FAQ Find answers to a few of our Customer's frequently asked questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I run my own advertisements?
Yes! Whether you would like to use an ad network like Google AdSense or find your own advertisers, you have the ability to place advertisements and collect revenue as you wish.
Do you have a trial period?
While there's no free trial period, we're happy to schedule a personalized walkthrough with you to show you the software and go over how our platform can meet your needs. Please don't hesitate to get in touch, we can't wait to speak with you!
What is a pageview?
A pageview occurs when a request is received by our servers to load data. For example, if a user views your forum homepage this will count as one pageview. AJAX requests, where the currently loaded page makes a request to our servers without reloading the page, also count as a pageview.
What happens when I exceed my plan's pageview limit?
If you exceed your plan's pageview limit you will accrue "overages". We will bill you at the Pageview Overage Rate listed in your plan for every 100 pageviews. For example, if your pageview overage rate is $0.08 per 100 pageviews and your forum goes over by 300 pageviews, you will be charged an additional $0.24 on your next bill. For fractions of 100 pageviews, the price is rounded to the nearest whole cent.
Can I control who can join my forum?
There are many options available to control how members join your forum. In your forum's administrator panel you can choose to require moderator approval before new members can participate on your forum. You can also disable registrations altogether so that an invitation is required to join your forum.
Can I keep my forum private, so other people can't view it?
Yes! We have a very powerful and granular permissions system. You can grant and revoke access to specific areas and features to groups of people very easily. You can also adjust any board's settings to enable the "Private Board" option. When enabled, regular members will only be able to view threads that they have created while forum staff members will be allowed to view all threads. At any time you may also enable the "Guests Must Login" option, which requires users to be logged in to view any part of your forum.
Can I get support over the phone? What are your support hours?
Yes! Phone and remote screen-share support comes standard for our clients. To access these support options, please visit your forum's dashboard and click on "Support" to get the support phone number and a unique support code to streamline the call-in process, or create a ticket requesting a screen-share meeting. Additionally, you can get technical support via our online ticketing system. For standard technical support, our office hours are 9am - 5pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, excluding major U.S. holidays. Our team is available 24/7/365 in the event of outages or other critical issues. For more information about our commitment to our customers, please read our customer service page.
How do I use my own domain name?
If you have a domain name purchased from a domain registrar such as Network Solutions or GoDaddy, you may use that domain name with your Forums.net forum. If you choose to use your own domain name, you must supply an SSL certificate to enable HTTPS for that domain. To get started, please visit your Forums.net dashboard, click on your forum, then click on Domain Name. Follow the steps listed on the page to set up your custom domain name.
Can I match the forum design to my existing website?
You have full control over your forum's layout via HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. We also provide a set of easy to use tools that make it simple to customize your forum's design. If you would like our assistance in customizing your forum design to your existing website, please check out our design matching service.
How do I export my data and what format does it come in?
You may request a data export at any time by visiting your Forums.net dashboard, clicking on your forum, and clicking the \"Export\" button. The data export comes in the form of a .SQL file containing the complete contents of the database tables that make up your forum.
Are there any content restrictions for forums?
Forums.net does not add any content restrictions other than those we are legally required to enforce. The content on your forum must comply with all applicable laws including copyright, trademark, privacy laws, laws relating to adult content, obscene content, child pornography, defamation, computer fraud and abuse, phishing, malware, unsolicited emails or "spam," "cookies," and so forth.
Are there any cancellation restrictions?
If you do not have a minimum term contract, you may cancel at any time. You will only be billed for your current pay period and any previous balance. You must cancel your plan at least five business days before the end of your billing cycle to avoid being billed for the following month.
Will I be able to transfer the content of my current forum to Forums.net?
We can import the data from most popular forum systems for a small fee provided that you have access to a full copy of your forum's database. For more details please refer to our data migration page.
How will my forum look on mobile devices?
When mobile users visit your forum, they will be presented with a version of your forum that has been optimized for display on mobile devices. We also offer built-in support for accessing your forum from the Tapatalk mobile applications.
Are the forum plans customizable?
Our plans are built with flexibility in mind. If you feel that you have a specific need that will not be met by one of our existing plans, feel free to contact our sales team, and we'll work with you to build a plan that is right for you.
What is a white label forum and how will I benefit from it?
Having a white label forum means your logo is front and center, and there is no indication within the user interface that the forum is hosted by Forums.net. This gives your visitors a seamless experience with your own branding. The administration panel still has references to the type of software being used, however this is only visible to yourself and other forum staff that you designate.
What is a service level agreement (SLA)?
Our business plans offer a Service-Level Agreement or SLA that guarantees 100% uptime. In the event that your forum experiences any unscheduled downtime, you will receive a credit on your next bill based on your plan's SLA percentage. For full details, please visit our SLA page.
When is payment collected by Forums.net for my forum?
Payment is collected every month on the date that you initially purchased the plan. If your date of purchase is after the last day of a given month, you will be billed on the last date of that month, e.g. if you purchased your plan on May 31st you would be billed the following month on June 30th.
How frequently is my forum backed up?
We maintain continuous backups on-site via MySQL binary logs, which are backed up off-site daily. You also have the option in your Forums.net dashboard to export your forum's full database at any time.
Does Forums.net monitor my forum content?
We will never access your forum content without your permission. In the event that you need assistance that requires us to log in to your forum account(s), we will obtain your prior consent.
Are there any bandwidth limitations?
We do not place bandwidth limitations on regular forum usage. File attachment bandwidth does have limits set by the plan you have selected.
How do I make my forum accessible from Tapatalk?
To allow your users to connect to your forum via the Tapatalk family of apps, you'll need to create a Tapatalk account as a forum owner, and then add your forum to the Tapatalk directory. If you do not wish to publicly include your forum in the Tapatalk directory, on the directory registration page with Tapatalk click the "Do Not Promote" option found toward the bottom of the submission page. By submitting your directory entry as Do Not Promote, your forum will not be recommended by Tapatalk to other Tapatalk users, it will not appear in the public directory, and your members will need to enter the full domain name to look up your forum from the Tapatalk app.