I started this site because I liked the community we had on Rivals, and I thought we needed a free alternative for people who didn't want to go to On3. Or for those who want to go there but also want to have another place to go.
I have a "particular set of skills" that make running something like this possible, so I thought I'd take a shot. My first inclination was to build my own or buy something and host it. But I thought people would want a full-featured site with all the bells and whistles Rivals had. I ended up going with Xenforo, which is the same software Rivals was using (also On3). I am using their hosting. It cost me some time learning about Xenforo (not exactly intuitive) and $60 for the first month for basic hosting. That may go up to $250/month, I believe, depending on the number of page views.
So far, we have just over 100 registered users, not counting myself. That seems like a good start - I haven't done any SEO or advertising. I'm not really in it for the money, though I may have to do something to pay the bills depending on how successful it is. I'm not doing any tracking myself yet, and haven't looked into ads. I may do that or I may set up a Venmo and ask for donations (or both). I will try to do normal posts under IANit, but will no doubt mess up and do it as Admin at times - don't take that as an official imprimatur on anything. I will not moderate based on political opinion. I'm a registered Independent. I will remove posts that aren't providing value (e.g. name-calling), but I don't plan on doing very much of that unless there's a demand for it. I don't get any charge out of exercising control over others like some board admins seem to do, but I'll take action if needed. I want to keep this a cool place to hang out with a main focus on Penn State sports, especially Penn State Football! I will be zealous about keeping the sports boards, especially, focused. Don't be offended if your thread gets moved.
I'm still setting things up - you'll probably see a new look-and-feel soon and more forums. If you like something/don't like something, feel free to let me know either on the board or at [email protected]. Please tell your friends about this site if you think it's something they'd be interested in.
If you might be interested in volunteering your time/expertise/insights to make this site better, let me know by e-mail or direct message.
Thanks,
Admin (IANit)
I have a "particular set of skills" that make running something like this possible, so I thought I'd take a shot. My first inclination was to build my own or buy something and host it. But I thought people would want a full-featured site with all the bells and whistles Rivals had. I ended up going with Xenforo, which is the same software Rivals was using (also On3). I am using their hosting. It cost me some time learning about Xenforo (not exactly intuitive) and $60 for the first month for basic hosting. That may go up to $250/month, I believe, depending on the number of page views.
So far, we have just over 100 registered users, not counting myself. That seems like a good start - I haven't done any SEO or advertising. I'm not really in it for the money, though I may have to do something to pay the bills depending on how successful it is. I'm not doing any tracking myself yet, and haven't looked into ads. I may do that or I may set up a Venmo and ask for donations (or both). I will try to do normal posts under IANit, but will no doubt mess up and do it as Admin at times - don't take that as an official imprimatur on anything. I will not moderate based on political opinion. I'm a registered Independent. I will remove posts that aren't providing value (e.g. name-calling), but I don't plan on doing very much of that unless there's a demand for it. I don't get any charge out of exercising control over others like some board admins seem to do, but I'll take action if needed. I want to keep this a cool place to hang out with a main focus on Penn State sports, especially Penn State Football! I will be zealous about keeping the sports boards, especially, focused. Don't be offended if your thread gets moved.
I'm still setting things up - you'll probably see a new look-and-feel soon and more forums. If you like something/don't like something, feel free to let me know either on the board or at [email protected]. Please tell your friends about this site if you think it's something they'd be interested in.
If you might be interested in volunteering your time/expertise/insights to make this site better, let me know by e-mail or direct message.
Thanks,
Admin (IANit)
