Interview - James Atkinson , Founder of phpBB
For those of you who may not know, phpBB is discussion forum software. It allows web site owners to quickly add discussion forums to a web site.
What makes phpBB different is that it is open source. BTW, the acronym came from "php"- an open source programming language and "BB" as in Bulletin Board.
Like Web Crossing (which isn't truly open source) phpBB has a thriving support community, where users support one another.
James provides some tried and true advice for starting forums:
I think the mistake a lot of people make as they start an online community is that they don't start small. I've seen many boards with 10 or 12 forums, and maybe 20 posts between them. That's no way start. Begin with 2 or 3 forums to really get the discussion rolling, then expand as needed.
Thanks to Bill for the link.