How to Gain Ultimate Authority Status: Start Your Own 'Niche' Social Network.

by Jared Alberghini

Posted: 15 years ago 37 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

I'm writing this in part for myself, to give me a kick in the arse to get going on 3 niche social network sites I have started, but haven't finished/launched yet, as well as give fellow Warriors some ideas.

Let's look at the progression of "Online Communities" from BBS boards back in the day, to forums. The first forums/bbs boards were generalized including all topics/categories, and now look at how many successful micro-niche types of forums there are out there. At this point, it is so saturated, it's very tough to start a brand new forum these days. Most people have their favorite niche AUTHORITY forums that they already belong to, and aren't looking for an alternative.

Take a look at the progression of "Online Directories" for another example, Yahoo was the pioneer of these link directories, and they encompassed all niche topics, they didn't focus on just one... now look at the amount of successful "Niche Directories".

NOW look at the new beast in town, the Web 2.0 as some call it, the monster Social Networks.

They are monsters, and encompass every topic you can think of.

I believe it is the perfect time to start your own Niche/Micro Niche Social Network, before everyone else realizes the next evolutionary stage of the web, and claims their AUTHORITY Status with their own Social Network in the niche of their choice.

Those who do will surely be ahead of the curve.

Here's what I'm currently using to build MY social networks (no affiliation, and yes it's Open Source/FREE) :

Elgg - Open Source Social Networking and Social Publishing Platform.

IMHO this is the "Wordpress" of social networking software. I've been checking it out, testing the new versions that come out for over a year now, and I just installed the latest v1.6 which is amazing.

Just thought warriors would want to look more closely at Elgg... (just did a search and only found 29 posts that barely referenced Elgg, no real discussions about it going on here yet)

Anyone have any experience with Elgg or other any other Social Networking software?

Two other social network platform alternatives I suggest you also take a look at are:

Dolphn by Boonex: Dolphin :: Smart Community Builder :: Free Software

and Ning: Ning lets you create and join new social networks for your interests and passions.

Jared

P.S. Off topic a bit, but still relevant, if you want to start your own Digg/social bookmarking Niche Authority Site, you should check out Pligg... Pligg CMS | Open Source Content Management System

#authority #facebook or twitter #networking #niche #site #social #start #status #ultimate

Kurt 15 years ago

Hey Jared,

My question is, what's the difference between elgg and dolphin?
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Jared Alberghini

15 years ago

Hey Kurt,

Thanks, I forgot to mention Dolphin, another excellent social networking platform:

Dolphin :: Smart Community Builder :: Free Software

I just chose Elgg to work with for a few projects because it seems less "heavy" for my needs at the moment.

Dolphin has some cool plugins/features like image & video sharing (just like Flickr & Youtube clones) that I'm sure I would be tempted to use (which would be killer on bandwidth), but I don't really need them for my current projects.

Another difference, you need to purchase a commercial license to remove the Dolphin logo... which has a strange pricing structure ranging from $39 to remove the logo for 90 days, $99 to remove the logo for a year, up to $999 to remove their logo & link forever.

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Kurt

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Jared Alberghini

Hey Jared,

Can folks embed Youtube videos using elgg?

Thanks
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Jared Alberghini 15 years ago

Originally Posted by Kurt

Hey Jared,

Can folks embed Youtube videos using elgg?

Hi Kurt,

The default Elgg installation comes with it's own media upload/embed feature, (that you can enable/disable) but it requires users to upload their own media and host on your server.

There is a plugin to allow users to simply embed videos: The Elgg Community: Embed Video

Jared
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Michael Mayo 15 years ago

Hi Jared,
I can relate to your feelings on this matter.

I also started working on a social network and then set it a side to finish
other projects.

My site was to be a Sports related Social Networking Site for
University of Kentucky Students and Fans. Ukmojo.com

I created it using Boonex Dolphin

Guess I need to get off my rear and get it in gear...

