Resources

Social network resources for a niche social network.

Do you need social network resources to help you learn how to start a social networking site?  Below find those I have personally used to create and market social networking websites.  I disclose the pros and cons, but these are ones I like and recommend.

Social Network Software

GENERAL Links
See our post on best social network software for the overview.  And here’s my Delicious link to blog posts from the pros comparing various social networking and membership software alternatives:  Click HERE.

social networking website resources: software NING
Ning is a software platform that enables you to get a niche social network off the ground in a couple hours.  Users can contribute blogs, photos and videos.  You can create forums in which members can interact.  You can designate sub-groups for anything, such as topic, age, or language.  There is a Ning mini plan for $2.95 per month, up to 150 members,  and 1 gigabite of storage.  For 24.95 per month, your network can have up to 10,000 members and use 10 gigabits of online storage.  For $59.95 per month, you can have unlimited members and 20 gigabits of storage, mobile apps, music and more.

A while ago, I created a quick social network for SCORE Chicago using Ning.  I was amazed by the usable interface I was able to put together in a couple hours without programming knowledge.  Although it was a test site, I got new members for years afterwards, so Ning sites come up high in the search engines.  My Ning software posts.

Developers and Graphic Designers

Find my advice on How to Use a Developer to Build My Site.  I discuss where to find them, how to evaluate developers, where to find sites with graphic designers, checklists for software projects, and a list of problems areas in site design and build out.

Email Marketing

social networking websites resources: email marketing software

MAIL CHIMP
I use Mailchimp to create a newsletter for blog posts on this blog.  I love the wry humor of their routine communications.  (When I send out an email campaign,  “the chimp” emails an announcement that closes with “You totally deserve a raise.”)  I use its auto-responders to encourage submissions and to point new users to pages related to their particular interests.   Mailchimp offers a “Forever Free plan: Store up to 2,000 subscribers. Send up to 12,000 emails per month. No expiring trials. No contracts. No credit card required.”  I love Mailchimp and am proud to use an affiliate link.  To add email to your social network resources (and for some monkey love), click HERE.


Emails for Small Business with Constant Contact

CONSTANT CONTACT
Constant Contact offers comprehensive email and event marketing, with online surveys.  All three are fully integrated with social media to facilitate promotions.  The site has terrific help articles and online chat to help you resolve problems.  Its interface is quite intuitive.  Pricing starts from $15 per month for up to 500 email names and unlimited emails.  I’ve used Constant Contact for 5 years to write eNewsletters for my volunteer organization.  I highly recommend Constant Contact for those who want an easy interface and integrated event marketing, and am proud to use an affiliate link.  Email Marketing by Constant Contact makes it easy to connect with your customers. Try it FREE for 60-Days.

 

Compare the features of these and other email software programs with are useful social network resources HERE.

Blog Theme

 How smart is your Theme? How good is your support? Check out ThesisTheme for WordPress.

THESIS THEME for WordPress.
This blog runs on DYI’s Thesis theme for WordPress.  It’s easy for a non-programmer to format.  Thesis is search-friendly — its features give you firepower to boost your  rank for specific keywords.  I do not take advantage of half of its capabilities.  Love it.

Online Backup

MOZY
If you want to know how to start a social networking site, you should incorporate a plan to back up your data, both on your computer and your hosting server.  I back up my computer files online and locally using Mozy.  After struggling with online backups using Norton 360, I switched.  It took forever for Norton to locate backup files, whereas with Mozy I can see them quickly.  Mozy reports every morning that backups went fine, and I have not worried since.  There are three options (and we are proud to use affiliate links:

 

This list of social network resources is designed to help you start a social networking site.  If you have questions or additional resources to recommend, please leave me a comment.