Need ideas, for new social network site.

[capabmx]

Ok, hoping the folks here are nicer than over at simplemachines lol. But anyways, building a social networking site based from smf, but will be themed accordingly and using simpleportal. Basically, I'm going to incorporate all the favorite features of the big sites like myspace, facebook etc. Before continuing I know 100 percent that it's been done before, etc etc. But anyways from there I want to add more features, along with improve those features. So I've got a bunch of things and ideas, and working with a team that has ideas and code.

 

Basically, not only will it be a social networking site, but a mash up of other genre's too, arcades, mmorpgs (original ones), apps, lyrics, customizing ringtones (sent to phone as an attachment to sms instead of a link to avoid data charges.). Basically if anyone has ideas such as what would make them completely satisfied with a site of this nature, please post. The virtual shop will host things such as new skins for playlists, (the playlists are auto generated from your uploaded music in albums, and you can choose between playlists, and also a new unique idea (gaining money from the website).

 

So say user a, goes crazy, whore's has thousands of friends, is posting in the forums, etc. uniquely visiting many pages and over the course of a month, his activity, has accrued say 100 dollars from google adsense, and now he wants to buy a stereo from user b, he'll be able to redeem 20 percent of what he's accrued for the site, and put that towards his item, pulled from my paypal account. Along with ability to buy credits, and earn credits for posting lyrics to the lyrics page's, and updating the wiki, and posting in the forums, and making 3rd party apps, etc.

 

These can be used to buy skins for music player, along with many other things. Also would love to make is the top in user customizability. css customization is implemented, but on the user's end would like them to be able to specify almost every aspect of the site, to get what they want from it, and not what they don't. So say your a business, and you want your employees, and resumes from the jobs part, and stuff like that, but you don't want thigns like "people you may know" being some 14 year old kid from the area lol. But at the same tmie you can enable these features at any time.

 

So please throw in ideas, and comments, I'd really like to make a site that everyone can use and love. To further explain the monetary gain for users, say you visit one of our advertisements and buy their product, and we make 50 percent from comission, for example you buy a 100 dollar item, we get 50 dollars, well 10 dollars of that will be credited back to you :]. In this way, the most active users, could make money. Also adding a pay per click feature and referral system eventually, and an advertisements page, where once you complete surveys offers etc. you'll get so many credits. So it'll be more than us making a site that is to just benefit from you, but us making a site that you can benefit from.

 

Please please please throw all ideas, etc., post things like what sites you use, why you use them, what you don't like about certain sites, etc. Any help in making this site is greatly appreciated, and all ideas will be contributed. On the site there will also be a request page, and tutorials on how to make 3rd party apps, which will then be reviewed, and approved :].

[corrupshun]

Your social networking idea sounds good but the ads for money thing probably won't attract too many people. Your goal should be pure social networking then later on, if many members join, add in optional ads to make money.

Other sites you should look at:

gaminglagoon.com

lockerz.com (doesn't do ads, will run out of business soon)

swagbucks.com

gaminglagoon and swagbucks make the owners of the site rich, but i'd say it's really the one of the most shady parts of the internet.

I do not feel welcome to their sites, maybe YOU could perfect this

[canadabeeau]

To attract people to your social networking site apposed to Facebook, MySpace and the many others you need something uniquely yours, something that no other social networking site has. That way you will attract people, then you attract advertisers, then you attract investors, then you make a team, then you MAY be rich.

[capabmx]

Your social networking idea sounds good but the ads for money thing probably won't attract too many people. Your goal should be pure social networking then later on, if many members join, add in optional ads to make money.

Other sites you should look at:

gaminglagoon.com

lockerz.com (doesn't do ads, will run out of business soon)

swagbucks.com

gaminglagoon and swagbucks make the owners of the site rich, but i'd say it's really the one of the most shady parts of the internet.

