Pre-Purchase Questions

[Buster1]

Hi,
I had a number of questions was hoping you could give some quick basic info. before I decide to purchase.

1. If someone is computer literate, but not a programmer - is it a daunting task to learn how to use your software and set up a community - that is, if I am willing to put in some time. Or, do you recommend just having a web person?

2. There will be advertisers on my site - can you explain how to implement Ads into the site - is there an easy way to post the ads in different formats on the site. Again, I am not literate in building a site - would I need some type of "Double-click" service or is there just a way to post JPegs of the Ad.

3. There is possibly going to be a subscriber area for tech. info. - I assume its easy to just use a PayPal solution with the site.

4. Cosmetics - What is the best way to customize the site to the look and feel that I like??

5. Currently, I use a cheap-domian hosting site for one of my websites - what exactly do I need to set up with the server/hosting company to make sure I can use your software.

6. Direct Communication - If I wanted to speak with someone regarding your software, could I set up a one on one discussion?

7. Hacking into sites - I hear, depending upon which community software, I decide to purchase - that it can be easy for people to hack the community - how can I protect against this.

8. Statistics - Do you have any type of statistics capabilities to understand the trends of users on the site - i.e., how they move about the site - how many hit on a particular link or advertiser??

9. Please explain how the # of licenses I need - If I will have one forum - would I just need one license. Would I need two licenses, if the software was installed on two computers - how does this work?

Thats about it,
Jeff - NY

[ManagerJosh]

Hi Jeff:

Welcome to vBulletin. If you haven't already, please feel free to check out the Admin Demo at http://www.vbulletin.com/admindemo.php. It should hopefully answer a few questions.

1. Setting up should be very easy. It's simply filling out a config file and then running through the installation procedure. Have a look at the Install Documentation. http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/install
2. For ad implementation, I suggest using a platform like OpenAds. You could use the IFRAME invocation and dump the HTML code into your site and integrate the ads accordingly.
3. There is an integrated subscription manager in vBulletin that works with PayPal and other payment services already. Just setup accordingly.
4. I suggest taking look at vBulletin's Style Manager. What's easy for me may not be easy for you. I personally feel it's a great interface with lots of flexibility and easy to understand, however I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
5. What is needed is a hosting company with at least PHP 4.3.3 and MySQL 4.0.16. It is recommended, to use PHP 5.2.1 and MySQL 5.0.19 or later.
6. If you'd like you can email sales at [email protected]. Alternatively, I believe you can also call sales at 1-877-326-6444
7. The best way to protect yourself from hacking is to choose a host who maintains their servers and keep things up to date. In addition. keeping vBulletin and any additional software you run on your site up to date is essential whether it be upgrading or applying essential patches.
8. There is no comprehensive statistics available in vBulletin for advertisers. I can tell you from experience that most advertisers won't accept first party statistics. They usually want third-party statistics like Google Analytics.
9. You need a license for each instance of vBulletin. Per the license agreement:
   
   vBulletin license grants you the right to run one instance (a single installation) of the Software on one web server and one web site for each license purchased. Each license may power one instance of the Software on one domain. For each installed instance of the Software, a separate license is required. Modifications to the Software or database to circumvent the one-license-one-board rule are prohibited.

I hope that helps.