100% to everything, wondering about vbulletin

[bettachris]

i am 100 % new to everything. So i need alot of help.

anyway i am open to everything as i know nothing.

Heres what i want to do:
I just want a vbulletin forum, simple as that. I dont know how to do any of the tech stuff.

I am also not sure what else to do, other than buy a license from vbulletin. Where do i go from here.

The only other thing i know is i need a Hosting? thing. And i ran into siteground.com. After i buy a package and the license, what next?


And that option about professional installation? should i get it as i know nothing on how to set it up? and will they help me fully?

Thanks in advance for any info given.

[Quillz]

Yes, you will need web hosting to use vBulletin. There are many hosts, some good, some not so good. Check on a third party site, such as SitePoint, for less biased information on a good web host.

The professional installation is unnecessary, in my opinion, and I'd recommend against it. If you intend to use vBulletin, then you should learn how to install it yourself. Just about any host you sign up with will provide you with MySQL, PHP and an Apache server. Therefore, you'll already start with everything you need to set up vBulletin.

[Alastor]

When I started, I too knew nothing.

I had someone set the boards up for me the first time. After that I got really interested in the boards themselves, and can now work through most issues.

Just today I upgraded from 3.0.3 to 3.6.5 mostly on my own, but needed some help with one file from the team here.

Other than that, I did it myself.

However, I could not have done that when I started out. It's only after I tinkered with my boards over and over again (crashing my entire site four times and locking myself out of my own damned site twice) that I figured enough things out to be moderately competent.

I'm still learning styles and templates. I haven't even touched user infractions yet. I can do reputation and forums like a champ though, and almost all admin stuff.

But yeah... I could not have done it on my own the first time. If you don't have a computer guy near you that you can weasel a deal out of (mine cost me a steak dinner), then get some help. The frustrations you will run into otherwise will cause you to become disenchanted with the forums all together.

This is pretty technical stuff to be honest. The instructions are written by techies for techies. People like you and I should not jump into the deep end alone for our first swim.

It was daunting enough with an expert at my side. There's zero chance in Hell I would have gotten through it all on my own the first time without despising the entire idea of running my own forum.

Do yourself a favor and get help. From a friend or from the team here. It's worth it.

[---MAD---]

You also need a domain (ie www.bettachris.com (http://www.bettachris.com)). Also, if you have spare money after all that, maybe pay someone to help you per hour or per project etc.

[Alastor]

Yeah... See this guy doesn't even realize he needs his own domain and wasn't sure he needed a host...

If he gets through these instructions on his own I'll kiss your butt and you can bring three people to watch.

Not because he's stupid, but because if one is not a native techie it is not remotely as easy as some of the "uber-geeks" would make it out to be.

I can fly airplanes too. I don't think you'd want me leaving you computer guys up there in the cockpit alone for your first outing.

I doubt you'd even get the plane started. If you did, you'd be sorry.

The same is true when a non-geek enters the geek world. Entirely different language, entirely different rules, entirely different game. It's not that damned easy to learn your vernacular if one isn't already a native.

[---MAD---]

Yes off course its not that easy however you dont need to be an "urber-geek" to know how to do it. You just need to understand a fair bit of tech stuff such as uploading files / editing files and then installing the software.

Shame vBulletin's installer doesnt make the db and update the config file itself :p.

[Alastor]

Yeah, it's not super-techie stuff. It's techie enough though.

Techie enough that I wouldn't have gotten very far without having a very skilled geek by my side.

[bettachris]

hey thanks alot guys for all of the info so far.

so let me see if i got it right, i need to get a hosting site, like site ground or westhost.com etc...

I need a domain name.
I got a free one www.bcaquatics.com (http://www.bcaquatics.com) so i want to keep them different so what about www.petfishforums.com (http://www.petfishforums.com) something like that.

and i need to buy the license.

And maybe buy a dinner for someone to help me set it up:D


is that right?

umm... i used a vbulletin site before, from the member stand point. I have used other free forums sites, and nothing has come close to vbulletin so i decided to look into getting a vbulletin forum. I did a few of the demos and loved what i saw, so i contacted the admin of the forum i was on and got great reviews.

i am not really into the tech stuff, just as long as it works, i am really best at forum management.


so while i see alot of people saying it isnt worth it to pay for pro assistance, i think it will be worth it at first, as i dont want to buy everything and in some way mess it up.

what about customizing your board. is it really easy? i saw that thread of left and right colums and would love to add that to the board, but alittle worried about how it come out.

