at about $150-$200/month hosting fees to be able to handle the amount of traffic SixPack receives. The cost of the message board software such as Vbulletin is minimal. A $200 one time fee.
Yuku used to be a cheaper option but now Yuku seems to cost about $2200/year.
The problem with every other option out there is that no one has the view we use. If everyone doesn't mind switching to something like 24/7, BDJ has - then that's fine. But I really think having this view is part of what separates Sixpackspeak from the other MSU forums.
on there the like feature is pretty fun to use since it keeps track on the post and only members can use it...They keep track of the likes on your profile and the most liked posts here: here to give you an idea
And you can actually tell who replied to whom, and just read parts of threads if you want. My eyes and the little symbols tell me what's new. I don't need anymore email, I can assure you that, I already get 1,000 a day at work.