I'm kicking around the idea of starting a website and am looking for advice and grounding information.  And no, it isn't a buckeye fan site or anything like that.

Mainly I'm wondering about:

• What it takes in terms of technical ability to both create and maintain a site.
• What options are out there in terms of discussion board software.
• What kind of revenue can be expected from ads / amazon links.
• Any other general thoughts, ideas, pitfalls, etc.  

Thanks