Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with socialnetwork

Help me choose the appropriate social networking / content management tool.

RossWhite — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:11:21 -0800

Someone at work is trying to create a professional social network with some content management requirements. I have a desired feature list in hand but don't know what product to recommend... can you help? Here's the list of features that my colleague would like to implement:

Allows users to register and join without approval

List of users

Ability to connect with other members (add friends)

Share contact information, professional affiliations, research interests

User contributions to the site are listed in the user profile

Threaded discussions with user avatar

“Who’s online” feature

Internal messaging

Polling

Ability to send email to all registered users

Customizable interface (preferably CSS)

Ability to assign user roles (administrator, contributor, etc.)

Ability to post files, news, links, and other content (for certain user roles)

RSS feeds

Printer-friendly version of content

Ability to email content from the site

Site chat feature to interact with users currently online

Wiki

Grouping features

Post photos

Ideally, we'd be looking for a hosted app or an app built on php/mySQL that we could host ourselves.

Any ideas?

How can I create a social networking site?

lukeklein — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:39:51 -0800

How can I create a social networking site? I am in Southern California (Inland Empire/Orange County) and interested in building a social networking/message board/blog site along the lines of Sermo or Metafilter that isn't really about customizable media and meeting friends, as much as it is for people within a certain specialty, let's say the veterinary community, to share their ideas about their expertise with peers, receive newsletters relevant to their work, and ask for their peers' opinions or advice. I've come across several names like Elgg and Drupal, but I don't have the technical expertise to even recognize them as potential solutions to my problem!

Are their any open source programs and/or software firms that specialize in developing these types of platforms? Do I even need to go to a large firm, or is an individual software developer sufficient? How did the guy that created Facebook do what he did?

Just to be sufficiently clear, the features I am looking to enable on this site are:

Newsletters from the admin and notable writers of the industry
Anonymous polling of veterinarians' (members') opinions in current and relevant topics
blogs
Message boards
POSSIBLY a feature that allows individual vets to create friends lists of other vets they meet at conventions and locally, to facilitate their networking abilities.

If anyone here can direct me to someone that can work with me, I would be eternally grateful.

Coop based social network - startup advice?

symbioid — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:39:12 -0800

I'm looking into starting a co-op based model of a social network site. Any tips? Organization, legal incorporation, possible code-base to start from, how much would hosting/coding such a site cost? I'm a user of LJ, and I think most of us on MeFi know of the 6A fiasco. Recently SUP (the new owners) decided to stop free accounts. They are making many people upset, in their disregard of their advisory board, in the way they announced this (unofficially, hidden in a FAQ, not a news announcment), and in their apparently serious attempt at explaining that they were "streamlining" the process (cuz people are apparently too stupid to understand free vs ad-supported vs paid accounts). Many are insulted by the attitude of SUP towards the user base.

This has led me to realize that people really want community empowerment. A profit-based corporation is not conducive to helping the users of the site. Nor does not having an effective mechanism to empower users.

Hence my idea to start a co-op based site. I was thinking of using LJ code, since most people are familiar with how LJ works. There is (admittedly sparse, AFAICT) documentation, and their are other spinoffs of LJ who have experience, so I believe there's not a shortage of people to help us learn the technical side. On the other hand, the LJ code is a large Perl hack, and that intimidates me. I'd be more comfy with Python or something of that nature. But nothing else offers the same features as LJ. Do we build from the ground up?

What kinds of costs for hosting might accrue? Anybody have experience with creating a co-op? Is a non-profit a good idea, or would the restrictions placed on non-profit create difficult conditions to flourish? Run the site like a non-profit, while still being technically a profit? So many questions, but I feel this is really important. Paying members should have a voice, and they aren't getting that at LJ.

Free to use, simple social network mapping software?

bifter — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 02:34:09 -0800

Looking for a simple, free (for commercial use) social network mapping / graphing tool I have an immediate need to do some online community relationship mapping. It's not something that I'm likely to need to do frequently, and I don't need any significant degree of complexity or customisation, so I don't particularly want to pay for a software application like InFlow that emphasises added-value aspects.

Basically, I want to map the relationships between less than 100 blogs, using a simple binary cross reference based on the blogroll / recommended sites. I'd like to output a visual map that can be cosmetically tweaked (font, colours and group positioning) and exported as a jpeg or similar to be pasted into a larger report.

Obviously I've done enough research to know what sorts of academic pages / industry resources about these sorts of tools are available, but I'd like to get it right first try as I don't have much time for trial and error with this project. So, really I'm looking for recommendations issued on an informed basis (first-hand use or similar).

