for free, assuming that you have a hosting site to place it on. There are also large numbers of lesser known forum software, many of which are also free, and could be more to your liking than Phpbb.

Depending on if your forum will be used for your business or just for recreational discussions, you may have different goals on what you hope to achieve out of a forum, and what kind of activity level you are anticipating. Most forums have a staff of at least a few people to help out around the forum, and to be there for members when you can’t be. Finding willing staffers for a business forum without being prepared to pay them can sometimes be difficult, so be sure that whoever you pick is reliable and trustworthy. Even non-business forums are often in need of a staff, to help the forum’s community to grow, and to keep the existing user base happy and healthy.

Picking an easy to remember, but unique name for your forum can also help to attract and retain members, and generally shorter names are better for this, but not always. You want to pick a name that people will associate with your forum, so be sure that the name suits whatever your forum is about.

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What is WordPress?

WordPress is a free, easy to install and use blog and content management system. You can download WordPress at: http://wordpress.org/download/.

Why WordPress?

WordPress is free, easy to install and easy to use
You can quickly create new static pages (About Us, Our Services, Contact Us, etc.)
You can easily maintain a business or personal blog and archive older articles
WordPress can create search engine-friendly pages
You can choose from hundreds of templates (also called themes or designs) to install
You can choose from hundreds of plug-ins (such as calendars, contact forms, photo galleries, etc.) to add.

Installing WordPress on Your Webhost

Option 1 : If you know how to use FTP and how to create a MySQL database, you can probably install it yourself quickly using the installation instructions at WordPress.

Option 2: If you chose a webhost that includes the script library Fantastico or if you chose Netfirms.com, you can use their useful automatic installation tools. Please note: this method may not be as secure as option one.

1) Webhost with Fantastico

I will use Hostpapa.com as an example because I often recommend it to clients, but it could be any other host with Fantastico.

Login to the control panel at http://www.hostpapa.ca/cplogin.shtml
Scroll down to the « Software » section and click on « Fantastico De Luxe »

In the left menu, under « Blog », you will find « WordPress ». Click on « WordPress » and then on « New Installation ».
Choose your domain name in the drop-down menu.
Type the directory where you want to install WordPress. Leave it empty if you want to install it in the root folder
Type an admin username and a password
Put in your admin nickname, e-mail address and your site’s name as well as a self-explanatory slogan.
Click on « Install WordPress » and then on « Finish Installation ».
Your are ready to login to your admin account!

2) Netfirms Netfirms.com, another host I frequently recommend, is a bit different:

Login to the control panel at https://controlpanel.netfirms.com
Click on the menu item « Site Tools »
Under « Applications » you will see « WordPress ». Click on « Wodpress »
On the next page, click on « Add New », on the right-hand side of the page.
Type the directory where you want to install WordPress. Leave it empty if you want to install it in the root folder.
Select your domain name and click « Add »

Option 3: If you prefer, you can have it installed by a freelancer for around $25. All the freelancer will need is access to your server and the option to create a MySQL database.

Creating Content
Once WordPress is installed on the server, you can login to your admin account and create content in two different ways:

1) Create static pages such as « About Us », « Contact », « Services », etc.

In the main menu, click on  « Write » and then on « Page »
Type a title in the « Title » field
Type and format your content in the « Page » field
Click on the button « Publish »

And voilà, a new menu item will automatically be created in your site menu, linking to this new page.

2) Write a post (article)

In the main menu, click on « Write » and then on « Post »
Type a title in the « Title » field
Type and format your content in the « Post » field
Below you can type tags. Tags are keywords that describe the topic of your post.
Select or add a category in which to post your article. This will help organize and archive your posts.
Click on the button « Publish »

A new title will automatically be created in your categories and will link to this article. Most likely, and depending on your settings, this new article will also appear on your home page.

You can include images, videos, audio and other files in both posts and pages using the buttons next to “Add Media”.

For more info on how to use WordPress, read  http://codex.wordpress.org/Introduction_to_Blogging.

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Product Description
For anyone wanting to get set up with their own fully functional web site, quickly and easily, the simplest and most versatile software out there today is WordPress.
With a hosting account and domain name you can literally have a basic but complete web site set up in minutes.
But don’t let the word ‘basic’ fool you! WordPress has the potential to be a whole lot more than a basic site or just a blog. It can be used for anything from a personal blog where you bl… More >>