Not if you use it as a stand alone site. Now if you want to customize with user made mods it then yes knowing a php helps in installing them. If you want completely custom features you either need to hire a programmer or make them your self.

I don't mean fully know PHP. I don't know PHP at all, you just need to understand the basics of it to customize it to your needs and add simple mods to it that will improve the site. Without being at least a little familiar with the basics, you can't really get anywhere.

I'm just saying that someone who may not be the best with computers and how web hosts work may have trouble starting their adoptable site.

Not really if you don't add mods and don't plan customize it then yes you can make a site with out knowing php. However like you said if you want to customize it to your needs then yes basic php skills are needed. Now saying you can't make a good site with out customizing I'm not to sure.

You still have to set it up by going into the site, chmodding stuff, etc. But it's not that hard I guess. But really, without wanting to customize it, then you might as well use myadopts.

What about breeding?

I think having your own host is better, it puts you in full control, however you do need to do know what your doing so i can see why others would start with those free host services. I myself used them just so I didn't have to do any work to test some ideas even though im fully capable of installing the script...

But the BIGGEST factor for having your own host (which im surprised was not mentioned) is you control the ads or lack there of. By using these "free" hosts you're showing their ads and making them money. Honestly I am quite jealous of the idea. But more importantly if you want your site to succeed, not having ads will make your site more appealing than most that have ads and those free my adopts sites do not allow you to take their ads off..

That’s true! The ads on your site when you use a free host suck! I don't like them either, but they have to make money one way or another and if they can't charge you they have to charge someone else. That’s the drawback of it being for free. I always say, stay away from free. I'd rather pay a little money for a good web hosting package and not have any foreign ads on my site and have a little more control over it.

I think the advantage of things like MyAdopts is that you can start a petsite without any coding knowledge or setup. When I first started that was to my advantage because now that I'm working on my own hosting site I already have a list of followers who I know will join the community. Plus it was an excellent place to test my idea for interest and see if it was even worthwhile to work on the site at all.

As for free hosting, there are sites like 000webhost that provide ad-free hosting and still allow you access to regular hosting services like databases and phpmyadmin. You just gotta shop around. Imo, ads shouldn't be an issue when you first start your site. Focus on content.

There have been a few claims that adoptable websites aren't allowed on 000webhost btw~

The terms of service can be found here: http://www.000webhost.com/includes/tos.php

MySidia is not an online gaming script. They're talking about arcades and gambling games where you bet money.

I've never had an issue with my adoptable site being on 000webhost.