One of the most distinguishing features of Web 2.0 is the ubiquity of user membership sites and social networking. Where first generation web sites primarily served static information in the form of web pages, nextgen web development looks to build user community, and dynamic content authored by users drives web content. Nowhere is this more prevalent than in the popularity of user blogs and forums. Touch and Click specializes in the creation of websites using a membership system, where visitors register on the domain, sign up for an account, and are able to participate in the social networking or ecommerce functions offered on the site. We use Content Management Systems for most of our membership sites, but have other scripts available that are specialized for user blogs, forums, galleries, or wikis. Membership web sites typically have a front end where content is displayed and user content is generated, and a back end for administration and design purposes. Businesses looking to upgrade their old websites to a membership format can contact us for more details.
Membership systems are the cornerstone of social networking websites and the means through which users are able to participate in the advanced functionality of a domain. You can set the standard for membership, requiring the confirmation of an email address before a user is able to participate on a website, or just require that they sign up with a user name and password. Social networking membership sites give users disk space to upload photos, post blog entries, as well as a user profile section that contains their personal information and links. Membership sites such as Facebook, mySpace, and Orkut are some of the most popular on the web, but even small sites can benefit by cultivating user community on a subject of interest. Ecommerce sites typically require membership registration in order to process payments and shipping, but your website can offer many additional community features other than purchasing to build a vibrant, interactive web community. Touch and Click has numerous solutions available for creating membership sites on the web, and has made social networking one of our main points of interest for future web development. To upgrade a static site to a membership basis, or to create a new social networking site for your community, contact us for more details.
User forums are one of the simplest membership systems to implement on a domain, but they are among the most popular on the web for participation. We are specialists in the implementation of forum websites using Open Source software like Simple Machines Forum, PHPbb, Vanilla, and Invision, or proprietary solutions like vBulletin, WowBB, and others. In addition to forums, Touch and Click creates dedicated wiki sites based on user membership to leverage the collective knowledge of the community for site content authoring. We use standards such as Media Wiki to create sites similar to Wikipedia, or PHPWiki and TikiWiki for a different design. If you prefer a Content Management System, then we can implement a site structure that includes forums and wikis along with user blogs, image galleries, and user profiles. The advantages and flexibilities of CMS platforms are well documented, and clients seeking a CMS membership site can find more information about our offerings on the website.
User membership should be secure, and needs built in protection to fight spam and unsolicited advertising posts. We use Captcha systems with most of our membership sites so that spam is automatically prevented from being submitted by bots. Other features include email verification methods and IP blocking for blacklisted spam sites. To keep your membership sites spam free and updated regularly, we recommend a Touch and Click monthly management account after the site design has been finished. You can include SEO services and web promotion services with our monthly management accounts as well. We can also be contracted to build affiliate programs for clients who wish to expand their promotional activities and membership system to give bonuses to users who sell and promote their products. If you need to build a web site with social networking and user community features using a membership system, Touch and Click has years of experience in implementing the latest web standards and software innovations.
Contact a Touch and Click customer service representative for more information about building websites with membership systems for social networking.
