Through a combination of circumstances I now find my forum is running smoother than it has ever done and I have a few observations.
In December 2017 I switched from the free SMF forum software to WoltLab, simultaneously buying a new domain with hosting at GoDaddy. I had previously had the forum hosted locally (probably in someone's bedroom) in Argentina. It was subject to spam and virus attacks on a regular basis, hence the move.
On the whole, my experience with GoDaddy was average at best, but unfortunately the support service simply wasn't knowledgeable enough to cope with many of the issues that began to crop up on a regular basis. The service was also very slow and subject to numerous outages, so I suppose you really do get what you pay for in the end.
Finally, when WoltLab suite 5.x came around, GoDaddy was no longer compatible and they had no intention of upgrading their server software, in spite of continual promises that never materialised into anything - a blessing in disguise.
In the end I went with a more expensive hosting company in the UK, ProStack, last July (total migration in less than a couple of hours) and the difference is night and day, with the forum now loading at lightning speed, WoltLab updates installing completely problem-free, SSL included across the hosting package and, much like WoltLab, a support service that reacts instantly, and I mean instantly, one-to-one.
I'm not a coder, know very little about HTML and haven't got time to spend hours fiddling about. I do however enjoy the challenge of maintaining, managing and tweaking the forum and watching it grow. That gives me a kick, especially now that it's hosted with a reliable 21st century hosting company that cares about its customers.
As for WoltLab, without sounding too partisan, I'm very glad I chose the software suite because, not only is it easy to use for 'laymen' like me who know a little about this kind of software, but also because of the support, which has always been outstanding. The same can be said for the help I've received from WoltLab customers, so it's great that we can work as a community, if you will.
Most of all, the members of our forum have noticed the difference in performance and while we may not be many, it does serve as a gateway to attracting more members, thanks to the software and speed of the hosting servers.
Finally, and since I don't speak or write German, I have never found this to be an issue when a developer's website or written comments etc are in German because one simply right clicks the page and has it translated into English, voila!
Greetings to all!