[Alastor]

When you're looking at domains, be careful. Some registration brokers will give you a domain, and then in 6 months or a year they'll say, "If you want to keep your domain it costs this much" and "this much" means five times what it's worth.

If you're planning to be in this for the long haul, go with a reputable dealer that registers the domain for you, but that you retain ownership of.

I used godaddy, but others exist as well.

You'll need to buy the license, download the files, and then yes - get someone to help.

Customizing the boards is an interesting question.

I'm not a techie, so maybe that matters. VBulletin is easier to customize than most others I have seen. That doesn't mean it's "easy."

It's kind of tricky, and I'm currently having issues getting the colors for my styles right. The documentation is "mostly clear" but some fields simply are not addressed, and some fields control more than one area of the board, so I end up changing it to one color so it looks right on one of the pages, and unbeknownst to me it also changes it on another page that is now screwed up.

I've sat there going back and forth for quite some time before I realised I was running myself in circles before.

Luckily, there are help boards. This is one of them. There are a couple of others I would recommend too such as this one (http://www.vbulletin-faq.com/forum/usercp.php).

However, when you first get your boards running you'll be quite busy setting up admin options, then mod options, then user options, and then hopefully user groups and promotions. Then there's also a ticket system (though I don't use it) that looks fun and neat.

You'll want simple stuff like logos and smilies and such too. Then I'd start worrying about the overall appearances of the site. Maybe that's just me though. That'd be my recommended priority list, however.

[XrayAmy]

Well I'm almost as bad as bettachris but not quite THAT bad. I've had my own website for many years that I built myself...with Frontpage. I can recognize when coding is screwed up though. My biggest fear is site crashes, daily back ups and moving servers. I'm pretty sure I can handle installing the software, 'cause I'm a girl and we know how to read and follow directions. But I have to admit that this is a little intimidating and I may need my hand held. Because of that I may purchase the 6 months of tech support. I'm just glad someone else stepped up and admitted to being a little afraid of all of this.
And Alastor, how the hell do you crash your own site and even lock yourself out....just so I don't do that too.
Amy

[Alastor]

And Alastor, how the hell do you crash your own site and even lock yourself out....just so I don't do that too.
Amy

No need to worry cuz yer a girl n kin read instructions, so surely you won't make the same mistakes I did, right?

ZING

Ahem. I don't know. Seriously, to this day I don't know. I changed something either in the configs or on the boards while dorking around and couldn't get back in.

I've tried to reproduce it since (yeah, I'm a glutton), but haven't been able to. I have no idea what I did or how. I just know it required total rebuilds both times.

[XrayAmy]

No need to worry cuz yer a girl n kin read instructions, so surely you won't make the same mistakes I did, right?

ZING

Ahem. I don't know. Seriously, to this day I don't know. I changed something either in the configs or on the boards while dorking around and couldn't get back in.

I've tried to reproduce it since (yeah, I'm a glutton), but haven't been able to. I have no idea what I did or how. I just know it required total rebuilds both times.


Hey, just 'cause I can read the instructions doesn't mean I won't do something stupid! When you say a total rebuild what does that mean? Just deleting and then reloading the software? I plan on putting the board up and playing with it for a week or two before making it public. Then I plan on just letting a handful of people know for another couple of weeks. I want to make sure I know the software and I'm comfortable with it before opening up to hundreds of people.

[dangre]

When i bought my vBulletin license i , also, had no idea how to set up a forum. I just logged on to the members area at vbulletin.com and followed the FAQ.

Its a really easy step-by-step FAQ that tells you how to configure the config.php file, how and where to upload vbulletin to your domain etc.

Went without a glitch.

[Alastor]

Hey, just 'cause I can read the instructions doesn't mean I won't do something stupid! When you say a total rebuild what does that mean? Just deleting and then reloading the software? I plan on putting the board up and playing with it for a week or two before making it public. Then I plan on just letting a handful of people know for another couple of weeks. I want to make sure I know the software and I'm comfortable with it before opening up to hundreds of people.

Yes, when I say a total rebuild I mean taking everything out, deleting it and starting over from scratch with the zip file you first get.

