how to start a social networking website

Steps Outside the Walled Garden: Linkedin Expands Features

November 5, 2008

I opened my email the other morning to learn that the social network Linkedin has enabled more external applications for members. Linkedin is no longer a walled garden.  I’ve discussed the divergent paths for social networks in an earlier post, Whither Social Networks?  Walled Garden or Public Utility Revenue Model? Linkedin No Longer a Walled [...]

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How to Start a Social Networking Website Part 19: New and Returning Members

October 20, 2008

I posted a poll on this blog asking “What’s the biggest challenge in starting a social networking website?” In response, 48% said: “getting and keeping members.”  An article in Wired on the social network UrbanBaby highlights this business problem. UrbanBaby had build up quite a following, according to Clive Thompson’s “The Wrath of Moms.”  (Buy [...]

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How to Start a Social Networking Website Part 17: Whither Social Networks — "Walled Garden" or "Public Utility" Revenue Model?

August 7, 2008

Where are social networks going? What’s the trend in revenue models for these sites?  How does this affect those who want to start a niche social network? I just discovered Bernard Lunn’s provocative post “The Fork in the Road for Social Media,” thanks to my Seattle friend Robbin Block.  Lunn is skeptical about the viability [...]

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