Note: I wrote this article at almost 4am, I was bored and need to add some content to nerdpoint so please excuse any errors or mistakes that I have made. Also this will be a 2 part article and this is part one. This only covers estimated costs. Part 2 will talk about some options and earning your ROI
So you want to start up a forum community to make some money from? Well doesn’t everyone? Forums are not easy to make a profit from and if you listen to any of Lee Dodd’s podcasts, you will know and understand this. In my experience, which is minimal, I have had several people wanting to start a forum on a certain subject here and there and for me to be their partner. The people who offered to be my partner had no idea what it takes and no financial backing. I may not have a grasp myself on what makes you successful, and I still have not made my return on investment (ROI). However what I do know is I have some simple numbers and some options to explain so people who are interested in starting their next big community; they can take into consideration what they need before diving in.
First off you will need an idea. The idea is the most important part, and often the most over looked. In terms mainly that, most ideas are not well planned. It isn’t enough to say, “Well I am going to start a forum on design, so people who design will come and be active.” Of course most of you know this is wrong and this assumption will only hurt your wallet. When you have an idea it must be planned out. What makes your ideal better than the next? What are you going to do to make it unique, or what are you going to offer to get people active on your forum? Being unique is the key to having a successful forum. Knowing a lot of people also helps. The better your social networking is, the better your forum will do. People tend to do things for people they know or like.
Once you have an idea you need to brand it. This is where you start opening your wallet. Branding means you will need a domain, which costs about $8.88. Once you have a domain, you need a logo to create an identity. Your identity is crucial as to whether people will remember your brand or not. It is best to create a unique logo, or hire someone if you don’t know how to. Hiring someone will cost you on average $75.00 for quality work. Prices may vary from $20-$200+ depending how who does it and how professional they are. Professionalism doesn’t always reflect quality, so just because someone charges $500 dollars doesn’t mean they are worth it.
Recommendations:
For Domain:
Namecheap.com ($8.88USD)
For Logo Designer: Anthony of
Microvisuals.com; Lewis of
Boxedpixels.com. ($50-$100USD depending on whether or not you want it to be vector)
Now once you have your domain and a logo, you will need some other crucial elements. A major one is that you will need a web host. Web hosting is fairly inexpensive and is required to run a site of any kind, but then again most of you know this and are familiar with what hosting is. Remember this article may be obvious to some but it is written in laymen terms so anyone could benefit from it. ($10-20 per month depending on how much you want) You will also need forum software of some sort. The main types are: vbulletin, ipb, and phpbb. Phpbb is the only free one, however you get what you pay for and if you didn’t pay then you can assume what you get isn’t top notch. As for vbulletin and ipb it is pepsi and coke. Personally I like vbulletin, and I know most other web developers in the communities I am active at choose vbulletin as well.
Recommendations:
For Hosting:
Brius.com (Starting at $4.95USD)
For Forum Software:
Vbulletin.com ($160.00 for an owned license, $80USD for a leased license; don’t waste your money on a leased license)
After you have your hosting, domain, identity and forum license you will need the next most important thing, a design for your forum. This can be expensive or you could always opt for default or pre-made. However with being unique and reputable in mind, you should always get a design custom made. A custom made design will run you about $200+ from a well known and high quality designer. However visual representation is so important to attract members. I won’t even register or lurk on a forum without a half way decent design. There is no reason, because there are plenty out there that do have eye catching designs. If your design lacks or is widely known that it isn’t unique, you may have some trouble with your activity. Once you have your design you will also need it coded, some designers can code as well, but often you may have to hire 2 separate people.
Recommendations:
For Designer: Mike of
MichaelNovikov.com, Anthony from
Microvisuals.com,
Iamfake.com, Lewis of
Boxedpixels.com (~$200USD for postbit forumbit and icons.)
For VB Coder: Aros of
Yourskinner.com ($175.00)
Now you have everything you need to get your forum online and useable. Now you need to market your forum, which can also add up if you choose to make it that way. However you can spend as much or as little on this, depending on what results you want. On average I would say $100 per month can get you off the ground and on a good path to making your ROI. You may also want to invest in SEO and other types of additions to your site, but for the sake of this article and time, we won’t discuss those just yet. Check for those types of options in part two.
Now that you know what you need to get your forum up and running, take a look at the estimated total. Remember this total can vary dramatically depending who does your work and what assets you already have. If you have particular skills and can do some of it yourself, then the cost will also vary.
The grand total to start up a forum from scratch:
Hosting: $4.95 per month
Domain: $8.88 per year
Vbulletin License: $160.00 one time fee
Logo: $75.00 one time fee
Design: $200.00 one time fee
Coding: $175.00 one time fee
Advertising: $100.00 per month
Total: $723.83 USD in your first month
So for those of you who still want to start up a community, there is what you can expect to spend on getting it up and running.
Until next time,
Stanley Warren
½ Owner of
www.nerdpoint.com
Article is copyright © Stanley Warren 2006. If you would like to use my article please just keep it in tact the way it was written and give a link to
www.nerdpoint.com
--
This was written by my partner Stan (ohitsthatkidstan).
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