Truth be told, though it might be fun for users to surf through different social networking sites, It's not so for the backend staff. Below are some of the problem every social network owner has to battle.

1: Spam: YOUR WEBSITE WILL GET SPAMMED with millions of fake accounts, Most of them coming from china and Egypt. You have to work day and night to remove spam accounts. If you are like me, give a 30Days grace warning before taking down the accounts.

2: Hacking: Every website faces the risk of getting hacked. Mine got hacked, my admin account got deleted but i got is back anyway. You need to upgrade your security regularly, Don't go for cheap hosting services and security. Go for the very best.

3: Bandwidth: Once people start registering, uploading pictures and making use of your website in general , it takes alot of bandwidth. Contact your host and talk to them. Let them know you run a social network and they'll know what to do. Worst case scenario, GET A DEDICATED SERVER

4: Data space: Pictures, music, video, database, all use up data space so i advice you go for the above mentioned solution.

5: Website control: You should have the controls to your website at the tip of your fingers. You should be able to debug any problem, respond to any request and most importantly you must be able SHUTDOWN THE WEBSITE for security reasons without deleting any files or at lease turn the website offline. (Mine has been offline since july 9th because its still under development and i'm already taking down fake accounts).

6: Design: This is what most Nigerian webmasters fail to take note of. Your design matters alot!!!! If you have a wack design, You won't have any user at all (Except your family members because they have no choice) make sure your design is exciting(Don't throw in too many wild colors) and make sure your website is responsive.

7: Support: You must be available to attend to support requests 24/7 or at least 12/7

If you really want a social network and can't meet up with the above list. You can also look into getting one designed for you or Buying an already designed one (Could be very expensive).


So if your website meets all that, you would be just fine .............................................................................................for now

you should read this

Dude i still consider myself a learner despite my knowledge of html, css,javascript and jquery.....dats y i still use WAPKA,i will switch to web hosting very soon and i will take dis advice seriously because a couple of months ago, i thought i was ready and i thought i was ready to leave wapka then i saw a web hosting service in Naija that was doing cheap hosting, huge bandwidth and storage.
Then i hosted my first website for a month....before i knew it,they shut down and i kudnt recover my data and i didnt get wat i paid for.....Well the journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.....its common among young enthusiastic webmasters

^^^ There are free foreign hosts you can start with. x10hosting is not bad. There are even reputable and secured hosts that are cheap as well (around N800 per month).

MrAnonymous: ^^^ There are free foreign hosts you can start with. x10hosting is not bad. There are even reputable and secured hosts that are cheap as well (around N800 per month).

bros, am young oh, that money i used for cheap hosting was a gift.....i dont even have a bank account.
I will use wapka till i turn 18

ClintonNzedimma: bros, am young oh, that money i used for cheap hosting was a gift.....i dont even have a bank account.
I will use wapka till i turn 18

Good luck.

ClintonNzedimma: bros, am young oh, that money i used for cheap hosting was a gift.....i dont even have a bank account.
I will use wapka till i turn 18

Take my advice seriously and you will be fine

callmejulian:
Take my advice seriously and you will be fine

thanks....NO CHEAP HOSTING

I use Wapka also. I know HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

MrAnonymous: ^^^ There are free foreign hosts you can start with. x10hosting is not bad. There are even reputable and secured hosts that are cheap as well (around N800 per month).

#800 per month?

fattbabakay: #800 per month?

cheap host, lower level of security.

fattbabakay: #800 per month?

Too cheap or too expensive? Anyway, most webhosts charge $4 to $5 per month for their starter/beginner plans. That's around N845 and that was the amount I used to pay for my first hosting plan. Professional plans are around $30/month (5K).

callmejulian:
cheap host, lower level of security.

Um, Hostgator hatching plan costs $5.56/month.
Perhaps you should've said cheap hosting, not cheap "host", while they can be used interchangeably in most cases, they actually mean two different things. Cheers.

MrAnonymous: Too cheap or too expensive? Anyway, most webhosts charge $4 to $5 per month for their starter/beginner plans. That's around N845 and that was the amount I used to pay for my first hosting plan. Professional plans are around $30/month (5K).

Abeg Month of Year??