Comments on: Any suggestions?

Question: Any suggestions?

milarepa — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:11:13 -0800

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.

By: a.mosquito

a.mosquito — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:22:47 -0800

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

Your developer should know this.

By: tmcw

tmcw — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 12:30:25 -0800

Elgg, PeopleAggregator, etc.

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

By: DangerIsMyMiddleName

DangerIsMyMiddleName — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:29:09 -0800

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*.

By: zackola

zackola — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 13:39:58 -0800

Second Ning!

By: pzarquon

pzarquon — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 20:10:58 -0800

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.

By: dhartung

dhartung — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 21:10:59 -0800

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.

By: inigo2

inigo2 — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 06:54:11 -0800

A new one is Bevey.