Just a little "heads up". While starting a page with messages, galleries, timelines etc. isn't that big a deal, starting a "site like FB" is. FB has a userbase that is immense, and based on that, revenue through the roof. Which also makes it possible for them to employ a large development team. So, don't say "I wanna start a site like FB" - say "I wanna start a social site, akin to FB, but in way smaller scope" - that will be more accurate
I used Elgg Before and found really a great modules to make my site same as Facebook. Chating and other options are also there and easy to use even if u don't have programing knowledge u can make your own social network . If you need my help message me any time
The good news is that you probably won't suddenly take in 50 million people to your new social network site...therefore you'll be able to expand server space as you go and try to generate money through the site. The trick is generating money on your social network site where FaceBook team has failed. They have a nice multi-million user social network but they have a horrible business strategy for generating money. How they keep it running is anybody's guess? Corporate welfare? You'd be doing yourself a *HUGE* favor to create a social network AND a Craigslist all in one. and Start your own online account so that sales are bought/sold through your online paysite. THEN.... you have what it takes to beat FaceBook down. The only problem would be if somebody copyrights the business model ..but there may still be work-arounds in how you do it. I know I have a copyrighten business model of social network/Craigslist-ish/ and online account system/yard sale/trade etc FaceBook AKA= Lives Annihilator Book. lol
Uhm, you have a what now? First of, copyright does not play onto this at all. Trademarks (for the name), patents (for the idea) and perhaps some other variations. But copyright, you don't have. The actual code of the product, you can copyright, of course, but depending on the actual licence, if that code is publicly available, even that might be hard to enforce. Also depending on which country you reside, whether or not they even allow copyright on code.
Starting a Social Network site isnt very hard to do. However getting as many users as FB isnt done in days. If you are realy good , and your concept is good. You might get a small fanbase. If you get a dedicated team for developing and several vps's (later dedictated servers). After you have everything running smoothly , without large errors than you can focus on getting more users. But starting a own FB is not possible. You need to have a good idea , great team for developing and good hardware. Then users need to come to your site , that is one of the hardest things to do. So start focussing on a small group of people and when you organized everything nicely you can expend a little bit every time. Elgg is a very nice script to start with. Open source (Free) and with a great community. You can also buy a script but then you can't customize quite as much and you are still from core bound to that script. There is also the issue of how are you going to be better than other sites that run the same script. I wish you good look cause it is not very easy to create a good social network.
What? Huh? Say...WHAT?! FaceBook has been VERY profitable. In fact, they have been so profitable theywere able to acquire Instagram for 1 BILLION. That's right BILLION. What rock are you living under? FB has a solid business strategy.
You can copyright business plans. Its not a copyright like words/music etc. Just as Trade Secrets can protect processes /ingredients from being publicly revealed. FaceBook generates billions from? ..advertisers? or corporate welfare? to establish a controlled ownership of public media so that some Joe Shmoe doesn't get lucky and aquire it. NetStar, do you have any idea or speculation as to where FB generates revenue? I personally think FaceBook is a hunk of crap floating in the Internet sea as a useless widget and I don't see how they're generating 'billions' via advertisers UNLESS its a corporate welfare gig and other large businesses are paying flat fee advertisement (corporate welfare) to consolidate them as top social media system. If that were Joe Shmoe would Adwords and banner ads generate those sales? Are you assuming people click on ads these days? Its media control/consolidation and funded via corporate welfare to benefit others in the status quo. My National careers are worth billions ...and I don't see how FaceBook is. It smells like corporate welfare of a certain network..media control/consolidation.
You can copyright a business model, sure, but getting that vetted in a court of law is a whole different manner, since only a slight difference in the established business plan you've tried to copyright, and the one you're suing for copyright infringement is gonna get you in trouble getting your case won. Besides, unless you're gonna pay for copyrights in every corner of the world, there's always gonna be someplace where your copyright isn't legally sound, unless you refile and repay whatever the local government wants. For now, as far as I remember, you have one for the US, one for the EU, one for Australia, one for Japan (separate), one for China (but they do have certain different legal boundaries in-country, so you need at least three different ones) etc. It's very soon gonna be very expensive
It's public information that FaceBook spent $1,000,000,000 (1B) to acquire Instagram. They have also spent hundreds of millions in technology and business acquisitions since they have launched. In 2009 they reported $777m, 2010 $1.97B, 2011 $3.71B, and 2012 5.08B. Since launch in 2004 they have seen an increase in revenue year after year. To even suggest that FB failed on their revenue model makes you look absolutely clueless. Suggesting their revenue it built from "corporate welfare" makes no sense. Over 80% of their revenue is generated from those ads that you assume people don't click on anymore. FaceBook has their own PPC advertising program, and is in no ways affiliated with Google or a middle broker. With over 1billion registered users they have successfully dominated the social media market. Not one company has even come close. Perhaps you have GREATLY underestimated FaceBook as a company. You are aware it is an IPO company with over 3,500 employees, right? You sound like someone who believes FB is basement operation with Angelfire as a web host (for those of you who remember Angelfire!).
Netstar...I'm just not convinced that people click those little ads, we could make a poll ="how many Facebook ads do you click per month? 0 - 1- 2- 3- 4-5-6 etc I still know its corporate welfare for attempts of consolidation of public forum of such scale size...rather than allowing somebody else to have done it on their own. If it weren't a persued angle , then Myspace wouldnt have faked that 'Tom' was the grassroots programmer. we agree to disagree apparently.
It doesn't matter what you think. It doesn't matter what I think. It doesn't matter what the Digital Point community thinks in regards to FaceBooks ads. People are clicking hence why they are generating revenue. It's Pay Per Click..... not Pay Per Ad Impression.. You are ignorant and honestly make no sense. Get educated.
It's not real value - the impact value of Facebook is regarded as immense, and it is, but I doubt the real revenue comes from the little text ads - I'm thinking the real value of Facebook is hooking people, and then hold competitions etc. But of course, some of the text ads DO generate revenue - I know, I've used them. On another note - not all Facebook ads are "pay pr click" - they also have page impressions, where you pay pr. 100 or 1000 views. Do I, personally, click on ads? No. Never. Not on Facebook, not anywhere else. I do, however, enter pages from companies I know and have already liked, which might lead to their "bargain of the week" or something similar. There's a point to having AdBlock and simliar in your browser. I hate it whenever I use someone else's computer, where they're not running any kind of adblock, and I all of a sudden see how horrible most webpages containing ads are.
With over 1 billion accounts and an extremely high retention rate it isn't hard to believe they are generating billions from ads. Most ppl use fb multiple times a day and are constantly exposed to ads.