There has been a rising trend to start social networking sites and if you also have the same intentions of controlling a web site as an entire package that will include the branding, attractive domain name, food features, the designing, community rules, and the most important of all, a good database, then the best and easiest way to go about starting your own social networking site from your server is installing a software designed for building the social networking web site.

If you try looking for such software, you will realize that there are many scripts available, paid and free, which will help you run your own social networking site, but the question that is to be asked is – how many of these are good, stable, and at the same time, easy to implement?

Following are some of the reliable open-source software for building a good social networking site. You may choose any of them:

1. Elgg

No one can doubt the usability of Elgg as it has won the award for the best social networking software in the year 2008 and moreover, it is open-source software. Some of the great features of Elgg include writing blogs, creating communities, networking, and giving news feeds. Along with these, Elgg also offers a file sharing facility. It is complete in every sense for providing you with all the tools that you will need to create and run a social networking site successfully.

Elgg runs on LAMP (LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MySql, PHP) environment. Its installation process is simple and it can be easily configured. If you have a basic knowledge of PHP, you will be able to start and run your web site in a jiffy.

2. Mahara

Mahara is little different from the other networking software which are meant for creating a web site that is used for a generic purpose. Mahara is a platform through which users can present their experience, learning, talents, various skills, and other developments to defined and selected audiences. Mahara actually creates a platform where you can create your e-Portfolio as also a learning community. Some special features of Mahara include blogs, a bio-data (resume) builder, institutional details, space for file management, and an overall feeling of social networking since one can also add friends and maintain them using this platform.

Like Elgg, Mahara too requires LAMP environment to install.

3. Lovd by Less

Lovd by Les is one of the first open-source software built for creating social networking sites that is created on Ruby on Rails. Even today, very few software are built on Ruby on Rails. Lovd by Less’s features include creation of photo gallery (facility of writing captions), blog, search facility for friends, and messaging between users. Even YouTube and Flickr integration is provided.

Lovd by Less also contains almost all applications that you would love to have on your web site and it is very easy and simple to use. If you rely on Ruby on Rails rather than PHP, it would be definitely a better option.

4. Xoops (with Yogurt Extension)

Xoops helps you build web sites according to your needs. You can begin to create the website by writing a personal blog and then expand its scope to social networking and even forums.

Yogurt is a module which helps you in building a social networking web site particularly with Xoops.

5. AROUNDMe

Another of the software that can help in setting up a social networking site, this is different from others but in the sense that it lets the users set up social networking sites, web space or community. Therefore with AROUNDMe a social networking site is not just built but users have access to features like a forum, a group blog, a guestbook or a wall as it is known and a wiki. These can be enabled in the web pages created by the user. The user has the authority to decide whether the group would be public or private as each group with the use of JavaScript, PHP, CSS and xHTML is fully customizable.

6. Anahita

The Nooku framework is behind the Anahita that is a social networking platform built as the Joomla extensions. Ease of use and management of data is provided by Amazon Cloud Storage with which Anahita has integration. The OpenID is supported by Anahita. The users of Anahita are provided with an Ajaxed interface that supports powerful messaging and profile management.

7. Community Engine

Being an open source plug in for Ruby on Rails, the Community Engine provides all those features that are common to social networking applications. These features are as follows:

• User profiles and authentication
• Uploading of photos
• Blogs with tagging
• Private messages and forums
• Activity feeds and friendship
• Other features

8. BuddyPress

The WordPress MU installation can be easily converted into a social networking site with the help of BuddyPress. The BuddyPress can be described as a set of themes and plug-ins of WordPress. There are many features in this like:

• forums
• friendship
• private messaging
• activity stream
• groupingMany other features

Besides the above mentioned list of the eight best open source networking software, there are certain other software too. These are Dolphin, Phpizabi and Insoshi. Each of the software along with the others that has been mentioned briefly above is capable of providing the best platform for social networking websites. The most important factor of using open source networking software is the benefits that the software provides. The open source networking software provides the organizational benefits like stability, reliability, flexibility, auditability, freedom, cost and support and accountability.

Hence when developers are in a hurry to launch in a new application, open source networking software are the best option as the turnaround and marketing is rapid and the tools and software can be downloaded quickly. Therefore with so many benefits in the foray it is easy to set up a social networking site with the help of the above given software and each of these has its own advantages.