cPanel Hosting Tutorial - How to Install WordPress, Setup Your Email, Add Domains and More

In this informative 8 minute video, I am going to give you an overview of cPanel and how to maximize your experience as a cPanel user. I will help you get more familiar with your cPanel hosting account, and show you how to use important functions in the cPanel interface.

First, of course, you must have a cPanel hosting account. You can only access your cPanel hosting account if you have web hosting and your own domain name. cPanel is accessible only after you have set up the entire account with these requirements. After you have completed set up, you will be given a username and password to access your cPanel hosting account. After you have logged in, you will see a main homepage screen.

What are the important functions of cPanel you need to know?

In this section, I am going to introduce you to the important functions of cPanel. Knowing these features will optimize your experience as an end-user.

One of the most important functions in cPanel is the built-in video tutorials section. You can click on the corresponding link to access the built-in video tutorials. You will see a large list of available tutorials that are built into your cPanel hosting account.

A large category of video topics are available
The videos are simple and easy to use
The videos will guide you through resolving account issues

Take a look at the video tutorials. They are helpful and very basic. In case you run into any problems now or in the future, the simple built-in video tutorials will help you resolve any issues. The videos will also help you to understand your cPanel hosting account more thoroughly. Take some time now to browse through the videos if you wish.

How To Change The Default cPanel Theme:

Access cPanel
Click on Change Style
Select Skin, Theme, or Template
Accept Changes

Another important feature of your cPanel hosting account is the appearance. You can change the appearance of your cPanel hosting account by clicking on Change Style. Under the Change Style category, there are several skins, themes, or templates you may utilize to change the layout and style of your cPanel hosting account. These changes are purely cosmetic and will not alter or modify the actual functions of your cPanel hosting account. Changing the appearance of your cPanel hosting account will simply enhance your user experience by improving the aesthetics of the interface.

How To Create A New Email Address in cPanel:

It is easy to create a new email address is cPanel. Just follow these steps...

Access cPanel
Click on Email Accounts
Create the new email address
Select Mailbox Quota
Click on Create
Click on Mailbox to access your new email address

To create a new email address that is associated with your domain name, just click on Email Accounts. You will be directed to the appropriate screen. There, you will be able to create your new email address and you can select your mailbox quota. Click on Create to finalize your new email address. You will receive your password once you have added the new email address.

By default, you can access this newly created email address within your cPanel hosting account by clicking on Mailbox. However, you can also access email through third-party clients like Microsoft Outlook. If you need help getting your email account set up on an email client, you can click on the link "Do you wish to configure your account to work with a mail client?" Click yes. You will be directed to a set of directions that will help you configure the email address you have just created with several of the popular mail clients such as Microsoft Outlook.

To access more the more technical specifications of your newly created email address, you can scroll to the bottom of the page. There, you will see a variety of manual settings that list your mail, server, username, incoming mail server, outgoing mail server, and supported protocols. If you know how to set up your email address manually in the email client, then go ahead and get started by using the manual settings.

How To Add Subdomains To Your cPanel Hosting Account:

Access the main homepage of the cPanel hosting account. You will see the option of adding new subdomains to your account once you scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. There are several options listed such as add-on domains, parked domains, and redirects. To add a subdomain, follow the easy steps...

Access your cPanel hosting account
Click on Create Subdomain
Enter the subdomain URL
Click on Create
cPanel will confirm your subdomain has been created

Let's discuss creating a subdomain in cPanel. It is important to know what a subdomain actually is and how it will affect your website. As you can see, a subdomain is simply an extension to your main domain. Take for example a main domain called "youractualurl.com". If you want to create a subdomain for a helpdesk, for example, you can do so by creating a subdomain URL of "help.youractualurl.com". Click on Create to finalize your new subdomain.

If you wish to redirect the subdomain, you may do so by clicking on Manage Redirect. You can also redirect the subdomain to any other website, such as a blog, depending on your preferences.

How To Install WordPress (and dozens of other popular php applications) With Just A Click!

