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How much does it cost to build a social network?

by the6thplayer
35 replies
A killer idea poped up in my mind and it is about a new social network.... my question is that if i start from scratch then how much does it cost to build a social network with rich features.....??
#build #cost #network #social
  • Profile picture of the author Ron Douglas
    Originally Posted by the6thplayer View Post

    A killer idea poped up in my mind and it is about a new social network.... my question is that if i start from scratch then how much does it cost to build a social network with rich features.....??
    It depends on the features. You could get an out of the box social site script for like $200. Or you could pay for mass customizations and spend thousands.
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  • Profile picture of the author the6thplayer
    i don't intend to build a facebook lookalike so the $200 script is outta my place.... the idea is unique so i am willing to spend whatever it takes to do it..... but i need a rough idea before starting on it!!
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  • Profile picture of the author JamesJeffery
    Don't go with out of the box solutions. If your network was to become big you would need to redevelop the whole lot. Not to mention out of the box software is available to any "hacker" that wan'ts to look through the source code for vulnrabilities.

    If you have a killer idea. Draft it up. Talk to some developers, or employ them.

    Bebo, Facebook, MySpace and any other large social network was built on custom software that they were able to scale and modify when needed.

    Price wise, you're probably looking at a couple thousand. But that depends on the features you need. If its a simple social network, like Twitter (without the app platform) you could get something done for around $500. But don't expect anything outstanding for that price.
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  • Profile picture of the author the6thplayer
    thanks ,.... i am already making connections with like minded people and discussing the idea with only the trusted ones..... they seem to like it, but I want someone to tell me the rough expense on the whole project....
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  • Profile picture of the author freshman1234
    If you are a good programmer and know all languages then maybe under 500$ other wise more than 1000$..
    I was also searching for this kind of info and found it very expensive as it needs lots of tools and other things..
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  • Profile picture of the author peterparker018
    Cost depends on features of the site.
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  • Profile picture of the author sscot
    Originally Posted by the6thplayer View Post

    A killer idea poped up in my mind and it is about a new social network....
    Have you a twin brother?
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  • Profile picture of the author shuvo
    The best would be hiring a professional one from a freelancing site and I hope this will save money on building the total network.
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    • Profile picture of the author Wiggles1984
      Originally Posted by shuvo View Post

      The best would be hiring a professional one from a freelancing site and I hope this will save money on building the total network.
      I agree with this, a freelancer may be able to save you a lot of money. Just be sure you can fully trust who you are working with. Another money saving tip, would be to ask for a discount if you are willing to display advertising in their favor.

      The price to start one up does depend highly on the features. I would be kind of worried about starting a social networking site now-a-days. To me Facebook will be one of the main ones who survive. I loved hearin how much MySpace originally sold for, but now look at their recent sale again which was way lower.

      Maybe you have a unique idea, and I wouldn't blame you for only speaking with people you can trust. I once openly spoke about a MySpace site, but for adults... and now A****Space is here. I don't think someone took my idea, but you never know... so be careful with what you share.

      Off-topic of developing a site. I once asked a major online retailer for custom car parts why they just couldn't retro fit a kit on the bumper, by cutting the original bumper and molding the new kitted one on it. Sad to say... a few weeks later there was a dozen of body kits available for my car, where before there was only barely a handful.
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  • Profile picture of the author the6thplayer
    i guess there are not much people who can give me a good estimate!!!
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    • Profile picture of the author Ron Douglas
      Originally Posted by the6thplayer View Post

      i guess there are not much people who can give me a good estimate!!!
      It's impossible to give you an estimate from the limited details you've provided.

      You say you want to build another facebook. Do you realize how many coding man hours went into building that site? They have a huge team funded by millions in venture capital money and stock equity.

      Maybe you should ask a coder and give them specific details of what you want.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
      Originally Posted by the6thplayer View Post

      i guess there are not much people who can give me a good estimate!!!
      Seriously, how do you expect anyone to give you any kind of useful estimate? No one has a clue what your idea is, what features it would require, or how well-developed your idea is. Estimates are based on known facts and detailed specs, not vague descriptions and psychic intuition.
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      • Profile picture of the author Richard Van
        Hey, I've just had a really amazing idea, I've discussed it with the "trusted" people and they seem to like it. I won't tell you what it is and I won't give you a shred of information, so....

