Elements of your social media platform

     People are selling all kinds of technology for blogging. Even when there are plenty of free and open source platforms out there. Even simple hosted opportunities abound. Beyond that, there are some great new collaborative products, and TONS of content management software companies out there making all flavor of solution. So, instead of recommending any specific platform, I'll point out some things to consider:

• Operating environments vary: several content systems work on Linux platforms, using solely open source, and others are built for a Windows environment. If you're building the system in-house, consider what your IT team will be comfortable supporting. Or, bypass both camps entirely and build on a hosted environment out on the web, but this is a consideration.
• Related to the last point, the more arcane or unknown the system, the less likely it will be for you to find support, should the vendor and you fall out of love. Be wary of that.
• The content system should feature RSS feed support. This means that all the content can be exported via a specific protocol that allows people to view it in a reader or other application of their choice, and not just at the website as a destination. (For me, systems that don't support RSS are a show-stopper. You might have a different opinion).
• The ability to post in a simple visual manner (that would feel like using a tool like Microsoft Word) as well as the ability to post in HTML format is useful. I like writing in HTML, but others might prefer the comfort of the WYSIWYG tools.
• Media support is fairly standard these days, but should be considered. In a world where YouTube isn't just skateboarding dogs any more, the ability to embed Flash video, as well as the ability to post MP3 and MOV files (amongst other types) would be important.
• Video has lots of added challenges. I strongly recommend a 3rd party hosting platform, and then embedding a player instead of integrating to your platform. Yes, there are great platforms working inside the firewall, and there are some easy add-on video solutions, but if you're going to go heavy into video and aren't a production or media company, that's a part that's probably best outsourced.
• Is mobile a priority? There are applications like Utterz and Tumblr and more who allow for mobile posting. Integrating input from more than one source would thereby also be important and of interest. Pay attention to how easy it is to import feeds and post into your media platform. This is one limitation that can be somewhat vexing later on.
• Backing up, exporting, importing, and some administrative functions are important to consider, if you're going to put any serious data and effort into the platform. For example, I do full backups of the data every week, regardless of the fact that it's posted on a hosting system.
• Customization is important. If you can't make the platform look and feel like the rest of your presence, what's the point? Most systems accommodate for this rather well, permitting CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) support and other features, but make sure.

     Beyond this, there are lots of "your mileage may vary" opinions, but this should be a good start.

     Source: Social Media and Social Networking Starting Points (Chris Brogan) e-book