Developing a Social Networking App like Facebook: A How-to Guide
About 10 years ago, applications started to shine as the ultimate tools for not only individuals but for established businesses and platforms as well. I mean, what would be the perfect way for these businesses and platforms to reach more people than to find a new and novel medium? Probably nothing. One of the platforms that really worked applications successfully and effectively in their favor is Facebook. Facebook is not just a social media platform; it is a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon, according to many people and experts. Many applications and platforms came after Facebook, hoping to achieve a third of this endless success. And as much as it is possible, many apps failed. In this article, we will demonstrate the secret behind the exceptional success of the Facebook app. We will also answer one important question: How do you create an app like Facebook effectively?
Exploring the Idea Behind The World’s Favorite Platform
The story behind Facebook started 20 years ago and is quite funny. Yeah, it is a bit sexist and started with breaching students’ data, but it was smart enough for David Fincher to make a masterpiece. And if David Fincher finds your story interesting, then it definitely is; that is a fact. I mean, the story in real life is not as dramatic and interesting as the movie, but that is the problem with real life.
The story of Facebook started with a top student at Harvard, Mark Zuckerberg, who had all it took from his remarkable skills and knowledge to create a platform where people could connect. Believe it or not, the initial concept or form of Facebook was a “hot or not” game for Harvard University students where they could compare and rate each other. Despite “Facemash” being the seed for something bigger and way better, it also got Zuckerberg in a lot of trouble.
From Harvard to Taking Over the World
After Mark Zuckerberg realized what a platform he made overnight would do and accomplish, he started aiming for much more. Zuckerberg thought about making a platform that could enhance communication between university students. This platform would be a whole digital world where they could share their achievements, pictures, and everything else. Although Myspace, which is considered the first social media platform, already existed, Facebook had a unique selling point that was able to lure in a wide base of users.
At first, “TheFacebook” as it was previously known, started operating locally, where access was limited to Harvard students only. It started to include other universities in addition. The platform started to spread like wildfire and attracted many investors and partnerships that would help the platform become more successful. And finally, in 2006, Facebook was open to everyone around the world to register and this is how the whole thing started until it reached 3 billion users. It is currently one of the best apps for Android and iOS.
How Would Creating an App Like Facebook Benefit You as an App Owner and Users?
As beneficial as Facebook is for users, it is also for its app owners. We hadn’t heard about the creator of Facebook before its launch, and now his name is always associated with exceptional and endless success. So, let us discuss the benefits that creating an app like Facebook ultimately offers.
Benefits for App Owners:
Monetization Opportunities
Apps like Facebook provide a lot of opportunities to make money through things like subscription models, in-app purchases, targeted ads, sponsored content, and premium features. There are a lot of advertising revenues coming in thanks to the huge user base and high engagement rates.
Brand Establishment and Partnerships
A powerful application like Facebook can boost the owner’s reputation and make them an important figure in the tech business. A solid reputation can open doors to investment opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships, all of which can boost growth and innovation even more.
Diversification of Services
The app’s user base and revenue sources can be diversified by adding services beyond basic social networking, such as sectors, media sharing, games, or additional features. This diversification helps to ensure the app’s long-term viability by reducing reliance on any one revenue stream.
User Engagement and Retention
User involvement is enhanced with the app’s interactive features and social interactions, which include likes, comments, and shares. By incorporating tactics like tailored content streams, notifications, and interactive aspects, you may increase user retention rates and keep people coming back for more.
For Users:
Enhanced Connectivity
Social media is known for being a major reason for removing geographical obstacles. By removing physical distance, users can stay in touch with family, friends, and colleagues all across the world. Relationships, communication, and social bonds are all enhanced by this interconnectedness.
Personal Development and Expression
There is complete freedom for users to discover and share their interests, identities, and passions. As people create and maintain their online identities and interact with material that piques their interest, this encourages growth, expression, and originality.
Networking and Community Building
Users can connect with others who share their interests through the creation of organizations, communities, or events that bring people together. These spaces allow users to network while also providing a place for people to talk, support, and work together.
Diverse Content and Entertainment
A wide variety of material, such as news, entertainment, educational tools, and more, is available within the app. Within a single platform, users may delve into a variety of topics, keeping themselves educated, entertained, and interested.
Breaking Down Facebook: Essential Features
In the first part of guiding you through how to create an app like Facebook, we are going to break down essential features that were here from the very beginning and helped Facebook establish its current legacy. Although these features may appear basic, they are the core of each and every social media platform and application.
