First of all..thanks to everyone that provided me guidance up to this point.

And to Lisa....no spam or self promotion intended with this post....just really happy that I finally got my community forum up and running....the address is in my profile. It is very basic and to the point..no flash..just what I sought for my first attempt.

I shopped around for a host, checked prices and various feedback forums. Considering I already had domain names registered with Godaddy..I took a -3-year package with them that included another domain name for $181 -total- after discounts. This is their Deluxe package with unlimited domain hosting. The data transfer and storage are more than I will need.

Now-not attempting to violate forums rules...let me try to explain the process of securing my domain name. Tried various combinations that were already taken, wanted a name that could be associated with my community ie up north in NY.

Tried NorthTrader (a message popped up indicating that it was considered a premium name and was available for $1900+??) So I just switched the two words around to TraderNorth and bought the name for $1.99!

Moving to the software..I considered vBulletin, phpBB and SMF. Since I was making this forum pro-bono..I needed to keep costs down. That eliminated my first choice vBulletin. I then considered phpBB and SMF..signed up to both forums and just felt better served with SMF for my needs. Support in the SMF forum was just great..really like their support and internal community.

Getting back to Godaddy..I have no complaints with their support either..I attempted to install SMF on my own (twice) and just couldn't get it to work (rookie problems). The Godaddy folks were great, guided me through the auto install route and within minutes I was up and running! Feel like I cheated..but it works.

Well anyway..my forum is not high tech, and I do prefer the vBulletin themes but SMF meets my basic goal. Now I can get a bit more ambitious with other sites!

Thanks!

Gotta Go and Promote Now!

Thanks for the post, even if you don't wear a real bow tie! (I don't either any more.) Old Chevy trucks are more fun anyway.

Your post is a good service to new members as well as older ones. I really like it. One of my favorite areas of interest is money! Whose isn't you say? And you have shown some great thinking in finding ways to reach your goals without spending a lot of money. Especially in turning that name around.

The right question is seldom "Where can I buy..." or "How much would it cost...." It is usually, "What are all the possible ways I could achieve this goal?"

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Good Success!

Douglas County Master Gardeners
"We don't always get what we want, but we always get what we expect."

they have been really giving us problems over the past 6 months with their shared hosting. We have just got frustrated to the point where we have switched to mosso rackspace. If anyone needs to switch or is looking for hosting contact me as I've just got a dedicated server to myself and can share the bandwidth. No more worrying about a 50 simultaneous user limit that Godaddy has and none of the timeout issues.

Way to go! I'm really glad you are making such good progress. Feels good doesn't it?

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Since 4+years m with godaddy.. beofer feel support little bit slow.. but since 2 years they are perfect.. and some time I got replay within hrs.. regarding payment also they are giving arounf one moth and send plenty of reminders...

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Thanks for your post. I am proud of you for getting your first site. I am not there yet, but in time I will be. I will check out your site and perhaps I can learn from you. Keep the forum informed of your further progress and the bumps along the way. I wish you continued success in your endeavors. William Wilson

Thanks for the support...forgot to mention that this old guy also made the banner..again not much..but did it myself. Used my old Olympus 1.3 megapixel camera to take -2- road sign pictures, then used Microsoft Photo Editor and Paint to paste the North 87 sign into the Exit 43 picture. Fits my intended northern NY theme..

Hi

It's looking good. You'll have to stick posters up around the town to get people into it.

Just a note youv'e got links to northtrader instead of tradernorth on the front page.

Bob

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Donk

Thanks for pointing that out...just corrected it. Ordered 500 business cards from Vista Print for $9.19 shipped and have a couple of flyers ready to go in our local bank and grocery store.

Thanks for looking out for me!

Ed