A few forum needs? Active Topics?

[Moab]

I'm a long term forum user, I build my own computers, but I am far from a coder. Think "idiot with a keyboard".

My favorite forum was killed by its owners. I would like to build and manage a new one.

1) If I used the xenforo basic $60 cloud plan. Could I create a simple forum similar to this? Would I need add ons?

Jeep Wrangler TJ Forum

An online forum for owners and enthusiasts of the Jeep Wrangler TJ (produced from 1997-2006).

wranglertjforum.com

2) There is a function within phpbb forums called "active topics". I would like to have that and a link to "unreplied topics" at the top of the homepage.

Active topics is basically all of the topics that have most recently been replied to, since your last visit. Going back a set number of days.

Unreplied topics (may not be the actual name but same meaning) is just all the topics that have not been replied to since your last visit. Going back a set number of days.

3) Lastly, is there a page with XenForo forums that I can look at? Just to get a feel for what one looks like and how to navigate it?

4) I'm really looking to create a simple, classic looking "phpbb like" forum. Or something similar to the Jeep forum I posted above. Something very easy to navigate. Are there ready to go templates for that? Where could I look at those?

5) Before I ask to many questions. Is there a list of abilities of a forum using the basic $60 plan? Or what you can and can not do with this type of forum?

6) Can I use any of the information on my old favorite forum that was shut down? If I link to the information on the internet wayback machine? That's the only place it exists now.

Ya. It's weird. It was a successful forum too. For many years. They just shut it down one day.

Thanks for any help you might have.

 

[Wildcat Media]

Moab--I was just there a week and a half ago. (Lemons Rally.) One of my favorite places in Utah.

You can do most everything that phpBB can do on XF. I haven't used phpBB in ten years (I converted the last one in 2012) so I don't know what newer versions might have. But "active topics" might be "new posts" here. Take a look at the various menu items and tabs in the menu strip above and take some time to explore the different views. If you can't find what you want, there is a chance that an addon might add the functionality you need. Also, the same function might be named differently in XenForo than it was in other systems, so don't be afraid to poke around all the features here.

Here are some of the "activity" areas you can look at above:

3) Lastly, is there a page with XenForo forums that I can look at? Just to get a feel for what one looks like and how to navigate it?

You're looking at one right here. There is also a "large forums" thread as well as the Forum Showcase forum here. We also have a "testing" area here, where you can post whatever you want to test XenForo's abilities. If you want to see the backend, try the Demo here.

4) I'm really looking to create a simple, classic looking "phpbb like" forum. Or something similar to the Jeep forum I posted above. Something very easy to navigate. Are there ready to go templates for that? Where could I look at those?

The look of the TJ forum you linked to is using a custom theme--there are a handful of good theme developers like PixelExit who offer alternate styles to make your forum a bit unique. Depending on your abilities, custom themes or even the default XenForo theme (used here, obviously) are not too difficult to configure in terms of colors and branding.

5) Before I ask to many questions. Is there a list of abilities of a forum using the basic $60 plan? Or what you can and can not do with this type of forum?

The differences in cloud plans are essentially traffic and storage space--you get the same XenForo software with any of the cloud plans. If you are starting out, the smallest plan would probably be best, and you can switch to the larger plans as your site grows.

6) Can I use any of the information on my old favorite forum that was shut down? If I link to the information on the internet wayback machine? That's the only place it exists now.

The only way to do that is if you had a backup of your database from the old phpBB forum. Which is true for any forum software--to convert or import, you need the original database to move from one forum to another.

 

[Moab]

Moab--I was just there a week and a half ago. (Lemons Rally.) One of my favorite places in Utah.

You can do most everything that phpBB can do on XF. I haven't used phpBB in ten years (I converted the last one in 2012) so I don't know what newer versions might have. But "active topics" might be "new posts" here. Take a look at the various menu items and tabs in the menu strip above and take some time to explore the different views. If you can't find what you want, there is a chance that an addon might add the functionality you need. Also, the same function might be named differently in XenForo than it was in other systems, so don't be afraid to poke around all the features here.

Here are some of the "activity" areas you can look at above:

View attachment 267833

View attachment 267835

View attachment 267834



You're looking at one right here. There is also a "large forums" thread as well as the Forum Showcase forum here. We also have a "testing" area here, where you can post whatever you want to test XenForo's abilities. If you want to see the backend, try the Demo here.



