Is my hosting plan idea good enough as a starter?

[SelfSufficientMe]

G'day,

I've been stalking this Xenforo forum for about 6 months now and I like how the community gels and to me that's as important as the software (which I like btw).

I currently have a VB forum (yeah I know...) on a cheap shared plan with Bluehost - it doesn't get a great deal of use but it may "pick-up" one day (so it's not a big user of server resources ATM).

I have a new forum idea/subject and I want to run this one on Xenforo. So, I'm thinking of upgrading my Bluehost account to the "pro" version (still shared but supposedly better) and then parking my new XF forum along side my VB installation.

That way, I just have the one account with the two forums and if my new XF forum goes well in the future and starts outgrowing the shared resources, I may then move it to its own VPS or Dedi.

Is this idea ok for starters? Or, should I host my new Xenforo forum on it's own separate account from the beginning? Any feedback or ideas are welcome.

 

[Mike Edge]

Yes should be fine if your vB isn't very active. If your vB is active then I'd prolly add a second account.

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

No Mike, my vB isn't very active... sadly, but I won't give up on it whilst she still has a heartbeat.

Thanks for your advice.

 

[Morgain]

Welcome to XF
House Morgain loves self sufficiency and independence.

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

Welcome to XF
House Morgain loves self sufficiency and independence.

Thanks for that. Yeah, I've got a good feeling about using XF - lots to learn but small steps and I'll get there

 

[James]

If your current server has enough to power both forums, running them side-by-side is a decent option. I guess it depends on your budget and predicted/current activity.

However, it may also be an option to just move to a VPS to "future-proof" it. Slavik and Deebs have recently opened some XF-optimised hosting which, I believe, starts at £14. Mike Edge also runs some XF-optimised hosting, which a lot of people around here are using currently.

 

[SelfSufficientMe]

If your current server has enough to power both forums, running them side-by-side is a decent option. I guess it depends on your budget and predicted/current activity.

However, it may also be an option to just move to a VPS to "future-proof" it. Slavik and Deebs have recently opened some XF-optimised hosting which, I believe, starts at £14. Mike Edge also runs some XF-optimised hosting, which a lot of people around here are using currently.

Actually, I just ditched my vps (sounds crazy) but I signed up to an Aussie host (thought local would be better) and on an unmanaged centos64 plan 1 G cpu etc... Even though it came with WHM/cPanel I struggled with some basic tasks like ensuring SQL could meet XF requirements. My EasyApache update froze several times and I found I was spending too much time fixing my server and emailing tech support rather than developing my website. Basically, I cancelled my vps and my host kindly refunded my fees. I'm certainly not IT inept but my short stint in server management proved I don't have the knowledge to competently do the job.

I'm feeling the "vibe" that parking both forums together isn't the best idea so I've decided to purchase another separate account (probably in the next few days) and host my XF forum on a separate "pro" account. If my forum becomes an outstanding success, I'm allowed to dream, I'll then upgrade to a managed VPS or whatever...

Thanks James