platforms [The Knowledge]

====== Differences ====== This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

--- platforms [2016/01/27 19:34]
hawk
+++ platforms [2024/05/03 02:11] (current)
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Platform options in the $0 - $999 per year range]]
+[[Platform options in the $1,000 - $9,999 per year range]]
-===== Identifying the options =====
+[[Platform options in the $10,000 - $99,999 per year range]]
-There are many ways of categorizing the different available options. Ideally, we'd list them by feature set, but given the numerous open source options around today, products are iterating too quickly to make that realistic.
+[[Platform options in the $100,000 - $999,999 per year range]]
-If you rule out features, the next biggest driver for choice tends to be budget, so we'll focus on that. As outlined earlier in the Budget section, most organisations shop in the 5 price ranges listed.
+[[Examples of communities on the different platforms]]
-Note that open-source platforms are difficult to categorise, because while they are technically free, the development and design costs are usually in the five to six figure range.
-The price points below are annual.
-==== $0 – $999 ====
-This is includes mailing lists, forum packages, social media groups, some association-specific packages, some white-label platforms, and a few miscellaneous options.
-=== Mailing lists ===
-These work via subscription. Once members subscribe to a mailing list they can send and receive members to and from all members.
-=== Social Media groups ===
-**Google+** communities are an option, but one that has failed to find mainstream appeal (despite dubious attempts to showcase high numbers). In the right audience, Google+ communities is an excellent option to quickly launch a community.
-**LinkedIn groups** are the most popular and widely used options for a community of practice. Every member on a LinkedIn group receives notification of new posts. However, it is not as deeply integrated into our daily habits as Facebook. For people that do not like to mix Facebook with pleasure, this could be the perfect option.
-**Facebook groups** are an easy way to launch a community because Facebook is already a habit for most people. Notifications are timely so every member can see when there is something new in the group. As with other social media options, the downside is that you don't own your data, and tranisitioning to another platform could spell the death of the community.
-**Twitter Hashtags** are a surprisingly simple and efficient way to organize people around a single topic. Add a hashtag to a topic and invite others to do the same. You can launch in a community effort in a matter of seconds at no cost or risk.
-[[http://www.emoderation.com/can-forum-communities-compete-facebook-twitter/|This article]] outlines the pros and cons of launching a community using social media in more details.
-=== Forum software ===
-Forum software can be divided into two categories – those hosted by the organisation and those hosted by the software provider. There are pros and cons to both options, but if you are a small organisation or have limited technical resource, a hosted option makes the most sense because it includes technical support and software upgrades.
-Forum software packages are broadly the same, with differences in the minute (but occasionally important) details.
-Some forum software packages are free under a general public use license (GPL). This means you can edit/tweak/change the software package in any way you like. Others charge a fee for a proprietary license. This is the standard software model where you can use it under common conditions and you’re not allowed to edit the software itself.
-In addition, there are a handful of licenses in between (LGPL, MIT, and custom-created licenses). Typically, platforms have both a .org (which is the free source code option) and a .com option (which is the paid license/hosting).
-To keep it simple, if you want to make lots of changes to the code (i.e. you have unique customizations), you want to download something that has a general public use license. If you don’t, then it’s not needed.
-It's important to note that looking at the features isn’t enough. You also need to consider the prospects of the platform itself. Some platforms appear to have better future prospects than others. This is where the history is relevant. It’s difficult to ignore the fact that the popularity of traditional forums is declining in favour of both modern, open-source platforms, and integrated enterprise solutions.
