Best Approach for Building a New Community

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  • cccinga
    New Member
    • Mar 2006
    • 13

    Best Approach for Building a New Community

    Hello All, I am in need of high quality advice on web hosting. This may be a lot to ask, but here goes. First, let me quickly preface my question with this…I have been on the web pretty much since the beginning and actively participate in a few forums as a user. I am fairly familiar with the marketing end of building a website (writing optimized text, logical layout), but am little light on the technical end. And now, my question. I have an idea for a website that I think could really be something. It would be a site that would actually make money over time with quality content and quality subscribers (kinds advertisers might like to be in front of). I want this site to be the real thing from the start, professional and scaleable even though it’s going to take time to build critical mass (subscribers & content). While I would be looking to keep costs down as a small entrepreneurial startup, quality, reliability and scalability would be my primary concerns and cost secondary. While I know how to use them a little, I am not that familiar with web building apps (ie, MS frontpage). So, what I think I am looking for is a web host that provides a simple building app for the main site, and one that can also host a vbulletin forum board as well…at least that is what I think I need. Sound like a good approach? Please don’t flame me if this info is here somewhere since this is the first place I have posted and I have struggled to find a similar circumstance through searching this forum. If you have suggestions or links regarding best approach, web host recommendations, costs and so on, I’d really appreciate it.
  • encryption
    Senior Member
    • May 2005
    • 516

    #2
    Hosting are the wheels which will propel your forum to where you want to take it, if you put cost (for hosting) as secondary, you're starting off from the wrong foot. You'll find a ton of ways to update content / make scalabale sites etc, but it takes a lot to research to find a good webhosting company.

    spend some time, effort and more importantly, be willing to spend a little more money on nailing down a solid / dependable webhosting company, then decide how you want to setup your website.

    An inacessible website will never become popular.
    www.MJWebhosting.com - (Vbulletin Forum Hosting)
    www.MercuryServer.com - (Our vBulletin forum Managed & hosted by MJWebhosting)

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    • cccinga
      New Member
      • Mar 2006
      • 13

      #3
      A Good Webhosting Company

      Buying webhosting seems kind of like buying a used car, there is a lot of good and bad out there and you can get burned if not careful. I am trying to write a business plan now. Any chance you could wager a guess as to setup and monthly cost for the first year or so?

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      • encryption
        Senior Member
        • May 2005
        • 516

        #4
        Yes shopping for webhosting is like buying a used car, you can get burned fairly easily / quickly. Hence I said, spend some time and effort nailing down a solid / dependable webhosting company.

        Originally posted by cccinga
        Any chance you could wager a guess as to setup and monthly cost for the first year or so?
        Your hosting plan primarily depends on the kind of business you want to run which will reflect on the website you want to have and eventually affect the kind of plan / server you choose to deploy it on.

        I'd imagine you have all the essentials in hand when you are actually trying to start a business. I cant throw a number without even knowing what you are trying to do.

        If you want to host a static HTML site, which is manually updated and displays interesting links supported by Ads you'd be ok on a shared plan, but if you are trying to setup a media archive using intense space + BW or a vBulletin forum thats got 1000 users on it everyday, you're looking more at dedicated servers (or semi-dedicated if you can find a host who will buy into the server with you).

        So before I can give more advise, you'll need to divulge more information.
        Last edited by encryption; Thu 23 Mar '06, 4:03am.
        www.MJWebhosting.com - (Vbulletin Forum Hosting)
        www.MercuryServer.com - (Our vBulletin forum Managed & hosted by MJWebhosting)

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        • cccinga
          New Member
          • Mar 2006
          • 13

          #5
          All fair questions. The way I am envisioning things now, I would have a main HTML site with links and ads (etc), and would also have a vb forum running. I don't know that the site will ever have 1,000 concurrent users, perhaps more like 100-200 peak users down the road. One of my plans for the forum is to use it in a hopefully innovative way as an information distribution center...not whole documents, but searchable executive summaries with outward links...and that could grow quickly. If it is any indication, if I can get 500 registered users in the first months and 5,000 by the end of year 1, that would be great.

          Like many of the companies you likely work for/own, I am looking to open and operate on a shoestring budget initially, but if this takes off, the growth and volume of data hosted and transfered may grow quickly. In my head, I am mixing the needs of getting out of the gate quickly and inexpensively, while leaving myself the option to grow quickly if I am lucky enough for that to happen. So, in helping to keep costs down out of the gate, I would be looking to do as much as I can on my own until I start generating revenues. A web developer would be great, but if I can build a decent site wireframe and it takes off, I can always hire a programmer for a redesign down the road.

          Thanks!

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          • encryption
            Senior Member
            • May 2005
            • 516

            #6
            From the above, it seems you're gonna run a static html site and basically (and hopefully) a busy vbulletin forum. How you setup your forum is your call so its no different than running ANY vbulletin forum (from a webhosting perspective).

            Since you haven't launched yet, I'd assume growth would depend based on 2 key elements (a) How much time / money you decide you want to put in to promote your site (b) How "interesting" is the content of the site that word of mouth assists in accelerating the popularity of your creation. BOTH of which you control.

            Yes you can pick up a shared plan with any webhosting company who are into vBulletin hosting (at least to start off with). Most webhosting companies won't charge you a setup fee.

            As for the being on a shoestring budget, I'd recommend you keep a little more than a shoestring budget handy in the event your forum does explode in growth. I started off the same way as you, tried to save as much as possible and even hosted with phpBB (god those were the days, though I wont bad mouth the product because I still use it on a few forums I own).

            Bottom line, I lost my entire forum because of crappy hosts, (lost 250,000 posts, 6000+ members) and had to start from scratch until we started doing everything on our own. For about 6 months, I paid through my nose for my dedicated server hosting my forum www.mercuryserver.com but it's worth it because someday I hope to turn a business out of mine too.

            Bottom line, to make money, you need to spend money, so keep a little extra handy.....just in case
            Last edited by encryption; Thu 23 Mar '06, 5:58am.
            www.MJWebhosting.com - (Vbulletin Forum Hosting)
            www.MercuryServer.com - (Our vBulletin forum Managed & hosted by MJWebhosting)

            Comment

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