I need help in starting a Web forum, as suggested by Scriptor9

Dear mendy9,

I did research to find a number of providers of message boards (also
known as bulletin boards, web forums, etc.). I tried to look in
particular for boards with the following features that may be
important to you:

- Free of cost, if possible; otherwise not too expensive
- Easy to set up and to use, preferably with a tutorial
- Should work as a stand-alone solution, so you don't need a website of your own
- Positive reviews by users, if the such can be found

Ideally, it should be a service where you would have to follow the
instructions only to successfully create your forum.

Here are some discussion board providers I found for you to have a
look at and then to choose from:


--EZboard--
Website: http://www.ezboard.com/
EZboard lets you set up and customize a message board for free. They
provide step-by-step instructions, so creating your board with them
should prove easy.


--ProBoards--
Website: http//www.proboards.com/
With ProBoards, you can create a web forum to suit your needs. It's
completely free, and in case you encounter problems, they offer
24-hour support in their support forum.


--DumbDonkey--
Website: http://www.dumbdonkey.com/
DumbDonkey enables you to set up a message board according to your
preferences for free. Creation and customization appear to be easy.


--MyIkonboard--
Website: http://www.myikonboard.com/
A free web forum provider. In case you would like to get more features
for your discussion board, MyIkonboard gives you the opportunity to
upgrade to a fee-based version.


--Sudden Launch--
Website: http://www.suddenlaunch.com/
This bulletin board provider lets you create and customize a free board.


--Xsorbit--
Website: http://www.xsorbit.com/mb/overview.html
With Xsorbit, you can set up a free message board with numerous
features; there is an option to upgrade to fee-based versions.



Choice of sources used for research:

HotScripts.com: Discussion Boards
http://www.hotscripts.com/Remotely_Hosted/Discussion_Boards/index.html

The CGI Resource Index: Remotely Hosted: Bulletin Board Message Systems
http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Remotely_Hosted/Bulletin_Board_Message_Systems/

FreeCenter.com: Free Message Board Provider
http://www.freecenter.com/forums.html


Search terms used:
"message boards" free
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22message+boards%22+free&btnG=Google+Suche
"bulletin boards" free
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22bulletin+boards%22+free&btnG=Google+Suche
"remotely hosted" forums
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22remotely+hosted%22+forums&btnG=Google+Suche
"remotely hosted" boards
://www.google.de/search?hl=de&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&newwindow=1&q=%22remotely+hosted%22+boards&btnG=Google+Suche


I hope this will prove helpful for you!
Very best regards,
Scriptor

Scriptor-ga responded quickly, helped me clariy my original question
so that I could write the appropriate followup question, and now has
sent me a wealth of choices for assistance in setting up a bulletin
board.  As an editor, I especially apprecicate the lucid writing and
the clear organization of his answer.  I hope that my next question
will be one he will respond to.