-**[[http://www.mybb.com/|MyBB]]**
-Free to download. Hosting required.
- MyBB is a free, open-source forum solution with an LGPL license. Currently stable of v1.8, MyBB is best know for its simplicity, extensive administration panel and  powerful plugin system, allowing for customisation without coding. With no SaaS offering, a degree of technical knowledge is required in order to self-host.
-**[[https://www.phpbb.com/|phpBB]]**
-Free to download. Hosting required.
-phpBB has traditionally been a popular choice due to its simplicity, ubiquity, and affordability (it is free to download). Frequently cited as reliable and simple to use, phpBB has a broad base of support for modifications, themes, and advice. It is easy to install and manage, and is  available in a greater number of languages than any other forum platform. On the downside, it suffers from a dated design as with the other traditional forum platforms.
-**[[https://bbpress.org/|BBPress]]**
-BBPress is a social/forum plugin for WordPress which is free to download and relatively easy to install, even with limited technical knowledge. Supported by a very large developer community, BBPress is well established and well documented. A good solution for very low budget projects, where technical resource isn't available.
-**[[https://muut.com/|Muut]]**
-Free to download. Hosting starts at $16 / Mo
-Muut (formally Moot) is a modern platform offering forum, messaging and commenting modules for integration into existing sites. It is written in javascript, not php and will shortly offer an api upon which any developer can add and extend the functionality of the software package.
-The core product is available for free and can be self-hosted, but to use most of the features (e.g. private messaging) there is a charge.
-**[[https://www.vbulletin.com/|vBulletin]]**
-Starts at $14.99/ Mo
-Since its creation in 1999, vBulletin has been the most popular paid forum software. Its popularity peaked in version 3.0 in 2004 which included most of the key features we see today. Currently on v5.1x, vB offer vBulletin Connect (self hosting) and vBulletin Cloud (SaaS). While vB is stable and longstanding, we don't recommend it as a good solution. The technology is fairly antiquated, support is sketchy and it requires heavy use of hacks and plugins to customise, which makes it difficult to upgrade.
-**[[https://xenforo.com/|Xenforo]]**
-Starts at $140 / Yr
-Xenforo was borne out of a disagreement between the developers and management of vB, resulting in lead developer Kier Darby walking away to create his own platform. Released in 2011 and currently stable on v1.5, Xenforo is superior to vB, but still lacking in the flexibility, extensibility and functionality of some of the open source platforms. It is a good choice if you want a traditional looking platform. Xenforo is a self-hosted/licensed model, and doesn't offer a SaaS option.
-**[[https://www.invisionpower.com/|Invision (IPS)]]**
-Starts at $30 / Mo
-Invision Power Systems (IPB) is a forum software package on a proprietary license. As with phpBB it has a large community supporting custom modifications (for free or a small fee) and offers both self-hosted and SaaS options. The aestheic of IPB is more modern than vB or phpBB but still follows the traditional forum structure.
-**[[https://www.ning.com/|Ning]]**
-Starts at $25 / Mo
-Ning is the oldest and most established platforms, however Ning 3.0 was launched before being ready and there are doubts about whether Ning has the technical resources to ensure the platform reaches high standards required to succeed. We wouldn't recommend Ning for this reason.
-==== $1,000 - $9,999 ====
-**[[http://www.discourse.org/|Discourse]]**
-Free to download. SaaS starts at $200 / Mo
-Discourse is a modern, open-source platform that is rapidly growing in popularity. Co-created by Jeff Atwood (of Stack Overflow fame), Discourse has a large active plugin and modification marketplace, and robust SSO functionality. Easily integrated with WordPress, Discourse is a good solution for small to medium sized communities.
-**[[https://nodebb.org/pricing|NodeBB]]**
-Free to download. SaaS starts at $100 / Mo
-A new generation platform similar to Discourse, which is open-source and supported by a developer community. Not quite as advanced as Discourse yet, but Node has a vastly superior Analytics dashboard. Can be self hosted, but SaaS plans offer full technical support and upgrades. Another good option for small to medium sized communities.
