Socialgo claims you can make your own social network in 2 minutes, and as I created my own using the similar ning.com service I know this is simple and possible. On the main Socialgo page the user chooses a name for their social network and a URL, presses the Create My Network button, chooses a design from the templates and it’s done. Time to invite members. Deciding on the best name for the social network and building membership are the only two parts that need time and effort.

These platforms make it incredibly simple to set up a social network quickly by using the design as it is, and it doesn’t take techie skill to customize the appearance and the features needed on each page. The management options look as comprehensive and easy to use as the ones I’m familiar with on ning.com, although I couldn’t test them out without creating a social network.

Creating the social network can be free, and for a more bespoke approach there’s a scale of charges depending on how much the user needs. These charges are made clear on the Socialgo main pages, which is welcome, and also highlights the cost-effectiveness of this type of site. The free service has 1GB storage and 10 GB bandwidth, which is plenty to get started and could be enough for some special interest groups. This can be increased to 5GB storage and 50GB bandwidth for $4.99 per month. The top level service costs $24.99 and allows live video chat, the user’s own URL and advertising and advanced management and developer features along with 5GB storage and 50GB bandwidth. Socialgo also offer a concierge service to manage the social network.

SocialGo and other platforms like ning.com are sure to take off dramatically as people are finding the major social networks aren’t satisfactory for special interest groups. They also make it difficult to find and friend people with shared interests unless you know them already. Unlike the major competitors, platforms like Socialgo offer the ability to meet people easily as there are general chat and discussion pages where all members can get to know each other. Events on the calendar are all related to members’ interests, as are the groups, so it’s an effective way to communicate and promote to the right target membership.