What is Possible with Dolphin?

I think many of us have dreamed about it or at least have had a passing thought about being the next Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn for a niche market.

Here's what I've learned so far during my Dolphin journey. Some of these I've known but it was given more clarity this year.

Modding a Dolphin Site Takes Time and Expertise that You Can Learn
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If you've ever purchased a car, a stereo, a radio or a video you will notice that one of the common elements of the product is that it has a set of features and functions that can make the product unique enough so it will entice people to buy it. I think Dolphin shares many attributes/concepts that you would find in most products and like most products, the moment you want to change or add to the attributes of the product, it can get expensive. The key difference is that you are modding a Web application and also dealing with its own quirks and a few bugs.


Pimp My Dolphin Site
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When I was flipping the channels a few months ago I saw a show called "Pimp My Ride". It was basically a bunch of very creative mechanics/car buffs who upgraded, made better or "pimped" a person's car. Before the show, the car that had to be pimped looked really bad. After the show it looked very cool (cool btw is subjective). In some cases, very over-the-top. One thing they didn't show was how much it cost to "pimp" the ride. I would guess that it was very expensive.

In many ways, when you take a vanilla install of Dolphin and then try to extend it, you are in essense doing some pimpification of that site. It then should not be a surprise that it will cost you either time or money as the base framework is just what it is, a starting point that some will want to take to the level of myspace.com or facebook. But can it be done? I think, you can get pretty close, but not the same. And it will cost you resources, time and sometimes more money. Because what effectively is being asked of Dolphin is this:

"Ok Dolphin, we want you to be like Facebook or MySpace. And to do that, we need to mod you like crazy."

And really, isn't that is a tall order for a $100 OS Web app. Not sure if you've seen how much it would cost to buy out Facebook or MySpace, but last I heard it was pretty expensive ;)  Although, current market events show that now's probably the best time to buy.


Facebook, Myspace and Dolphin are all built on a different set of framework(s) and paradigmns. For example, I've programmed Facebook apps using FBML and at this time there is no such mechanism that will allow Dolphin to accept member submitted apps without having to "touch" the source code or have access to the db. (As I understand it, that is what Poseidon is proposing to do. See http://www.boonex.com/unity/blog/entry/BoonEx_Turns_8_Happy_Birthday_ ) At that point it would be a security risk. However, it is possible to allow a level of member app interaction. Dolphin would effectively need a harness or sandbox for member submitted apps. Can you imagine how much it would cost to Facebooketize Dolphin? Ha, I'm even going to go there at this time.

So understand the limitations of your framework and to what extent you want to mod or change it because it may take a considerable amount of effort and resources to accomplish. I'm one to think that just about anything is possible if you put enough time, resources and expertise towards your goal.


How to Avoid Disappointment and Leverage Your Investment
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I understand how some will have visions of grandeur about being the next Facebook, Myspace or Friendster for their niche. But for the most part, I believe setting a reasonable expectation for your Dolphin site is paramount if you want to avoid disappointment. Especially if you just don't have the resources or skillset at this time.

Engaging in a well planned and executed marketing campaign is also one of the steps in ensuring a higher success rate for your initial site. Granted there are currently challenges to the program that require workarounds, for the most part it works very well. And to be sure, $100 is a bargain!


Get Your Social On!
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If you plan on doing it yourself, it can be very rewarding and frustrating -- all at the same time! For the workarounds, search the forums. If you don't have the time then you should hire a developer or programmer. If you can't afford a programmer then you can do what a programmer does to solve these problems. Here are some of them:

1. You can search the forums here and other Dolphin sites. You can see a list of growing Dolphin sites as well. At the beginning of the year that list had only 1 other site not including BoonEx and Expertzzz. I would guess that by next year that list of Dolphin sites that appear  will triple. I think for the most part it's because it has gained a lot of traction within the past year. Remember, 6 was release just a little over a year ago and look how much it has grown. Now with Dolphin 7, things will get very exciting.

2. You can also my try some Googling of the actual error code or problem you are experiencing and you'll pull up a few related sites or actual error. Remember that Dolphin is based on PHP and mySQL. Some of the solutions that turn up may apply to your situation.

3. Read books or search the Internet on the subjects related to PHP, mySQL, jQuery, JavaScript, CSS and HTML to name a few.

4. If you don't have the time or the money to do either then you may want to re-evaluate what it is you are trying to do and what you are willing to give or give up to get what you want. I believe in most cases, you will get what you want if you help enough people get what they want.

The list of Dolphin resources is growing and becoming more available. Just remember, when in doubt, Google it. Google is great. With Google, anyone and everyone can become an expert :D

So, will your site be the next Facebook or Myspace for your niche? Maybe. But you need to start with some reasonable expectations if you don't have the resources to go full out on your first launch. I suggest, get your feet wet. I think it's important to get a few wins under your belt to gain some confidence and to get yourself familiar when working with Web apps. Whether you are modding a Honda Civic or a Dolphin site, you will need patience, time and expertise. So, roll up your sleeves start learning, reading, researching and testing.

Best,
James

...sip...