I'm doing research on Web 2.0 sites and I'm trying to find out how long it would take to make a site like Facebook.

Figured this would be a good place to start and find referrals.

4/10/2008 8:57:35 PM

BUZZWORD BINGO

4/10/2008 9:17:11 PM

This thread is going places.

[Edited on April 10, 2008 at 9:21 PM. Reason : ]

4/10/2008 9:20:34 PM

depends. Are you planning on synergying your enterprise with AJAX and mySQL or would you rather leverage the knowledge of the open source community and create a net neutral mobile platform on a 3G VoIP network?

4/10/2008 9:23:34 PM

The former.

4/10/2008 10:10:29 PM

^^ excellent post

4/10/2008 10:17:03 PM

to make a site like facebook? I'm guessing a few years and a several million dollars.

To buy a site like facebook and get it operational? 10-20K and 6 months with a few full time staff.

To throw money and get a working, viable site without any fuss? 50k should get you something worthwhile from a consulting firm.

4/10/2008 10:24:22 PM

in other words, if you dont have lots of cash, then trying to make one yourself is a waste of time because by the time you finally get it to a point where its usable and inviting and worth joining, the concept will be dead and people will be using other newer technologies, like peer to peer video networking/communicating/sharing, and simply using a social network will have ZERO use to people.

4/10/2008 10:46:43 PM

making a site is easy. attracting and maintaining a community is where the money's at

4/10/2008 11:17:24 PM

I'm not trying to create another social networking site, but a site utilizing the extensive code.

4/10/2008 11:20:07 PM

i'm not trying to be an ass, but based on what info you've given it is pretty much impossible for anyone to accurately answer your question.

4/10/2008 11:35:47 PM

There are dozens of social networking web apps you can purchase and modify yourself. They go from free (open source) to 10-20k in price.

4/10/2008 11:37:06 PM

Depends on what side of the equation you are on

A) As many hours as you can bill for

B) As long as you can afford

4/10/2008 11:38:13 PM

Sorry for the vaguery. I've had to sign a number of NDA's. It's a dynamic site that is ad supported where-in users vote and rate on a number of factors. It's supposed to revolutionize the survey industry.

I've consulted a number of sites and it sounds like with a full team working 40 hours on salary, it would take about six weeks.

Thanks for the help!

4/10/2008 11:48:47 PM

One more question.

Is this stuff more commonly contracted or do people get paid a salary?

4/11/2008 12:28:54 AM

You will want a mix of both.

To maintain the site you will NEED people on salary. The people who are going to end up supporting it should also be central in the site's creation.

4/11/2008 1:21:29 AM

yup,

Let the full timers decide the structure/design/framework whatever ...

Then, go to odesk.com, and get some indians to code it all for you to spec, with documentation and everything.

4/11/2008 7:09:20 AM

Quote :

"to make a site like facebook? I'm guessing a few years and a several million dollars."

thats not entirely accurate. Maybe to get a site to where facebook is now as far as popularity and features. But putting togther a social networking site would only take a matter of months to develop with a small team of developers...and another couple of months to QA. I'd say 5-6 months depending on the scale of the site. But since its not going to be a huge site to begin with then maybe not even that long.

4/11/2008 8:21:33 AM

Quote :

"Let the full timers decide the structure/design/framework whatever ... Then, go to odesk.com, and get some indians to code it all for you to spec, with documentation and everything."

this is how most good apps get created

4/11/2008 9:10:43 AM

^are you joking?

4/11/2008 11:41:19 AM

^^are you joking?

4/11/2008 11:50:09 AM

Depending on the breadth, 3000-4000 development hours would be a good start.

4/11/2008 12:33:18 PM

Quote :

"^are you joking?"

duh?

4/11/2008 1:11:22 PM

^ its not like hes trying to create something that hasnt been done before...

Indian programmers are terrific at copying code and designs from successful applications.

Now, if he had given us some specifics regarding a useful application, or hinted that it was something that would need to be well thought out and new conceptually, well then I would have never suggested outsourcing it.

4/11/2008 2:30:08 PM

Quote :

"I'm not trying to create another social networking site, but a site utilizing the extensive code."

What does that mean anyway ??? utilize the extensive code? You mean, like the backend code/javascript/ect platform, or the actual facebook code itself?

Your description is too confusing for anyone here to really give you a good assessment.

4/11/2008 2:33:24 PM

http://www.scriptcopy.com/facebook-clone-script/

4/11/2008 3:04:47 PM

easier to hire other people who specialize in their fields. You can build a whole career learning and dealing with mysql databases. While, it's a good thing to be knowledgeable in different codes for development, you'll never get anything done in the kind of time frame you'd expect. Unless you are some sort of genius and got your 3rd phd at the age of 14...

4/11/2008 5:17:37 PM

^having 1 skill set to focus on is a bad idea...thats how you become a dinosaur. However, taking on a task like this solo is equally stupid.

4/11/2008 5:35:25 PM

^depends greatly. specializing only makes you a dinosaur if you specialize in a dead area.

4/11/2008 5:48:30 PM

is this a serious question?

4/11/2008 7:56:48 PM

Are you considering utilizing a paradigm shift?

That'll cost extra.

4/11/2008 8:12:32 PM

i lol everytime i see the word leverage

4/11/2008 8:57:40 PM

Quote :

"having 1 skill set to focus on is a bad idea...thats how you become a dinosaur. However, taking on a task like this solo is equally stupid."