Your Fantastico account will allow you to access and install WordPress and other blog platforms like b2evolution or Nucleus. You will also be able to install several forums such as SMF Forum or phpBB Forum. If you plan on selling products online, free e-Commerce software is available for use. The better ones are Zen Care and OS Commerce. Feel free to explore the other free software in your Fantastico account. Continue to access your Fantastico icon to take advantage of the free added-value products. How To Use cPanel's Fantastico Autoinstaller:

Access the cPanel homepage
Scroll to the bottom of the page
Find the smiley icon
Click on the smiley icon
Access features

Exploring Your cPanel Hosting Account In Detail:

There are more functions in cPanel that you can explore. You can access features like statistics to see how many web messages your account receives. And, you can customize your cPanel hosting account according to your needs. First, if you access your function icons, you can collapse or expand the functions that you either use regularly or those that you do not use at all. Feel free to utilize that feature regularly because it will organize your cPanel functions according to your needs.

You can also click and drag certain components of your function icons in your cPanel hosting account. This is particularly helpful if you hardly use certain sections, or if you want to move boxes and sidebars. You can also collapse the function icons that you do not use. Overall, the changes you make in this section are purely cosmetic, but it will also help you organize the function and flow of your cPanel hosting account.

This concludes the Quick Start Tutorial for using your cPanel hosting account. Feel free to continue to explore the features and functions I have discussed in this cPanel tutorial.

About The Author of this cPanel Tutorial:

Carol Weathers is a WordPress theme designer and cPanel server administrator. She invites you to learn at more about the cPanel at http://WordPressVideos.TV where there are hundreds of free cPanel tutorials waiting for you right now.

What cPanel features can I use to maximize my blog traffic? How can I make WordPress more secure using cPanel? How can I migrate my WordPress blog to a new cPanel host? All these answers (and more) are waiting for you at http://WordPressVideos.TV

The Demise of EZBoard

For years, EZBoard was a community that offered relatively cheap and easy to maintain forums for managers. Virtually anyone could register, design, and layout a site and invite their friends to participate. Indeed, some of the largest forums on the internet are built upon EZBoard. Unfortunately, a recent system-wide hacking attack has destroyed the company's reputation and sent many managers packing. Let's look at the venerable community and the fatal flaw that has toppled the company from its perch.

At one time EZBoard boasted over 14,000 web communities. Many were started by individuals seeking a discussion forum for their favorite topics, while others were started by business people such as myself. The reasons businesses were attracted to EZBoard were two-fold:

1. We were not knowledgeable enough about PHP to create and manage a site for ourselves, and

2. We did not want to go through the expense of hosting our site on a dedicated server and, instead, used EZBoard's vast bank of computers to house our communities.

Admittedly, reason #1 was a huge part of why I stuck with EZBoard. Sure, I knew about vBulletin and related forums but purchasing a license from them and managing the site on a dedicated server was a pricey option, especially since at one time I was managing more than a dozen forums! I could handle the variable charges incurred from being with EZBoard by paying my subscription charges on either a quarterly, semi-annually or even yearly basis. I doubt that I dished out more than $500-600 in any given year, so it was cost effective for my business.

I should have known that EZBoard was not quite up to the task when their system shut down for several days in Spring 2004 after what was supposed to be a simple system-wide update of the forums. A few hours of down time was extended to several days and forum administrators were left in the dark for all of that time. More importantly, many forum members assumed the worst and peppered many an administrator's inbox with queries. Those days were not fun; EZBoard did recover and gave managers credits exceeding the number of days they were down. Still, if you relied on AdSense revenue -- like I do -- you lost big time.

History was to repeat itself on May 30, 2005, when a reported outside attack by hackers brought down EZBoard altogether. Yes, the boards were still working, but the majority of messages were gone and any new ones also began to disappear. EZBoard admitted almost immediately they were hacked and were working diligently to restore the 9000 boards affected. Soon, however, the news came out that much of their backup files were hacked as well. Forum managers wondered if EZBoard kept all their files on vulnerable servers or if the attack was done internally. Messages from EZBoard management were vague "in the interest of security" so nobody knew for sure.

As the days passed and forum managers realized that the restoral process would only be partial and take weeks to accomplish, a steady stream of managers began to hit the php sites to see about moving their boards. With trepidation I visited the PHPBB2 site knowing that my skillsets were limited in this area. However, I soon learned that this particular program was open source -- in effect, free -- and the Flash tutorials explained everything clearly and effectively. So, in one evening I set up the new site, transferred some files, and gave it a launch.

The best part? In the two years since I was with EZBoard my hosting company for web pages had upgraded their site enough to be able to house my message boards. So, instead of having web pages on one server and my forums on another, I could house them collectively. Most importantly, I would no longer have to rely on EZBoard's flawed backup plans and could backup all the files myself.

