Free Stuff: Message Boards

[singsan]

One of the more significant ways to create a "sticky site" (a site which people want to visit over and over again) is to add a message board. What is a message board? It is a means whereby online group conversations can take
place. For example, you could post a question, several people could postImage
answers, and other people could expand upon those answers. On an active
message board, these conversations can go on for pages.
Okay, so let's say you want to add a message board to your site. You have
several options.
- You may want to use a service such as egroups, topica or communityzero
because these offer additional features which wrap a sort of community
around a message board.
- If your host does not allow you to install your own scripts (and this is
true of virtually all free hosts) then you must use a remotely hosted
message board.
- If your host supports user written CGI routines, than you can install a
script to run on your own web site. This is the best way, in my humble
opinion, to operate a message board as it gives you total control over
everything, including the board layout and contents.