I do not feel welcome to their sites, maybe YOU could perfect this

 

Thank you for the links and advice, can you elaborate on what makes you not feel welcome to their sites? And how they're shady? I'd like for my site to be completely welcoming, giving users the best overall control, say, and experience. And with password recovery, thinking of using the system myspace has with the salute, only much faster service. I forgot my password last march, couldn't get back into my email because it was for my old web site :[, and did the salute, and they kept sending automated responses saying to read the faq, which then directed me to send a salute, etc.

 

Also would you be interested in working on this project? Lol I only use my spare time, and I figure anyone else with some spare time, and interested in making such a site is more than welcome aboard. I pay for the hosting, and when/if the time comes where userbase requires a server I'll have the funds, plus I get discounts through my university. And I can provide many web development, 3d animation, etc. software :]. But please elaborate, as I'm very insterested in writing these notes down, and ways to solve.

 

To attract people to your social networking site apposed to Facebook, MySpace and the many others you need something uniquely yours, something that no other social networking site has. That way you will attract people, then you attract advertisers, then you attract investors, then you make a team, then you MAY be rich.

 

I'm hoping my plan to allow users to redeem money accrued from ads on their pages, and apges they've visited etc. for purchasing things from other users, and possibly even redeeming straight to their paypal/visa etc. In this way I figure, they'll want to be very active, to make real money, for doing nothing more than using the site really. And I'm also hoping by adding real time mmorpgs, and an arcade with literally thousands of games, and stuff, and the option in their settings to basically choose what applications and stuff to appear on their page. But most of all hoping the ringtone feature will attract many. I've just gotta figure out how to get the ringtone to be an attachment to sms from the site, in this way, people can get truly "Free" ringtones, from any songs they upload, and choose what clip from the song, but being an attachment to the message will completely eliminate the data charge :].

 

Also, can you give any ideas, towards what would make you want to join a new social network site? What dot he others not offer, that you'd go crazy over pretty much, and what about them do you like the most? Thanks again guys for the help, I'm really trying to plan/code this and hopefully launch beta in June :]. Also trying to find people interested in working on the site in their spare time for fun, and if they're also looknig to improve their design skills, and learn. If the site makes money, other than costs of maintaining it, I'd split the money evenly between everyone involved. I've got a career outside of this so this is just a hobby I hope to succeed with. Anyone interested please post in here as well.

[corrupshun]

Your social networking idea sounds good but the ads for money thing probably won't attract too many people. Your goal should be pure social networking then later on, if many members join, add in optional ads to make money.

Other sites you should look at:

gaminglagoon.com

lockerz.com (doesn't do ads, will run out of business soon)

swagbucks.com

gaminglagoon and swagbucks make the owners of the site rich, but i'd say it's really the one of the most shady parts of the internet.

I do not feel welcome to their sites, maybe YOU could perfect this

 

Thank you for the links and advice, can you elaborate on what makes you not feel welcome to their sites? And how they're shady? I'd like for my site to be completely welcoming, giving users the best overall control, say, and experience. And with password recovery, thinking of using the system myspace has with the salute, only much faster service. I forgot my password last march, couldn't get back into my email because it was for my old web site :[, and did the salute, and they kept sending automated responses saying to read the faq, which then directed me to send a salute, etc.

 

Also would you be interested in working on this project? Lol I only use my spare time, and I figure anyone else with some spare time, and interested in making such a site is more than welcome aboard. I pay for the hosting, and when/if the time comes where userbase requires a server I'll have the funds, plus I get discounts through my university. And I can provide many web development, 3d animation, etc. software :]. But please elaborate, as I'm very insterested in writing these notes down, and ways to solve.

 

To attract people to your social networking site apposed to Facebook, MySpace and the many others you need something uniquely yours, something that no other social networking site has. That way you will attract people, then you attract advertisers, then you attract investors, then you make a team, then you MAY be rich.