I still have one EZBoard community and I may keep it, for now. It is a small, but very well established where it is "sitting" and I lost only 4 or 5 files under the attack. Two of my sites I transferred to PHP and two others I decided to delete as they were slower performers. Fortunately, I had gotten rid of several smaller, no performing sites earlier. Still, I felt the pain of EZBoard's hacking incident and decided the time to move was now.

So, what is the future of EZBoard? That is hard to tell. They are promising a major upgrade which would include the ability allowing managers to back up their own sites. That would be a very good move. However, the administrative costs with EZBoard now exceed what managers pay with many standard web hosting companies. Few sites are large enough to require a dedicated server, therefore many managers will likely consider making the move away.

I was twice bitten from EZBoard and did not relish a third hit, thus my two largest sites are now with PHPBB2. The move was time consuming, but the new board has many more advanced features compared to EZBoard. Sure, I have more administrative things to do -- like help AOL users who have difficulty signing up -- but I no longer am subject to the whims of EZBoard. I am glad that a major risk factor has been removed even with the increased administrative responsibilities. You will be too if you decide to make the move.

Matt no longer uses PHPBB2, having moved all of his work over to WordPress, in a bid to save time and money. Please visit his TravelDuties site for more information about the cruise industry.

Tips for Learning Simple PHP

When you are trying to learn a new programming language like PHP, it can get a bit intimidating, especially if you have never had experience with other programming languages before. But trust me, the toughest hurdle is really the starting point. Once you have gotten over that, it is really just a matter of keeping your focus and practicing. Be patient and learn the steps one at a time and you will get there. Here are some tips to help you learn simple PHP:

Learn the basics.

To learn a new language, specifically a programming language, you will need to have basic computer skills. Before you can learn PHP, you need to have a basic background on HTML. This is necessary to make PHP easier to grasp. Plus, you can alternate between the two later on using the same document.

PHP is a language that uses scripting and often used with HTML to supplement functions that HTML lacks. With PHP, you can collect and process data, make comparisons and calculations things that you can not do with HTML. Using this skill, you can create other functions to produce data that is more specialized.

Get the tools.

To create PHP pages, you will need a text editor. A plain text editor is a program that lets you edit files in plain text. These are the ones that come with extensions such as. php, .cgi, .html, etc. These types of text editors will not save formatting on the file, only the plain text. If you have been using a text editing program for your HTML file, that will do. you will probably use either Notepad (for Windows) or Text Edit (for Mac).

Get an FTP.

A File Transfer Protocol or FTP is used to exchange files from your computer to a remote server. This is the one we use to connect on a LAN or to an Internet site.

Get busy.

Once you have the right tools, you will have to practice creating files using PHP. There are some very important stuff that you will need to learn, including basic mathematics and IF statements and using variables. you will have to go through these first before you can hope to build a reliable PHP file.

Once you know your way around these skills, you can then start learning about loops. Loops are just your basic true or false statements that will perform repetitive actions again and again until certain conditions are met. After mastering the loops, you can then learn how to write your very own functions. Once you have learned how to manipulate the codes to create your desired result, there is virtually no limit to what you can do.

Online resources for learning simple PHP

You can not possibly learn simple PHP from a single short article like this, so it is best to expand your knowledge and turn to other resources like books and online sites. Some sites to check out:

PHP.About.com

There are several articles on this site that discuss the most basic information you need to know to learn simple PHP. This is a great source for web based tutorial that features clear step by step instructions on using PHP, HTML, XML and MySQL databases.

PHP Buddy.com

This site contains Quick Start tutorials on PHP and scripts that will make it easy for you to learn the program easily. This includes a brief introduction and learning basic PHP syntax. There are also valuable tutorials on using cookies, data inscription and working with functions and sessions using PHP.

PHP Freaks.com

This is a site for people who want to learn both PHP and MySQL. The site has 90 tutorials on PHP, more than 400 PHP code examples and nearly 3,000 articles that discuss various information, tips and tricks to make learning simple PHP quick and easy.

Ronald Firquain is a writer, marketer, entrepreneur, webmaster and has 16 years of computer knowledge. You can download e-books for making money online, building a website, improve your golf game, playing guitar and much more. For more information go to: eBooks-Mall

How to Make WordPress Themes

Many blogger swear by WordPress as the best platform for blogs, websites and content platforms to publish content, pictures, videos etc. Though popular for blog, people are using WordPress as a Content Management System (CMS). WordPress is open source and the best thing that makes it an absolute favorite with web developers and bloggers is that you can incorporate plugins effortlessly from your WordPress admin panel. You can get these plugins by doing a simple Google search or through the official WordPress site.

