If you're going to go with a free host, use Free, Ad-Free Hosting - No Catch!

That's actually my free host that I opened today...That's not a biased recommendation, I swear

Most free forum hosts are going to force you to display their ads on your forums. In fact, I can't think of any forum hosts that do not do this. No Catch is not a "free forum host", it is a "free website host". It's much much more flexible than your typical free forum host...and it also doesn't force any ads onto your website. It's got a built-in forum installer where you can have the website install phpBB, SMF, or MyBB for you - with ease.

That said, for a forum to be really successful, a paid host is almost a necessity. Since you are just starting out, you could always start on a free host, see how things work out, and then go paid...That way you don't risk investing in anything only to see it fail - but hosting is so cheap these days, I'd recommend starting on a paid host. You can get a domain for about $7 (year) and good hosting for $5/month.

Beware - forums require a lot of time

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...some super-sweet signature

That host looks pretty good Ryan... but how the heck are you paying the server bills?

I agree, but if you do decide to start with a free host, MAKE BACKUPS. Everyday there's a chance you'll wake up and that host won't be there.

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The Nerd Council
Nerd Log: Bringing you the Latest in Science and Technology
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Who Will Live and Who Will Die? Debate it now!

Ads on the main website, commissions when people "upgrade" to HostGator, and donations - I just opened it up today, so of course I can't tell you whether it covers costs, and if so, by how much...but, I've done a lot of research on this and found that this combination is almost surely going to cover all costs and it could even go well beyond that.

Agreed 100%

You need to do this regardless of whether you're using a free or a paid host, but particularly if you're on a free host.

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...some super-sweet signature

Yeah, I couldn't even imagine what it would be like to lose everything if you got this big.

Be happy about being envied! It's a good thing; you succeeded!

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-Foxx
Major vBulletin Fan... Nothing Else.
I dream I will own a big-board one day. Yeah, one day...