Building Custom Social Networking Websites
by James Gonzalez
Start the free chapterIn this VTC course, author James Gonzalez reviews the best tools and practices for designing and creating Facebook-like social networking web sites customized for specific targeted audiences or needs. This course covers the principles needed to design effective and profitable social sites and the best tools available for building them. Four social website building tools are introduced in this course: Ning, Moodle, WordPress running the BuddyPress social plug-in, and Joomla! running the JomSocial and Community Builder Components.
Course content
Course Introduction3 lessons
What is a Social Network?5 lessons
Elements of a Social Network10 lessons
Planning Your Online Community6 lessons
Getting Started6 lessons
Building a Social Network with NING11 lessons
- Enrolling & Setting Up a Site5:421 credit or ad
- Resources for Getting Started4:391 credit or ad
- Setting Layouts with Design Studio6:351 credit or ad
- Changing Site Colors with Design Studio8:051 credit or ad
- Customizing Member Settings6:161 credit or ad
- Setting Member & Content Controls4:201 credit or ad
- Setting Privacy / Language / Features6:151 credit or ad
- Adding & Removing Features6:561 credit or ad
- Adding Apps6:571 credit or ad
- Modifying Menu Tabs3:351 credit or ad
- FaceBook Integration & Other Tools7:091 credit or ad
Building Social Networks with WordPress11 lessons
- WordPress Social Sites with Buddy Press3:491 credit or ad
- WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org4:001 credit or ad
- Auto-Installing WordPress with a Script5:171 credit or ad
- Self-Installing WordPress to a Server7:561 credit or ad
- Installing the BuddyPress Plugin5:021 credit or ad
- Configuring BuddyPress Social Components5:391 credit or ad
- Customizing User Profiles6:371 credit or ad
- Create Test Users to Learn BuddyPress6:001 credit or ad
- Creating Blog Posts4:571 credit or ad
- Creating Pages & Menus3:291 credit or ad
- Where to Learn More4:171 credit or ad
Building Social Learning Sites with Moodle13 lessons
- Introduction to the Moodle5:561 credit or ad
- Auto-Installing Moodle on Your Host6:031 credit or ad
- Self-Installing Moodle pt. 14:581 credit or ad
- Self-Installing Moodle pt. 26:171 credit or ad
- Configuring Your Admin Account3:261 credit or ad
- Creating Courses6:541 credit or ad
- Adding & Moving Course Blocks5:331 credit or ad
- Adding Course Resources7:081 credit or ad
- Assignments / Forums / Other Activities7:011 credit or ad
- Creating & Configuring Quizzes7:231 credit or ad
- Site Appearance & Themes4:491 credit or ad
- Finding & Installing More Themes5:341 credit or ad
- Where to Go from Here3:561 credit or ad
Building Social Networking Sites with Joomla!18 lessons
- Joomla! Features & Advantages7:351 credit or ad
- Auto-Installing Joomla! on Your Host4:091 credit or ad
- Self-Installing Joomla pt. 16:321 credit or ad
- Self-Installing Joomla pt. 25:251 credit or ad
- A Tour of the Joomla! Workspace4:341 credit or ad
- Creating Articles & Categories5:021 credit or ad
- Building & Configuring Menus5:511 credit or ad
- Creating & Positioning Menus6:281 credit or ad
- Extending the Functionality of Joomla!5:121 credit or ad
- Advantages of Using Joomla! & CB5:011 credit or ad
- CB Features & Capabilities7:091 credit or ad
- CB Configuration Possibilities5:201 credit or ad
- Installing Community Builder6:231 credit or ad
- Intro to the JomSocial Component5:321 credit or ad
- JomSocial Features & Capabilities5:521 credit or ad
- Configuring JomSocial pt. 15:381 credit or ad
- Configuring JomSocial pt. 25:051 credit or ad
- Installing the JomSocial Component4:421 credit or ad