You may have seen several WordPress themes and may feel that even you can develop such theme. For those who want to know how to make a WordPress theme, here are some pointers:

1. Designing a theme does require hard work and patience. It is always better to know html or php and the good thing is there are many resources online that can tell you how to learn them.

2. Go to an html and php tutorial website online and find how to use tags, codes and plug-ins. If you are a novice, go to a tutorial site that shows you to build a WP theme right from the beginning teaching you the basics of html and CSS. For those who already know these, you can also go to tutorial sites that show you how to build themes assuming you know these two programming languages.

3. HTML is the most important language, which is absolutely necessary needed to make WordPress theme. So make sure you learn those basic HTML commands and coding. You can make use of Microsoft Frontpage or even Dreamweaver to experiment with HTML codes.

4. Styling a webpage and jazzing it up is the next thing to do after you become familiar with html functionalities. This is where your CSS(Cascading Style Sheets) knowledge come in. When you know CSS, you will know how to make a stylish WordPress theme with colors, fonts, pictures etc.

To sum up, in order to know how to make a WordPress theme, you have to know to create the CSS template which is nothing but HTML and CSS combined. In other words, this is an HTML page stylishly done with CSS. So learn the four following things to make an attractive WordPress theme, yourself:

1. Gain knowledge about using HTML codes and tags

2. Learn CSS

3. Use the above two to create the CSS layout.

4. Convert this CSS layout to form an attractive WordPress theme.

wordpress remix is the only wordpress themes theme that offers WYSIWYG page template editing with unlimited one-click customization possibilities. Visit to download it now!

Server Side Programming Languages

PHP can run on both Unix and Windows servers, which makes it more accessible than its Windows counterpart, Active Server Pages (ASP). Most full-service web design firms will have at least one PHP guru.

PHP uses are widespread, and can include any kind of server functionality that takes user's input and displays or manipulates the input. Some pertinent examples of such work are message boards, auction sites, shopping carts, and more. There are numerous free (open-source) scripts out there for PHP newbies to use. This synopsis is meant to serve only as a gateway to other works; although the main goal is to give a reader enough information so they can make educated decisions about what their web developer should do. For those looking to get into PHP, there are many free tutorials and primers out there: http://www.4webhelp.net/tutorials/php/basics.php is a pertinent example.

PHP generally uses the mySQL database system. MySQL is a server-side system that is included on many Unix, and some Windows servers.

On the other hand, Active Server Pages runs - for the most part - solely on Windows servers. This can cause some problems. Windows hosting or private servers generally cost more than Unix servers, making it less accessible than PHP. Like PHP, ASP can do just about anything. There are considerably fewer open-source scripts written in ASP, another testament to its inaccessibility. For those interested in ASP, here's a great free tutorial: http://www.w3schools.com/asp/default.asp.

ASP can use many different database systems. Many users prefer Microsoft Access. Access, unlike MySQL, offers a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editor as part of Microsoft's Office suite. In fact, you may already have a copy of Microsoft Access on your computer and not even know it. Its uses aren't limited to databasing, it's also used as a basic spreadsheet application for those who need a more programmer-friendly environment than Excel. ASP can also work well with MSSQL or MySQL.

A third programming language with burgeoning popularity is Asynchronous Javascript and XML. AJAX, as it's commonly referred to, creates interactive web programs just like its cousins ASP and PHP. AJAX uses XHTML and CSS, along with the Javascript Document-Object Model to create interactive pages designed for speed and overall usability. Although AJAX hasn't gained the acclaim of PHP and ASP, its future is certainly bright. AJAX Basics - [http://dhtmlnirvana.com/ajax/ajax_tutorial/]

It's difficult to say which of the three programming languages, or the numerous others for that matter, is the best. There will always be disputes, and no standard is set. With the varying interpretations of what a programming language should be, predilections to PHP or ASP arise. PHP is certainly more widely used, but isn't necessarily the best. When a site is being created to be interactive, a professional can give an educated opinion on which technology should be used

David Davis, is the lead developer and project manager of PHPZEN PHP script. For more information visit http://www.phpzen.com

Exercise Common Sense When You Are Choosing Your Membership Site Software

I am write this with the assumption that you have already decided to go ahead and create a paid membership site business for your online business model. Starting it right with a workable front-to-backend management system that is an appropriate and essential consideration for your business model. Spend some time researching on the best software that offers you the best tools to manage your subscription site.

