Open Source Social Network Tools

There are many popular social networks like Digg, YouTube or MySpace, but few of them offer the flexibility and freedom that come from developing one yourself using open source social network tools.

Whether or not you realize it, you've likely experienced a number of social network tools. If you've ever visited a discussion forum with its own built in "messaging" system, or a file sharing website with its own chat room, then you've experienced the power of social network tools.

Social network tools are the components that make up a social networking website. Any number of these might be used together on the same site.

• Chat Room (Instant Messaging)
• Filesharing
• Bookmarking
• Forum Discussions
• Email or Private Messages
• Comments or Guest Book

Each of these components of a social network are actually web-based applications. There are two families of these, either proprietary software for sale from a company, or open-source applications used and modified by many users.

"Open source" is a form of software licensing that allows for free redistribution and open access to the source code of the application. However, it is actually much more than that. Open source has become a social and ethical belief system with a very large cultural following. Programmers around the world seek to uphold the idea that software should be free, and it should be a collaborative effort.

The following criteria define what it means when software is "open source".

1. The software can be sold or given away, but royalties are never paid for an open source license.
2. When the program is distributed, it should also include the source code in a form that is easy to modify.
3. An open source license allows programmers who modify the software to redistribute the newer version.
4. Some open source licenses do require that the original source code remain untouched, although new versions can be released with additional source code and under a new version number.
5. The rights granted with the original software distribution are granted to all subsequent releases of the same software, even if it's a different distribution.
6. An open source license doesn't place restrictions on other software that can be used within subsequent distributions in addition to the original source code.
7. Programmers who write open source software seek to make that software independent of the platform, or computer, on which it is run.

A social network might consist of many smaller components of social network tools, such as chat rooms, forums, or messaging systems, but there is also open source software available that provides an entire social network in one package. These are called "platforms."

• PHPizabi is an excellent social network package with three admin security levels as well as bruteforce protection. The software uses PHP, MySQL, and is configured to run on Apache or IIS web server. For open source software, the array of features is impressive. PHPizabi includes an internal message system, online status display, private photo galleries, chat rooms, friend invitations, and even a profile "match" feature (great for dating websites).
• phpFox is one of the most impressive open source social network packages due to the advanced features the latest version includes. Using phpFox, social network website owners can enable a video module, music module, instant messaging, live chat, content tagging, and a number of additional advanced features. Based on PHP and mySQL, phpFox provides a solid foundation for a very professional social network.
• Drupal is a very popular open source content management package, but it has enough social network features included to make it valuable in creating an entire website. Drupal features blogs, RSS feeds, online book publication, discussion forums, pod casting, picture galleries and much more. This "content management system" actually outperforms many other open source applications in functionality.
• elgg is a fairly new open source social network platform. Like most others, it is based on PHP and MySQL, but what makes it unique is its flexibility. The platform is also aesthetically pleasing, so starting from scratch the website will look great. Standard features include blogging, forums, file sharing, pod casting and many other great tools. There are also powerful add-on modules available, including Galleria gallery, Imageflow, River 0.2, and PHPLIST integration.

Sometimes webmasters don't require an entire platform, but instead have a need for specific tools, such as a blog, chat room, or forum. There are a number of software packages available that provide these specific needs.

Social Bookmarking: Bookmarking systems are where groups of internet users recommend websites. Some examples include TagManage, Scuttle, or Magnolia.

Chat Rooms: Chat rooms allow multiple users to communicate via text in "real-time." Some open source chat rooms include PHPOpenChat, Chatty, or phpFreeChat.

Forums: Forums allow a large number of internet visitors to hold various threads of discussions under different categories and topics. There are many choices for open source forum software, including PhpBB, Php-Nuke, WWWBoard, and Zorum.

Filesharing: Filesharing is a method of connecting many computer systems around the world for the purpose of sharing music, videos, games, and other files. Most content producers who expect royalties from sales frown upon this activity, but that doesn't stop people from doing it. Some software applications that serve this purpose includes Ares P2P, eMule, or Azureus.

Whether it's a fully functioning platform or just a single component, installing these applications usually require several steps. These steps, generally, include downloading the files to your web host, configuring the files (if necessary), and installing the appropriate tables in the mySQL or Oracle database that supports the software. The great thing about open source software is that the fun doesn't end once it's installed and working. If it doesn't work the way you like, you are free to modify the source code however you like.

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