The look of the TJ forum you linked to is using a custom theme--there are a handful of good theme developers like PixelExit who offer alternate styles to make your forum a bit unique. Depending on your abilities, custom themes or even the default XenForo theme (used here, obviously) are not too difficult to configure in terms of colors and branding.


The differences in cloud plans are essentially traffic and storage space--you get the same XenForo software with any of the cloud plans. If you are starting out, the smallest plan would probably be best, and you can switch to the larger plans as your site grows.


The only way to do that is if you had a backup of your database from the old phpBB forum. Which is true for any forum software--to convert or import, you need the original database to move from one forum to another.

I don't really live in moab. Just a short forum name I picked up years ago. Lol. But I do own a Jeep.

Thank you so much for answering all of my questions. That was really super nice of you.

Just a couple follow ups.

Are there free templates available for XenForo or is it just this defualt template and thats it? Are there inexpensive custom templates for sale anywhere? How much does it cost to have someone build you a custom template? Meaning not really changing to much navigationally. Just colors. I assume there is a default place to upload your logo to the forum default template?

In terms if my last question. It was more a general legal question. If the forum has been shutdown. Can you use any of the various informational posts in a new forum?

Thanks again!

 

[Wildcat Media]

Are there free templates available for XenForo or is it just this defualt template and thats it?

Usually, the third party themes don't really change much in terms of overall layout--it's usually a batch of appearance changes. If you compare the appearance of default XF here to the themes over at PixelExit (just one example), you can see how the overall appearance is similar, yet there enough changes to make it unique. (And you can customize those third party themes just as easily, as I've done.) I believe most third party themes cost probably $30-$60 for a year, with a license renewal that is often half the price of the original cost.

Changing colors is still easy with XF's default theme, as is uploading logos.

As far as reusing your old site data, that's hard to answer and I'm not a legal expert. But if it's a copy of your old forum, I don't see any reason why you would be restricted from using information from your old site on archive.org. I am doing that for one of my sites, in fact--it languished over the years, and the content I have buried on backups somewhere is still living on archive.org.

I'd suggest trying the demo here, as you can get into the backend and see personally where you can change colors, etc. Even by adding a couple of images (like a logo), it may be custom enough for your needs.

 

[Muddy Boots]

If its a new forum and low traffic and your willing to learn then look at a decent VPS and install CentMinMod - works out a lot cheaper to start with

 

[Moab]

Usually, the third party themes don't really change much in terms of overall layout--it's usually a batch of appearance changes. If you compare the appearance of default XF here to the themes over at PixelExit (just one example), you can see how the overall appearance is similar, yet there enough changes to make it unique. (And you can customize those third party themes just as easily, as I've done.) I believe most third party themes cost probably $30-$60 for a year, with a license renewal that is often half the price of the original cost.

Changing colors is still easy with XF's default theme, as is uploading logos.

As far as reusing your old site data, that's hard to answer and I'm not a legal expert. But if it's a copy of your old forum, I don't see any reason why you would be restricted from using information from your old site on archive.org. I am doing that for one of my sites, in fact--it languished over the years, and the content I have buried on backups somewhere is still living on archive.org.

I'd suggest trying the demo here, as you can get into the backend and see personally where you can change colors, etc. Even by adding a couple of images (like a logo), it may be custom enough for your needs.

I don't own the other forum. I was just a member. So I assume I can't repost those old posts on the shutdown forum. I wonder if I could if i reposted them but linked to the old forum in archive.org? Or could I just use links?

 

[Wildcat Media]

I don't own the other forum. I was just a member. So I assume I can't repost those old posts on the shutdown forum. I wonder if I could if i reposted them but linked to the old forum in archive.org? Or could I just use links?

Referring using links would be no issue at all. Legally it's probably the safest. Finding the original forum owner could be difficult and even so, they may not be willing to let you host their old data.

 

[Muddy Boots]

4) I'm really looking to create a simple, classic looking "phpbb like" forum. Or something similar to the Jeep forum I posted above. Something very easy to navigate. Are there ready to go templates for that? Where could I look at those?

@Russ 's PixelExit themes rock