With the extent of my vBulletin expertise being my 6 months of dealing with the software, I can give the 'newbie' perspective of the software. What to do first and modifications to add, etc. If I can help even one person with their vBulletin forums, then I've done my job! 
I won't be able to post very often, but I hope that the quality of my posts will make up for the lack of quantity.
I won't be able to post very often, but I hope that the quality of my posts will make up for the lack of quantity.
First things first....
Posted 10-20-2008 at 04:53 AM by ArnyVee
So, you've decided to start your forums from scratch by installing vBulletin have you? Well, you've made a great choice.
After researching some of the other 'free' options for running forums, I found that vBulletin blew all options out of the water! There were two main determining factors in my choosing to pay for the vBulletin software. The support from sites like www.vBulletinSetup.com and the community of fellow forum owners that share their modifications FOR FREE was head and shoulders above any other option that I was weighing in my mind.
So, you've made it to the point where the decision has been made. Now what? Well, you have to have the software installed or install it yourself. Now, when I started I was lucky that I had selected a hosting company which would install my vBulletin software at no charge (www.MediaLayer.com) and help me with the initial setup of it.
Being brand new to running a forum (let alone a website in general), I really appreciated this part of the process being handled for me. But, if your hosting company or other friends can't help you, then you can look for some help by searching for video tutorials like some of the ones that we have here on vBulletinSetup.com. For example, check out Caddyman's video tut here ... http://forum.vbulletinsetup.com/f190...etin-9093.html .... and you'll have a much easier time in getting your forums installed and ready to roll.
Once you have installed your vBulletin forum software. It is time to configure some things and setup your forums, categories, etc. Again, you have lots of options to go with, so you can base this on your experiences at other forums. For example, in my Disney-related forums (www.WaltDisneyBoards.com) I based the setup of the forums and categories from other Disney-related forums that I had been a member of before.
So, how do you setup these forums and categories ans such? Well, I'm glad you asked. Basically, go to your adminCP (your admin control panel) and click on the little arrow next to "Forums & Moderators" (see attached picture below) and then you'll get your options including "Forum Manager", "Add New Forum", "Forum Permissions", "Show All Moderators", "View Permissions" and "Thread Prefixes". You're going to have to figure out what you feel would be the best setup (don't worry, you'll change it even after you think you have it perfectly setup!
) for your forum categories and forums themselves. Remember, each 'category' can have multiple 'forums' and 'sub forums' depending on how you'd like them to be shown.
For my categories, I had them broken down by adding a 'new member' category, a category for 'Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company', 'Disney Trip Forums' and several other specific categories including a 'moderator-only' forum where our leadership team can exchange information and communicate with each other. You can see a list of the categories by going to my forum home page at www.WaltDisneyBoards.com/forums.php and maybe you can get a couple of ideas.
So, start working on those forums and subforums to set the foundation of your forums. I only used one modifications from vBulletin.org (you'll be best friends with this great resource site for most of your modification needs!) for my forum setup. In my blog posts, I'll list some modifications at the bottom (as you'll see below) to give you some ideas as to what you can do to help with that particular aspect or blog subject. Start settin' those forums up and good luck!
Potential Modifications To Use: http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=177954
After researching some of the other 'free' options for running forums, I found that vBulletin blew all options out of the water! There were two main determining factors in my choosing to pay for the vBulletin software. The support from sites like www.vBulletinSetup.com and the community of fellow forum owners that share their modifications FOR FREE was head and shoulders above any other option that I was weighing in my mind.
So, you've made it to the point where the decision has been made. Now what? Well, you have to have the software installed or install it yourself. Now, when I started I was lucky that I had selected a hosting company which would install my vBulletin software at no charge (www.MediaLayer.com) and help me with the initial setup of it.
Being brand new to running a forum (let alone a website in general), I really appreciated this part of the process being handled for me. But, if your hosting company or other friends can't help you, then you can look for some help by searching for video tutorials like some of the ones that we have here on vBulletinSetup.com. For example, check out Caddyman's video tut here ... http://forum.vbulletinsetup.com/f190...etin-9093.html .... and you'll have a much easier time in getting your forums installed and ready to roll.
Once you have installed your vBulletin forum software. It is time to configure some things and setup your forums, categories, etc. Again, you have lots of options to go with, so you can base this on your experiences at other forums. For example, in my Disney-related forums (www.WaltDisneyBoards.com) I based the setup of the forums and categories from other Disney-related forums that I had been a member of before.
So, how do you setup these forums and categories ans such? Well, I'm glad you asked. Basically, go to your adminCP (your admin control panel) and click on the little arrow next to "Forums & Moderators" (see attached picture below) and then you'll get your options including "Forum Manager", "Add New Forum", "Forum Permissions", "Show All Moderators", "View Permissions" and "Thread Prefixes". You're going to have to figure out what you feel would be the best setup (don't worry, you'll change it even after you think you have it perfectly setup!
) for your forum categories and forums themselves. Remember, each 'category' can have multiple 'forums' and 'sub forums' depending on how you'd like them to be shown.For my categories, I had them broken down by adding a 'new member' category, a category for 'Walt Disney and the Walt Disney Company', 'Disney Trip Forums' and several other specific categories including a 'moderator-only' forum where our leadership team can exchange information and communicate with each other. You can see a list of the categories by going to my forum home page at www.WaltDisneyBoards.com/forums.php and maybe you can get a couple of ideas.
So, start working on those forums and subforums to set the foundation of your forums. I only used one modifications from vBulletin.org (you'll be best friends with this great resource site for most of your modification needs!) for my forum setup. In my blog posts, I'll list some modifications at the bottom (as you'll see below) to give you some ideas as to what you can do to help with that particular aspect or blog subject. Start settin' those forums up and good luck!
Potential Modifications To Use: http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=177954
Total Comments 1
Comments
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great postPosted 01-07-2009 at 10:56 PM by Brandon Sheley
