Forum Hosting

Forum Hosting

Implementing a forum is a great way to build a community online. There are many different forum software solutions available, some free, some paid, so it’s important to have one selected before pursuing a web hosting solution. Some forums may run entirely on HTML, and some may require a MySQL/PHP environment, so always do your research before selecting a forum solution.

Setup Your Forum How You Want

Assuming that your web host meets the required technical criteria, such as supporting the language and database backend (for example, PHP and MySQL for the phpBB forum software), you are free to setup and configure your forum. While making the initial configurations, however, there are certain factors that you will need to take into consideration.

Who Do You Want To Join?

For starters, who will be able to register? If it’s a public forum, then this isn’t really an issue, but if it’s a forum limited only to people that you personally know, for example, then you will want to make sure that all new users must be approved before posting. Or, you could restrict signups based on email address domains to ensure that only users from trusted websites may join. There are many ways to restrict membership, but they vary from forum to forum, so always be sure to read your documentation.

Protect Your Forum By Restricting Uploads

Another important issue to consider is file uploads. It is generally a smart idea to restrict maximum upload sizes to prevent users from consuming your entire allotted disk quota. Also, if you decide to allow uploads, be sure to restrict file types to known acceptable types (such as jpgs, gifs, pdfs, etc) to prevent malicious users from uploading spyware and viruses. Generally, you will want to prevent users from posting files that have .exe as an extension.

CAPTCHA Could Be Your Forums Best Defense Against Spam Bots

Finally, you will want to take measures to prevent spam bots from registering and spamming your forums. If your chosen forum software comes with an integrated CAPTCHA system, be sure to enable it. If it does not, try to find a CAPTCHA plugin, such as reCAPTCHA. If you still cannot find an anti-spam mechanism, you should consider finding a new forum software solution, or moderating your forums frequently.
Photo by Benny Shoham