I didn't say you should only have 1 skill set. What I'm saying is to focus in one particular area of coding. C++ and javascript is practically the same thing and php very similar. Do what you know and can do best than trying to learn and limp along the way. It's fine for learning stuff, but to do any serious coding, it will not work, specially if you try to half-ass it without a clear set plan or goal.

I was just referencing the mysql database because it's so vast, you can practically do anything with it. in terms of software development. I know some php, css, javascript, and such to get by and build shit, but it usually takes me a bit longer than others.

4/12/2008 2:45:05 AM

<?php
echo "Hello World";
?>

4/12/2008 2:49:20 AM

^should say "Hello World, This is thefacebook!"

4/12/2008 10:41:47 AM

Quote :

"I was just referencing the mysql database because it's so vast, you can practically do anything with it. in terms of software development. I know some php, css, javascript, and such to get by and build shit, but it usually takes me a bit longer than others."

well as i said...its equally stupid to take on a job like this solo. What I was saying is that, yes you should have 1 guy focus on mysql, another couple on php, one for UI design etc etc...but its a good idea to be knowledgeable in other areas too. Makes the process a lot smoother when you have multi-skilled guys/girls that can plan ahead and keep in mind what can and can't be done in other areas. Plus it helps speed things along if you have a small team and they can help out in other areas depending on the work load.

4/12/2008 1:29:36 PM

^^^ i came in here to do post that.

4/12/2008 5:34:55 PM

Quote :

"I was just referencing the mysql database because it's so vast, you can practically do anything with it. "

Uh no, it's not. MySQL is the candyland of database board games. It has SO many limitations that make it useless for anything but small, single-tier web apps.

Quote :

" C++ and javascript is practically the same thing and php very similar. "

Also absolutely retardedly wrong. C++ and javascript are absolutely polar opposites both in practical terms and in theory.

4/13/2008 4:07:37 AM

Quote :

"Sorry for the vaguery. I've had to sign a number of NDA's."

this makes me laugh out loud. dude's on TDUB asking tech questions, but then cites NDAs.




reminds me of when i was at the bus stop on way to work, and some geeky dude was telling me how he's a video game tester for Microsoft. (Now I know he's actually working for a temp agency, who does contract work for MSFT, and puts all these $10-$12 contractors in a special building way far off-campus.)

so i'm trying to be friendly and i say "oh really? sounds cool. what kind of games are you testing?" He looks at me with all seriousness, and says "I'm not at liberty to discuss that. I've signed an NDA".

lolwutdafuckeva.

man, i sorted through Bill Gates' spam for two months on their EHS anti-malware team. i had access to every fucking Microsoft EHS customer sensitive business and personal emails. The antimalware system processed 30 billion emails per week.

it was a fucking joke. my NDA consisted of "you're gonna have to look at porn. you cant sue Microsoft for making you look at porn."

4/13/2008 6:28:37 AM

I've signed a lot of NDA's. There is nothing wrong with that. My clients have me sign them since they will be discussing business matters that aren't public knowledge. Not to mention I had to sign one for my full-time job.

Its one thing to talk about what you do and its another to talk about specifics. Although coming here and asking for specific help without giving us any specific info because of an 'NDA' is pretty retarded. Maybe we should all digitally sign one so spontaneous can give us more info lol.


X:____________________ sign here plz.

4/13/2008 12:57:58 PM

NDAs are no big deal... I've signed more of those than I can shake a fist at, including some with agencies that can throw me in prison, especially if I commit an export (ie talking to my girlfriend)

4/13/2008 1:02:41 PM

x Robster

Consider it signed.

4/14/2008 3:34:14 PM

Quote :

"Uh no, it's not. MySQL is the candyland of database board games. It has SO many limitations that make it useless for anything but small, single-tier web apps."

Uptime: 70581 Threads: 3 Questions: 37152913 Slow queries: 0 Opens: 0 Flush tables: 1 Open tables: 64 Queries per second avg: 526.387

I don't know, it holds up pretty well, all things considered.

4/14/2008 3:46:12 PM

^To be honest, those numbers really don't say much.

MySQL has always been about 15 years behind the competition. It was only with the latest release (2005) of MySQL did we get triggers, views, cursors, stored procedures, and functions. But on the bright side, I hear 6.0 is supposed to give us native foreign key constraints.

4/14/2008 7:40:21 PM

woah, woah, everybody stop. you just posted a [link] and i see an image. i'm scared

4/14/2008 8:50:12 PM

Quote :

"Uptime: 70581 Threads: 3 Questions: 37152913 Slow queries: 0 Opens: 0 Flush tables: 1 Open tables: 64 Queries per second avg: 526.387 I don't know, it holds up pretty well, all things considered."

Don't get me wrong, I love MySQL. But I realized pretty quickly the major limitations for anything other than fairly flat, instant commit databases (IE small tier websites). And I said that in response to JBaz claiming that as a skill set to focus on.

If I interviewed a DB Admin, and he claimed his skillset was a MySQL expert, it'd be like the "I'm a web developer, I know PHP" tagline. Chances are a couple of questions about transactions, triggers and views would leave him with a stunned look on his face. And I barely understand it all myself

4/14/2008 9:51:41 PM

so what's this about x% of Google being build on custom mySQL? or was it Yahoo? One or both of those companies supposed use/used huge amounts of mySQL.

4/14/2008 9:56:48 PM

i thought it was both too

4/14/2008 10:04:44 PM

Would you trust your bank account on a MySQL database?

4/14/2008 10:50:00 PM

Are you sure you don't?

[Edited on April 15, 2008 at 12:10 PM. Reason : Edited to say more than likely you don't, but do you know for sure?]

4/15/2008 12:09:52 PM