I am looking to build a website that is pretty much identical to Buzztouch...minus the app building part ;) I want to create a community based website for first responders to be a part of and be able to communicate with one another in a variety of ways (forums, private messages), exactly like this site does. My problem is my limited knowledge of html. I am in the process of learning, but I need some help to get it going ASAP. The only thing I'm looking to "copy" from Buzztouch is to create a website with the ability to create accounts for users with profile options, utilize forums, and possibly integrate a chat option. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Buzztouch is built using the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP). A great video to familiarize yourself with LAMP by Buzztouch creator David Book: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VckgTSVGbvI

Well, well. You have many options and here I will outline just a few. 1) Use WordPress It is the most popular CMS (Content Management System) in the world, with some 15% of all sites built on it. It is easy to install, easy to setup (it gets a little technical but you will have dozens of sites to help you out immediately), and you can all do it on your own. Basic WordPress will not do what you want now, but you will be able to install plugins and themes, which is another name for pieces of software that fit into WordPress and enhance its capabilities. There is also something called BuddyPress, which will enhance basic WordPress to the level of a full social media site. bbPress would the name of the forum for WordPress but there are many others. With WordPress, possibilites are endless but you will have to experiment. Out of the box, WordPress will fall short for you want. 2) Joomla Joomla would be the best choice for what you want: it has membership functions right in, and you can add additional software to it via so called extensions. Most extensions are free and there are paid ones, which usually are complete software solution on their own. In Joomla, you will be able to have many levels of users, user groups and you will be able to control who has access to what. I have one membership site like that, where I sell courses in astrology and energy healing and functions just right. There will be some steep learning path with Joomla, especially if you have never seen it in action. But it is free, it adapts to various screen factors automatically (meaning the site will show well on mobile devices) and so on. You will be able to add forums (the best is called Kunena), chats and so on for free, just roam through the extensions site on joomla.org. 3) Make it on your own. That what I currently with do PHP, a framework called CakePHP and a plugin called User Management. PHP and CakePHP are free, the plugin costs $50 but gives me exactly what you want: ability to create new user accounts, manage them in the background and create any style of site that I want. It is also much less prone to hacks and attacks than WordPress and Joomla, because hackers all over the world attack those two easily and joyfully. There is a steep, steeep learning curve for CakePHP but once you get it, you will be able to produce unusual but optimized sites at will. The verdict? In your case, Joomla. You will see links in this blog post: http://duskosavic.com/blog/programming/best-cms-to-have-members-forum-and-chat/

i specialize in membership sites, wordpress multiuser+buddy press still has some catching up to one of my own sites using joomla+jomsocial, check out http://dancecafe.com its customizable and alot of facebook type features. Ed

I've almost always used Joomla, since it got forked from Mambo. Once I figured I'd see what else there was, and tried out a few of the other packages that are linked from here: http://www.cmsmatrix.org but I ended up still using Joomla. Now that v3 is more mobile friendly, it pretty much has a solid place in my hosting arrangements. But look at the Matrix and see what comes up for you. If another 'uncommon' package appeals to you, you'll still want to gauge support vs functionality. What good is a feature you can't figure out ;) Stick to something popular and flexible. Cheers! -- Smug Edit: All things being equal, you may end up combining more than one package to get what you want. Joomla allows plugins, and the Kunena Forum Plugin is top notch, but a completely separate package such as PHPBB can be integrated virtually seamlessly with the right touch.

Thank you everyone!! It is always so refreshing how helpful everyone on this site is! I am watching the video about LAMP right now, and believe I will use Joomla to accomplish my site. I want users to be able to register via a screen name, with email addresses being optional (my site is going to be used to help first responders who are struggling with mental illnesses/ptsd, and therefore, their anonymity is the most important aspect). I understand it will lead to some people who are not first responders being allowed profiles, and spam to an extent, but those things can be policed on the site. The biggest benefit of the site will be for those who need help, but don't want anyone to know they need it. Does anyone know if I can have users setting up accounts without email addresses?

You can also just buy a forum platform and use that. Here's a list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_Internet_forum_software

>Does anyone know if I can have users setting up accounts without email addresses? Of course you can, but then you will not able to connect again with your users. It is email that binds together the web, not the sites or apps per se. Besides, you cannot be anonymous on the Net. Period.

Ugh, bad memories of Mambo and Joomla surfaced just now that had previously been buried for 8-years. I had to make pages by starting at the grandchild level. All my users were top-down thinkers and had trouble grasping the bottoms-up approach. Joomla seems to have been improved given the applause accorded by Ed and Dusko. I am still a fan of WordPress :-). It does have Membership plugins, such as the one by Justin Tadlock. -- Niraj

@Niraj went through the joomla to wordpress transition in the v1.5 to 2 just because of security issues. it seems v3 is better and responsive. but unlike community implementation, jomsocial+joomla, vs wordpress+buddypress, hands down to the joomla setup and pretty much the only reason I would use joomla as a cms, otherwise I still go with wordpress

>Ugh, bad memories of Mambo and Joomla surfaced just now that had previously been buried for 8-years. I do not remember Mambo but I am with Joomla since version 1.5. In Internet terms, that would be some 10-20000 thousand years ago, a stone age essentially. But the climate has warmed much since then and now I use Joomla when I make a membership site, while for all general sites I use WordPress. For membership sites that serve as a show of my programming skills, I use PHP, CakePHP and the paid User Management plugin for CakePHP. That gives me the power equal to Joomla 3.0. I can easily blog with Joomla but why should I when with WordPress it is even easier. And I can create membership sites with WordPress plugins, but why should I when Joomla 3.0 has all of it integrated and free, out of the box? Finally, I can create plugins for WordPress and extensions for Joomla, but why should I if that means that I have to change my software whenever the basic platform changes, which is approximately twice a year!? Back to the original question: whichever system you decide upon, learn it, squeeze it and stay with it. Then forget about the software dilemma, and ask your visitors what they want. When you give them what they want, you will get paid.

@Dusko and @Ed -- I hear ya. Kudos at picking the right tool for the job. :-)