Don't know how to code, is vB still for me

[FearlessWeeder]

I recently joined AdminZone Forums for help figuring out basic costs of starting up a forum to determine if it was feasible for me to do so. Their members determined vBulletin was the software I should purchase if I ultimately decided to go for it. The issue of coding never came up during the decision process wherein which all I did was share features of interest to me for starting up a not for profit educational forum. I have been reading threads here where members are discussing coding. I don't know how to code anything. It was my understanding I would purchase the vB software this coming September and it would be installed on the dedicated server and from there I would begin to learn how to use the software to start up a new forum. I signed up for the demo and poked around at the vB site for a little bit. I felt overwhelmed but it seemed as if it would be doable with patience and time. My experience to date has been as a forum member making posts certainly not as a forum owner/webmaster. Am I going to be able to handle this type of software with such a limited (non-existent) skill set as in no coding knowledge at all?

I decided to go for it. I'd really like to try for an educational forum. When I registered the domains I needed for the new not for profit a few days ago and associated educational discussion forum, the owner of the dedicated servers I selected also provided a service where customers could elect to choose him as technical contact for the domains. I chose him. Seemed like one stop shopping to me and he certainly has forgotten more about computers than I've ever known. He stated he would install any forum software for me that I purchased for no charge- very kind of him. I'm most pleased with his generosity as it is doubtful I could install much of anything but would both of us be able to use this support forum with two different e-mail addresses? I will be the one purchasing the vB software and the license however it was my intent to end up being nothing more than an end user/webmaster. After reading some posts here, I can see where it may be important for both me and my dedicated server provider to have access to all areas of this site. Is this possible or would I need to purchase an additional key or something in order to enable him to receive support here also. I really don't want to purchase two licenses when I will only have one forum just to be in a position to allow both of us to receive assistance and guidance here. Come to think of it, he would be the one who would need to have access to the add-ons/plug-ins to download them while I would need to have access to the forums to learn how to use them. Eesh, dilemma.

Who normally backs up a forum? The webmaster or the provider of the dedicated server who installs the software? Presumably vB has a means by which to back up all settings and data incorporated into their product. If not, is there another product that has to be purchased at the same time to back everything up? If so, what is the cost please?

I notice in comparing software that vB does not have archiving. Pardon my ignorance but what is archiving and why would one need it. Is there some sort of an add-on/plug-in for archiving if one determines down the road that one needs this feature? Seems to me as if vB has every imaginable feature under the sun and then some already so is this some sort of a feature that is a duplicate of another feature already present in the vB software but called something else?

[King Kovifor]

Well, you seem to have thought this one through. As a licensed customer, you can specify up to three email addresses for priority support to gain access to these and other official vBulletin sites. Installing vBulletin is simple for most, but there is an option for Jelsoft to install it for you.

Also, vBulletim has capabilities to back up your forums, more robust systems are available, and most hosts can offer schedule back ups. It depends on your choice. You may want to use the Admin Demo found at vBulletin.com to further test the software.

[fattony69]

I can't code either. The install files are easy to follow and installing mods are very easy. This is still for you.

[blind-eddie]

I was handed a vbulletin site, about 3 years ago. I knew nothing.
I barely knew how to turn on a pc, let alone run a website.
I had no clue what I was doing. But, I learned.
I now have 3 vb sites of my own & countless other sites.
vbulletin is the best I have used. It is well worth the money.

[Marco van Herwaarden]

You have thought a lot about the technical maintenance of your board. I doubt however that this will be the biggest challenge for someone that only used forum software as an end-user. You will probably find that running the community as an Admin will be your biggest challenge.

How much technical knowledge is needed will depend on your own wishes. vBulletin already has a lot of default features. Most of these can be tuned to your liking by setting the options in the AdminCP (Administrator Control Panel). Besides the initial installation (limited knowledge needed), you don't need a lot of technical knowledge. If you want to add more features then the default vBulletin installation will give you, then you will need to install a modification, which might require a bit more knowledge depending on the modification. All modifications available at vBulletin.org are always free of costs.

You can add up to 3 additional email addresses for full support forum access to each customer account. This will give them licensed access to all official websites.

In the end it is the responsibility of the board admin to ensure a good backup is created. Very often the host will already backup files and databases on a regular basis, contact your host about this. vBulletin does not have a buildin reliable backup option. There are however many 3rd party utilities (mostly free) that can assist in creating a backup if this is not fully covered by your host.

Archiving used to be used to reduce storage and processing and would offer a leightweight version of an original. With the current processors and the low price of storage this has however became mostly obsolete. vBulletin only stores the full version of each page.

[FearlessWeeder]

Yes, I am trying to think this through to the best of my ability. I don't particularly want to rush through just to get a forum up as that most assuredly could spell failure. I did use the Admin Demo provided by vBulletin a few days ago. Good to know I can specify up to three email addresses for priority support to gain access to support.

