Originally Posted by The Broken You have to invest money into your forum if don't want it to be a drag in the beginning.

Not true. A domain and hosting are a must, but outside of that, nothing is absolutely necessary. I can guarantee that there are people out there who did not invest a dime (outside of hosting) who are miles beyond those who spend hundreds of dollars on software, designs, advertising, contests, etc.

Now...does investing help your forums? Of course it does, it helps a whole lot...but to say that you must invest money to prevent being a drag in the beginning is not true. It's all a matter of time and dedication.