Adding a forum to your website/blog is a great way to connect with the community of followers you’re building. This isn’t as hard as it might seem and you probably already have the right tools to make it happen within your hosting account. There are two easy ways to go about adding your forum.
Using phpBB and a Sub-Domain
One of the easiest ways to add your forum is by creating it on a sub-domain name of your website. This is done with a few simple steps, including:
Creating a sub-domain name – This is done within your cPanel in the sub-domain section found under the domain names tab. Just click on the sub-domain section, add the sub-domain to the right domain name and click the create button.
Installing phpBB on the sub-domain – Once you’ve created your sub-domain, go into Fantastico DeLuxe found under the Software/Services tab. Once you’re in the Fantastico DeLuxe area, you will see phpBB under the discussion boards section. Click on it and install the program on the sub-domain you just created.
Add the Link to your Menu/Website – After creating your forum on the sub-domain, all you need to do is add a custom link into the menus on your website. This is simply done within the WordPress dashboard and will give your visitors full access to the forum.
By adding a forum with phpBB on a sub-domain name, you gain control over your entire forum. You can name the sub-domain whatever you’d like and it can be as simple as forum.yourdomainname.com. This can also be done with a separate domain name if you want your forum to be on its own domain.
Adding a Forum with bbPress
Another option for adding a forum to a WordPress site is bbPress. This is software specific for WordPress and it uses the core of this CMS to create a forum on your website. With bbPress, you can add plugins to create more functionality and it runs faster than most other choices for adding a forum to WordPress.
You can use bbPress for your forum by following these simple steps:
Download, Install and Activate the Plugin – This program installs just like any other plugin and you can find and install it within your WordPress dashboard.
Create your Forum – After you’ve installed bbPress, it will add topics, replies and forums to your WordPress admin, which makes it very easy to work with. All you need to do is click on “Forum”, and then “New Forum”, which will give you a similar screen to the WordPress post edit area. You can add your title and a description here. Click “Publish” and you’ll be off and running.
Displaying Your Forum in WordPress – After creating your forum(s), you need to create a page with a title, such as Forum or Community. By using the shortcode, “[bbp-forum-index]” and turning the comments and trackbacks off, you will be able to publish your forum on this page.
Display your Forum in your Menus – All you need to do now is go into the Appearance section and click on Menus. This is the area you can add your forum page to the menus you prefer.
Allowing Registrations in Your bbPress Forum
After you’ve created your forum with bbPress, you can allow new registrations within the forum. This is done under the Settings tab in your WordPress dashboard. Go to the “General” section and check the box for “Anyone can register”. This will allow registrations on your website, but you still need a registration page.
All you have to do is create a regular page and give it a title, such as Forum Registration or Registration. Once you create the page, just add the shortcode, “[bbp-register]” and publish your new registration page.
You may also want a “lost password” page for your users. This page is created in the same manner. Just create a page, call it “Lost Password” or “Password Recovery” and use the shortcode, “[bbp-lost-pass]”. Publish your new page and you’re all set.
Learning phpBB and bbPress
After you’ve created your new WordPress forum with either phpBB or bbPress, you will want to play around with it to learn the ins and outs. With phpBB, you won’t do this by logging into WordPress because it’s separate from WordPress. Just login to the backend of your phpBB forum and use the support, along with simple Google searches to learn how to create sub-forums, set your registration parameters and do all the other necessary things.
With bbPress, you will need to log into WordPress to play around with it. There are some widgets you can add to your site and to the actual forum, along with different settings you can adjust. Before you allow anybody to actually join your forum, make sure you play around a bit and learn some of the things you can do with your new forum.
The Power of a Forum
Adding a forum to your WordPress website is a very powerful way to provide support, an area for discussion and another avenue for income. As you build your forum and you gain new users, it will become a community of its own. This will allow you to do many things and even display ads, which help you make more money from your website. Make sure you have a clear goal in mind for your forum before getting it set up.
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