RE: FN-FORUM: Format/platform options for large government funded website

date posted 3rd March 2008 18:56

Hi Duncan

> Hoping to start a bit of conversation here about the building of a
> fairly large website which will be developed and maintained primarily
> through government funding.

My quick thoughts:

1. Building a social networking site from scratch would be expensive and
time-consuming. As pointed out by Lee, visitors are likely to be hard to
convince to participate, because users tend to pick a networking site they
like (typically the one which their peers use) and stick with it, rather
than actively participating in multiple social networks.

2. "Microsite" is marketing speak for a standard website (albeit tightly
targeted); don't let the buzzwords cloud your thoughts!

3. If you want a hybrid approach, build a Facebook app
(http://developer.facebook.com) to tap into existing social networks, then
link into the targeted "microsite".

Cheers, Ben

--
Ben Johnson, Neogic Web Solutions
// design . development . managed hosting

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