Best free CMS for Social Networking Website

Dolphin is pretty good as a community site engine. It's stock package includes a lot of free modules, which are sufficient to create a fully-functional community site. Boonex (Dolphin's developer) also has a store, where you can buy modules and designs and hire developers to support and modify your site. One of Dolphin's serious problems is a performance. It works slow. Really slow. But recently I read an article about Dolphin server optimization (http://www.boonex.com/unity/blog/entry/500_Speed_Improvement_of_Dolphin). But I don't know, does it really work. You can easily try on Boonex Demo and make a decision does it fit you or not.

 

wordpress plugin's are best.

 

How would you rate the difficulty of installing it? Is this something anyone can do?

 

I've had experience with them all just about, except for Joomla.

Elgg - setup is easy for people who know exactly what they're doing (I couldn't get past this step, after hours of working on it, I gave it up) (Score: ?/10)
Wordpress/Buddypress - setup is easy, editing configuration and settings are easy, buddypress just lacks a few things that others have [like Dolphin] (Score: 7/10)
Dolphin - a large heap of files need to be uploaded before you begin, setup is quite easy, editing and configuration is easy, but I thought Dolphin was just to bloated..why? - my GPU's (I'm with (mt)) shot through the roof from the modules that we're installed. You will need a DV server to have the site running with A/V (Score: 6/10 - due to the RTMP server needed, and crappy coding [don't believe me, google it])
Xoops: Didn't get far with this one, but install was easy (Score: ?/10)
Drupal: my host offers a 1 click installation for this, so it was pretty simple in those terms. Once I got it running, I realized how outdated the software was. I quickly uninstalled (vulnerabilites are endless in all CMS'/SNsoftware though) (Score: 5/10)

^those are free choices, missing only Joomla (which I'll be trying soon). PHPMyFox and the others are paid versions, and if you ask someone like me about paid versions of software on the internet, you'll get a 'shove-it' reply. Open Source is the way to go with any CMS/SNsoftware. It's more choices, but these I've named are the most popular.

My vote: As crazy as it seems, Dolphin Boonex.
I can't wait until the development picks up more. But as it stands now, if your Social Network happens to try to rival facebook's numbers, the site will quickly fall apart at the seams, due to the coding - very useful for a small community though (500 - 1500 users)

 

There is some hosting companies like Arvixe that has this script already for you, all you have to do is click install and it is up and running in seconds. I have just started using Dolphin today and I love the layout, its very nice and clean. I just need more people to sign up. You can make it into a dating site or social network.

 

I want to create a social network, and I've been readin related threads for quite a while to find the best social software. I want it open source, with basic features like chat, video, forums, blogs, groups, Facebook connect, nice looking templates and free updates and support. I don't mind the vendor branding and ads unless they take half a page. But I don't want a costly script. It would be great if there was a free out of the box solution (perhaps I want 2 much LOL).
You guys give some good advice here. I've narrowed my options to basically three scripts: Dolphin (because it's very feature rich), PHPfox and Wordpress/Buddypress (because there are many positive reviews, and I'm familiar with Wordpress).
However, I heard a lot that Dolphin has pretty crappy code that was not optimized from their first release, and the license (?) is expensive. Not quite sure what the license gives you besides branding removal. But I like the front-end a lot. User part and admin panel look great.
PHPfox is kinda doubtful. I also heard that it's a product of russian developers (not sure if it's good or bad), and has many bugs (well, that certainly is bad LOL).
Buddypress lacks some features that I need.
So I'm basically where I was. Don't know if any of them is worth trying, but other scripts have too many negative reviews.

 

ilook

Wow, thanks for the information. I'll take another look at phpfox then. Do you by any chance know an up and running site built with phpfox? I'd like to take a look at a live site with members.

 

firstly, @ Clintin...u must have not read my entire post...I clearly put my vote for dolphin (dolphin 7 that is), oddly as it seems, but I'm right there with ya on endorsing there product as being fairly.....fair :shrug: just alot of ridiculous errors that could be fixed if the guys over there weren't so hell bent on making $ 1000 USD for giving you a few more modules/themes and taking off that big fat banner on the bottom of the front pages - they could actually have a decent product to really go into business with. But eh, guess they'll understand when someone buys them out, reinvents the wheel so to say, and turn it into a top of the Social Networking Software Package.

[ as well I just tested JCow 3.3.0, and I really think its one of the worst. No pun intended ]
[ also I've tryed Xoops, and I talk about the large installation for Dolphin - this software has them all beat, especially on uninstallation - could take at least 20 mins ]

On my list to try next...
-Movable Type (I know its blogging, but maybe something can be twisted around (?) )
-Concrete5

 

Anybody used Elgg for social networking site? Pros/Cons?

 

Elgg is the best CMS for Networking site, I have already tried Joomla, Wordpress and Drupal. I can say elgg is basically designed to develop social networking website. If you want to integrate your website with social networking site and blog . Then use Joomla with Jcomment for blogging purpose and jomsocial for social networking purpose. But if you want a dedicated social networking site, then elgg is the recommended CMS.

 

Thank you, Rakesh.
We are looking at elgg as a platform to develop a pilot for one of our customers.
Have you seen any anti-spam modules that can be integrated with elgg?

 

Elgg = disaster waiting to happen. I would go with something that has a little bit more support in the community forums than Elgg. But to each his own.

 

CDJ > is the luck support a main concern for Elgg? or perhaps it has some significant security, performance or functionality shortcomings?

 

Thanks ilook

 

Use Drupal, but it based on your skill and knowledge, if you are an Drupal expert, you can built a social networking like Brazen Careerist. The funny thing lot of people think this site based on custom script, unfortunately they're absolutely wrong

 

Wordpress is the best option! Especially if you are going to run a blog or a static site.

 

Myself actually started using wordpress around 6 years back.. moved to joomla during year 2006. Now am fan of drupal. Most powerful(able to handle 100s and 100s of hit per day if you configure it correctly), most configurable ( each peace of section on your site can be easily edited to suit your need), most themable ( each page, each block can be themed) and 4.7k Modules free for you to customize you website.

Drupal rockZ!!.

 

I do not know about any free one (well free is free and can not be so perfect) but for example Chameleon is one of the richest applications out there,
http://chameleon.startsocialnetwork.com

Richest I mean rich in features, not that you have to be rich to buy it :-D lol

 

You must be related to the ABK-soft boys (Russian scammers club) as i see you pumping this message on every "social cms" on DP.

Just one warning to all, AVOID!

Avoid ANY software from Russian scammers ABK-soft.
Don't take my words for it, search Google yourself.

 

i see you have posted several posts about how bad their software is, what is your experience with them? because i just do not see any problems so far, i own chameleon which was heavily modified by abk experts. please post your story here..