Cheers!

Help me choose a CMS, find stores for a green laptop case, and how/where to build a buzz about it.

healthyliving — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 10:59:02 -0800

Quadruple your pleasure! I'm a newly minted green business consultant, and would like your help on four things: finding a CMS or blog system to create a website for my business, finding places where you think a green laptop case would/should be sold, blogs/social networks to get the word out about it, and suggested protocol to approach said blogs/social networks. Happy Monday everybody. Here's the thumbnail: I recently started a green business consulting practice (woopeee!) and got my first client, a laptop case company that's decided to convert their whole line to sustainably made by the end of next year. I would like your help on four things:

Finding a CMS or blog system to create a website for my business, finding places where you think a green laptop case would/should be sold, blogs/social networks to get the word out about it, and suggested protocol to approach said blogs.

~~~

Okay, part one - I'm wanting to create a website for my budding consulting practice, I'm not coding savvy, and am leaning the CMS route, rather then blog, so that I can make the content/structure malleable, but not need to be an coding genius to do it. Yes I know blogs like Typepad can have static pages as well as blog pages, but my gut says that in the long term I'll want more elbow room. At this point the consulting practice is just me, but there may be others in the future.

My question is, of what's out there, which CMS systems meet these criteria:

• Are easy to install, customize, update.

• Can be up and running in a short amount of time, and are scalable/have plenty of useful modules to add.

• " " ", even if I'm no coder. Has instructions that don't presume you know all the lingo already.

• Has a variety of stylish templates, and can be customized.

• Is free (preferably) or inexpensive (ie a reasonable monthly vs some huge up front fee.)

• Open source and/or good support. In other words, if things go wrong, there's either tech support or people on a BB that could help me suss things out.

If you have some entirely other idea outside of a blog or cms, do tell.

~~~~

Part two: I've gotten my first consulting client, a laptop case company that has decided to convert their entire line to green (made of recycled bottles!) by the end of next year. I'm helping them with reviewing/ creating marketing materials, buzz building on blogs/social networks, coming up with new channels of distribution, and general susty knowledge goodness to keep them on their toes and thinking broadly.

Where would you see recycled soda bottle based laptop case (and soon to be many other kinds of) bags being sold, online and bricks and mortar? Think both where you would imagine seeing them (ie Elephant Pharmacy {a green focused "drug store that prescribes yoga"}, theGreenOffice.com), and where you think they should be seen (ie at Whole Foods, Starbucks) I've been compiling a list, and would love to have your input on this. They sell nationally, and also in Europe and I believe some Asian countries at this point. Think broad, from leetle places to beeg companies.

What blogs/social networks do you see the word going out on? Again I've got a list going, think from the usual suspects (Treehugger.com) to more off the current beaten path (Changents.com)

And lastly:

Any suggestions for how to approach people at blogs to post about these bags, this company? It has a good story (Founder was a Berkeley enviro studies major in the 80s, got discouraged, went into business that was not enviro related, and now sees that it's possible to do it susty, and has made the commitment, and is dedicated to do it really right, as in not just because it's cool, but does every material in there make a difference vs. the conventional option?) Do I write something for them, or just give them a thumbnail and let them do their thing? My client thinks they should wait until products are in stores to do this, but I think building an anticipatory buzz instead of/as well as this would be wise. Thoughts?

I'm a Facebook loser, please hope me

Clementines4ever — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 10:30:56 -0800

Facebook: I am a Facebook bum. How can I get some more friends without actually knowing them in real life or online? Is this possible? I understand that Facebook is a social network built on mutual trust etc. Nevertheless, can anything be done about my Facebook challengedness? Ummm, full name in my profile just in case we've ever carried on a debate in the green, blue or gray.

What is a good metaphor and a good analogy for this phenomenon?

k8t — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 17:54:54 -0800

I need a metaphor and an analogy for an application of social network theory. I am terrible at thinking of metaphors and analogies and now I need to create both for a proposal. I am using social network theory and social network analysis to explain the phenomenon of favors given (in both formal and informal ways) in adult life to and from classmates from Soviet secondary schools (15-20 kids together from age 11-18 all subjects, all day, every year). When they grow up they tend to hook each other up with jobs, etc., to put it simply.

So, now I need a metaphor and an analogy to describe an institutionally-created (i.e. non-family but informal) network where individual members benefit greatly from being in the network in a favor system.

Any ideas? ACK! And a special request, I like animal and nature metaphors and analogies!