New to site

Sorry but new to this site today but need some help to guide me through the necessary steps to create my own social platform and after a lot of web surfing STUMBLED UPON this site!!!

Please switch this post to the appropriate topic if need be but  I need a bit of help on navigating here cos am an ex NING creator and my site was demolished by ning and they no longer even recognise my sign-in details and was able to download to my desktop via adobe air my site details!!

I am desperately trying to recreate my website similar to my ning.com site!! I am not technology minded but still a bit advanced in computer jargon!!

I have, for the moment, updated to advanced but will advance further if I feel this site offers my objectives!!

Thanks in advance for any help given

Alanespana

You can start by downloading Dolphin (http://www.boonex.com/dolphin/download/) and installing it onto your server (http://www.boonex.com/trac/dolphin/wiki/DetailedInstall).

You should also make sure your server meets the recommended requirements, or else you'll run into a lot of headaches: http://www.boonex.com/trac/dolphin/wiki/DolTech

Once installed, you can install all desired modules from Administration > Tools > Modules. You can access your administration panel from http://example.com/administration/.

If you need any further assistance, let me know. You can also try searching around the forums, as chances are, your question may have already been answered.

Thanks your quick reply, greatly appreciated!!

When you say my server, do you mean my computer or my prospective website?

This is where my computer know-how starts downsliding!!!

I am referring to where you will be hosting the site (which I hope isn't your home computer).

No, not my PC.

Have a .com account at godaddy is this sufficient?

I've heard mixed things about them. You should forward the requirements to their support team and see what they say.

Oh god. You might want to reconsider that

OK I'm now more confused!!!!!

Heh...

@OP: I suppose if you want one of the best hosting experiences with Dolphin, you should go with Terabyte Hosting Solutions, which offers Dolphin-specific hosting.

Any suggestions for a .com registry host which will support dolphin, I'm completely in the dark here, bear in mind that at NING they done everything for you and just supported the host and supplied the different modules!!!

Perhaps this site isn't a good idea and I should stick to my earlier instincts of using socialgo.com???

I made my suggestion above, but others may have their own opinions. Most (if not all) hosting providers also offer domains, so you shouldn't have to worry about that.

Dolphin is a beast in nature, and isn't for the weak of heart. If you're not comfortable with managing a software which will require tweaking to get things working right, you may want to stick to a service which does the software and hosting management for you.

IMHO, (and I really mean that) Dolphin is a fantastic script. It is also finicky and requires substantial resources from your server. If you are on a Godaddy shared setup and your site is going to have more than 5 members, I think you're creating a major headache for yourself.

My site has around 300 active members and there is no way i could run it on a shared account. I do not know how much you are willing to invest in your project but I highly recommend you go with at least a VPS (and best, of course, would be a dedicated server) I also recommend you do your homework first and make sure and choose a server that can meet ALL of Dolphins requirements. There are many listed on this site that are specifically setup to install and handle a Dolphin script.

A good place to start is in the Docs section as well as the Dolphin page itself. Spend some time reading before you leap.

PS, the downlaod is free and it is fully functional. You could always do a test site at godaddy and see how it goes for you

Greetings,

I too am a former Ning Site Owner, I have moved 19 sites here all with Dolphin installs myself and have no prior knowledge at all. I have a VPS package from Host For Web. The Techs are wonderful and most know Dolphin and I cannot say enough good things about them, That is my suggestion.

I also wanted to add a huge thank you to all of the members here for your posts and discussions, here I have learned how to do any of this. I hang out and read and study. You are a brilliant bunch and its an honor to be among you all!

Blessings

LadyKs

Well I'm on a crossroads situation here cos I'm a (gooner) meaning ARSENAL supporter at heart and also a leo/virgo so I don't just sit back and accept the easier option!!

Having said that I am not a completely educated website freak!! So perhaps this will go against my objectives?

I like what dolphin offers in the way of a fully integrated social network enabling chat, photos, embedded videos etc etc etc But am not willing to pay 28 usd a month on socialgo for this freedom, they offer 1gb storage which is nothing when you have many members, and the bandwidth is 10gb!! Anything above these 2 levels is 28 usd a month!!!

So I think I will have to sit back and look at other options or persevere here and carry on regardless like a typical englishman!!

I've been on this site for one hour and cannot fault all the help and directions I've received, and for this reason, disregarding my previous post, I am going to sit it out and take your advice.

Thanks for all your replies and I will endeavour to thank you all individually tomorrow cos it's now 5.45 in the Balearics of Spain and need to go to bed but will stay here for another 10 minutes for invigorating support.

Is this site in Australia???