PhpBB

PhpBB or “Php Bulletin Board” is popular piece of software used for creating forums. It offers Usability and Customization tools as well as the back end of a forum system and as the name suggest is written in PHP. The good thing about this system is that it allows novices to create forums on their own servers without having to be a coding wizard. However it does have its drawbacks. Although it is customizable there are limits to what you can create and how you can style it, and unfortunately visually the you always know it is a Phpbb.

This software is primarily designed for the casual host who just wants a forum and an online community and has no ambition over that. There is a possibility for a small income from a forum like this but it would require the site's traffic to be come very large otherwise advertisers wouldn't see any value in it.