Switching from invision free to vbulletin

[Redbird5]

I have several questions about switching over to vbulletin. The first question I already have a forum running on invision free and I have about 125 members, would I be able to pre-register the members to vbulletin? The second question is would I be able to transfer the topics over here as well? Finailly, is there a way to get click per pay ads onto the forum to help pay for the cost of having vbulletin?

[we_are_borg]

You can import the database into vBulletin it self you should not lose members or posts, the only thing that can give issues is permissions and passwords, permissions you need to check manually and passwords you can send an email and post an open warning that they need to use the password reset. You can use any ads program that uses HTML and Javascript if they use PHP its more complicated but not impossible. You can test http://www.vbulletin.com/admindemo.php and there you can check the ads etc etc.

[Redbird5]

What the difference between the suite and the regular version of VB? I have a website and am I web designer so I don't really need a CMS, though it'd be handy if my staff wanted to post stories there. What are the advantages and disadvantages to VB? Are there step by step directions to importing the database from IF to VB?

[Zachery]

The suite comes with support, the CMS and the Blogs. The standard license only has 30 days of support.

[we_are_borg]

The impex import is easy to use but you need to test it a few times, what i know of it is that your original database (IF) is not altered the script copies the content from one database to a new one. You should be able to see this forum if i'm not mistaken there you can read more.

[Redbird5]

On the CMS does it come with different access panels, for example, administrator, moderator and blogger? With the admin having all access, moderator having slightly less access and blogger having access to their blog? What about Spambots and SEO? Are there ways to protect from Spambots? How easy is it to get your forum or site on Google and other search engines?

[Zachery]

Permissions are modeartelyt flexable, I would highly advise trying out a demo: http://www.vbulletin.com/go/demo

Spam bots, we have capchas, and built in tools to allow third party spam service scanning: Aksimet and TypePad.

SEO, well vBulletin itself is fairly seo friendly. If you're talking about fancy urls those are there to.

For any site, if there is content guests can see, it will get spidered. Vbulletin.com has never had any special SEO, almost all of our posts are updated each day and this site is well spidered.

[FreshFroot_]

don't you have to pay a HUGE fee to get your database from IF?

I remember a few years back, they charged by posts and it wasn't cheap. I think they wanted $300-400 for me to get the database off them. So I decided to start over again.

[Redbird5]

Is there a way to back my files up so I can transfer then to Vbulletin myself?

[Steve Machol]

It's not the files you need. It's the database. Once you have the database, you can restore it to the same server you have vB installed on, then use Impex to import that data.

[Redbird5]

Is there a way to back up my database on my own?

[Steve Machol]

It is my understanding the InvisionFree hosts your database. You have to ask them about this.

[FreshFroot_]

Is there a way to back up my database on my own?

I guess you didn't read my reply above?

Unless IF has changed things, it is as I posted earlier in this thread.

[Redbird5]

FreshFroot,

You are correct, they charge for database release.

[FreshFroot_]

FreshFroot,

You are correct, they charge for database release.

I told you so. I was with them as well way way way long ago. Before I wanted to move to vB. They wanted to charge me based off posts, and I had about half a million posts. I forget the charge, but it was huge close to $500. It made no sense, so I just got vB and re started my forum.

You will lose some members, but what I did was I gave them the same postcount they had at IF. And I copied some main important active threads over.

It was enough to get things going, and people seemed to like vB3. But a change is always good and bad in it's own way. Like I said you will lose some members, and some will come over, while you will also gain new members.