Hello Group Please forgive me for asking but this is not a support question. I would like to know from the users of aMember which board do you like and why. I have to buy one but I am at a fork in the road. Take one she said! I like VBulletin and Vision Board. It appears both of them go well with aMember. Can I get a few pros and cons of each one before I buy?
You don't have to sorry, it is a question right for the forum. vBulletin is very good and well supported. I never heard about VisionBoard, but as I know it is not supported by aMember.
Hello Again I meant to write Invision I think that is anotiher one I saw a plugin for. The keyboard must have made a mistake when I typed it!
Yes, of course, it was definitely a keyboard mistake Invision is also a good choice. However, for MY PERSONAL opinion, vBulletin has more features and better interface.
Sounds like you have aready sorted this out caucus but just in case others are looking for similar recommendations here is some research I did back in 2004. Note the some info will have changed like pricing, version numbers, and perhaps the availability of free versions. ------------------------- phpBB2 - free http://www.phpbb.com/ Probably my favourite board of the bunch but not by much. This script is community written and open source so not only is it free but yours to hack away at and change in any way you like. It is a very clean and logical board but lacks many of the features offered by it's competition until version 2.2 is released within the next few months. That's not necessarily a bad thing though as it also has one of the best organized hack (mod) communities of any of the forums. There are over 1600+ modifications available for free download, a searchable database, and a general index to find what you are looking for or for ideas on what else to add in. It means more webmaster elbow grease to get it "exactly" the way you want but you also end up with only the options and features you need or want. Personally I found their official support to be awful with site moderators spending more time on moderating and spewing their personal opinions than actually providing support but the exact opposite seemed true for the unofficial sites like the hack and mod community. Fortunately their message base is large enough that searching the archives will normally turn up your answer. Some of the disadvantages of phpBB2 are that it's running behind it's rivals on releasing updated versions but that should change soon. There are a wide range of resources for customizing graphics and buttons but they use a commercial font which means you either need to spend $40 for make new buttons to match or redo them all if you add in hacks or mods that require them. The largest problem (and it will only affect a few) is the way it manages session ID's. As a stand alone board or using hacks written for phpBB2 it works great but you may have difficulty integrating with other scripts. I'm currently changing from phpBB2 to vBulletin3 because approximately 10% of my users can not log into my PhotoPost gallery as an example. Using individual logins is fine but choose something else until 2.2 is released if you want one central login for multiple applications. Also, if you are a coder at all you will likely find their file system one of the more difficult or confusing to figure out or follow. Invision Power Board (IPB) - free or licensed copy for $199 http://www.invisionboard.com/ This is another really nice board with a clean user interface and some common sense features (like a link right on the index page for users to have their activation notice resent should it bounce) and while they try to keep it secret, it is available as a free download. On the download page look for the tiny "Free trial version" link. They refer to it as "trial version" but it's actually a full release of the latest stable version (ver. 1.3) and does not expire. For $199 you can purchase a licensed copy (ver. 2.0) and get all the new goodies they've added in or updated. Version 2.0 is expected to also be free eventually once officially labelled as "stable". On that note, only the purchased version is supported so if you go for the freebie you will have to dig up your own answers as any questions will either be ignored, deleted, or you will simply be told to purchase it for support. Luckily the unofficial community is much more helpful to those on a budget or wanting to try it out first. Speaking to several licensed owners seemed to indicate that after sales support was very good though. Graphics I found to be a little cheesy but most of us tend to either alter them or make our own anyway. From a technical standpoint IPB is only rivalled by UBB Threads on speed and efficiency (bandwidth) if that's of concern to larger communities. While it would cost some serious cash, one of the other things I really liked about Invision is the range of modules and add-ons available all from the same company. If dad has just given you your allowance Invision has a chat, photo gallery, top list, content manager, and even a paid subscription manager that all integrate seamlessly into the board set up and database providing a very professional and full featured community resource. Of the two free forum scripts - phpBB2 and IPB choose IPB if you want to "install and go" or want to tie in the member data base with another script or choose phpBB2 if you want to customize it to perfectly suit your own community's needs and interests. UBB Threads - $229 http://www.ubbcentral.com/ From a script and efficiency standpoint probably one of the best (but most expensive) and widely chosen by programmers. Because of this the hacks and mods available are also some of the most advanced available of any of the forums. Personally I did not care for the design and graphics of the user interface at all and even searching out customized boards I only found a few that I liked... none that I thought were awesome. This may be because of the tech background of many users so they tend to make things "cool" rather than pretty. UBB is from www.Infopop.com and their main focus is selling completely hosted community solutions. I can't speak for certain on their support service but would expect it to be quite good. I passed on this one based on price point and interface but the advanced hacks and low bandwidth may appeal to others. DCforums - $69 personal / $99 commercial http://www.dcscripts.com/dcforum.shtml I don't have much info in DC forums as I was not impressed with the user interface at all and questioned the general popularity (hence compatibility and mod support) so didn't look into into it very deeply. As with every single board, users tend to be fans of what they use themselves so initial feedback is always the same... "Rah Rah... this is the best board ever! Such and such board sucks!" regardless of which one you look at. I didn't go past that point for DC forums ;-) vBulletin 2.3.4 or 3.0 RC4 - $160 http://www.vbulletin.com/ This really is a commercial grade script and along with phpBB2 is used for some of the largest forums on the net. vBulletin's current stable release is vB 2.3.4 but version 3.0 is just about to replace it as the current version (currently listed as Release Candidate 4) with many sites already upgraded. vB3 is entirely database driven with even things like templates, language files, and avatars being stored in the db leaving only the actual php scripts and graphics in the forum directory. I find it a little bit slower to load complete pages and a little heavier on resources but that is more than offset but the massive amount of admin control. The admin panel is so extensive that it has to be used from it's own window and all customization can be done online. Reading through the official support forums seems to indicate that after sales support is very good and many times they have answered the same question repeatedly just as helpful as the first time. There is also a very large hack and mod community but it may take a little bit of digging to find exactly what you are after due to the way the unofficial site is set up. Like phpBB2 there is also an entire unofficial community for design, graphics, and templates available so your board can perfectly match your site. You will be hard pressed not to find a hack you want for version 2.3.4 but given that version 3 is yet to go gold there is a much smaller number available for it at this time. The biggest advantages for vB is simply compatibility due to it's popularity and the fact that so many options and features are already included. Looking at other scripts designed to integrate with forums they will almost always have vBulletin as the first or main choice. Like Microsoft... you may not like it the best but compatibility speaks volumes. Try sending some of your friends documents in WordPerfect format and see how far you get for example ;-) I hope this info is helpful to someone but keep in mind that all of this is simply my opinion and not based on stats & figures. What forum script is right for you can (and should be) only decided by you. My preference would have been to stay with phpBB2 and wait for the next release but did not have the luxury of time - I have to upgrade now. That being said, I was really torn between IPB and vB with advantages and disadvantages on either side. After a week of turning both upside down and inside out... I'm installing vB3 this weekend. Your mileage may vary... - Bryan Ex
Hello Bryan Ex & Group Yes, I did buy vBulliten, I truly enjoy reading your comments. It appears I bought the right program. It is also comptabile with aMember one of the most important reasons. I have all my members in the DB (1,949) and I need them to easily get to the board. This is my first board so I have a lot to learn to get it installed. Everyone wants it up by Monday AM! I have to get my header on there first. Plus there are many things that need to be done besides the header. But I made a start and I do have a discussion area going. I also placed it in the secure area so you have to be a member to see it. I am not sure that was the right thing to do but it is secure for now. Thanks again for your insight.