How did you find this website? Be sure to vote in the poll. If you selected "other," let us know in a reply below.

Thanks, -the staff

I found this stumbling around on the internet. It's a list of the worst websites yet for 2013. It certainly isn't the only list out there.

The internet has changed quite a bit even over the last several years. Websites once considered state of the art are now, well, falling behind Have any websites you've stumbled across worth showing us?

Social networking, without doubt, has become very popular over the past decade. It has also evolved significantly. Originally mySpace was the hit. Then facebook hit the scenes. While facebook is undoubtedly still the largest social network today, networks such as twitter and instagram are becoming increasingly popular at a rapid pace.

Personally, I love social networking. I'm active at many social networking sites, but I also see a lot of people who post the strangest status updates possible. (Do I really need to know that you are going to the store at this very moment? ) I feel that, while it could be a great tool without doubt, it can also be harmful towards real relationships. What are your thoughts on the issue?

This game is simple. Just ask a stupid question, and get a stupid answer in return. Be sure to answer the question from the previous poster as well, in addition to asking your own. I'll get use started:

Why is the sky blue?

This is a simple forum game. Simply claim control of the Enterprise from the last person who posted. I'll get use started:

I will the lottery and buy a bulldozer, then destroy the enterprise and build a new one. My enterprise!

New to Makestation? We're glad to have you! Feel free to introduce yourself here.

Welcome to the website promotion section!

Promotional Rules & Guidelines:

• Websites that are promoted must have a PG-13 content policy and must abide by the law. Websites that would not be considered appropriate for a 13 year old or that are not legal will not be allowed to promote here. This includes websites that may contain pornography, hateful content, extreme language, promotion of piracy, etc... Any websites that do not abide by this policy will have their promotional threads and links removed without notice.
  
• You are permitted to create one thread per website. Additional threads will be removed.
  
• We allow websites to be promoted because we feel that websites fall into the "creative arts" category along with other content that is posted on the forums. With that said, we do have some general expectations of the quality of the content that is advertised in this section. Websites deemed low-quality or that exist solely for monetary gain will not be allowed to promote in this board. Also, please do not promote internet marketing services unless they are forums or blogs with useful content. Links to reseller content, affiliate programs, etc... will be removed without notice, as this is not the purpose of this board.
  
• You MUST have a minimum of 30 posts on the forums before you will be allowed to promote in this section. This rule was initially avoided for multiple reasons, but has been recently added due to previous abuse in this section.
  
• We don't believe in templates for promotional threads, so none will be required! However, do not bump your website's thread repetitively to bring it to the top of the list. This is considered disruptive and will be counted as spam on our forums. This includes statistics bumps or one word "bump" posts. Threads that do not comply with these rules will be locked or removed without notice.
  

• We don't require that all feedback is positive. However, the same rules apply here that apply elsewhere on the forums. If you have something negative to say, be constructive about it.
  
• Don't reply to threads to promote your own websites. You are only allowed to promote your website in your own promotional thread.
  

It is often assumed that starting a successful forum must begin with an initial investment of at least several hundred dollars to pay for all costs between forum software licensing, hosting, domain names, and any tools you'll need to manage your website. While certainly much money could be spent on a website, the costs can be significantly reduced knowing where to look for great deals. If you are really tight on cash, it is entirely possible to host your own forum website without paying a single penny.

There are many free forum hosts out on the market today. They range from basic phpBB hosts, to hosts running full, custom software, to fully featured myBB hosts packed with many plugins.

Advantages to good free forum hosts:

* They are always 100% managed.This can make it a good choice for those who are completely new to forum administration, as it takes the huge load of server maintenance on the host, not on the forum admin.

* With a good host, there is rarely a limit on the number of posts, members, etc..., meaning you generally don't have to worry about CPU usage, bandwidth, storage, etc..., as this is all on the host.
It's generally a good option for those on a tight budget.

Disadvantages:

*They are almost always advertisement supported. Some hosts tend to be more considerate with their advertisement choices than others.

* Some hosts will hold your database hostage, making it difficult to move hosts if you decide to move away from free hosting.

* The security and reliability of your forum is at the mercy of your forum host, as you do not have access to the files or database without asking for it explicitely. Some free forum hosts are some of the most reliable webhosts I've ever seen, whereas others have have been notorious for constant downtime. This is where user reviews and research will become useful.


Our recommendation here is icyboards.net. Like all forum hosts, they are advertisement supported, but they have a good balance that does not overdo the advertisements to the point that your forum becomes unusable. They also give database exports for a reasonable price of $20 and are fairly reliable as a host, having minimal downtime and data loss.

Icyboards is a full myBB host, so you get a complete install of myBB right out of the box, complete with many plugins, without having to know anything about server maintenance. They have no limits on the number of users, posts, boards, or bandwidth that is allowed, making it a good choice for people who want to be able to trust their host as their forum grows.

A free forum host will usually give you a subdomain, such as myforum.icyboards.com or forum1234.proboards.com. You can also purchase your own domain for around $10/year, then use your own domain for the forum. This is rarely required for a free host, and is an optional feature that most hosts will offer.

When free forum hosting is good for you

* When you want to get a small forum started, but don't have the money to pay for good paid hosting.

* When you want to get your feet wet with forum administration, but you don't want to have to worry about bandwidth limits or server administration duties.

When free forum hosting is not for you.

* If you are trying to host a very large forum. (Most free forum hosts will gladly host large forums, but large forum admins still tend to want their own server. )

* If you need complete control over the files, plugins, etc... on your board. Free forum hosts usually don't give you FTP access to the files on your board. They usually contain plenty of settings available to build your forum to your liking, but if you need complete control, free hosting probably isn't for you.

Free forum hosting isn't for everyone, but for new forum admins on a tight budget, it can give them an opportunity to start a dream website without paying a single penny. If you decide to start your own forum, be sure to let us know what you come up with!