-**[[https://vanillaforums.org/|Vanilla]]**
-Free to download. SaaS starts at $199 / Mo
-Vanilla is a well established open-source platform which is free to download. Vanilla offer a SaaS solution with a mid-range price point. Lightweight and extensible via plugins, Vanilla is PHP-based and is supported by an active developer community.
-==== $9,999 - $99,999 ====
-**[[https://www.drupal.org/|Drupal]]**
-Free to download. Extensive dev work required to implement.
-Drupal is an open-source CMS framework which is highly extensible through its API and module driven architecture. A standard Drupal implementation with minimal custom development would likely take 6-8 weeks of development work and cost around the $30,000 - $50,000 mark.
-**[[https://getsatisfaction.com/|Get Satisfaction]]**
-Starts at $1200 / mo
-Get Satisfaction is a community platform focused primarily on customer support, allowing customers to ask questions and receive help from both others and the organisation. Get Satisfaction would be suitable for medium to large organisations looking for a customer support/innovation platform.
-**[[http://www.standingongiants.com/|Standing On Giants]]**
-SaaS pricing depends on implementation, but starts at around $40,000 / yr
-Standing On Giants is the newest of the enterprise platforms, entering the market in 2014. SOG integrates seamlessly with other software solutions, resulting in a fully self-contained SSO community solution. With very few live implementations the product is a difficult one to evaluate, but it would be an option worth considering for organisations that require an enterprise solution but don't have a huge budget.
-**[[http://info.socious.com/|Socious]]**
-Starts at $999 / mo
-Socious is online customer community software that utilises online groups for specific customers or members, discussion forums and blogs. Socious focuses on collaboration and visibility through file and document sharing.  With a modern UI, Socious is a good option for large organisations.
-**[[https://www.higherlogic.com/home|Higher Logic]]**
-Starts at $900 / Mo
-Higher Logic is a cloud based enterprise platform that offers heavy integrations with other business systems, and is extensible using modules. Of particular note is Higher Logic's built in automation features, allowing you to segment and target members with email campaigns.
-==== $99,999 - $999,999 ====
-**[[http://www.lithium.com/|Lithium]]**
-$60,000-$100,000 / yr plus estimated $100,000 setup cost
-Lithium is a robust enterprise solution offering a range of social listening and online community solutions. While expensive and complex, Lithium has a proven track record and well established market reputation. With a strong analytics component and ongoing research and development, Lithium is a good option for large enterprises that have a large budget and complex or extensive requirements.
-**[[http://www.salesforce.com/eu/communities/overview/|Salesforce]]**
-$80,000 - $200,000 /yr
-Salesforce Community Cloud is a modulated enterprise platform which integrates with other Salesforce products to create an entire networked business solution. Excellent for organisations with large budgets that require individual customer relationship management or that need to tie their community activity back to sales goals.
-**[[https://www.jivesoftware.com//welcome|Jive-x]]**
-$50,000 - $100,000 for SaaS plus estimated $15,000 setup cost
-Jive-x is a complex but powerful external community platform with built-in gamification, CRM and marketing automation functionality. Focusing on customer conversion, Jive-x would be a good solution for large sales-based enterprises.
-**[[https://www.zimbra.com/|Telligent (aka Zimbra)]]**
-Pricing not available.
-Telligent (or Zimbra) is both an enterprise and open source solution, depending on the licensing option that you choose. Customisable and extensible to integrate with other business workflows. Zimbra focuses heavily on analytics and email, and would be suitable for medium to large organisations.
 ===== Help! I still have questions =====
 For more information, or to figure out which platform is best for your community, [[https://experts.feverbee.com/new-topic?title=&body=|start a topic here]].
-Here is a list of the most common community platforms around, along with examples of each.
