Stop asking what forum to use...

[The Elite]

Forums are like shoes, not everyone has the same taste, and no shoe can possibly fit each foot. If you are looking to choose a forum software, obviously most people will look at vBulletin, MyBB, IPB, phpBB3 and xenForo. Yet, constantly, so many people ask which forum software to use. Here's the answer to stop you all from asking this, there is NO answer.

Take into consideration. Someone might want a gaming forum, so they may choose vBulletin due to their in built CMS. This is because their needs are offered in the specific forum software, whereas, someone who requires a general basic forum, may just use phpBB3 or MyBB due to their design interactivity, simplicity and the cost required.

Now, what if someone is looking for a social forum? They may go for xenForo as it has status updates, a Web 2.0 design and a brand new user interactive login. See, everyone has different needs, next time you ask someone for what forum software you should use, just STOP, go over your needs and do some research. When you post a thread regarding the forum software you should use, don't expect reliable answers, instead, expect opinions.

One other thing I'd love to cover is the "ever growing" debate about the 'best' forum software. That's a completely unreliable debate. Every forum software caters someones needs, someone might think MyBB is the best, yet another person thinks of IPB to be the most satisfactory.

Good luck.

 

[Zuinag]

I completly agree with you. Each software offers something different that appeals to that person.

 

[Nebulous]

People are never going to stop asking for advice on what software to pick nor will they ever stop arguing about which one is the best.
It gets old after a while but all you have to do is avoid such topics.

 

[xarver]

It's not like the people asking (like me) don't know what each one is like.
I knew what all of them were like but wanted to know which one would be better for my purposes... it's the people who post in the topic that don't realize that. 😛

 

[The Elite]

It's not like the people asking (like me) don't know what each one is like.
I knew what all of them were like but wanted to know which one would be better for my purposes... it's the people who post in the topic that don't realize that. 😛

I understand, but most people who do ask don't specify their needs.

 

[Rich Edmonds]

XenForo for social? Barely, even vBulletin has more social integration than XenForo. I'm afraid IPB was the main solution which brought in social integration with forums and they still lead the pack. Software can be used for all niches and website ideas, vBulletin and IPB may have a CMS but why not just integrate phpBB, MyBB, SMF etc. with WordPress or another 'proper' CMS which allows further customisation and keeps both installations separate?

Would certainly aid in forum upgrades with less addons and extensions being used. Keep things simple. It solely depends on:-
- how deep your pockets are?
- do you wish to have a large array of extensions installed?
- how comfortable are you with manual file editing (PHP, CSS) and extension installation?

I'm all for people to keep asking "What should I go for?", especially if they're not as experienced as others or have not used every software under the sun.

 

[AnAccount]

You got a good point, The Elite. I for one, am not picky about what software a forum is on at all. A forum is not about the software, anyway, it's all about the community and its interactions. We all have our preferences, so really, I believe those preferences should be respected by all sides.. I for one am sick of hearing people ask others: "why are you using this software? Your site would've looked so much better on this software instead". It all boils down to what the administrator in question feels comfortable working with.