So you want to develop a social networking website? That is Great! You have come to the right place to learn how to develop your own social network. The following article will assist you by creating the step by step process you should take to reach your goal.
But first, let me explain that there is much thought that must go into creating a social network before jumping into development mode. You MUST take the right steps to plan your path.
So You’re Ready To Get Started? Great! Let’s get started by getting the definition of what a social networking website really is.
An online social network is an online community of people who share interests and or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. A social network also provides a variety of ways for its users to interact with each other.
From reading the definition, we have come across the first few steps needed to begin.
Step 1) Selecting a Niche Topic for people to share their interests and activities. This is the first big decision and the first point everything can go wrong. Make sure you select a topic for your niche social network website that you are passionate about but that others are passionate about also.
Step 2) Determine the Functions You Want for your users to be able to interact with each other. Almost all social networks have the same set of features which are considered essential to qualify as a social networking service. This includes personal profiles, member comments, privacy settings, blogs, photo albums, groups, forums, uploading videos, applications, and widgets. There are many other functions that can be added and created for your specific social networking website. The sky is the limit on the types of functioning applications that can be built for social networks.
Step 3) Build Your Social Networking Community by choosing one of the three solutions by which you can make your own social network. The first two categories include “White Label” solutions which is software you can brand and integrate tightly into your existing domain or create from scratch. The final category is a custom social network that can be created from scratch or by customizing one of the first two solutions.
* Social Network Platforms
* Social Network Scripts
* Custom Social Network
Step 4) Creating Content is one of the first and most important things you must do once your social network has been setup. Content can be articles, posts, tools, videos, audio or links. You should first learn why and how to create unique, quality content. Many people rely on their visitors to create content, but this is unlikely to happen if there is nothing to draw them to the website in the first place. You must create the base content for your users to build upon. You should spend the first month or so with your website developing content. You want to keep in mind that the content you create should:
* Be informative and engaging.
* Accurately portray the mission of your website.
* Provide multiple ways for users to locate your content.
* Create plans to release a continues stream of content.
Step 5) Building traffic to your social network is the most important of all. If people don’t know your website exists, no matter how good your content, you won’t build an audience. It is content plus marketing which will build traffic to your website. Marketing via communication channels are what bring people to your website. The main reason the majority of websites fail is because of a lack of marketing. The following is a list of easy to use marketing tips, and the best part is, most of them are FREE.
* Network to bloggers
* Participation in other websites
* Create social media accounts
* Article submission
* Traditional online advertising such as purchasing ads
* SEO
