6 Ways to Start Your Own Social Network Site
94Another route to take is to get yourself some ready made social networking software, set it up, configure the choices and settings you want, pick a nice look/colours and away you go! You could have started your new social networking site virtually overnight.
Software that you can do this with include the following, they all have the usual features you'd expect from a social network, so you need to really check them out and work out which one fits your dream:
GRAB BOONEX HERE
- BoonEx - Community Software Experts
Download free software and launch your own social network, dating site or online community. BoonEx is the leading dating software and community software provider.
BOONEX
Boonex is free software that gets your social networking site up and running for free. Boonex Community Software is just one programme from a company that has a collection of open source and premium titles for creating community sites and social networking sites.
Using Boonex, you can create any type of social network site you want, dating sites, social networks, online clubs, or virtual communities. It's very flexible.
This solution is probably best for developers/people who are comfortable poking about inside php and doing mods though, rather than somebody who just wants a solution that works out of the box. Overall, it has a history of being a bit buggy.
 | irectly, 2nd Edition Amazon Price: $10.39 List Price: $19.95 |
 | The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue Amazon Price: $9.90 List Price: $16.95 |
 | The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success Amazon Price: $16.62 List Price: $29.95 |
KICKAPPS
KickApps: this is probably the most professional solution, it's "white label", so it really is your look and feel. This works on your own domain name, so it's totally "yours" from the perspective of your members and visitors. KickApps provide a full API and developer kit and everything else you would need to make it do exactly what you want, so this software is something you can really get your teeth into or hand over to your "development team" to sort out. KickApps offer a free trial so you can sign up and give it a go, test drive the features, get some friends invited to run it through its paces. Over 85,000 sites have so far been built on this platform. It is generally highly regarded and robust.
 | NEW FACEBOOK VIDEOS GET MORE CUSTOMERS W SOCIAL MEDIA! Current Bid: $27.00 |
 | SOCIAL MEDIA: ALONE TOGETHER -Sherry Turkle ARC 2010 Current Bid: $6.00 |
 | SOCIAL MARKETING MEDIA KIT, 68 VIDEOS FACEBOOK, TWITTER Current Bid: $14.99 |
 | NEW Guerrilla Social Media Marketing - Levinson, Jay Co Current Bid: $13.66 |
NING
Ning: Ning is probably the most widely known social networking software. Ning is free and really acts as an extension to your website or blog. It integrates nicely with Wordpress, Joomla and other content management systems, but there are limits in storage space and bandwidth that you have to be mindful of. You might find the minute it starts to take off, you've suddenly got a bigger bill than if you'd stood on your own feet from the start.
Update: Note that Ning will not be offering the free version after July 2010
JINITY
Jinity: This is another social networking software solution, but there is no support beyond their support forum. There are two versions, the free version has adverts on it, or you can pay a small monthly fee and have their ads removed. It is designed as a DIY social networking solution, so is probably better suited to more techie types. They try to provide good support and a stable platform, but it does come with no guarantees.
Grab SocialGo
- SocialGO - Social Network Maker - Create Social Networking Websites, Blogs, Forums & More
SocialGo allows you to create your own Social Network for FREE. Customizable social networks include options such as video chat, messenging, privacy, personal blogs, news aggregators and more. Start your online community today.
SOCIALGO
SocialGo: This British owned company is fairly new to the marketplace. This is a starter level solution and you can have your social networking site up and running in 2 minutes. they operate regular online workshops where you can learn what you're doing. You can use your own domain and remove all their branding and, of course, charge membership fees if you wish. You can also run your own adverts on the site to generate an income. For those techies among you, there's an API available too.
Overall, if you're looking for a quick and easy solution, that just works and is supported, SocialGo is proving to be the popular choice!
Get Pligg Social Networking Software
- Bluehost + Pligg
Bluehost - Top rated web hosting provider - Free domain name and free 1 click installs for Pligg social networking. Unlimited bandwidth.
Pligg (free)
Pligg is a free (open source) CMS system. Simply download the software and you're off! You get user profiles, voting on things that are good, private messaging ... and your members have full control over their content. There are RSS feeds and it's SEO friendly too.
Each user that signs up to your Pligg site gets their own profile page where they can change their settings, send personal messages, add an avatar, make friends and other great features.
There are quite a lot of free templates too, so you can choose the look you prefer most.
Even upgrading is easy - you don't have to fiddle with the files come upgrade time, which is always great to hear!
You will need to get your own hosting, which you can do through them, or use your own. One they recommend is Bluehost, which I personally use for a couple of my sites, so I know they're good! With Bluehost you also get a free domain nameand you've also got lots of other instant installs you can choose from - e.g. I use them for their instant Wordpress websites.
Website: http://www.pligg.com/
Over 18s, Adult Social Networking
List of Social Network Websites Around the World
- List of social networking websites - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
List of social networking websites around the world.
MARKETING YOUR SOCIAL NETWORK SITE
Once you've got your social network site up, you'll find you will have to put most work into marketing it. To come along, people have to know you exist. Think about how you're going to promote it.
Press releases, contacting the newspapers, maybe get onto the Breakfast News or TV. Perhaps you want to do some crazy publicity stunt. But you have to get the message out somewhere.
USP: What is your Unique Selling Point? Why should people join your site rather than others? Think about what you're offering, it has to have something a bit different to the rest. Niche sites are the way to go. A niche could be based on your region or your country - or it could be based on some interest or a grouping of any other demographic. Having a niche and a USP is going to be the reason people choose to join you instead of, or as well as, the more well known sites.
I hope the above has helped get you on your route to start your own social network site. Once you've worked out what you want to do, how quickly and how much you have to spend on it, then you should be able to find the right solution that fits your needs today and in the future as your site generates a good income for you.
I wish you well in your new venture!
0 comments:
Post a Comment