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Step 1
Get educated. You must have at least a basic understanding of how to setup MySQL and PostgreSQL databases. It is also essential that you have some basic PHP and PERL experience as well as resources to research advanced functions. A thorough understanding of HTML, CSS and Javascript are essential. XML knowledge can be helpful, too. If at this point you feel you are out of your league, maybe you should look into some of the more user friendly social networking solutions such as Ning.com, which is a platform where anyone can create a free social network.
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Step 2
Find a social networking software to use. There are many of them out there (see resources below for recommendations). They all work as well as the next, but there are two things you should know. First, a purchased one is not any better than an open source one. The benefit to paying for one is that it usually comes with tech support. Second, they all do slightly different things. Social networking software is a very loose term. That could be anywhere from sites like Digg to sites like MySpace. Find the one that will work best for you.
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Step 3
Server setup is a very important step. Check the forums or development sites for the social networking software and see if they have recommendations on minimum server specs. Make sure your server meets the minimum criteria. It is also recommended that unless you have the proper resources, you go through a server farm that will maintain your server for you. The last thing you need is for your server to crash while you are away from home and have the site down for who knows how many hours.
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Step 4
Install the script. This is where a lot of the knowledge from step one comes into play. Free online social networks are developed by average people so they may not be very user friendly like some out of the box products are. Make sure that you follow the directions. Good directions and access to other developers is a very important thing to consider when choosing social networking software.
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Step 5
Customize it. Make it your own. If it looks just like everyone else’s social network, then it won’t be successful. It is recommended that you make it a niche site so that it will attract a specific crowd. This will be a very important aspect of marketing your new online social network.
Comments
AllentheRD said
on 4/21/2009 Wow! Thanks for this article. You definitely helped me understand the "behind the scenes" stuff of social networks.
ezyas123 said
on 4/17/2009 Great article! Thanks for sharing!
amylaine said
on 4/14/2009 Interesting. Great info on starting a new social network. Niche market is defiantly the way to go.
mralarcon said
on 3/21/2009 good info thanks