        How much will it cost?

        :rolleyes:

        Good grief.

        i guess there are not much people who can give me a good estimate!!!
        No there are not and I'm very surprised you find that strange.
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    • Profile picture of the author Ken Durham
      Originally Posted by the6thplayer View Post

      i guess there are not much people who can give me a good estimate!!!
      lol - a person would be a fool to give an estimate without specs.

      The first thing you do, is you hire a consultant to discuss your idea to make sure it is possible and then to help you spec it out, professionally. So you have something people can bid on. Once you know that your idea will work, and how it will work, then you start taking bids on development.

      You know why some of these programmers that you hire run off on you? It's because you went in with a vague plan, and then started developing your plan while the thing was being built. And the developer then has to suffer through your many changes, often at his cost, because you hadn't thought this thing through in the first place.

      You service people know what I am talking about.

      A complete social network from scratch? I wouldn't even look at it for under $30K. And $5k to just spec it out for you.... :rolleyes:
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      yes, I am....

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  • Profile picture of the author Hamza
    If you are serious about your idea you can easily find yourself spending $30k+ in start up costs ...
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  • Profile picture of the author the6thplayer
    i have $100k set aside for this project... but it looks like i'll need more
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  • Profile picture of the author the6thplayer
    thankyou but not interested ;D
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    phpFox is a pretty nice and complete out of the box solution. They've been around a long time. I used them - the most expensive option ($300) and was happy with the results. It has a lot of features.

    I bought a template from Teamwurkz Technologies Inc to use with it and it was garbage, so I don't recommend them for templates for it (and they don't refund even though they say 30 day refund on their front page).
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  • Profile picture of the author Josh MacDonald
    This thread along with the OPs questions are ridiculous. You are asking us to quote you on something we have no clue of the features. For something like this, you need to consult a professional programmer.
    You've just lost a lot of respect from me by yelling at and under estimating fellow Warriors.

    Originally Posted by the6thplayer View Post

    i guess there are not much people who can give me a good estimate!!!
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    • Profile picture of the author the6thplayer
      Originally Posted by macdonjo View Post

      This thread along with the OPs questions are ridiculous. You are asking us to quote you on something we have no clue of the features. For something like this, you need to consult a professional programmer.
      You've just lost a lot of respect from me by yelling at and under estimating fellow Warriors.
      hahahahahaha if i was to reveal what my network will have then why would I ask for a general price? why not tell you exactly what I am trying to do and then finding that my idea has been implemented with me still trying to figure out how much does it cost to build one!!!!!!
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      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by the6thplayer View Post

        hahahahahaha if i was to reveal what my network will have then why would I ask for a general price? why not tell you exactly what I am trying to do and then finding that my idea has been implemented with me still trying to figure out how much does it cost to build one!!!!!!
        Ok ... have it your way. Don't give any details as to features, etc. Here's my rough estimate based on the info you gave.

        It will cost you $1 to build this site. Now stop asking questions that don't have answers, flaming people for not being psychic and go build it.
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  • Profile picture of the author myrealnetwork
    Well, it doesn't need lot of money. Some providers provide all in one solutions that include: social network software, templates, hosting, and support. You can customize your social networking site yourself using the control panel or CMS. If you need further or deeper customization, then you can pay some fees (couple hundreds) for their developers to do it. It's a lot cheaper than hiring your own programmer.
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  • Profile picture of the author KenFighter
    I can get u friend of mine if u will... He build a site looks like facebook... Very recommended person...
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  • Profile picture of the author christopher jon
    why not tell you exactly what I am trying to do and then finding that my idea has been implemented with me still trying to figure out how much does it cost to build one
    Ideas are a dime a dozen. Whatever your idea is, it's not new or unique.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Romaine
    *shakes head....
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  • Profile picture of the author NoBSGuy
    Not as much as many think.
    You can find written php scripts for as much as 500 bucks or less.
    You could even search for already established social sites on Flippa, all bells and whistles included. Some of them are offered at very cheap prices compared to their total value.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Oksa
    Come on guys!

