How can I start a website that is similar to facebook where U can customize ur profile & search 4 ppl?

[usfentrepreneur]

I already have the idea and have pitched it to a couple investors and they are interested but want to see a Beta version of the site. I'm in college and don't have a lot of capital right now and I have tried getting other students to help but they are always unreliable.I have a basic site up right now but it is just a static page with basic info. I have put ads in the university paper and on sites like craigs list but have gotten random responses from people. I have used this concept/idea for my marketing plan in one of my classes and also completed a business plan for another. Would a traditional lender write me a loan for a venture like this since they site will be the only tangible asset to the company? Any suggestions would be great.

[Matthew Z]

The answer to this really depends on your idea. Also, do you have any web development experience. If you are looking for software to help you develop the site, obviously software like Dreamweaver would great. As this costs a considerabe amount of money and time, you may want to look into free portal software that is widely available on the internet. Try sites like tutorialized.com, hotscripts.com, and download.com. Depending on the language you are going to use for the site, I reccommend 2 great software packages: DotNetNuke and PHPNuke. As far as getting a small business loan with your circumstances, this can be very difficult. You may need to approach the three F's to obtain intial financing (Friends, Family, and Fools). On a positive note, however, is that completing a Beta version of your interactive portal can be achieved by anyone who takes the time to learn and puts in the hard work to build (all the information and software can be obtained on the Web if you know the right places to look). Good Luck!