Before you can install a forum
Before you can install a forum you need to get 2 things first:
- a host
- a domain name
What is a host (= webserver)?
In information technology, a server is a computer system that provides services to other computing systems—called clients—over a network. The term server can refer to hardware (such as a Sun computer system) or software (such as an RDBMS server).
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_(computing)
So basically it is another computer where you store all your files, so that other people can get them aswell.
To install a forum that host has a few requirements though.
You need to find a host that supports php, mysql and ftp access.
Php is the programming language most forum systems are written in.
Mysql is the database where all your topics, posts, members,... are stored.
And ftp access is needed to upload all your files to that server.
Other things to keep in mind is the webspace (at least 50mb, but I recommend 100mb or 200mb), and the monthly bandwith that you can use.
A good place to look for a host is this:
http://www.hostchart.com
You can also use free remote hosted forums. But most of the time the features they give are very limited (no other themes, modifications), you have to display their ads on your site,...
If you are really serious about a forum, I suggest you get proper hosting from the start :)
What is a domain name?
A domain name is the url you have to type to go to your site/forum.
So for this forum it&undefined;s www.forumaffiliates.net
A few things to keep in mind when choosing a domain name:
- keep it short
- try to get some keywords in the url
- make it easy to remember
- try to get a .com (it&undefined;s the most popular)
- if the .com is already taken, get a .net or .org
Once you have these things, you are ready to install a forum!
This articles was written by Harro for http://www.forumaffiliates.net
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