Create a Social Network SimplyPresented by: PixelCrayons Limited

Step 1: Decide whether you want to build your niche social network from scratch or use a social network platform.

Step 2: To start from scratch, simply register a domain, start a web hosting account, and build a social network website from the ground up – or hire software developers to help you build it.

If you look forward to develop it from scratch, it means it will take a long time before the site is up and running.

If you wish to see the results more quickly then you need to use an already developed system.

Develop a Robust Site

There are several platforms before you to choose from:

a. Social Engine (http://www.socialengine.com/)SocialEngine

● Social Engine is a fairly good choice for anyone, whether the website management team has little or gross experience.

● It gives a social network on an elegantly designed site at a low cost with multifarious built-in features.

Used by: EA Games, Apple, NASA, and MasterCard

A. Pick a Platform

b. PhpFox (http://www.phpfox.com)phpFox● PhpFox gives you the ability to create a unique community that includes a single sign-on

feature, which provides the ability for your visitors to use their Facebook, Twitter, Google, Open ID and other types of usernames to log in to your site.

● It is compact, orderly designed with modern features like: Photo Tagging, “likes,” Brand pages, groups, blogs, a forum, videos, music, a marketplace, quizzes, social sharing, ad Campaigns, Subscription, etc.

A. Pick a Platform Contd...

This community offers a number of modules and plug-ins which are already available and if you need something special created, they can build it for you.

c. BoonEx Dolphin (http://www.boonex.com/)

● Built on the PHP platform, BoonEx Dolphin is a fully scalable and customizable social application.

● You just download, install, and run it for your online community, which you control from top to bottom. It also allows webmasters to build sites similar to Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr and others.

A. Pick a Platform Contd...

The application provides such tools as chats, multimedia functionality, forums, groups, e-mail addresses, events, and much more.

d. Ning (http://www.ning.com/)

● Ning helps setting up good-looking, sophisticated social networks with no coding involved. However, Ning is a self-hosted platform; but, using Ning is a very simple experience.

● You can designate who can sign up and what your users can do on your network: Hosting their own blogs, Creating forums, Uploading photos and Videos, or taking advantage of numerous other built-in features.

A. Pick a Platform Contd...

With Ning: Simply choose a design and open your network to users.

● Pick all the plugins that fulfill your requirements.

● try finding pluggins that help you to meet your needs better: If you look forward to increase your social presence you can you use Facebook, Twitter, etc as your pluggins.

● If you are not inclined to do it yourself you can also delegate it to the freelancers who have the needed expertise to accomplish this job.

B. Manage and Customize

It’s better to manage and customize your site understanding the level of engagement that you seek from your audience.

● Once you are through with the pluggin part, you need the help of a developer who could build the ideal site and to help debug real-time performance problems.

● You can look for prospective developers in recommended lists by platform, or you can research the developers of plugins you have used and appreciated in the past.

● Examine their strengths by scrutinizing their portfolios, the testimonials given by their previous clients, or the plugins they have created will give you an idea of the kind of work they can offer you.

C. Hire a Developer

Try to find the best match between the budgetary aspect of your project and the required technical skills for the inherent tasks.

● Regularly communicate with the outsourced team to make sure you and they are on the same page.

● Stay involved with the outsourced team and give them your feedback at every step of the process to ensure the efficiency and direction of the project.

● Get started with developing your own social network project and prepare a meticulous project report using these guidelines to conclude your project successfully.

C. Manage the Project

Analyse, collate the desired information, hire the right resource and manage the project well. You have the recipe for making your own social network.