What is the fee for Jelsoft installing the software for my dedicated server/host man? He's been so kind to me that if there is something I can do to make his life easier, I'd like to do so... if it's affordable. Oh how I wish I had a money tree out back to hire people from this site to do all this "technical" stuff!

fattony69 and blind-eddy, your comments meant the most to me. Thank you for taking the time to reply here. Should mention I don't know anything about HTML either. If you two want your laugh for the day, I just found out that the acronym HTML did not stand for Hotmail but for hypertex markup language. I do know how to cut and paste as of the recent past so that would be a step in the right direction.

Would it be to my benefit at this phase to spend time at sites such as this-
http://www.w3schools.com/html/
http://www.lanw.com/html4dum/h4d2e/html4du2.htm

Bet there's a coding for dummies site out there somewhere too.

Any other sites someone could recommend that might be able to provide me with a basic understanding would be appreciated.

As far as the installation of modifications, presumably somebody here would be able to talk me through the process or I would be able to use the search feature for that particular modification to be able to try it on my own? I have thought about this and it would be my intent to add the few modifications I have an interest in before the board is made available to posters. My thoughts are that if I screw something up... worse case scenario is that I re-install the underlying software. Would I be correct with this thought process? No time like when there are no members to experiment and screw up royally. I tend to learn more from mistakes than I do from reading about how to avoid them.

Regarding the unavailability of a built-in reliable backup option for vBulletin, thank you for your candor Marco van Herwaarden. I personally would not have appreciated learning about vBulletin's deficiency after there was a problem. Let's discuss third party utilities please. Are there threads here where they are identified and discussed? If not, would those reading this thread be so kind as to provide me with the names of these products and a brief synopsis of how they could work for me? I'm not necessarily looking for a hand out so if there is a third party application out there that is superior for backing up that isn't free, I'd most probably be amenable to paying for it.

It would appear archiving is obsolete. Thank you for your explanation.

[cheat-master30]

vBulletin is completely fine if you don't know how to code, and in fact, with the modification system, the best forum for those that don't know how to code. You can edit anything easily through templates, the colours, fonts and other stuff can be edited through the Style Manager options with text boxes and previews and images are as simple as overwriting the existing ones.

Oh, and modifications are extremely easy, because most are simply either importing an XML file or a line or two changed in templates, which means no need to know PHP or how to edit the actual files, and anyone can do it. Heck, even styles can be imported the same way, as can language packs.

As for backups... there is an option in the Admin CP to create them, although it's not recommended when your board gets to a certain size of database. And the install files are easy enough to use, just edit the annotated files, upload, enter details, click ok a few times. vB does not require a great deal of technical knowledge to use therefore, so you'll be fine.

[Hex_legend]

I agree with all the comments above. You have put a lot of thought into your decision and you are making the right choice by far. Obviously we can't make the decisions for you, but we can only offer our support.

Like Marco said, there are a lot of options in the Administrator Control Panel which will simplify your life. It's quite easy to get your head around things when you get the hang of it. Jelsoft do offer an installation service but I am also sure that you can find a coder on here to install it for you a little cheaper. It's a nice smooth easy job

Mods are the easiest thing to do, all you have to do is upload files and import a product and it is installed. There are a few that require template edits, but all this is listed in a readme file that comes with the mod, so its easy to follow as long as you read it all the way through and follow what it says.

You do not need to be a coder to use vBulletin. I say go for it

[Digital Jedi]

I learned most everything I know about coding from adiminstrating a vBulletin forum. And it wasn't because I HAD to learn the things I did. I just felt compelled to see what more I could do with the software. Ether way, I got my money's worth.

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Most of our users will install vBulletin themself, even those without experience in installing webbased software. We do offer a Professional Installation Service ($150.00) but we mostly encouraged users to install on their own. This will make the user more knowledgable and will make it easier in the future for the user. If needed you can always rely on our support ticket system to help solve any issues that you might encounter during the installation (or the use of vBulletin). You always have the option to purchase the instalation service at a later time or hire a third party to perform the installation for you.

Originally Posted by FearlessWeeder

Regarding the unavailability of a built-in reliable backup option for vBulletin, thank you for your candor Marco van Herwaarden. I personally would not have appreciated learning about vBulletin's deficiency after there was a problem. Let's discuss third party utilities please. Are there threads here where they are identified and discussed? If not, would those reading this thread be so kind as to provide me with the names of these products and a brief synopsis of how they could work for me? I'm not necessarily looking for a hand out so if there is a third party application out there that is superior for backing up that isn't free, I'd most probably be amenable to paying for it.

Not having a decent backup option inside vBulletin itself is not so much of a deficiency, but more a choice. Any webbased backup solution is prone to problems like timeouts during the backup. Non webbased solutions are often operating system dependant and thus less usefull in generic software. Also most host already offer backup services and the database software (MySQL) also comes with backup tooling for the database (the most important part of your backup).

You can read more about manual backups in our manual: Backing-up your MySQL Database Manually