There are a number of software tools available for you. Some are just open-source software and some are paid ones. Each one has its own functionalities and good points. Some are more comprehensive features than others. Some may have different features. It really depends on what suits your model best. You may not need a sophisticated platform for your business model in which case you are paying more than what you will need.

I would suggest that you check out the features and have one that accommodates to your need. You can always upgrade to a more sophisticated system when your membership subscription picks up. You need an initial system that is easy to setup with the least work and money. It will also offers you a good feel-around with the tools and get familiar with the installed features.

Most important of all though, you will want to look for a system that is reliable and dependable.

PHPbb Forum is a good open-source tool although it lacks some of the full-fledged functions that you might require for your business. This is an easy tool to install and a video tutorial could easily guide you to build up a membership site with lots of good features with PHPbb.

The next one is Moodle; also an open-source software. It is an impressive tool and again, it is very easy to install and use to manage your membership site.

Wordpress is another great open-source software. It is simple enough to build your membership site with it. This platform also integrates seamlessly with some paid software available in the market.

PHPbb, Moodle and Wordpress are very dependable and installation is no-brainer as long as you are guided with an effective video tutorial to coach you step-by-step on how to install. You might want to check out all the video tutorials to determine which suits you best of the three tools. The three software should be available on your hosting provider's C-Panel.

If you feel that you can afford to spend money and need a more sophisticated software, there are several available in the market. One that I know of is aMember Pro. It is a good piece of reliable software and the tools provide you almost all that you will need to run a paid membership subscription site. The tools include a membership interface, member sign-ups and auto-piloted subscription payment plans. The provider has made a 30-day trial download for you to install and test-run the software without you needing to paid any money at the on-start. If you are considering a paid software this is a brand that you can do research with by testing the trial product.

Last but not least, ensure that your hosting provider, that you already have or are going to sign up with, is compatible with your chosen subscription software. If you are not sure, contact the software provider and the hosting provider to ensure that there is compatibility. Most of the time, it has to be PHP server compatible to install the membership subscription script.

Franco Yong is an InternetPreneur and owner of How To Start Up A Membership Site. How To Start Up A Membership Site, helps and reveals those wanting to create a successful business online, The Secrets and the easy "Know-Hows" about the Internet so that they gain Real Confidence of starting up their Internet Marketing business. There is plenty of Instant Free Resource including Video Tutorials to start up an online business such as the currently much raved about Membership Sites.. Visit Franco Yong now to immediately gain free download of useful online resource. And The Formula On How To Start A Membership Site at http://www.universityforinternetmarketing.com/Forum

Build Your Own Wordpress Test Lab

In this tutorial we'll go through how to get Wordpress running on your own PC (running Windows) so you have your own personal Wordpress installation to experiment with or learn from. Yes you could experiment with Wordpress on your live website but if you don't have a web host or don't want to play around with your live Wordpress blog then this tutorial is for you.

Firstly we need to install your own personal web server to run Wordpress. Wordpress requires a web server, a MySQL database and the PHP scripting language to run. Installing and configuring these in the past was hard work but there's now an application called WAMP (Windows - Apache - MySQL - PHP) which installs and configures everything to get your own personal web server up and running.

Normally you'd pay a web host to host your website or blog and they'd provide the web server, database server and scripting but we're going to install our own personal web server so we can do anything we like in our own personal Wordpress test lab at zero cost.

Visit the WAMP site and download the WAMP Server. Once the file has downloaded double-click it to install the WAMP software.

Once the install begins accept the license agreement and all the default installation options and select to create a desktop icon at the end of the installation.

Once installed and running you'll have a WAMP icon down in the system tray in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen (it looks like a semi-circle)click the WAMP icon down in the system tray and select phpMyAdmin - if the phpMyAdmin page displays then this tells us that the webserver is running and the php script can connect to our MySQL database so you're up and running.

We now have a functioning WAMP web & database server running on our PC. This server provides practically all the functionality that a paid hosting account offers but costs nothing and is for your personal use or use on an internal network if you're teaching Wordpress. It would be possible to use WAMP to host your live blog but we'd advise that it's much better for your live blog to be hosted at a web hosting company rather than allowing people to connect to your own PC running WAMP as there are security, speed and availability issues in running your own publicly accessible web server.

