setting up a forum...

[holidays2crete]

Im thinking of setting up a forum for my website which Im currently redesigning in full, but i have a few questions:

when i first setup my site i accidently made a websitebuilder page within 1&1 and now my default dir is wsb2347329485732098 or something, 1&1 said I cant add a forum to their website builder plus DIR, so would i have to delete my entire website, create a new dir and then re upload my entire website..

but if i did this would i

1. lose my exisiting Pr?
2. how would i then add the forum?

if this wasnt an option delete the wsb342598723098 dir how would i intergrate a forum into my site and is it reccomeneded adding a forum directly into a website or should it be hosted on another domain

i.e my co.uk domain is free and was thinking i should put it on there for security reasons etc...

[stugster]

Hi Duncan,

I don't know exactly how 1&1 work - I've never personally used them before. I'm a bit sceptical about whether or not a business site should be run with them tho - looking at your default directory, it's a bit weird.

With any reputable web host, you should be quite able to install a free forum solution (phpBB, etc.) without any hassle and have it in any directory you like. You could also opt to go for a paid solution (vBulletin [UKBF use this], if you want).

As for your existing PR, it totally depends on how 1&1 have your domain pointing, and where it currently points. If you're completely changing the content of your site, you might end up sand-boxed by Google anyway.

There are lots of factors to take into consideration, but your PR damage can easily be minimised if the correct procedures are followed by your host.

Most hosts give you a root directory for your main domain (wwwdocs/, httpdocs/ or public_html/). I would personally consider installing the forums within a directory in there (so: /public_html/forums/) or alternatively, use a sub-domain (forums.yourdomain.com).

However, using a sub-domain is probably not the best option in terms of SEO - I'm sure Google would want it to be in a directory within the main www. domain name rather than on a "site" of it's own.

Hope this helps!


Stu

[Comspec]

What Stu says really ^^^

decent hosting is a very minimal expense, and takes all these types of hassle away.

[holidays2crete]

im not changing the content just the way its presented, the pages are just getting a much needed makeover.

if i moved webhosts completely would this 0 my pr then?

im really confused with 1 and 1, i have 2 sites running which have the same host but i split them by making 3 different directories i think.. to be honest im really confused and not sure what to do.

anyone with some experience with 1 and 1 that could possibly help me too would be great

thanks for help so far :)

[stugster]

Moving web hosts wont mean your PR goes to 0. Google ain't that daft :)

As long as it's done correctly, Google wont mind at all.

Unfortunately, I have no experience with the way 1&1 do stuff, so wont be able to help, although I'm sure someone who does will be along soon! :)

[holidays2crete]

cheers :)

i just looked at my roots and it really confused they are all mixed up, i wont post a screenie or anything but its something like homepages/ds/5487645 or something i see no httpdocs or anything.

i realise now im in a right mess.

[CrispyUK]

Duncan,

Are you still using the 1&1 Website Builder for your site or did you just start with it by accident and now have your site uploaded into the folder it created?

I use 1&1 for hosting, if you can let me know what entries listed on the Domains page of your control panel (just the name & destination columns) then I can probably get a better understanding of how you're set up and give you better advice - PM me if you don't want to post it on the forums :)

[holidays2crete]

sent you a rather confusing pm