I didn't understand the concepts

LzW-x

Found a link to this site on freewebspace.net but after briefly studying it, I don't understand how or why a person would recieve a free web site for making 5 quality forum posts.

The forum looks very long and exhaustive. I think that is the nature of a general discussion... One that is all things to everyone but not real specific about anything. However, there are so many forum sections and threads, a person could likely spend a week just studying and reading it!

I wonder what the purpose of the forum is?

A group of friends and acquaintances communicating and staying touch? Seems to large for that... Who could know so many people?

An online community of people with a similar interest? The forum appears to cover all interests...

SEO market research? If you could get good quality articles on all topics, google would certainly rank it high but what's the purpose of achieving a high ranking for a forum site that has no products for sale?

Web 3.0 social networking? Meet new people, make friends, post your profile.... What could possibly go wrong? As long as it's not invade by myspace pedophiles...

Boredom? Nothing better to do....

Forced compliance!

Somewhere around here it said that not only must a person make 5 posts for a free web site but then must also remain continuously active in posting!

Well, don't take this the wrong way but you know when people are trying to have babies and they get into all these fertility cycles and the right time of the day to make love and all of that? Eventually they begin to loose interest in sex, complaining that it has become to mechanical.

Now take a threaded discussion forum... Either you feel like talking and you have something to say, or you don't! Compelling people into a discussion when they're not in the mood will have the same mechanical effect. That's what I think it would do...

See you later...

In the brief time I've been here, I think I've made some on topic points, voiced my opinions and brought up some valid concerns.

If I were a member, I wonder, would I now be 1/5 towards having a free web site for posting meaningful topics?

Well, as I stated... I don't understand the purpose behind this, I'm not comfortable with it, and I feel the compelling nature of it would be hostile towards any truly friendly conversation!

Otherwise, I'm sure it's a very fine web host and I'll be back if and when I can understand the concept better.

SpellcasterDX

You have to make 5 quality posts to show to the FriHost staff that you're not just here to receive an account. But that you're willing to contribute to topics with your own views and opinions. It's also supposed to get you interested in the forums so you'll start to enjoy posting here.

The purpose of the forum is to keep FriHost free. Believe it or not, that's how FriHost makes money. With the forum. Instead of putting forced ads on your website, they put the ads on their website to make money. The forum is also to have fun, relax, and also to get Webhosting support.

It's "forced" because FriHost has to make money somehow. Since they don't put ads on your website, they have to make money through another way. So they put ads/banners on their forums to make money to pay for the domain, the server costs, etc. Rolling Eyes

The concept is "post n host." You make posts, earn points, and get hosting. After you receive your hosting, you have to keep posting. It's not even that much. You just have to post a few times a week at most. You have to post to keep your points above zero, because once you get a hosting account, 1 point gets deducted from your points everyday. Like I said before, its also to make money to pay for everything. Otherwise, Frihost wouldn't be a free host.

In conclusion, you're not supposed to post just for the sake of keeping your hosting account, you post to have fun, contribute ideas/views/opinions to the topics, and also to get support and help whenever you need it. Wink

LzW-x

Thanks for the reply!

I felt maybe I did post a little hastily without reading enough to understand what was going on here so I did go back and read a bunch more topics and now your reply clearly explains it!

There really is advertising on the forum so my earlier point about "nothing for sale" was invalid. I just didn't realize it because I was googling so I used firefox with everything disabled and no ads... Chasing random links in google with IE is just to dangerous! I've now looked at the forum with IE on all default settings and see the relevant ad links for stuff that matches the content of page.

Now that I understand the concept, it no longer makes me feel uncomfortable and I see the reason for posting is not just to be "mechanically compelled" into but has a logical purpose.

SpellcasterDX

You're welcome. Smile

Yes, perhaps you should have given FriHost more of a chance the first time around. Don't knock it till you try it. Wink

Yes, it was. Although I didn't know you were using FF with all adblock programs on, so I didn't mention anything about nothing for sale.
Yes, the google ads and chitika ads are a good way to make money. They're also good because they match the content related to the specific forums/topic you're in.

Yep. The posting isn't to torture people or waste their time, but to earn money, and prove your loyalty and willingness to keep a hosting account, and to contribute to the community.

So, are you going to join? Smile

LzW-x

Yep, I joined...

IE7 is going goofy on me today. I used it to open verizon netmail for the forum activation and it does read verizon but the status bar never shows the pages as finished loading and I could open the activation link in IE7.

Sometimes I regret installing the IE7 upgrade... It looks cool and everything but IE6 is just gone now and IE7 disappoints me in some ways.

SpellcasterDX