 

I'm hoping my plan to allow users to redeem money accrued from ads on their pages, and apges they've visited etc. for purchasing things from other users, and possibly even redeeming straight to their paypal/visa etc. In this way I figure, they'll want to be very active, to make real money, for doing nothing more than using the site really. And I'm also hoping by adding real time mmorpgs, and an arcade with literally thousands of games, and stuff, and the option in their settings to basically choose what applications and stuff to appear on their page. But most of all hoping the ringtone feature will attract many. I've just gotta figure out how to get the ringtone to be an attachment to sms from the site, in this way, people can get truly "Free" ringtones, from any songs they upload, and choose what clip from the song, but being an attachment to the message will completely eliminate the data charge :].

 

Also, can you give any ideas, towards what would make you want to join a new social network site? What dot he others not offer, that you'd go crazy over pretty much, and what about them do you like the most? Thanks again guys for the help, I'm really trying to plan/code this and hopefully launch beta in June :]. Also trying to find people interested in working on the site in their spare time for fun, and if they're also looknig to improve their design skills, and learn. If the site makes money, other than costs of maintaining it, I'd split the money evenly between everyone involved. I've got a career outside of this so this is just a hobby I hope to succeed with. Anyone interested please post in here as well.

 

What i mean when I say they're shady is that the owners:

often don't give any support

don't give a damn if you get to redeem your prize or not

encourage you to click on ads that you do not have an actual interest in (which is ultimately just stealing money from the people paying for their ads to be viewed anyway)

I think it's just very mean to for people to click ads they don't have an actual interest in, because someone's losing money somewhere.

The sites I listed have personally stole from me..

About 2 years ago i acummulated about $25.00 on the gaminglagoon.com site and when i went to redeem a domain and hosting (back when I was 14 )

They said I cheated and gave me -$500.

They steal from you stealing from ads.

That's unethical on both parties; the user's and the sites.

What I think would do good is to start off slowly not scaring the users away with ads.

Give them a reason to visit your site and keep the user happy!

Word of mouth is VERY powerful, keep that in mind as well.

As for working with you, I'm not the most skilled php writer, but i'm still working on stuff when i have free time.

Free ringtones, now THAT'S a good idea.

Let the user upload an mp3 (make sure to make them agree they have rights to it) then allow them to cut the song up into the section they want, and send it to them.

This is far beyond php, however.

[mrMarcus]

in my honest opinion, and i know you won't want to hear it .. don't bother.

 

unless you have something dramatically different than the big boys, and a team to implement these ideas faster than they can be stolen, you're just going to get squashed.

 

the ideas you have will need thousands of development hours, and all for what?  to not even be a blip on the radar of Facebook, MySpace, etc.

 

start it as a hobby (which as a part-time thing, that's all it really is), and see where it goes.  the worst it can do is make you better with PHP.

 

instead, try and come up with a single idea that you can refine and make unique .. how twitter did.  they didn't bother to re-create Facebook, instead, they created something that was missing in Social Networking, and took off with it.

 

you don't know me, and have no reason to trust me (in lieu of me saying, "trust me"), but i have seen similar attempts in doing what has fundamentally already been done, and let's just say, they're all back to the drawing board.

[corrupshun]

in my honest opinion, and i know you won't want to hear it .. don't bother.

 

unless you have something dramatically different than the big boys, and a team to implement these ideas faster than they can be stolen, you're just going to get squashed.

 

the ideas you have will need thousands of development hours, and all for what?  to not even be a blip on the radar of Facebook, MySpace, etc.

 

start it as a hobby (which as a part-time thing, that's all it really is), and see where it goes.  the worst it can do is make you better with PHP.

 

instead, try and come up with a single idea that you can refine and make unique .. how twitter did.  they didn't bother to re-create Facebook, instead, they created something that was missing in Social Networking, and took off with it.

 

you don't know me, and have no reason to trust me (in lieu of me saying, "trust me"), but i have seen similar attempts in doing what has fundamentally already been done, and let's just say, they're all back to the drawing board.

'twas thinking the same thing

[canadabeeau]

mrMarcus thats what I was trying to say, the big boys will win unless you can spew out the ideas extremely fast and promote them even faster. Come up with one specific new innovative idea.