-===== Examples of Different Platforms =====
-**vBulletin**
-[[http://community.uxmastery.com/|UX Mastery]]
-[[http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/portal.php|vBulletin.org]]
-[[http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/|Martial Arts Planet]]
-[[http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forum.php|The Student Room]]
-**Xenforo**
-[[http://animeforums.net/|Anime Forums]]
-[[http://www.windows10forums.com/|Windows 10 Forums]]
-[[https://stolensheep.design/|Stolen Sheep Design]]
-[[http://astronomyconnect.com/|Astronomy Connect]]
-**phpBB**
-[[http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/index.php|Debating Christianity]]
-[[http://hookedonboatingforum.com/|Hooked on Boating]]
-[[http://www.ourroyalpalace.com/|Our Royal Family]]
-[[http://www.synchromysticismforum.com/|Synchromysticism]]
-**Invision (IPB)**
-[[http://forums.zybez.net/|Runescape]]
-[[http://www.acne.org/messageboard/|acne.org]]
-[[http://forums.oscommerce.com/|OS Commerce]]
-[[http://boards.baltimoreravens.com/|Baltimore Ravens]]
-**Vanilla**
-[[http://www.daz3d.com/forums/|Daz 3D]]
-[[https://forums.getpebble.com/|Pebble Smartwatch]]
-[[http://forums.marvelheroes.com/|Marvel Heroes]]
-[[http://vanillaforums.org/discussions|Vanilla Forums]]
-**Discourse**
-[[https://experts.feverbee.com/|FeverBee Experts]]
-[[https://meta.discourse.org/|Discourse Meta]]
-[[https://www.sitepoint.com/community/|SitePoint]]
-[[http://linux-tips.org/|Linux Tips]]
-**Muut**
-[[http://phasesofthemoonfestival.com/community/discussion-forum/|Phases of the Moon]]
-[[http://getgrav.org/forum|Grav]]
-[[http://fatherhood.rocks/forum/|Fatherhood Rocks]]
-[[https://localbitcoins.com/forums/|Local Bitcoins]]
-**NodeBB**
-[[http://www.reelfishingtalk.com/|Reel Fishing Talk]]
-[[https://community.nodebb.org/|NodeBB]]
-[[http://mytechzone.eu/|My Tech Zone]]
-[[http://forums.badmintonbirdie.net/|Badminton Birdie]]
-**BBPress**
-[[http://www.mojo-themes.com/forums/|Mojo Themes]]
-[[http://www.onemorething.nl/community/forum/|One More Thing]]
-[[http://www.swnk.org/forums/|SWKN]]
-[[http://tamrielfoundry.com/forums/|Tamriel Foundry]]
-**MyBB**
-[[http://community.mybb.com/|MyBB]]
-[[http://community.mybb.com/|Pro Tech Modz]]
-[[https://royalforu.ms/|Royal Forums]]
-[[http://peakforums.net/|Peak Forums]]
-**Jive**
-[[https://community.jivesoftware.com/welcome|Jive]]
-[[https://community.emc.com/welcome|EMC2]]
-[[https://community.mcafee.com/welcome|McAfee]]
-[[https://community.pennfoster.edu/welcome|Penn Foster]]
-**Salesforce Community Cloud**
-[[https://go.eway.io/s/|eway]]
-[[https://community.sears.com/|Sears]]
-[[https://collaboration.navis.com/landingPage|Navis]]
-[[http://help.disney.com/en_US/clubpenguin|Club Penguin]]
-**Lithium**
-[[https://yourcommunity.tescobank.com/|Tesco Bank]]
-[[http://h30434.www3.hp.com/|Hewlett Packard]]
-[[http://community.sony.com/|Sony]]
-[[http://www.symantec.com/connect/forums/community-forums|Symantec]]
-**Standing on Giants**
-[[https://forum.vivo.com.br/|Vivo]]
-[[https://comunidad.movistar.com.ar/forum.php|Movistar]]
-**Telligent (aka Zimbra)**
-[[http://community.zimbra.com/collaboration/|Zimbra]]
-[[https://community.macmillan.org.uk/|MacMillan Cancer Support]]
-[[https://community.telligent.com/community/|Telligent Community]]
-[[http://en.community.dell.com/|Dell]]
-**Higher Logic**
-[[https://hug.higherlogic.com/home|HUG]]
-[[http://community.aiim.org/home|AIIM]]
-[[http://community.cpma.ca/home|CPMA]]
-[[http://my.urmia.org/home|URMIA]]
-**Get Satisfaction**
-[[https://getsatisfaction.com/imdb|IMDb]]
-[[http://community.phonegap.com/nitobi|PhoneGap]]
-[[http://community.numark.com/numark|NuMark]]
-[[http://community.openscholar.harvard.edu/openscholar|Open Scholar]]
-**Ning**
-[[http://thegrove.americangrove.org/|American Grove]]
-[[http://diydrones.com/|DIY Drones]]
-[[http://www.herfuture.com/|Her Future]]
-[[http://my.cleanprogram.com/|Clean Program]]
-**Drupal**
-[[https://www.drupal.org/forum|Drupal]]
-[[http://en.libreofficeforum.org/forum|Libre Office]]
-[[http://www.ubercart.org/forum|Ubercart]]
-[[http://www.peakprosperity.com/forum|Peak Prosperity]]
-**Socious**
-[[http://www.voicesforpfd.org/|Voices for PFD]]
-[[https://www.follettcommunity.com/|Follett Community]]
-[[http://www.idug.org/p/fo/et/topic=19|IDUG]]
-[[https://www.imwuc.org/|IBM Middleware]]

The Knowledge

Intelligent engagement and behavior change

Site Tools

User Tools

Site Tools

Page Tools

User Tools