[xml]

Hi,

I’m currently working on a social network site; I’m not actually into social networking myself, so I’d like to get some opinions on what the perfect social networking site would include.

Most of my projects resolve around search technology, so the searching will be a major role on the site, with advanced age, distance, sex etc search functions.

One thing I noticed when researching competing sites is that most require a sign up before you use even some of the basic services. This is something I’d like to bypass.

If anyone has ANY ideas on what you think would make a good social networking site from your perspective, I’d much appreciate it.

[Dusteh]

Just make sure they can't customise it like MySpace. Keep the look of the entire thing under your control.

[xml]

Glad you agree with me on that. One of my pet peeves with myspace is those shitty customisable profiles :@

[oli]

Isnt that one of the reasons myspace is so sucessfull though ? People like to customise their profiles.

[smallbeer]

I read this yesterday which says just that - http://business2.blogs.com/business2...space_bea.html

[Mr Fred]

Social networking sites are gay. I believe.
Surely Dt is a social network site.


...

[Dusteh]

Yes but deviantart is horrifically massive, and whilst it allows people to add all their own content, its done so in quite a nice clean design.

Perhaps giving people a shedload of pre-defined templates to choose ala MSN or something. I think there are ways around the problem without resorting to the horrific mess that is MySpace.

Having said that though, it is only us graphical lot who notice how bad it looks. Some of my friends use MySpace and love it - for me its like jabbing my eyes out with rusty knives. If MySpace is the future of the web, I want out :P

[xml]

Originally Posted by oli

Isnt that one of the reasons myspace is so sucessfull though ? People like to customise their profiles.

Yeah this is probably true...

However I despise them. I was thinking of allowing the use of an XML config file, but this would go down well with Joe Average. What about an editable CSS file? would that still be too much?

What do you think of the look and feel so far:

http://speeps.com/search_results.png and http://speeps.com/demo_profile.png

[top_buzz]

Originally Posted by xml

Yeah this is probably true...

However I despise them.

But you aren't making it for yourself, the people want it!

[pgo]

Originally Posted by xml

However I despise them. I was thinking of allowing the use of an XML config file, but this would go down well with Joe Average. What about an editable CSS file? would that still be too much?

Let them customize it, but don't make them learn XML or CSS. You'll scare 95% of your audience away.

99% of the people in the world don't know and don't care what XML and CSS are.

If nothing else, give them a customization script. "What color do you want headings?" "What color or image background for your profile?" - etc. Make it more controlled than MySpace which is basically just a jumble of CSS hacking.

[smallbeer]

from the whois it looks like this is your site and you're not just building it for a client.

you say "I’m not actually into social networking myself" and "I despise them". wtf are you doing building one then? do you think you're gonna sell it to yahoo in 6 months?

[roto]

Originally Posted by smallbeer

wtf are you doing building one then? do you think you're gonna sell it to yahoo in 6 months?

Ahhh, gotta love the sentiment that made investing in .com stocks such a sound choice in the late 90s/early 00s. Cheers beer!

All of these web 2.0 sites are sprouting up everywhere, and although this is just an isolated incident, you'd hope that lessons were learned.

In the late 90s, one could have done quite well with an IPO on his nob.

[xml]

Yeah its 100% for me.

The idea behind social networking is what I like, and I like to *attempt* to build search engines, so I planned to build a social networking site revolving around search.

I should of said: its the current crop of social networking sites that I dispise, especially Myspace.

And by "I’m not actually into social networking myself" I really mean i'm not into online dating and shit. I like social networking in the sense it allows me to find old school friends etc.

I knew that to make this project successful to joe average i would have to impliment features that I wouldn't use myself. Thats why i'm asking for other peoples opinions.

I'm a realist, i don't think this project will make it big enough for any large corperation to take an interest in.

[tyse]

I say good on you.
There are always going to be people saying that they hate social networking sites.
And yes there are plenty of crap ones out there. Doesnt mean to say that you can create a good one.

Keep at it, Maybe you can design one that will appeal to all the haters out there.... it could happen :P

[ryanarts]

Originally Posted by tyse

Maybe you can design one that will appeal to all the haters out there.... it could happen :P

I doubt it ...well, for me anyway.

Not saying you shouldn't do it though, keep at it, maybe it'll be successful.

I'm just not interested. I hate them, full stop.

[Stickman]

Nah, don't bother.

[Mr Fred]

sharing is for gay. anything which shares info is gay.

stick summed it up perfect.

[roto]

We're sharing information here...
(well, in most cases)

[ryanarts]

Originally Posted by ®oto

We're sharing information here...
(well, in most cases)

Yeah, but forums are cool

We're not exactly posting up pictures of ourselfs posing infront of camera's, or giving out a load of personal information about our lives etc.

Btw, if you go ahead with the making of this site, be prepared to have those "emo's" floading it

[cam]

Ryan's the biggest emo I know.