Web Based Project

ally_uk

Morning guys I really need your help, A little background about myself I am 26 years old and from the Uk and living with HSV-2 (herpes virus). Now before you guys go whoa! what is this all about please bear with me lol.

I have been doing some research and would like to support other people in a similar situation as myself, there is alot of stigma associated with the virus and at times it can be very lonely, So I am in the process of brain storming a new website designed to unite people with this virus think along the lines of something like facebook but designed solely for people in a similar situation as myself.

Obviously meeting people can be very hard and dating also so the idea I had would be in the similar vein to a social networking site where users could feel comfortable in talking to each other without the fear of stigma or rejection.

Now I hardly have any web design experience, can somebody shed any light on how you would go about setting up a social networking site.

Many Thanks this means alot to myself

RobertKaucher

ally_uk wrote: »

Now before you guys go whoa! what is this all about please bear with me lol.

The only way in which I judge you is that under CERTIFICATIONS you have listed that you are currently studying for the MCDST.


That being said, you will need to be more specific about your requirements. What sort of features are you looking for in the site? What platforms should it run on? Are you willing to learn how to do custom development if you have to?

ally_uk

Lol I'm nolonger studying for the MCDST, right now I am dabbling with Server 2k3, 2k8 and Win 7.

I'm not sure about platforms just want something very easy to setup and to deploy, I want to setup essentially like a dating / social networking site where users can create profiles and search for other users and interact.

This sounds like it's going to be very complicated am I biting off more then I can chew?

RobertKaucher

ally_uk wrote: »

Lol I'm nolonger studying for the MCDST, right now I am dabbling with Server 2k3, 2k8 and Win 7.

Well, I would hope you weren't since the tests are now retired.

ally_uk wrote: »

I'm not sure about platforms just want something very easy to setup and to deploy, I want to setup essentially like a dating / social networking site where users can create profiles and search for other users and interact.

This sounds like it's going to be very complicated am I biting off more then I can chew?

The easiest thing to start with might be some sort of hosted SharePoint as that would give you easy ability to set up blogs, forums, etc. However, I don't think that SHarePoint is well designed for your ultimate goal.

But the very first thing I would do before I started the "dating" component is consult a lawyer. Remember this dude? Philip Markoff - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Being in a class that has a certain social stigma I would be very cautious about what you are setting up and what sort of rules are in place to protect both you and your users. I would start with the Social Networking/Support aspects and only add the dating component last as that would likely be the most complex from a legal/logistical perspective.

ipSpace

You can try a CMS.

Check this out: phpFox - Social Networking Script

But if you do not know a lot about php/mysql and SEO, then this will be a long journey.