Any suggestions?

June 27, 2007 12:11 PM

I am looking to build a relatively simple, focused social networking site which will not initially be open to the public and membership will be through invitation only. Are there pre-written codes I can use, buy or otherwise take advantage of? Also, if you have made a networking site what did you learn in the process that would be good for me to know up front.

I have a developer and designer that I will be working with. However, we would like to minimize the amount of development time and cost if possible by using code that's already been written.

I am looking to have profiles, connections, private messages, the ability to make connections (e.g., request, approve, or deny connections), and forums.

Is there a repository of this stuff out there for license or free use?

All suggestions welcome.

posted by milarepa to technology (7 comments total)

Drupal, XOOPS, Joomla!, and a bunch of other PHP/MySQL solutions can easily do what you are looking for.

Your developer should know this.
posted by a.mosquito at 12:22 PM on June 27, 2007

Elgg, PeopleAggregator, etc.

Good luck, you'll need a miraculous pace of development and/or a magical idea to really succeed in that area.
posted by tmcw at 12:30 PM on June 27, 2007

Ning.com. The whole thing will take you about an hour to set up. Seriously, I just set up exactly the same thing, and Ning did the job *perfectly*.
posted by DangerIsMyMiddleName at 1:29 PM on June 27, 2007

Second Ning!
posted by zackola at 1:39 PM on June 27, 2007

I'd recently been compiling links for scripts one could install on a server or even shared hosting environment. Not sure if they're hackable (some are Zend encoded), or anywhere near what you want... and the overlap between "social network" and "dating site" are kind of off-putting. But, FWIW, here's what I bookmarked:

AlstraSoft E-Friends
AroundMe
Buddy Zone
Dolphin
DZOIC Handshakes Professional
phpFoX
PHPizabi
SNAPP
webNetwork
Zoints Local

Some are hideous, some are overpriced, and none are perfect. I've also been playing with Ning, meanwhile, and find it pretty elegant and simple.
posted by pzarquon at 8:10 PM on June 27, 2007

Good luck, you'll need a miraculous pace of development and/or a magical idea to really succeed in that area.

Nah. There will always be room for sites that focus on a niche, and they will likely be more successful for doing so.

The success of MySpace should also quash any ideas that either of those are necessary for success. It was always a less-functional version of Friendster, but it knew its audience better.

The key with Ning is that it's a hosted solution, although it is quite customizable. But it may be enough for you to begin building what you need. Two similar services are GoingOn and PeopleAggregator.

And you'll want to be reading TechCrunch and especially Mashable.
posted by dhartung at 9:10 PM on June 27, 2007

A new one is Bevey.
posted by inigo2 at 6:54 AM on June 28, 2007