Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums

momentum · 12-15-2006, 09:24 AM

similar to what visiongate offers, but don't want to use them due to their recent problems. any advice is appreciated.

multi-tier: 3 levels
forums - discussion boards
product pages
technical support
daily backups

Caveman Joe · 12-15-2006, 05:27 PM

NINETY-SEVEN BUCKS A MONTH?! Yeesh!
Why not just use a hacked-up GeekLog or Joomla site, with a PayPal processor? I've got a couple of sites in development that run on GeekLog with a paid membership option. Cheap as chips and still looks the business (in fact, probably runs a damn sight better than visiongate - we are comparing open-source to a proprietary platform, here).
I offer hosting from £1/month (although if you're going for a community/portal site, you'll probably want the £10/month "good stuff"), with one-button installers for GeekLog, Joomla and several other content management systems. Link's in my sig. I'll be happy to show you how to create a decent community/portal site with paid membership using free/open-source content management systems.

Caveman Joe · 12-15-2006, 05:41 PM

Sorry, but I'm gonna have to have a little rant about this, while I'm on the subject - 'cause the more I think about this and the more I look around that website, the more I find myself offended by the very principles of this system!
From looking around the website at visiongateportal.com, it looks like they've created a content management system with an inbuilt method to restrict access to paying members, decided to charge the better part of a hundred bucks a month for the privelage of using it and having it hosted and then - and this is the CRUCIAL part, here - completely failed to give their content management system anything that sets it apart from the others. And when I say "the others," I mean all the free and open-source content management systems out there (and there are hundreds, let me tell you). Then they've dressed it up in marketing hype and told people "You need this, believe me."
I'm sorry to rant, but this kind of thing makes me really bitey, as does any business model that relies on its customers never finding out that there are similar (and often superior) systems available for free.
And it seems that this kind of business model is most prevalent in the world of PC's, where users are easily exploitable. I look at AOL's UK advertising (and PC World too, that pack of unethical lying so-and-so's) and I weep. But I also smile a little too, as I'm fully aware that newbie users don't stay newbie users for long, quickly grow to realise that they've been taken for a ride, and jump ship - and the question of whether or not such a business model is sustainable is easily answered.

Grah. Rant over. :P

officelurker · 12-15-2006, 11:33 PM

I find GoDaddy.com's hosting pretty good. I have used them for a few of my sites and so far so good.

Also take a look at Welcome to TextDrive – Reliable, high performance web hosting you can trust

12-15-2006, 09:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
momentum Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 3	looking for web host with membership options similar to what visiongate offers, but don't want to use them due to their recent problems. any advice is appreciated. multi-tier: 3 levels forums - discussion boards product pages technical support daily backups

12-15-2006, 05:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
Caveman Joe Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Cheshire, UK Posts: 265	Grr! Sorry, but I'm gonna have to have a little rant about this, while I'm on the subject - 'cause the more I think about this and the more I look around that website, the more I find myself offended by the very principles of this system! From looking around the website at visiongateportal.com, it looks like they've created a content management system with an inbuilt method to restrict access to paying members, decided to charge the better part of a hundred bucks a month for the privelage of using it and having it hosted and then - and this is the CRUCIAL part, here - completely failed to give their content management system anything that sets it apart from the others. And when I say "the others," I mean all the free and open-source content management systems out there (and there are hundreds, let me tell you). Then they've dressed it up in marketing hype and told people "You need this, believe me." I'm sorry to rant, but this kind of thing makes me really bitey, as does any business model that relies on its customers never finding out that there are similar (and often superior) systems available for free. And it seems that this kind of business model is most prevalent in the world of PC's, where users are easily exploitable. I look at AOL's UK advertising (and PC World too, that pack of unethical lying so-and-so's) and I weep. But I also smile a little too, as I'm fully aware that newbie users don't stay newbie users for long, quickly grow to realise that they've been taken for a ride, and jump ship - and the question of whether or not such a business model is sustainable is easily answered. Grah. Rant over. :P

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12-15-2006, 05:27 PM	#2 (permalink)
Caveman Joe Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Cheshire, UK Posts: 265	NINETY-SEVEN BUCKS A MONTH?! Yeesh! Why not just use a hacked-up GeekLog or Joomla site, with a PayPal processor? I've got a couple of sites in development that run on GeekLog with a paid membership option. Cheap as chips and still looks the business (in fact, probably runs a damn sight better than visiongate - we are comparing open-source to a proprietary platform, here). I offer hosting from £1/month (although if you're going for a community/portal site, you'll probably want the £10/month "good stuff"), with one-button installers for GeekLog, Joomla and several other content management systems. Link's in my sig. I'll be happy to show you how to create a decent community/portal site with paid membership using free/open-source content management systems.

12-15-2006, 11:33 PM	#4 (permalink)
officelurker Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 16	I find GoDaddy.com's hosting pretty good. I have used them for a few of my sites and so far so good. Also take a look at Welcome to TextDrive – Reliable, high performance web hosting you can trust

Personal Development for Smart PeopleTM Forums

Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums