You know there is a lot to vBulletin, but programmed very well so people like me (not a programmer) can follow a logical flow and maintain what is becoming a large forum for you.
Last year, our first year, was a little overwhelming and upgrades took me or my team a bit to fully grasp. My team is now seamless with this tool and I can do almost everything myself.
We just loaded new social networking tools and are ready to take the open forum to the next level here. It took me a few hours to understand everything new and be an expert when asked questions about
groups, as an example. So, I started the first two groups this morning and comfortable for others to do the same. I have a few things to do before getting the word out.
Time: you have to be dedicated to offering a forum like this for it to work in a small or open community - we have both in one! So if I can do it, many can. My business model includes this tool so for me it makes sense...for you, I don't know but happy to discuss.