How long will it take and how much will it cost to get a social networking site up and running?

[Jeff H]

I know there are many skill sets involved in designing, programming, promoting and managing websites. I want to get my money's worth - so I would like to hear from people in all these fields.

[turbochargeman]

Hi,
Well in theory, you can get a social network up and running for next to nothing. You can go to http://www.ning.com and set one up for free that includes all the main features of a social network such as profiles, forums and blogs. It's all easy to maintain via your web browser.

The hard part is marketing and promoting your social network. It's best to target a particular niche that is underserved and would have people who have a need to conenct with like-minded individuals.

There's a search engine recently launched where you can find other niche social networks and even promote your own with a free listing. It's called findasocialnetwork.com