You have $500.

[Sparta]

You want to set up a community about a subject you are passionate about.

How do you spend it? Do you pay for vB or IPB? Or go with something free like SMF? How do you advertise? What do you spend that $500 on?

For me, I'd get vB leased ($85), find a decent, sparingly used forum template ($20) and a domain ($10), then get some hosting for $5 a month.

So far, my 1-month expenses are at $120. This leaves me $320.

Next, I sit down for a couple hours and write a bunch of non-time-sensitive posts for a later date. Save these. Then, I would go to 2 different 'pay to post' places, and buy a small thing from each ($12+$12, $24). $50 I would allocate to banner ads on a couple sites.

Total now is $194.

$104 I would spend on PPC advertising with google and adbrite (I'd try intermissions).

Total at $300 even now.

For the final $200, $100 would go to products of that passion (if its websites, software. If it's coins, books maybe) to give away as prizes, and the other $100 would go to forum cash prizes.

How would you allocate?

[cpvr]

I'd pay for IPB since I've been with IPB since day 1 and am better experienced with it.
I'd pay for my hosting account, $80.
Advertise on related gaming sites, pet sites for that because they get a lot of traffic, $80.
Advertising on other gaming sites, role-playing games, $90.

Total $250.
Save the rest and wait for future ventures.
No need to spend the whole $500.

[FletchRus]

I'd pay for IPB lifetime license also. Hosting is about $6-10 per month. Advertising on high PR and traffic websites and through adbrite is about $100-150

[scotty_b]

I'd go with SMF like I have, I've got the budget for vB or IPB but they offer me nothing that SMF doesn't have. Particulally SMF's great SSI.php feature which powers my whole site & the fact SMF has had a working thread read tracking system since it began.

As for the rest of the cash, obviously a decent host & advertising.

[HtchHikr]

phpBB: $0
Good Domain: $100
Hosting: $60/year
Hire Posting Service: $170 worth of posts (To Build content)
Google adwords: $15/month for a year (For fresh posters)
Total expenses for 1 year: $500

Site Value after 1 year: At least $1,000

[HtchHikr]

If you don't know anything about SEO and graphic design you could take $70 from the posting service for a nice header and some simple SEO mods.

[DevonWright]

I'd pay for IPB since I've been with IPB since day 1 and am better experienced with it.
I'd pay for my hosting account, $80.
Advertise on related gaming sites, pet sites for that because they get a lot of traffic, $80.
Advertising on other gaming sites, role-playing games, $90.

Total $250.
Save the rest and wait for future ventures.
No need to spend the whole $500.

Or just do it twice

[cmpolis]

PHPBB - $0
AdWords - $200
Posting - $250
Hosting+Domain - $50

Do all the mods and seo yourself to save money. Also, there are still some good unregged forum domains.