I need your advise and experience. I need to create a Forum that works with Facebook Connect. Which CMS should I choose? I am openminded to use any cms like phpbb, mybb, smf, bbpress, vbulletin BUT: - Needs to work with Facebook Connect. - Avatar/Photo from Facebook - Use Facebook Connect to login, post comments/questions - Needs to work similar to here: www.secret cities.com/london - Free / Cheap to set up - Need to be easy to adjust/change design. ( I like the design of secretcities above ) - I have domain and hosting - Budget 2-300$ incl design Any other things I need to think about? Open for suggestions if somebody can help me build it. Thank you
Well I would go with IPB or vBulletin, but you mentioned vBulletin in your examples but exempt it here. - Free / Cheap to set up Neither are free, but both have facebook connect built in. ps.. facebook connect is dead, their suggesting everyone to use Facebook's OpenGraph.
- Needs to work with Facebook Connect = Vbulletin , SMF (Google friend connect login 'plugin' available for phpbb) - Avatar/Photo from Facebook = dunno - Use Facebook Connect to login, post comments/questions = Vbulletin , SMF - Needs to work similar to here: www.secretcities.com/london = with bbpress you can create clean,simple,lightweight forum like this. - Free / Cheap to set up = *Vbulletin - Value for money(Nice web 2.0 like design , built in blogging function(This feature currently only available in vbulletin - in IPB you need to buy an extra blogging plugin) , *SMF - Free , but 5 star forum software(It's the highest rated free forum software) , It's uses less number of queries than vbulletin4(due to vbulletin4's hi-fi look & work It uses lot of quaries than Vbulletin3).(lot of quaries means high server consumption & slow page load).*phpbb - free but spam problems. *Mybb - Nice look,Edit theme is very easy, rewamped Ajax look and feel. *PunBB,bbpress - minimal,lightweight,suitable for small forums. - Need to be easy to adjust/change design = Vbulletin & Mybb - Budget 2-300$ incl design = IPB's price higher than your budget, but vbulletin is around 250$-350$(for exact prices go to vbulletin.com) , I also recommend SMF at this point(free, lot of themes available) Disclaimer - This is my opinions about above softwares, I'm not affiliated with any forum software. ***ALL forum softwares have PROS AND CONS - Decision is Yours. Find more info from here -> www.forum-software.org , www.forummatrix.org
for mega forum -> commercial=Vbulletin,IPB , Free=SMF,phpbb for mid size forum -> commercial=Vbulletin , Free=SMF,Mybb,phpbb for your website -> commercial=Vbulletin , Free=bbpress,SMF,Mybb MEGA FORUMS -> Digitalpoint(this forum),webhostingtalk uses Vbulletin Nairaland.com(huge nigerian forum) uses SMF phpbb mega forum? not founded.If you know one pls post it.