Social Networking Software refers to any type of program that facilitates the creation and implementation of a social networking website. Social networking software is often easy to use and allows the user to design the website’s templates, themes, and layouts or upload existing files. Social networking software also lets the user choose which features the website will have and include items such as friends lists, user profiles, blogs, groups, bulletin boards, private messaging, status updates, and much more.

SocialEngine

SocialEngine is a powerful social networking software that allows users to easily set up their own social networking websites. SocialEngine can be downloaded to the user’s computer, uploaded to the user’s own server via FTP, and installed in an online database. The user can then proceed to setup his/her social networking website and change not only the appearance of the website, but also the individual features to go on it. Any social networking website created via SocialEngine belongs entirely to the user and does not have any brands, logos, links, or other identifying traces of SocialEngine whatsoever. SocialEngine costs $250 but is available as a 30-day free trial. The free trial includes every plugin that the software supports but the user’s website will stop working altogether at the end of the trial unless he/she purchases the software.

The Appleseed Project

The Appleseed Project is an initiative to create a completely open source, decentralized social networking website that is independent of any other third-party software. The Appleseed Project involves a vast number of social networking websites that are all different and based on their own individual themes but are still loosely connected through the Appleseed network. The Appleseed Project is still under construction but will one day allow users to move around Appleseed-compatible social networking websites and stay connected with the friends that they have made from each website. Webmasters can already download the Appleseed software, install it on their own web server, and connect their website to the Appleseed network.

BeWelcome Rox

BeWelcome Rox is a free, open source social networking platform that allows users to create their own social networking websites through easy feature selection, layout options, and user controls. BeWelcome Rox is made specifically for the hospitality/travel industry and is centered around the idea that if social networking software is free and widely available, existing social networks will become even more compatible with each other and developers will find new ways to share information and communicate with users. BeWelcome Rox includes user profiles, forum creation, statistics, and much more.

NewsCloud

NewsCloud is a free, open source social media software provider for developers who wish to add Facebook applications to their website. NewsCloud allows users to integrate Facebook into their website and receive real-time updates about users’ comments, blogs, articles, links, and other information. NewsCloud allows users to completely customize the appearance and functionality of their Facebook application and extend social networking even further by integrating with Twitter and multiple news sources, including NewsCloud itself.

FlightFeather

FlightFeather is a free social networking software that is based on the idea that anyone should be able to create, design, and implement their own social networking software without paying for it. FlightFeather is designed to be lightweight and focuses on core functionality rather than decorative features that slow both the server and the end user’s computer down significantly. FlightFeather also addresses the issue of user privacy that has quickly swept the social networking industry. It does so by allowing users to use the software without downloading cookies or inputting an email address and can even allow users to remain entirely anonymous.