How to Create a Social Network Website and Drive Out the World Leaders?
The modern reality is that if you do not have a Facebook profile, then you do not exist. Social networks have conquered the world and evolved from entertainment tools to powerful business technologies. Do you know what this is all about? Yes, it’s all about money.
A powerful social network that has the chance to be on a par with global giants like Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin can give you everything you can only dream of — from the famous name to the six-digit number on your account, which will allow you to never worry about anything else. It sounds tempting, and what’s more, it’s real enough if you could come up with a cool idea and get the support of a strong partner to develop your solution.
Why Have Social Networks Become so Popular?
The main reason for the popularity of social networks, and especially Instagram and Facebook, is not the most pleasant, but it is true. Most people love to brag about their successes and flaunt it. And this is your chance to make money.
The second reason is more reasonable — social networks have turned into powerful tools for online trading, and many companies, as well as users, go there to meet each other personally, plus get the opportunity to find a truly outstanding product or service. And yes, it’s also about money, no matter which side you look at.
It All Starts With an Idea
The idea is the foundation of any startup. However, in order for the right idea to visit your head, you first need to understand in which direction you are going. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the main types of social networks.
- Entertaining
The main goal of users of this type of social network is to just have fun, see something interesting and chat with people who share their interests. The best example is Facebook.
- Video and visual social networks
Yes, this is YouTube and Instagram, where the focus is on two clearly defined types of content. At the same time, Instagram can be used as a good platform for business, and YouTube as strong support in the subsequent work with users.
- Romantic
A big number of married couples around the world met on social networks. Therefore, a social network for romantic dating is also a good idea. An example is Tinder.
- Business
If you immediately thought about Linkedin, then you are right. This network brings together professionals from different industries in one place.
- Professional
These are narrower social networks than business ones. For example, it may be specialized applications for medical professionals.
But How to Find Your Idea in All This Diversity?
- First of all, it is necessary to do a qualitative study of all existing niches and find a certain gap that meets the current needs of users.
- Next, you will need to come up with an outstanding name that will maximally reflect the essence of your project.
- After that, you need to mentally imagine a prototype of your future solution and think over the whole set of necessary functions, as well as think about how you will monetize your network. There are several options.
- Subscription model — when users pay for using the usage of your application monthly or annually.
- Paid content — when users pay for access to valuable information.
- Paid advertising — when users can advertise their services or products within a social network.
And the last step is to implement your project as a software product and launch it on the market.
The Most Important Features of a Social Network You Are Going to Create
So, we have already listed the main steps, however, functions are what form the skeleton of your platform, so it makes sense to dwell on this point in more detail.
- The registration and login form should be as simple as possible so that users do not spend more than one minute on these actions.
- Personal profile. Features of a personal profile and the data that users will need to indicate will depend on the specifics of the social network. For example, Instagram does not have the function of indicating the date of birth.
- List of contacts. This is a mandatory function, otherwise, the social network loses its first purpose — to provide the opportunity for quick communication with users who are interesting.
- Chats is a logical continuation of the previous function and the lack of chat also destroys the true meaning of the social network.
- Search on the network — in order to stay on the platform could really satisfy the interests of users.
- News Feed — this feature helps users stay up to date.
- Notifications — it is necessary to maximize the involvement of users and encouragement to spend as much time as possible on a social network.
Plus, you also need to think about the admin panel, database, payment and security of operations performed within the platform.
How Much Does It Cost and Who Do You Need to Implement the Technical Part
The Clockwise team gathered practical experience in creating a social network website and came to the conclusion that it will take from 750 to 1350 hours of work for programmers and related specialists, depending on the complexity of the task you set. If we talk about monetary terms, then it can cost from 30 to 55 thousand dollars, although this figure can also vary depending on the location of the vendor you choose. As for the technical team, you will need programmers, testing specialists, UI and UX designers, project manager and a marketer as well.
A Short Conclusion Before You Leave
Yes, it will not be easy to create a social network with a chance of world popularity. However, if you already have some sketches and a certain idea, then it is worth at least checking its viability by researching, creating MVP and collecting feedback from the audience.
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