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Setting up a forum?
lsdweb - 14/7/15 at 08:37 AM

Hi All

I need some advice on setting up a forum.

Somehow I've ended up as chairman of a local residents association (we don't live there but own a couple of flats). We're desperately in need of some kind of way of communicating with owners, tenants etc and a forum seems to be the obvious route.

I'm looking for something that is technically easy to setup, hosted on somebody else's space, easy to maintain and free (or cheap)! Am I being overly optimistic or is there something out there suitable?

I've done a fair bit of research (googling!) and am none the wiser really!

Thanks in advance

Wyn

Quinten - 14/7/15 at 08:46 AM

Facebook page/group?

computid - 14/7/15 at 08:48 AM

A mailing list would be a much better idea. Forums with few members tend to go unloved after the initial hype. They also require people to regularly look at them, where as with a mailing list it arrives straight in your inbox.

ianm67 - 14/7/15 at 08:49 AM

This may be of interest........

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Most-Used-Forum-Application-in-The-World-73979.shtml

HTH,
IanM

swanny - 14/7/15 at 08:59 AM

our village uses a facebook group, seems to work well, and with minimal admin.

Paul

loggyboy - 14/7/15 at 09:01 AM

As above face book is best bet, people don't have to put any personal details or be 'listed' if they are worried about their 'personal internet footprint.

lsdweb - 14/7/15 at 09:42 AM

Thanks!

I thought about a Facebook page but wasn't sure if the non Facebookers would join FB just to view the page.

W

loggyboy - 14/7/15 at 10:52 AM

Your gonna have to get people to sign up to something, may as well be FB!

peter030371 - 14/7/15 at 01:12 PM

What about a google group, free to setup and can be set by each user to 'push' or 'pull' messages as they prefer

owelly - 14/7/15 at 01:18 PM

I was in a mailing group but binned it as I was getting tons of emails! Our village has a Facebook group and it works really well! You do get a few folks ranting and things go off-topic but it's not hard to steer it back on topic, or just delete the thread if need be.

lsdweb - 14/7/15 at 07:30 PM

Thanks guys

I'm the youngest committee member (at 51!) and none of the other committee members 'do' Facebook so I'm on an uphill struggle from the start! I'll have to work on them!

Wyn

Hodor - 23/7/15 at 10:56 PM

How about telegrams then Grandad! Only joking. Something like this. Would appear to be free. I set something up a few years ago for a bit of fun and was straight forward enough, can't remember if it was the same lot though.

This might be of use to the guy wanting to have a way of logging enquiries for his scrap business as well...