How to Start a Website Like Facebook

Social networking, like blogging before it, is the shiny new trend on the Internet. It allows old school buddies to reconnect, people to find others with a similar hobby, and business owners to network. While Facebook offers all the bells and whistles a networker would want, there are many advantages to starting your own social network such as control over the look and content and focus on a specific topic or niche. And with all the new online platforms and downloadable scripts now available, you can start a a social network in as little as five minutes.

Instructions

1. Plan your network. There are many decisions to be made before launching a social network. You need to decide if it will be focused around a specific topic or niche, and whether or not it will be public or private. You need to determine the network rules and level of moderation to control spam and inappropriate content. And you'll want to plan your management of the network such as how you'll encourage participation.

2. Sign up for a free network at Ning.com. Ning isn't the only free online hosted social network, but its the most well-known and offers features close to those of Facebook such as the ability to have groups, forums, videos and more. Click on "Create a Network" at the top left-hand side of the page. Enter the name of your network and the URL name. You may want to think of a couple of names for the URL in case the one you want is taken. Unless you pay for a domain, your URL will be yourname.ning.com.

3. Customize your network. Log in to your network and click on "manage". From there you can change the theme colors, add a logo, and decide what will be on the main page of the network such as recent blogs, member updates, videos and more. You can add features for members such as the ability integrate RSS feeds and twitter. Finally you can set up controls regarding what members can and can't do. For additional fees, Ning offers extra features such as running your own ads or using a domain name.

4. Let others know about your network. In the "manage" area you can invite friends you may have from other Ning networks you belong to. Or you can import your address book and email your contacts. Connect with people on other networks or discussion groups to let them know about your network.

5. Manage your network. Success depends on participation by members, but also monitoring the content. Spam and inappropriate posting is a problem on social networks, and as the founder, you'll be in charge of dealing with it. Encourage participation by asking questions through forums or having contests.

Tips & Warnings

• There are other social network resources you can use. SocialGo offers free and paid social networking hosting similar to Ning. BuddyPress is a free Wordpress plug-in you can install on your blog. Or you can buy a script such as PHPFox for the most control over the look and content of your social networking site.

References

• Ning
• SocialGo
• Buddy Press
• PHPFox