Learn How To Create Your Own Social Networking Site

Jun.03, 2011 in Technology and Gadgets

Facebook was released in 2004 and have become a huge success with millions of registered members. Only one web site is currently positioned higher than facebook on alexa’s list of top web sites, the number one is google. Because of facebook’s success and because a lot of today’s online traffic is concentrated around social networking sites, a lot of internet marketers, businesses and private person’s wish to figure out how to create a social networking website.

There are typically 3 different methods you can use to start your own social networking site. The first and least difficult method is registering with a social network service that enables you to build your social network by simply configuring your social network options. If you don’t possess a lot of technical expertise, this might be the best option as no technical expertise is needed to get your site online. You may find zero cost providers to use, but I advise using your own domain name, so the starting price is around 20$ monthly and upwards, depending on the functions you need.

The 2nd approach you could use is paying for or finding an open source script you can download and use on your own server. If you want to use an open source social networking solution, you really should evaluate elgg. It is being among the most popular free social network scripts and it can be downloaded without charge. A commercial social network application will cost you about 100-400$ depending on which functions you want and the kind of software license that you need. A bit of technical skills are needed to get your social network on the web, though it is not very difficult. The most important benefits with using a social networking software that you setup on your own hosting server is that you are in full control over your site as well as the records that is stored in your database. Most software is also extensible.

I can’t describe in details how you can put together a social networking site using a script in this short article, but listed here are the basic guidelines:

1. Purchase and save your script to your PC
2. Extract the contents of the .zip file
3. Sign up for web hosting that provides the features your script requires
4. Add a new database
5. Upload the social network script with a FTP software to your web hosting account
6. Open the script’s installation wizard within your web browser and follow the instructions
7. Alter the settings of your social network script
8. Change the design of your social network or choose a theme you like

The last method is looking for a programmer that can develop a custom solution for you. This will of course be more expensive than ordering or downloading an open source script which has already been programmed. The advantage with buying a tailor made software is that your website will be exclusive to your social network and you will get just what you are looking for. Most social networking scripts are unencrypted and extensible, so improving a script that has been created and tested extensively before you start using it, will save your business lots of time and dollars developing the standard functionality that most social networks have.

Each option that could be used to create a social network has their disadvantages and benefits. Some points to take into account when planning how to create a social network is price, your own technical expertise and understanding, whether you are in charge of your data as well as what functions you want. Personally I would never use a software where you can’t use your own domain and are not in complete control of your database, as I would not want to jeopardize losing my business if my provider went out of business.

Learn how to setup a social networking site. Visit social networking script to read our articles and tips.