I am searching for a platform to inquire about reliable web hosting sites suitable for alumni of a program I managed.
The user count is expected to be approximately 300 or less, and the site should enable them to update personal information and make occasional group posts of one or two dozen per year.

An important consideration is keeping costs low. Kindly recommend any suitable platforms where I can seek recommendations or insights on this matter. Thank you.

Initially, my suggestion would be to consider LinkedIn as it appears to be a suitable option.
Upon completion of a quick check, I discovered that they offer Groups, providing you with an avenue to find a workable solution. Although I am retired and do not use LinkedIn, my contacts who are not retired strongly recommend it for networking purposes.

My point is, your alumni will most likely already be using the platform; hence, it's a case of "killing two birds with one stone."

For such minimalistic requirements, almost any option available should suffice.

 I advise against spending more than you can afford to lose initially and maintain off-provider backups regardless of the provider's assurance or reputation.

To be frank, WordPress or Moodle would be suitable platforms to achieve your objective.
The easiest setup for you would be to create a mailing list and utilize transactional emails through providers such as Amazon SES or MailGun, which focuses primarily on email delivery.

Among the most popular hostings that inspire confidence, I can recommend Bluehost, Hostgator, Ionos. I looked at the current rates and they seemed to me very reasonable in price. As for the placement of your ad, I can recommend the same thematic forums, communities in social networks, blogs.

A plugin named "Edwiser Bridge" is available for integrating WordPress and Moodle, which also includes a "Single Sign-On" extension feature. This extension enables end-users to enter a single username and password to gain access to both the WordPress site and Moodle simultaneously. To utilize this integration, you can visit https://edwiser.org/bridge/extensions/single-sign-on/.

Before installing Moodle, setting it up involves renaming the config-dist.php file to config.php and making changes to the settings in a text editor. Additionally, to work with the MySQL database, you need to locate the line containing $CFG->dbtype and write the necessary configurations.

$CFG->dbtype = 'mysqli';
Let's discuss "register globals." During the installation process, you may come across a prompt requesting you to set register_globals=off. How can you accomplish this? In my experience, I was unable to do this through .htaccess. Instead, I created a php.ini file with UTF-8 encoding.
Although you could put it in the site's root directory, it doesn't always work effectively. In my case, I placed it in cgi-bin - this folder is automatically generated in the public_html directory on the hosting platform I utilized for Moodle. The php.ini file appears as follows:

register_globals = 0
display_errors=0

There are several platforms where you can seek recommendations and insights on reliable and low-cost web hosting options for alumni programs. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Reddit: You can visit the r/webhosting subreddit, where you can find discussions, recommendations, and insights from other users who have experience with various web hosting providers. Make sure to read through the reviews and consider multiple opinions.

2. Quora: Quora is another platform where you can post questions and seek advice from experts and experienced users. Look for topics related to web hosting or alumni programs, and ask for recommendations. You should receive valuable insights and suggestions from the Quora community.

3. Web hosting forums: There are many online forums dedicated to discussions about web hosting. Some popular ones include WebHostingTalk and HostingDiscussion. These forums provide a platform for users to discuss their experiences and recommend hosting providers. You can post your specific requirements and ask for recommendations tailored to your needs.

4. Alumni program communities: If your program has an active online community or forum, it might be worth posting your question there. Alumni who have experience with setting up websites for similar programs could provide valuable insights and recommendations based on their own experiences.

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