Social media platform / software

[FoundByDesign]

You could also consider BuddyPress.org ...

[FoundByDesign]

Shall I order a dedicated server?

I use KnownHost, which is an American hosting co. What I like is that I started with a small VPS that they manage for me and the cost was less than $30 a month. As I grow, I can upgrade with no problems.

If you are expecting larger server needs in the future, look at those now and find the best options... then look backwards with their smaller packages for the time being. Its easier to upgrade servers with the same company than it is to try and move from one company to the next.

[kgun]

Thank you for that information. I may use that in the future. Do you know anything about Dedicated servers, dedicated hosting, affordable dedicated solutions at ServerPronto that has been in the business for a while. Their starter dedicated server starts at $32.95 / month.

[FoundByDesign]

kgun,
I do not know about them specifically. What I can advise is to look at their larger servers (price, support, management, options, etc) and if you think they have what you want when it's time to upgrade there, then seriously consider starting with them at a lower package.
I would also talk to them, preferably in all methods they offer (email, chat, phone) so that you can get a feel for their customer support and service. Ask them how easy things are to upgrade and if they help you with managing the server. If you aren't familiar with technical parts of managing a server, it can be quite a challenge. The first time I got an email letting me know the named failed, I freaked out! I had no idea what it was (its a service used to make the nameservers work properly on a server) but after a quick email to my host company, they explored the problem and made a couple changes to minimize it happening again! When I made a couple small changes to the server configuration and basically broke my email, they went in and fixed it in moments. That is the type of service you want to have, if you don't know how to properly manage things.
Good luck... moving from a "shared host" to something more dedicated is a big step, and a whole new world!
Ed

[FoundByDesign]

You could also consider BuddyPress.org ...

As a matter of fact, I am working on a social network site for web professionals and webmasters using Buddypress... I will let you know how it works out!

[nichita2008]

Pligg and Drigg are other solutions. Pligg is a little bit difficult to use but Drigg looks very promissing.

[kgun]

1. Are both social media / network platforms?
2. Do they use PHP and if yes, which version?
3. Personally I am sceptical in february 26 2010 about platforms that do not support PHP 5.+ and even PHP 6 dev.
4. There are a lot of new and advanced features in PHP 5 / 6, not least namespaces and object overloading that can drastically reduce your code and increase performance.