14 DAY TRIAL // Forums or discussions boards represent a type of content management system with content generated by users. The indexing of forums content is treated with a high priority by search engine spiders and as a consequence, every webmaster should have a forum installed because forums will generate a high traffic for a given website in certain conditions.
The big problem appears when you need to install a forum software. By performing a simple search on any search engine, you will notice that the returned results are formed by many names of free or commercial software created on various server side programming platforms, with or without database support.
Depending on your hosting account type, you must select an application (usually running on server side) made in a programming language supported on your web server. Due to the fact that spamming is a modern practice, the forum security must be treated as a key point when you select a certain application. The free software will provide security releases, but you must analyze the updating frequency. Captcha forms, email verification scripts as well as additional plugins to increase and maintain the forum security should also be available in any forum application.
The web pages loading or rendering by web browser must be optimized for speed or you must be able to optimize yourself through server side codes or plugins. In the same time, the forum must be easy to use for your visitors. The message board software must also be easy to install and use for the administrator too. The updating procedures should not be complex, because you must be rapidly online after a short maintenance session.
Reading the experiences of other people regarding a certain forum application will not necessarily help you to decide what you should choose. A certain type of application will work in optimal conditions depending on the server settings, type of forum programming language, number of users, number of modules loaded in the same time and more. In conclusion, based on a preliminary analysis meant to estimate the most probable factors that will influence the performance and security of your forum, it is recommended to test various message board systems using the appropriate tools.