Rss FeedIs Free Forum Hosting Reliable?
A lot of people don’t have a huge budget at their disposal and, as a result, they’re looking into free forum hosting as a possible solution. But is this type of hosting reliable, can someone who needs phpBB or SMF hosting sleep well at night knowing that the server is always up and running?
Unfortunately, the answer is usually a clear “no”. As someone who is taking advantage of free forum hosting, there’s only so much that you can expect. It’s possible to start a forum without spending a dime: download phpBB, find a free phpBB hosting provider and install the script. While it is possible, it’s not always the smart thing to do.
If you’ve just started a forum so you and your friends can interact then sure, you can go with free forum hosting because let’s face it, it’s not the end of the world if your server will be unavailable for a day or two. But what if you’re running the forum as a business? In that case, it’s important to understand that downtime will ruin your credibility in the eyes of potential advertisers and, even more so, your current advertisers might decide to ask for a refund. Since, after all, who wants to pay for advertising on a forum which is down more than it is available.
To sum it all up, things such as free phpBB forum hosting can be a decent solution for people who simply want to start a community as a hobby. If you’re serious about running a forum though, you will definitely have to reach for your wallet because no matter how tempting the thought of saving money might seem, free forum hosting can only get you so far. There are a lot of ways to save money as a person who runs a forum as a business but going with such a hosting plan is never a great idea.