Boardhost Frequently Asked Questions
Do you still offer regular message boards?
Absolutely! To create a free message board, visit here.
What is the difference between a forum and one of your message boards?
Forums divide your users' discussions into separate categories and topics, while message boards offer a single page of threaded discussion.
In many cases, a forum is better for a very large community, while a message board is preferred by those seeking to have an informal discussion or looking for something very easy for their visitors to use and follow. Be sure to view the tour of both our forums and message boards on our main site.
Why should I choose Boardhost to host my forum (or message board)?
We've been offering message boards since 1998, and we think we've become pretty good at it! Our users have trusted us for over 20 years to provide their users a speedy and reliable experience.
Why is your service free? What is the catch?
Our service is free in exchange for your allowing us to place unobtrusive advertising that appears to your users. Don't worry, we won't bombard you with annoying popup ads or anything like that. Should you desire to upgrade, we also offer an ad-free service at a reasonable charge.
Can I see an example of one of your forums?
Absolutely, our very own Flag Counter service has a forum set up at http://flagcounter.boardhost.com/.
Can I convert my message board into a forum? Or my forum into a message board?
At this time, that is not possible. However, if that is something you are interested in, please let us know, so that we can update you on our plans.
How customizable are your forums? I have a website that I want my forum to match. Will my users notice?
Our service is very customizable, and many of our customers have given their users a seamless experience. Take a look at how we've integrated a forum into the website for our very own Flag Counter service here.
How do I access the Administration Area for my forum?
With our forums, there is no longer a separate Administration Area to visit. All of your forum's Administration is done without ever leaving it. You will just log in to your Administrator account (the account you establish when you first set up your forum). This will give you access to delete and edit messages, and much more. You will also see a tab at the top of the page titled "Administration Area". This section allows you to completely customize your settings and appearance.
How do I delete, close, or pin a topic on my forum?
When viewing the topic while logged in as an Administrator or Moderator, you will see a link title "More ▾" in the bottom right corner of the very first post in the thread. Click that link to open a new menu containing these options, and more!
I want my forum to be private, do you offer password protection?
We offer many options to keep your postings private. You can choose to only allow registered users to view content, and you can even choose to approve all users before they are given access. You can keep some forums private, and some public, everything is up to you. However, to restrict a forum from public viewing does require one of our Paid Service Plans.
Where is my forum's RSS feed?
RSS feeds are automatically enabled. Your browser should show an orange RSS logo automatically, which you can click on.
You can also find your forum's RSS feed at http://yourname.boardhost.com/rss/ Be sure to replace "yourname" with your actual username.
Will you delete my forum if it isn't very active?
To ensure our resources are used in the best possible manner, forums which do not have any activity in a 90 day period will be removed from our service. Activity is defined by at least one message being posted.
I don't want users to have to register, can they still post to my forum?
Yes, you can choose to allow guests to post. Guests will be required to enter the characters that appear in a security image so that we can be sure it's not a spam robot trying to post to your forum.
To allow "guests" to post messsages, you'll need to edit the privacy settings on one (or more) of your forums.
1. Be sure you're logged in to your forum as an Administrator
2. Open the forum that you would like to modify.
3. On the right side of the top of the forum, follow the "Edit Forum" link.
4. Finally, on the bottom half of the page, in the row that says "Guests", just check the boxes under "Post replies" and "Post new topics"
Now you're all set to allow guest postings. Be sure to visit the "Posts & Signatures" section of your forum's Administration Area if you'd like to change whether guests are required to supply an email address.
I was adding coding to my header area and now I can't see my forum at all! Help?
Please add the following in front of your forum address to disable the header and footer area. This will allow you to log in and correct the mistakes in your code: http://headerfooterdisabled.yourname.boardhost.com/ Simply replace "yourname" with your actual username.