    I can't believe how mean you're being to the OP. All he wants is a reasonable estimate. I went to Google and did some research and based on the scant information given, it seems clear that a good estimate (+/- 3.729%) is $415,608. (The margin of error puts the range between $400,109.98 and $431,106.02)

    Sheesh! Was that so hard?

    ~M~
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    "Ich bin en fuego!"
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    • Profile picture of the author the6thplayer
      Originally Posted by Michael Oksa View Post

      Come on guys!

      I can't believe how mean you're being to the OP. All he wants is a reasonable estimate. I went to Google and did some research and based on the scant information given, it seems clear that a good estimate (+/- 3.729%) is $415,608. (The margin of error puts the range between $400,109.98 and $431,106.02)

      Sheesh! Was that so hard?

      ~M~
      u r the man.. .. i checked n found around $354k in the bank.... gonna sign some contracts and get the ball rolling.... see you soon on ma network .... thanks alot....
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      • Profile picture of the author jetlady
        Hi, the6thplayer!

        I don't think you need to spend that much. It's not like social networking is a new thing or technology...Sure, more features demand higher cost, but it's not gonna cost you hundreds of thousand of dollars to get the site up and running, I tell you...The bulk of the expenses will go to bandwith as your membership grows, so just be prepared to spend a few thousands of dollars for that. However, you can save up big time on your hosting if you use Amazon S2/S3, just do a quick search on Google.

        Initially you will need a web development company to build the site and implement your features, or you could purchase a software and have an experienced programmer/freelancer customize it, or he can build one from scratch. This won't cost you more than $20,000.

        Once the site is launched, you can hire people to help you spread the word to attract sigups while making use of adwords and other advertising methods. Apart from hosting, advertising will eat a lot of your budget. But it is a worthy investment as without members who will subscribe to your products, click your ads or pay for certain features - if you have one? And it is very important also to get the help of an expert to protect your site from hackers or your network will experience some very bad nightmares or troubles you don't want to happen. The word is Security.

        All in all, you can not do it alone, so be sure to hire people whom you can trust and know what they are doing.

        I am in the same situation but my problem is capital. Maybe I can help you or we can work together to realize your plans. It's always best to work with like-minded people who got experience. Two heads are always better than one.

        Regards,
        Jet


        P.S.
        Invest in a good domain name for your brand; don't use just any name.
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  • Profile picture of the author rowanman28
    I had an idea myself for a social site, but I can't tell you what it is, and I don't expect to find out how much it might cost. This is a pretty pointless thread.
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Ten
    You could probably start one cheaply... get some revenue coming in and then scale up as it grows... so as others have said... probably not much!
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  • Profile picture of the author WillR
    Originally Posted by the6thplayer View Post

    my question is that if i start from scratch then how much does it cost to build a social network with rich features.....??
    Ask Mark Zuckerberg... seriously, how long is a piece of string? There are way too many factors for anyone to give you a good estimate. It depends on the programmer, the quality of their work, the technology involved, how complex or simple you want things to work, etc.

    I would have a look around first as I've seen a few great social network scripts floating around before (their names escape me) where you simply license the script and it's all ready to go. They keep updating and adding new features as well - probably an easier and cheaper way to get the ball rolling rather than building something entirely from scratch. No point re-inventing the wheel if you don't need to.
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  • Profile picture of the author Burton Lancaster
    Originally Posted by the6thplayer View Post

    A killer idea poped up in my mind and it is about a new social network.... my question is that if i start from scratch then how much does it cost to build a social network with rich features.....??
    Best thing to do is to start off with either paid or free script with core features you will need and then expand upon it. For free open source stuff search github.com! You will find a good base to get your started there.
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  • Profile picture of the author fluffythewondercat
    Funny this topic should come up.

    Someone who built a social network contacted me through Fiverr. He said, "I'm desperate for traffic. Can you tell me how I can get traffic to my social network?"

    Well, sure, that's not hard. Just do what Groupon does. They spend about $170 million PER QUARTER in marketing costs, specifically online ads.

    So a reasonable estimate is $170,415,608. Better monetize that puppy fast!

    fLufF
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