Social Marketing Strategies from Social Marketing Expert Peter Lenkefi

Looking to start your own social networking? There are many choices available that can help you begin a profitable online community, one that is designed like MySpace or Facebook.

You can even offer paid memberships, making your profits soar. Three of the most popular choices right now include Ning, Handshakes, and AlstaSoft eFriends software programs. Not all programs are created equal, so let’s review the pros and cons of these three.

Ning.com - This website is perfect for someone wanting to create their own social network, about anything. If you are not ready to create your own network, there are thousands that you can join.

The pros of Ning include that it is easy to use, flexible, and it integrates easily with Facebook and Flickr, upload any pictures and promote your Ning site on those sites, too. You can purchase premium services, such as hosting on your own domain so that you can make money from ad space, if that’s what you’re looking for.

The cons of Ning are really few; some say it is confusing to learn how to use because it is so flexible and there are so many ways to use it. Also, there is no quick link to your particular social network right from the main site. Takes a few clicks to get there.

HandShakes - This is a fully-customizable social networking software program that allows you to build a social networking service using a membership-type system. Pros of HandShakes include the excellent admin console, tag clouds, profiles with flexible questions, audio and video blogging, classifieds, event calendars, forums, and more.

Cons of HandShakes include that it can be difficult or confusing to make modifications. Limited documentation may make it difficult for a less-skilled programmer to make changes because of a zend-encoded script. Some complaints have been made about slow customer service for handling questions or concerns.

AlstraSoft eFriends - Another one of the many online social networking scripts that help you to start your own membership community, AlstraSoft eFriends has many flexible features. Personal networks, online friends, matchmaking, dating services, blogging, and more make AlstraSoft eFriends a popular choice. Pros of AlstraSoft eFriends include responsive customer support, customizable features, ability to upload photos, and an advanced admin control panel.
Cons of AlstraSoft include difficult features that require programming skills, and there are many steps involved to get the networks up and running smoothly with the ability to upload pictures and have members be fully interactive.