[grapro]

Hello I'm interested in starting a website for our car club and was wondering if anyone had any templates for car clubs sites or where I could find them
Thanks

[poncho62]

If you want a forum type, I use this one...its free.......

http://www.activeboard.com/?ref=fForum

Look at my forums below, to see what they look like.

[Only Racing]

Template Monster is a good one, most can be edited easily. There are tons of others but really get a decent host and they will provide the added bulletin boards or have all the needed updates, like Hostgator, It's affordable and easy there. All you need to do is by a decent plan from like 4.95 a month on up to like 18.95 or so, all is included and anything you like can be installed easily through your Cpanel and FTP file uploads with many free programs.

I would look into the newer CSS style sheet types for a quck website and probably stay away from any heavily flash based unless you know flash real well.

Simple home made templates can be found in a google search for fixed width templates that are free, you just replace graphics as needed with minimal HTML language skills. I prefer fixed width at 1000 pixels since most users still use 1024X768 so a 1000 pixel wide with a scroller on the side fits perfect in the window and all graphics and text is what you will see in almost all browsers.

[Only Racing]

I also forgot to mention that websites created with Frontpage would need the most recent updates for front page extensions that sometimes are hard to install properly.

This stuff is fairly easy when you finally get the language down.

Also, a php style website will need to be done on the server itself, HTML isn't going away anytime soon and almost all browsers will recognize even the most messed up coding if you have some first time mess ups and you can view HTML on your comp before uploading it.

Blogs are also becoming a new thing where you can modify and they sort of remind me of a "Myspace" style but much cleaner.

Searches for Web 2.0, Joomla, and Wordpress will get you some cheap or free starting points. Your additions will be what makes it better in the end.

[carsavvycook]

Poncho62, Thank you for that link.

I have been contemplating setting up a forum for the users on my own website. I have asked them to let me know what they think. It is the people that are at their wits end that have contacted me for help, but some users appear to be knowledgeable, and well versed in auto repair. I have thought this would be a good medium to actively join the 2 groups.

I am going to wait a couple months to see how welcome they are to this idea, before I make my decision.

[poncho62]

No problem....If you do go with them, there are a few idiosyncrasies that I can help with....nothing much, but it helps customize and make it what you want.....

[bluesman2333]

If you want ease of use and versatility, just use a CMS (content management system). A CMS like Joomla, which is what I use, allows modules to be added like forums, picture galleries, you name it.

You have the ability to give different people access to different parts of the site so you can delegate the updating without fear they will do something to take the site down.

Joomla and the others have quite a few templates and you do not need to know CSS, AJAX or XHTML.

[carsavvycook]

Originally Posted by bluesman2333

If you want ease of use and versatility, just use a CMS (content management system). A CMS like Joomla, which is what I use, allows modules to be added like forums, picture galleries, you name it.

You have the ability to give different people access to different parts of the site so you can delegate the updating without fear they will do something to take the site down.

Joomla and the others have quite a few templates and you do not need to know CSS, AJAX or XHTML.

I will check them out. Like I said I am going to wait for a couple of months, and see if the users on my website would be receptive to one. I did not know that there was free hosting available though. In these economic times, free is right up my alley, if you know what I meen.

[bluesman2333]

Free hosting usually doesn't allow for the PHP and other necessities that a fully features web site uses. You need PHP and other scripting to run forums and any dynamic content.

Hosting companies like Blue Host charge about $80.00 for two years and include free domain name registration.

[carsavvycook]

I have my own website, and plan to put a link to the forum on it.

[poncho62]

$80/year...or even $4.95/month is not bad..........but when you start a forum and your members are not that interested and don't use it as much as you like, well, free is great........You haven't lost anything but a bit of time. ....A free forum is good to find out if there is interest and then you can transfer that to a pay site if you need to.....Just my opinion.

[carsavvycook]

Originally Posted by poncho62

$80/year...or even $4.95/month is not bad..........but when you start a forum and your members are not that interested and don't use it as much as you like, well, free is great........You haven't lost anything but a bit of time. ....A free forum is good to find out if there is interest and then you can transfer that to a pay site if you need to.....Just my opinion.

I could not have said it better. Thanks again.

Stephen