I would like to create a site that that allows people to select a category and/or a sub-category and invite people to join and partake in something for a limited time period determined by the OP, but also allowing other users to suggest alternative options as a votable option.
I have no idea where to start with any of this.
Is it just forum software that I should be looking at, and could anyone recommend one if it is. Also how much should I be looking at to begin with?
EDIT - Thanks everyone, all good options to look at. I am going to try a Lemmy Sub, as that seems to be the most favoured answer by users. Hopefully I will get to grips with it. 🙂
My first thought is reduce the complexity for now and start a Lemmy community for what you want. I know it’s not going to be as versatile as a full-blown forum and any specific requirements you have might not be met, but there are creative ways to manage this as a moderator with the API.
It would be free, you wouldn’t need to worry about the web security aspect for now and it might let you feel out how to manage topics/projects before you build an actual forum.
Sorry I couldn’t directly answer your question, but was hoping that an alternative approach might be of use. It’s just that hosting and managing a forum can be a time suck.
I agree with @remotelove@lemmy.ca - since you "don’t know where to start“ - just start simple. Maybe lemmy will be fine for now.
Otherwise, to at least pitch some alternative: you can Google for a vbulletin host. A lot of hosting providers offer a “managed vbulletin” solution. Meaning you don’t have to get a bare metal machine and don’t have to be bothered with installing all the software yourself.
I don’t know if there are free solutions, but with a quick Google, it doesn’t seem like it’s more than a couple $ a month for a small server
IRC
if you use some php forum software, you can find hosting in the $5 range with cPanel. I remember hosting one 10 years ago with $3. good start, scale or migrate as needed if stuff picks up.
