What must I do? OK once I have a domain for it and an idea what the site is going to be about, I'll have to decide on a software, right? Which one is the best to use? Once the software is installed I will have to set it up. And after that I need to manage the site (troubleshooting / manage users,fight spammers, the usual). How time consuming is that?
I will recommend Scuttle. It is a free open source software for creating social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us. Scuttle code is available from sourceforge.net.Scuttle is Ajaxified. It generates RSS feeds too. cooool, rt?
If you have never built a site before it is going to cost you a lot of money to make/maintain it and get the word out. you will be better off just hiring someone to do it all for you.
I will have to look into Scuttle. It's not the first web site I am going to create and I have experience with DNN, some JOOMLA and DRUPAL. Needless to say that I've used blogging and social bookmarking sites as well. Oh yes, I've recently set up a phpLD directory. So while I'm not a programming expert (I got background in engineering and some social sciences), I think that I will be able to cope with it, if the software is working without bugs and rational in its functioning. What I have in mind is a review sites (for books, cars whatever). There can be different user types like authors, readers and expert critiques. Of course there will be a division in different genres were the small review is posted. The other users can then post and comment. The different user types will have different authorities and priviledges. Did I say I also need some mods that can bounce off spammers and people talking trash?!
I use Joomla. I do not own a forum or review site, but I know of "Dugg Plazza". It is supposedly a software that makes Joomla into site just like digg.com I could not find a working example.
There are many of them free and fee. Free is Ning (basic features), for a fee, there's socialsitecreator.com, datingsitecreator.com, crowdvine.com, onesite.com, kickapps.com
OK, what have we: Joomla + Dugg Plazza socialsitecreator.com, datingsitecreator.com, crowdvine.com, onesite.com, kickapps.com and scuttle. I will have to have a look into that. I know the problem with some application is that they still have a lot of bugs and you have to fix them afterwards. I don't want that, I want to use the application like DNN / Joomla (the basic versions).