This is a great site. I learned alot. My friend and have a local shop and we are trying to get an online store. this was great information   thanks,   http://www.palmettohardwood.com

try working with Wordpress..not really a forum but a blog

I second the vbulletin. However, if you're not ready to moderate, it can be a bit of a headache. We had a forum at VandM.com, which is a site with lots of vintage furniture, but we had to take it down due to abuse. Message Edited by NicoleD on 07-27-2009 12:56 PM

I think that by far BuzGuy did give the best answer to the question. Thank you

I think you should consider what demographics you want to target where you can monetize that traffic to make the most money. Say if you are a hedge fund manager and you want to get some high net worth individuals who are agressive with their investment portfolios. I would take a look at some generalizations of those people and their hobbies. For instance, this may be a stereotype, but if I wanted some aggressive investors I would consider making a forum centered around skydiving, or some other extreme sports. That may be a poor match but I hope you get the idea. patent attorney in los angeles california patent lawyer in los angeles california Message Edited by NicoleD on 09-02-2009 05:25 PM

The best thing I can recommend is making sure that you stick with it. Building an online business takes patience and hard work. Create a quality website that is useful and constantly changing, and always get relevant links from websites in your industry or related to your industry. Tom Addison Lawsuit Loans Message Edited by NicoleD on 09-02-2009 05:25 PM

The single most important question you have to ask yourself about starting an online community is will you have the time that it will take to properly moderate the forum. Most people are naive about the time and effort that it takes to properly and effectively moderate a forum on a long term basis. It's hard, tedious work.

I think one of the first things to do after conceiving the online business idea is shop for a cheap and reliable hosting company.   The reason is that your online presence as a business rests largely on your webhost which must be efficient and cost-effective for a beginner like you. The host provides lots of server and website facilities that will enhance your visibility which in turn affects your marketing activities.   You alredy know all you do online is marketing.   Some good hosts even provide you with credit facility for adsense and adword advertising. You can have more about cheap hosting from cheaphostingcart.com

There is some good information on this forum thanks. I going to have figure out what is for me and what is not for my online business launched. thanks, john Message Edited by NicoleD on 09-23-2009 04:21 PM

I am thinking about starting a forum based website too, what path have you taken and have you finished it?