Idiots guide to to Forums Please!

[bcrescue]

I just started my own website and my own forum through one of those 'free' phpbb forums things.
And is has since been suggested that I switch to vbulletin which I am happy to do as the person who suggested it definately knows her stuff.

But I am a bit confused as to what actually occurs when switching? What does vbulletin do exactly?

It seems like I need the software from my 'free' board......

Are there different levels of boards? Mine is small, with very few members now which may, or may not, increase in future and I dont need any fancy extras (beyond what is available on the free board) but I do want a more secure way to have a forum.

Just looking for some clarification as to how this whole process works.

[Wayne Luke]

Before you get started developing your own message board, the first thing I recommend is using our vBulletin demo to get familiar with everything it takes to run a message board. It can be a complex task, and you need to be sure you're ready to tackle it.

You can set one up for your own use from this page:

http://www.vbulletin.com/admindemo.php

The demo is active for 24 hours. If you feel you need more time, reply to this ticket with the DemoID and ask for an extension.

You will also want to use our manual as a reference while learning the controls. The manual can be found here:

http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/

It covers most of the basic controls for operation of the software.

Once you have decided to purchase, there are 2 license choices.

Owned License ($160 USD):
This license is a perpetual license. With it, you can run the software forever. It includes email support and 1 year of software updates.
After the initial year, you can optionally renew access to software updates for a fee. The fee is currently $30US. You will still get email support even if you decide to not renew.

Leased License ($85 USD):
This license is good for 1 year. After the year is up you must either renew the lease, upgrade to an owned license or remove the software from the server. It also includes all software updates and email support for the term of the license.

You can order the software here:
http://www.vbulletin.com/order/

You will also need webhosting and a domain name. vBulletin requires a web server that includes PHP (minimum version 4.3.3) and MySQL (minimum 4.0.16) installed. As long as you choose a host that meets these requirements you will be able to install and run our software.

You can purchase the domain name at the same time you contract hosting. Most credible hosts now support both PHP and MySQL, and can run our software. We do not make official recommendations, but we do have a hosting review forum here:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=11

You can also look at http://www.webhostingtalk.com, an independent review site. Sometimes you will find hosting specials there that aren't available elsewhere on the web.

Here is the status of the current import scripts vBulletin supports:

http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/main/impex_systems

Note: At this time the vBulletin import script ImpEx only work with vBulletin 3.5.0 and above. If you perhaps run an older version of vBulletin you will need to upgrade to latest stable release.

Here is the Online Manual for the Impex system:
http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/impex

And please view the 'After the Import' instructions here:
http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/impex_cleanup