Social Networking Software

Having been involved in the planning and development of several social network softare packages, I have learned what to do and not to do. At the beginning it was all about creating a conveyor belt type of software that could be used for any idea. The problem with this was that over time I realized not everyone wants to have groups and events on their site nor do they want to pay for it. With that in mind, I put together some core functions that are included in every social network I build.

Regsitration

There are several functions that each social network needs to have. One of the mot important is a solid registrations system. The future goal of any network is usually to make money most likely through advertising. To appeal to most advertisers you need to think demographics. This is where the registration comes into play. At a minimal, the registration needs to collect a users age, gender and zip code. This allows you to target spedific demographics within a certain age range and area.

The second part of the registration that is important is the validation. With my social networking software this is done two ways. First, a captcha is applied to the registration form to ensure it is a human that is joining. Second, the account isnt active until the new users confirms their email address through an activation link that is sent to them upons submitting their registration. All in all this ensures you have the information you need to make money in the future and that the people that are joining are in fact people.

Authentication and Validation

Just as important as the registration is the validation and authentication of each page within the social network. What I mean by this is ensuring that when someone goes to their mailbox to check their messages, they can only check theirs and not other peoples and when they go to edit a photo they can only dit theirs. I bring this up because I have seen so many networks that have left themselves open for attack. One mistake and a good hacker can get in, steal your users information and even delete your database. It isn't limited to just these pages either. Every page that has user specific functionality gets some sort of authentication or validation applied to it. It is vital to long term success.

Functionality

Of course no network would be successful without the functionality to keep users there. The difference between my social network software and many others, oth open source and developed in house, is that each function that I build is the bare bones version. For instance, a solid activity feed. I have build a function that allows anything to be input into a feed. Instead of building a feed that that only works with the other functions I build, this one allows for expansion. I understand that every potential client is going to have a unique idea and that even if they want groups on their site it doesn't necessarily mean they want a cookie cutter groups function. This is why I built everything bare bones. It allows me to customize each function to my clients needs and to do if fast and efficiently.

The Final Project

The end result is a solid social networking software that is scalable, secure and gives my client the highest opportunity for success. This social network software combined with the custom funtionality that I will build and integrate with it will make your unique idea a reality.