how to grant permission for a group of people to join when 1 person pays for access..
 

I am thinking of starting a forum where a company can pay a fee to allow their employees to have access to the forums.

So once the corporate entity pays for access all of their employees can join.

How can I manage this?

Let's say I have a public forum (Free access) and a private forum (paid access). I'm pretty sure 3.5 allows paid subscription to forums but how do you allow more than 1 person join from 1 payment?

Is it possible to block access to a specific forum according to a range of IP addresses?
So everyone in the world is blocked from the private forum until their corporate entity pays for access. Then I find the IP addresses that are associated with their entity and allow access to that range of IP addresses.

Is this feasible or should I look in to having something created to allow this?

I would just create a usergroup for each paying client, and add the members of that company to the right group. If the subscription is finished, you remove the usergroup.

Yep, this is the easiest way of doing it with a default vBulletin; but, it is the most expensive way. (eg. time is money and upgrading each member that joins will take up a lot of time)

I recommend creating a custom "access code" script.
Whenever access code is used, the member will be promoted to the new usergroup.

• You make the options available for members to purchase access to forums for their employees.
• The members will have to choose between 10, 25, 50, 100, etc employees. (I would charge a different amount for each group.)
• Upon a purchase, the system will automatically send buyer a "THANK YOU" email with the access code and instructions.
  • The instructions will instruct the member to give out this access code to all his employees.
  • The instructions will instruct buyer to approve all members who use access code. eg. Tom uses the access code to upgrade membership ... Bob, the buyer/boss, will have to approve the upgrade/access

Yea, it's a bit complicated but it will make life easier for you.
The system should be made so that sharing of access code will be limited to only the employees. Hence, the buyer has to approve each upgrade.

You could even just use Public Joinable usergroups. Then set 1 or more representatives of your clients up as Group Leader, so they can aprove joins for only their own employees.

Bill them for the number of members in that usergroup.

No hack needed, and almost no time for you.

One of the little gems of vBulletin ... yes, I forgot about the PUBLIC JOINABLE USERGROUPS. I'm not familiar with the feature but it is the best choice. :up:

PUBLIC JOINABLE USERGROUPS is the route that I would recommend.

But i think we already given you enough information for a Pre-Sales question now.

We are looking forward to your purchase of vBulletin.

vBulletin - forever )

thanks guys.
marco - i understand but the more help i can get before a purchase the better.

measure twice - cut once.

I am sorry first, but we already taken this too far for a Pre-Sales question. In Pre-Sales we can tell you IF something is possible and if it would require custom coding (even if it is already available).

Complete instructions on how to do something belong in the support forums (only available to licensed members), and not Pre-Sales. The reason for this is that there are also people trying to use vB illegally and are trying to get official support.