Keep in mind that I've been here since 2004. I may have gotten the license before I came to the boards. It's entirely possible that my first version was 2.x.x or something. I definitely recall the 3.0.0 version, so I was likely here at a time when it was still possible to do some pretty dumb crap.

I think they've gone a long way towards ending the "accidental suicide" tricks of newbs like me since then.

I like your idea of playing with it for a week, then letting a few folks in, and then going public. I tinkered with mine for about that long, then invited a friends to come try to break it and check everything. After I was satisfied I kicked them all out and started over (after thanking them for their help that is). It's a good idea.

You'll want to experiment with ideas too. For example the infraction system is neat, but my board doesn't use it. I don't have administrators or moderators of any kind. It's all community controlled. The infraction system is cool too though, and that might be something you want to explore.

User groups are cool, and some sites I work with now use promotions (that I made) and some don't.

You'll need to judge your community and see what does and doesn't work for them. Some ideas are great in certain communities, and utter disasters in others.

One's got to weigh the situation carefully. Of course, there's always a "Whoops, we're gonna make some changes" option if one desires.

These boards are super fun though. I'm not sure what's funner; running them, playing with them, or watching other people enjoy what you create for them.

I used to work on cars. I'd take engines out, put transmissions in, lower jets, lift the frame, put a blower in, take the AC out... Paint, sand... Then I enjoyed watching other people get a thrill from my creation. Each car was made with a different purpose and a different type of fun in mind.

The same thing is true of these boards. I just don't get greasy and bust my fingers open with sharp objects all the time now, or lay on cold concrete, or get drun... No... I still get drunk.

It's weird, but there are a lot of similarities between the two. In either case you're taking an existing set of paradigms and working within them in creative ways to provide a functional and entertaining item of amusement for others.

Same principals.

You'll make mistakes, you'll get frustrated sometimes... But yer gonna have fun if you're at all like me.

[XrayAmy]

I plan on making mistakes in the beginning. Hopefully ones I can fix easily. I'm on a couple of boards that are set up well and are very comfortable to me so I'll probably start with the same setup and work from there. So far I've found that this board is full of info and helpful people!

[Alastor]

I plan on making mistakes in the beginning.


Plan on making them at the end too. And along the way.

It's okay though, it's only as big of a deal as you make of it.

[bettachris]

i am expecting to buy everything next weekend, as i am recieveing alot of troubling emails from my other admins on my forum about moving.. etc... but i am going to make hte move.


so what happens? after they recieve the info and payment, will they send me something? and also if i get professional help do i have to send some server info?

[Alastor]

After you make your purchase, they send you a couple of emails with passwords and log ins that you'll use on this site to download the stuff you need (like the boards).

I don't know what you'll need if you get the professional install, because I didn't do that. I'd presume you'll want your server log in and passwords, your domain log in and passwords, and... I think that should be it.

That's what I'd bring to class with me though.

Your other admins are going to love this new board after they see it and see what it can do. They'll never go back to whatever it is you're using now. This is by far the best board in the world.

The only reason they might not like it is if they are intimidated by how fancy it is, or if they can't figure it out, or if they're just plain stubborn.

These are the best boards on Earth, hands down. Not even close.

[XrayAmy]

So once you get the software uploaded on the server, where are you doing your work from? Are you working with the software on your computer and then uploading changes all at once or do you work directly on the server? I'm asking because I have a satellite connection which is iffy at times so for my website I always work directly on the server.
Amy

[Alastor]

I would imagine that if you want to you can work remotely and then upload most style changes and such, or templates or what have you.

I always work directly on my boards which are live-wired to my server though.

So... Yeah... I make the changes within the control panel of the boards on a live connection.

In some cases I think that's the only choice. There's no "upload user group and promotion" option that I know of for example. It has to be created on-site to the best of my knowledge.

I work directly on mine all the time - exclusively in fact.

[XrayAmy]

Excellent. that's exactly what I would like to do. Thanks again Alastor for all of your help!
Amy

[Alastor]

No sweat. Glad I was of some assistance.

[bettachris]

there are some problems as my other admin doesnt want to move, as i moved the board around from host to host alot.

but i am sold as far as vbulletin.

[Alastor]

Well, you're the boss.

Why doesn't he want to move to these boards? His life will be a whole lot easier if he has these.