I've been surfing the web for about 9 years now and am completely ignorant to anything other than topic, reply & codes for links and images. I only participate within political or football forums. Recently I've thrown around the idea of buy a political board. One that's already established. Just what is it I need to know and or watch out for. Please be patient. I have many questions. Thanx all.
What about host, bulletin license, servers, etc.. Like I said, I'm completely ignorant. Is there anything on the web which might be able to help educate me?
you'll have to spend some time searching through these forums. its not as easy as giving a few links to this and that. you obviously have an idea, so start with a domain name, try and get one that suits your idea or niche. then you'll need a host to be your domain name server, again, there are literally thousands of places that will host you. your going to need web pages, be it html or php or whatever, a decision will need to be made on how to drive your site. will it be like myspace or maybe like the forums here at DP. so many questions, many many solutions. like i said, its not as easy as just posting a few links. your entering what can be considered 'a way of life'.
What I understand from your question is that you wish to purchase an existing site. This is quite easy by advertising to purchase such a site here at DP. You need to watch for people who are out to scam you. Very pushy, in a hurry, I need the money now, and other such things are indication that they may be a scammer. If the deal looks too good to be true, it is! You can run forum with several different software platforms. Some are free and some cost money. I recommend the free ones when you start out unless the site you buy comes with the license for a paid one. You can always update later. Hosting comes in many forms and depending on the size of the forum, you want to start small and upgrade as the need arises. If it becomes popular, you may need your own server someday but that is down the road. Be aware that forums take lots of time, a lot of money to promote them, and a majority of them fail with in the first six months. You have to have a nice budget and a lot of patience to make it in the forum business. I have neither! I would suggest you search and read everything you can. I have some great articles about various webmaster topics on my blog next to my user name. This is a start! Also, you may want to offer your services as a volunteer moderator to get your feet wet. Good Luck!