We have our web server now all we need to do is install Wordpress. If you haven't already started WAMP start it by double-clicking the WAMP desktop icon. Open 'My Computer' or Windows Explorer and navigate to C:/WAMP/WWW and then create a new folder in the WWW folder called wordpress.

We then need to download Wordpress so go to the Wordpress web site and download the latest version of Wordpress. Once it's downloaded extract/unzip the installation file and copy the contents of its 'wordpress' folder to c:/wamp/www/wordpress.

If you've downloaded Wordpress and successfully copied the Wordpress files into the correct folder you can open a browser and go to http://localhost/wordpress - you should see a Wordpress page asking you to create a configuration file. So go ahead and click 'create a configuration file'.

Wordpress then asks for the database hostname, username and password to connect to your MySQL server. Wordpress is a dynamic content management system so anything you post in Wordpress is stored in a MySQL database so when a visitor visits your blog or you edit a post Wordpress dynamically pulls this information from the database displays it. In order to do this we need to create a blank database with a username and password so Wordpress can connect to it. Wordpress will do all the hard work of populate this database with all the correct tables but we have to manually create the database and username and password before Wordpress can do this.

Click the WAMP icon in the lower right hand corner of your screen and select phpMyAdmin. phpMyAdmin should now load in your browser so then in the 'create new database' box enter wordpress_db and click 'create'.

Now we need to add a user to the database. In phpMyAdmin click the 'Privileges' tab then click 'Add a new User'. In the 'user name' box enter wordpress_user (or a username of your choice) and enter a password in the 'password' and 're-type' boxes. Ensure that under 'database for user' the option 'Grant all privileges on database "wordpress_db"' is selected and then click 'Go' down at the bottom right.

Now if we go back to the Wordpress installation screen we can enter the database name, username and password we just created using phpMyAdmin. The database host should be localhost and we'll leave the table prefix as wp_.

Now click 'submit' and Wordpress should say that it can now communicate with the database. Click the 'run the install' button. We then can fill in the options for site title, username and password - this username and password is the Wordpress username and password that you'd like to use to administer your Wordpress blog so you can make up your own username and password which can (and should!) be different from the database username and password we created earlier.

Click 'install Wordpress' and Wordpress should then say you've successfully installed it and if you click the login button and enter your Wordpress username and password you're up and running!

Just remember to make sure your WAMP server is running first otherwise you won't be able connect.

To login into your Wordpress installation and makes changes or postings in future just go to http://localhost/wordpress/wp-login.php and to view your blog just go to the same URL but without the wp-login.phh

Steve blogs about installing and setting up Wordpress blogs as well as providing Wordpress installation services.

You can catch more of his articles and video tutorials at http://www.blogsetuplab.com

PHPBB Forum Software For Apache Servers

What are the reasons for having a forum?

Forums permit your customers and potential customers to discuss issues. They get the chance to ask questions and make comments while reading the responses from others. This will probably relieve your support/customer service departments of some unnecessary work, and users find it to be convenient.

In addition, it's a great way to obtain free links for Search Engine Ranking.

Why phpBB?

There is no cost involved. It's not necessary to purchase licenses -- is available as Open Source. The program or source code is not encrypted, allowing you the freedom to alter it or make additions to the code as necessary. But if you want to make any major changes, you will need some PHP knowledge.

Installing phpBB

Note: PHP and MySQL (The programming language and Database Engine) are native to Apache Servers. Though Windows servers have PHP emulators, you will most likely be better off finding Bulletin Board Software designed specifically for the Windows Server Operating Systems.

The phpBB forum software can be installed as soon as you download it. You will need some knowledge to perform the initial install -- that is, unless you are lucky enough to have a website host that has Fantastico installed on its server already. It takes only a few seconds for Fantastico to automatically install phpBB. After that, just a bit of configuration is needed before you can activate your forum. If you'd prefer to install it yourself, you must be or become knowledgeable about such things as setting file and folder permissions, FTP, and setting up a MySQL database.

Personalizing and altering the appearance.

You can change the appearance of your forum using various themes. The majority of them are free but some request donations. Or if you are up for a challenge, you can make your own or alter your current theme.

There is a good amount of assistance to be found on the phpBB user forums. Or you can contract a programmer to program changes on a single task basis. It's surprisingly inexpensive and easy to locate good PHP programmers.

Stephen Grisham, Sr. is a copy writer for InfoServe Media, LLC. InfoServe Media is a Houston web design company and hosting company. Or if you just need a few changes to an existing site, InfoServe Media also offers website maintenance.