When choosing a Forum Software

[PandahFish]

When choosing a Forum Software what aspects are you looking for ? Do you go for something that will be easy to build your forum upon or something that would be difficult and take alot of work ?

 

[lludawg]

I usually have all the things I want my forum to be able to do beforehand in a list so I know exactly if a certain forum software will work for me. Then I try to find the simplest forum software that will work.

 

[Kindle]

I would look towards something that's simple, but yet difficult. Its better to have a forum software that doesn't limit your customization. When there's more to customize, the users horizon tends to expand and it turns dreaming into doing. I would personally recommend Phpbb which is one of the best forum software, in my opinion. Its easy to use, but at times can turn difficult depending on what kind of modifications your willing to make.

 

[milksheikh]

I look if its free and if it works good.

I use MyBB and it works fine, its easy for me to install plugins too.

 

[wasi90lk]

I normally go for stuffs that are easy for me. I am comfortable with Mybb and I find it very easy, so I always choose it to build forum.

 

[Roach]

What the current development from the actual team and plugin creators are like, how the forum software would fit my discussions and then things like flexibility/features and then also load times for forums.

 

[Shortie]

I go for something that I know my members will have an easy time of using but also for a forum software that I know myself I will be able to work easily from behind the scenes and that is easy to install plugins and themes to. Free software is always good and MyBB is nearly always my chosen software for free software. Xenforo though is just as great I feel as MyBB but with it having a price tag it's not always ideal.

 

[Azareal]

Honestly, there aren't really any forum software which are good enough for my needs.
For the most part, I've cut back on running communities until, I can build something which my users are comfortable on.

It really depends on the community though and what I'm willing to invest in it. A plugin system is a must though, as I will almost away end up writing custom plugins to keep my users happy.

 

[kfander]

I look for stability, more than anything else. Pretty much everything else that has been suggested here are also good, and certainly I will also consider such things as ease of use, both for me and for my members. I'm 63 years old, and there was a time when I enjoyed learning how to do new things, such as modifying a forum or even rewriting code, but I haven't kept up on all of that, and am really more interested in having something that works, and works well, that I might be able to personalize without a great deal of work.

 

[Kleineganz]

For me ease of use - both for myself and my moderators, and for my members, is key. Beyond that, a pleasing design even with the default theme is preferred. Also an active mod/theme community is helpful as well - the worst thing is installing a forum and then not having updated mods/themes to choose from that are compatible with the latest version of the software.

 

[cyberpuppet]

I like "free" or rather open source software that has a really good active community behind it so I can get started without having to invest money that could be better used elsewhere, but knowing that there are resources both free and paid if they become necessary. At the same time I like software that is big enough for any kind of site growth. I used myBB for communities and Drupal for every thing else.

 

[Maximum]

I look for something that is simple & easy, but also very customizable and very light.

 

[proxynvpn]

I tend to go for something easy but also something that I know members will have a knowledge of as to not turn them away by how difficult it is to use the forum. If I am able to work on forum software that allows me to have my forum how I wish in terms of look and feel but is also user friendly then I am happy to choose that software.

 

[Azareal]

Alright, maybe I wasn't quite too accurate with my previous post.

Lets see.. I take the budget into account. Dropping a big pile of money on a tiny new community is generally a big no-no.
I take the feature-set, whether it even has a plugin system (mods are out of the question), the available plugins, the complexity of the Plugin API, whether the hooks are flexible enough, etc.

 

[reddyash]

When I am choosing a software, I look for how the support is provided, how easy is the ACP and availability of addons.

 

[Michael]

I like a forum software that is simple and easy to use such as Xenforo. Just wish that the control panel wasn't so damn complicated.

 

[Jordan]

I like a forum software that is simple and easy to use such as Xenforo. Just wish that the control panel wasn't so damn complicated.

It is definitely a change in regards to most ACP's out there. I was overwhelmed when I first get into the admin area. However, you do get use to it, and where everything is. In the long run I find it to be a better ACP over others as there is so much more you can do.

 

[Michael]

It is definitely a change in regards to most ACP's out there. I was overwhelmed when I first get into the admin area. However, you do get use to it, and where everything is. In the long run I find it to be a better ACP over others as there is so much more you can do.

Yeah, when I first saw the control panel in the demo mode. It was a huge change for me it may be complicated but it does offer more then what most does.