Thanks for the reminder,
Have a Great Day!
Michael
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- Jared Alberghini 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Michael Mayo
  
  Guess I need to get off my rear and get it in gear...
  
  I'm glad I'm not the only one that feels this way...
  
  Now I REALLY have to get going before all the Niche Social Networks are taken by you folks!
  
  Thanks for the motivation everyone!
  
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John Taylor 15 years ago

Jared,

I've been guilty of doing too much thinking about
developing niche based social networking sites
and not enough doings, ;-)

Thanks for a very timely reminder. I downloaded
the latest version of elgg and was somewhat put
off by the server requirements.

How easy is it to install on a bog standard Linux
box?

Or would you recommend using the hosting that
is recommended on the elgg.com site?

Thanks

John
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- Dan C. Rinnert 15 years ago
  
  I had an online community for a long time, until the software went south on me once I reached "too many" users. Over top of that, I had written some of my own solutions to add new features that weren't available in the software.
  
  After that, I switched to a different software platform. I had that semi-integrated with my own solutions from the prior setup. The demo of the new software platform was good, but once I bought the thing and developed my community around it, it couldn't handle it.
  
  So, then I decided to do the bulk of it myself. I had a new system started, and even had some semi-Web 2.0 features in it before, I think, Web 2.0 came about, but then my database backend wasn't robust enough to handle everything that I would be throwing at it.
  
  I've been wanting to get back into it, since MySQL could no doubt handle it, but I just haven't had the time to do anything on it. And, I've been trying to focus on one project at a time anyway, so I really didn't need another distraction.
  
  But, thanks for the reminder. This keeps coming up and I keep realizing I need to get on this thing. But, not sure where I should work it into my priorities...
  
  Thanks
  
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Jared Alberghini

15 years ago

John,

It's just as easy to install as wordpress, and should run on any hosting running PHP & MySQL.

Customizing the themes is quite different than WP, a bit tricky.

I'll send you a PM with a demo I have installed that you can mess around with.

Jared

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kennethtang 15 years ago

Originally Posted by Jared Alberghini

I'll send you a PM with a demo I have installed that you can mess around with.

Jared,

Mind including me in the messing around? Thanks!

Kenneth
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- Jared Alberghini 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by kennethtang
  
  Jared,
  
  Mind including me in the messing around? Thanks!
  
  Kenneth
  
  Sure thing Kenneth, just sent you a PM with the URL... Have fun!
  
  I might even hook you up with mod status...
  
  Thanks
  
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Powertreb

14 years ago

Jared. I stumbled on this thread while searching for "Elgg Boonex".
Was looking for a comparison. I've played with Dolphin before. I've been trying to decide for a month now which software to go with. And I think I'm leaning towards Elgg just because it's not tied into a paid license.

Dolphin is also a real pain in the butt to install. Takes over a half hour just set up all the CHMOD stuff. But the admin backend is really pleasant to use.

Does Elgg have something similar in the admin panel, where you can design and customize quite easily, or is it basically like vanilla WP where you have to bury your head into the CSS for days?

PS...do you still have that demo Elgg up and would it be possible for me to get some playing time with Elgg?

Originally Posted by Jared Alberghini

It's just as easy to install as wordpress, and should run on any hosting running PHP & MySQL.

Customizing the themes is quite different than WP, a bit tricky.

I'll send you a PM with a demo I have installed that you can mess around with.

Jared

Thanks
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Tony Dean 14 years ago

How much is Twitter or Facebook now worth on the open market?

Many millions!

Start now and in a few short years your social network site should be worth enough to retire on.
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- peter_act 14 years ago
  
  I use Dolphin, mainly because it was Australian based, nothing else.
  
  It is a ******* to install, but I got through the gobbledygook (to me) instructions, which were worse than those for flat pack furniture.
  
  There is a good help forum, also people sell custom add-ons.
  
  It's aimed at sailing and yachties - if you want to see what Dolphin looks like, go to Internet Cruising Club
  
  You can go there in safety, there's nothing to buy, or newsletter to sign up for.
  
