Pre-sales questions before purchasing xenForo

[Marco Famà]

Dear all,
I am the founder of the first Italian web community dedicated to the time-lapse photography: Time Lapse Italia. This is a Wordpress self hosted solution, running the latest version of the platform.

I'm getting lots of requests from my community members to open up a forum area, which would let them discuss freely and in a more engaging way than the one which was setup at the beginning (which is, a Wordpress premium plugin for Questions and Answers).

I've discovered XenForo and I'm getting in love with that.
However, before purchasing, I need to ask you a few questions.

1. my hosting provider says that all xenForo requirements are satisfied except that the PHP version is 5.2.17. Would this be a problem? Should I ask for a server migration - hoping this is possible?
2. As far as I've understood, integrating Wordpress with XenForo is possible, although a little tricky. SSO is possible, so my community members would be allowed to switch from the xenForo forum to other pages, comments them without having to login 2 times.
   Am I right, or misunderstanding something?
3. Can Wordpress and xenForo co-exist within the same server - maybe under timelapseitalia.com/forum ? or should it be on a different machine / subdomain to work smoothly?
4. Time Lapse Italia is a free and open community, and at this moment is mainly living only thanks to my own effort in terms of work and (sigh) money. Ads won't pay me back for the efforts, for now.
   
   xenForo is an amazing product, but I find the license quite an important budget. However, I need to understand if the fee you ask for is a one-time license fee, giving 12 months of support obviously, and it stops working after 12 months, or if it can go on like that but w/o getting future upgrades after the 12 months.
   
   And one more doubt: in case I understood it correctly, would I be able to pay (let's say, on the 3rd year of usage) for the upgrade by paying the license again?
5. Would I be able, after the purchase, to skin my xenForo instance to look like my site (I mean, mainly like I understand it's not possible) and most of all, would I be able to integrate
   
   - BuySellAds 125x125 ads on the right sidebar, and
   - Virgilio Banner system (an iFrame 300px width) which you can see on the right sidebar - please see an example here

Hope you can provide me with a feedback regarding the above questions, which are very important to me before going with your great system.
Thank you very much for your time guys
Marco

 

[Paul B]

1. PHP 5.2.17 is newer/greater than 5.2.4, I would have expected your host to know that...

2. There are various bridges available, you would need to check the add-on releases forum to ensure the functionality you require exists.

3. XenForo and WP can be installed on the same server/domain.

4. The license is a lifetime license. If you wish to receive upgrades after 12 months, you will need to purchase an extension, currently $40 for 12 months. You can continue to use the software without purchasing extensions.

5. Any style is possible, depending on your own skill level. If you're not capable you can always hire a designer.

 

[Marco Famà]

Thanks for the amazing quick response, Brogan.

1. ooops!
   Shame on me on not having seen that myself. However, weird my hosting provider replied to be that way..
2. Great
3. This is superb.
   I am just wondering how Wordpress wouldn't interfere on an URL like timelapseitalia.com/forum trying to resolve it with a page/blog post on its own. But I guess it's just a question of htaccess file?
4. Great, thanks.
   So the "1yr at 40$" could be purchased also at the 3rd year, let's say... right?
5. Understood.

Would the purchased package come together with a user manual or videos for the basic installation and "how to get up and running" guide?

All the best, and thanks for your feedback
Marco

 

[Paul B]

3. Many people have XenForo and WP installed without issues.

4. Yes, you can purchase the extension at any time, even after 1 or 2 years.

The official manual is here: http://xenforo.com/help/manual/

There's also a FAQ linked in my signature: http://xenforo.com/community/threads/frequently-asked-questions.5183/

HYS videos here: http://xenforo.com/community/forums/have-you-seen/

Tips, tricks & guides here: http://xenforo.com/community/forums/tips-tricks-and-guides.36/

Plus numerous other useful post throughout the forum.

Installation is very easy, most people are up and running within 5 minutes.

 

[Marco Famà]

Lovely!
I'll wait for some things to settle down, and go on with your xenForo product.

A pleasure to be assisted so quickly, much appreciated.

Cheers mate,
Marco

 

[Marco Famà]

hey Brogan,
just want you to know I've purchased the license thanks again for your kindness.

I'll have a look at the manual now..