User Profiles
The most important feature and part of Facebook and any social media application that came after is user profiles. User profiles are what give users the maximum flexibility and personalization that make the user experience much better. Through user profiles, users can express themselves and give people a glimpse of who they truly are. This is done by including general information like name, profile pictures, gender, birthdate, and so on. This is one of the features that helps with the personal development and expression that we previously illustrated.
Newsfeeds and Timelines
In light of the vast space of self-expression that social media applications offer, newsfeeds and timelines are a major part of this space. Newsfeeds and timelines are two core features that you should definitely incorporate into your application. These features allow users to post all their life updates and other forms of content and easily share it with others. This way, users can gain knowledge and be informed of different types of topics 24/7.
In-App Messaging
Messaging is the primary way of communicating in today’s digital age. Incorporating in-app messaging transforms the whole social media application from just being a way to share thoughts and interesting topics. It also becomes a safe space for one-on-one communication between users in a private way, where users can make friends and reconnect with old peers.
Additional Features That Made Facebook Way More Than Just a Social Media App
The second part of how to create an app like Facebook is how you can give it more advantages and add a bit of spice to the standard experience. Facebook was one of the few social media applications that were able to go beyond communication features and give users more to work with, which can help you as an app owner with the vast diversification of services, as we illustrated earlier in the article. Let us explore a few additional features that can transform your app experience, just like Facebook did.
Marketplace or Store
The first additional feature is a marketplace or store. The marketplace on Facebook was launched sometime in 2016. It is a massive hub where users can display used or new products for sale. Service providers could also offer their services with minute details and prices as well. All communication with sellers and service providers is done safely and securely through Facebook. This feature was one of the first steps for Facebook to expand its horizons and be more than just a social media application.
Events and Groups
The next feature that Facebook did, but this time not to go over the communication scope but to enhance it, was events and groups. Groups and events are two powerful features that enhance the quality and flexibility of communication offered through Facebook. So, for instance, users can create groups, public or private, for people with the same interests, preferences, or needs. I personally prefer cat groups on Facebook. Events are another feature that can bring people together and make knowing about and attending events as easy as pie.
Mini-Games
The last additional feature that can help you is mini-games. As Facebook became not only an important means of communication, it also became the same for entertainment. And what could be better for entertaining users than games? The mini-games feature allows users to explore a vast library of games in all categories. Most of these games are hypercasual, which means that they don’t need much effort to understand and aim to just entertain users.
How to Create an App Like Facebook: From Price to Frameworks
The process of creating an app like Facebook is not as easy as many might think. There are many steps as well as resources needed to have an outcome as effective as Facebook and it can even exceed these expectations. So, what would you need?
Framework
The most important thing you would need are suitable frameworks for the application. Any application includes back-end and front-end development as major steps, where these developments rely on certain frameworks. App developers should take into consideration the requirements and needs of the application to be able to choose an effective framework that could yield excellent outcomes
Team
The next thing an app developer would need is a team. Well, indeed, the Facebook team had some ups and downs and problems here and there. And yes, it ended in court. But all of this wouldn’t have been possible without a great team. As we said before, the process of creating an app like Facebook is not easy, and that is why you would need additional help to make sure that the process will go smoothly.
Budget
Now let us ask a very important question: In your opinion, how much would it cost to create an app like Facebook, given the features, frameworks, teams, and needed resources? In this case, the bill would be packed. This bill will vary according to the expectations and requirements of your app. So, for instance, if you’re going for a not-so-complex app, the budget would be way less than if you were looking to make a complex app. The features you incorporate will also add to the budget, as each feature will cost you both money and time. Some people put an estimate for creating an app like Facebook at around 30 to 100 thousand dollars.
From $30,000 to $49: Create An App Like Facebook With nandbox!
Well, this estimate is not a good one, especially for a small business. But what if I told you that your budget could be less than a third of this estimate with nandbox? Not convincing enough? Well, here is the proof.
nandbox is a leading no-code app builder that has been one of the few that specializes in native no-code app building. The team at nandbox has put a special emphasis on the communication category, given its significance nowadays. This emphasis helped them craft a great library of features that could make the best application, just like Facebook. With messaging, marketplaces, groups, events, timelines, and more, you can create a feature-packed application in no time.
You can now save effort and money on the frameworks and resources and create a tailored social media application for $49 per month! Start dreaming and leaving like Zuckerberg now with the nandbox app builder