  Now I'm stuck on the old problem of getting people to find my site and join up.
  
  If any warriors are interested in sailing, I'd love you to contribute something.
  
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markshields 15 years ago

I just wanted to add that starting your own facebook and twitter social networking niche site is definetely a good idea as your combining 2 of the most powerful network platforms online today, Keep going
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- Intrepreneur 15 years ago
  
  Jared, BuddyPress looked so promising didn't it? I was having fun with it, until it all becamse a bit much.
  
  I'l lleave that side of the internet to the guys that can code from now on!
  
  Go Jared, dominate those niches
  
  Mark
  
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Mark Riddle 15 years ago

Jared,

Thanks for your input on the what software to use, We have been considering creating a site that would focus on the our music community of singer songwriters and touring groups.

There is a pretty high demand for such sites and we thought it would be a great addition to KC Cafe Radio site.

Thanks again

Mark Riddle
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mr2020 15 years ago

Jared,

Thanks for sharing. I'm currently developing a forum, and would like to explore something more like what you are doing. Thanks again,

20/20
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DyLan Lee 15 years ago

Web 2.0 is the famous trend now... Starting facebook and twitter is definitely a good idea in generating lead.

2.0 is all about engagement. Building a group to engage members by giving tips and free info. Then link them to your website. I am doing this now and it seriously make me money...

Use the same theory in twitter and you will see you money coming in soon.
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kennethtang 15 years ago

Just signed up, Jared. Nice, clean design. It is one of the ready-made themes? Hmmm, I'm thinking of building a network for my B & M biz.

Thanks!

Kenneth
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Jared Alberghini

15 years ago

Kenneth,

I'm using the Socializeme (Green) theme, that I downloaded from the elgg theme depository.

You can find many elgg themes & plugins here:

The Elgg Community: Your plugins, themes and language packs

On a sidenote, just thinking about monetizing the targeted niche traffic, I would imagine running your own ad network/integrating it within your social network would be the way to go, by using something like this:

Serve ads quickly. Make money easily. | OpenX

"OpenX is the world's leading independent ad server. It provides you with the simple tools you need to make money from advertising, whether from direct ad sales, OpenX Market, or third party ad networks (like AdSense)."

Jared

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dou9las

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Jared Alberghini

On a sidenote, just thinking about monetizing the targeted niche traffic, I would imagine running your own ad network/integrating it within your social network would be the way to go, by using something like this:

Serve ads quickly. Make money easily. | OpenX

"OpenX is the world's leading independent ad server. It provides you with the simple tools you need to make money from advertising, whether from direct ad sales, OpenX Market, or third party ad networks (like AdSense)."

Jared

Jared,
Would you say that serving your own ads with OpenX for example would be hands down more profitable, and/or more quickly profitable, than monetization with just Adsense and CPA offers?

Or, would you recommend a blend of both maybe?

I have heard (verifiable) success stories of guys that created free membership sites and became millionaires on Adsense alone. Seems to me if one could do that well with it, they could do much better by using your suggestion (OpenX for paid advertising) but then I wonder if that would take a huge back end sales effort (and staff, etc.) to pull off...

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kennethtang 15 years ago

Thanks for the OpenX link, Jared. This thread is getting interesting. Seems to fit a new direction I'm contemplating.

BTW, do you have any sample of sites hosting their own OpenX server? Would like to take a look at how it looks :-)

Thanks!

Kenneth
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katiec 15 years ago

It's always a great reminder that ideas are one thing, but acting on those ideas is what brings success.
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chukwuma Banned 14 years ago

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- Jesus Perez 14 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by chukwuma
  
  Now what can you guys say about SocialEngine PHP Social Network Script - Build your own social network community!
  
  SocialEngine + This = Paid Member Community.
  
