SEO & Practicality:Putting Site(s) On One Name(s) & Forum On Another

[radioz]

Hi!

I am building my first 'real' site (http://www.VintageRadio.com). I want to add a forum to it. My primary script is a GeodesicSolutions.com classified ads script. I can either use vBulletin or Phorum if I want a unified log in for Geodesic and the forum. Other forums aren't available for this feature. vBulletin is 900lb. Gorilla while Phorum looks like a chipmunk in the world of forums. One is free and one isn't, of course. The other element in making a decision is that vBulletin now wants $90 additional for a front page portal site like DNF vs. just a forum. They also give extras including a higher level of lifetime support with the 'bloat ware' which make it sort of the one to look at, I guess.

My real question is whether I should build a forum directly on my main, Vintage Radio (VR) site or use another name that I own, RadioForums.com and then link to that. It would allow for the full suite of vB stuff to be used plus I may build some other radio sites and make this a master forum, if you will including for one more Geo ad site. My real question is, would this be an SEO a nightmare or an 'inspired' use of resources?

Lastly, how hard is vB to install and set up and the same regarding Photo Post, the separate photo software for vB? I can install and (usually) set up scripts. Does it offer more help and versatility than Phorum or, perhaps some of the other freebies which I can use if I don't mind extra log-ins being needed?

My choices are probably Plogger for photos and Phorum on site (nice n' free) or the big vB setup on RadioForums.com.

Any thoughts are welcome!

Thanks!!

 

[Sapphiro]

I think creating your forum on RadioForums.com then redirecting vintageradio.com/forums/ to it should be fine.. Anyway you've tried phpBB yet? I've never heard of phorum (maybe I'm outdated), but I tried phpbb before, it's quite similar to vB and it's free.

 

[radioz]

Hi!

Phorum seems to have a fan club albeit small. I am using it as GeodesicSolutions.com who makes the basic classified ads script that I have built a ful site on top of has a bridge to log into Phorum or vB when you log in the main program. Were I rich, I'd use vB and hope to someday move to that if this site takes off some. I agree on PHPbb. I'd use it and the 'Gallery' photo script which can link to PHPbb in a heartbeat were it not for that. That said, Phorum looks to be competent. I'll tell you more if it gets use! It is under my main name now as well as linked to RadioForums.com. My guess is that, eventually, I'll put something like DNF (except about vintage electronics and ham radio) on RadioForums.com and move away from the smaller program.

Thanks for your input!

Jon

 

[matessim]

Get VBulletin, its worth it.

 

[Sapphiro]

Get VBulletin, its worth it.

Why? Are the threads listed on google much faster? (That's what I see from DNforum's posts appearing in google after a few minutes)