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jlono2 14 years ago

Thanks for the 411 Jared! I've been wanting to start a Social Network for a while now. I will try out the tools that you've presented in this forum. Thanks so much =-)

Jlono1
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TorontoCarol 14 years ago

Has anyone used Social Sam? Since I'm not a techy I've been thinking about this one but not sure how different it is from Ning.
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Mike Anthony

14 years ago

I wouldn't write off Buddypress yet. Wordpress 3.0 was supposed to see the code base of wordpress and Wordpress MU merge. Once the number one blog is merged with the basis of Buddypress it should take off big time.

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dou9las

14 years ago

Originally Posted by Mike Anthony

I love WP and I love the idea of being able to pull something like this off just using WP and Buddypress, for simplicity and the ease of future updates and integration with all the great plugins that are/will become available.

On another note: Does anyone have any thoughts about SocialGo?

SocialGO - Social Network Maker - Create Social Networking Websites, Blogs, Forums & More

Seems tempting, if not a little pricey for the premium version. But for those that have budgets for their projects, it seems like it could be a fairly straightforward solution...

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Powertreb 14 years ago

Originally Posted by dou9las

On another note: Does anyone have any thoughts about SocialGo?

SocialGO - Social Network Maker - Create Social Networking Websites, Blogs, Forums & More

I would stay away from those kinds of services. They all look nice and tempting, but you run the danger of losing your member base and data to the company. One day one of them may simply shut down unexpectedly, without warning. And there go all your monthly payments, work, time, and data.

Ning is a perfect example. There was a fiasco recently where people who had been paying for premium Ning services were in danger of losing their member base. Ning had positioned itself to literally hijack all members. So some in the community had complained on the Ning forums and were quickly deleted. Some also had their networks taken down, without access to all the data that was on there.

Better to host on your own space and use something like Elgg.
You really don't have to rely on anyone.

And since Elgg is open source, if they go belly up, you at least have a framework and can hire a developer to customize it for you or fix the bugs.
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Michael Formby

14 years ago

P.S. Off topic a bit, but still relevant, if you want to start your own Digg/social bookmarking Niche Authority Site, you should check out Pligg... Pligg CMS | Open Source Content Management System

Elg has a plugin for this also

Bookmarks This social bookmarking plugin lets users bookmark and share both internally and external content. Here....

Mikey

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JoeOFarrel 14 years ago

In the long run, SaaS (software as a service) is always more expensive. Stuff like Ning, can however be good when experimenting.

Most people make the mistake in building a community site, and then getting members to adapt to the community. True, you need a basic platform, but you should avoid creating a huge site with lots of features which nobody is going to use. What makes facebook and the others work, is that they provide "online organization" for existing communities.

The social network needs a concept - not just a place where you can share stories and upload video's, etc.
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- Emmanuel ED 14 years ago
  
  I had an idea to start a Social Network a long time ago, however at some point I was faced with the "Information Overload" Problem and was Confused so I had to put the idea on Hold.
  
  Glad you brought this up, It'll be a motivator for me.
  
  I would have loved to start a Pligg Social Bookmarking Site but I hear there are lots of softwares (like auto pligg) that have the tendency of spamming social bookmarking sites that run on the pligg framework.
  
  Another Site I would have loved to start is twitter.
  
  Basically, it's all about being able to think of a great concept, then trying to bring it into reality.
  
  Thanks
  
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JoeOFarrel 14 years ago

with so many good new year intentions from a lot of people, I was wondering how you were getting along?

I'll be launching an FMylife concept site in a very specific niche very soon. I find it a great concept, adaptable to so many situations and niches.
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Matt Gannon 14 years ago

I have a great idea for one, but I cant seem to find a domain, they all taken with blogs on them lol! Ill keep looking...
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jisoft 14 years ago

thanks for the information
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Joemarf 14 years ago

Hello,

I would like to know which one to choose from Elgg vs Socialengine vs Phpfox??

Here are few plugins/features I would require:::

1 - aMember plugin

2 - billing capability with Authorize.net (A.net) and Paypal.

3 - membership levels

thanks.
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How to Gain Ultimate Authority Status: Start Your Own 'Niche' Social Network.

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