Here is the list of top 10 open-source platforms to create a social network:
1.Oxwall
Oxwall is developed and maintained by a small but dedicated team of 22 peoples. Oxwall has very impressive and flexible content management system, one that cannot be ignored. It has won 2012 people’s choice award for best social networking solution. It gives a professional touch that can be experienced by both users and administrators.
2.Elgg
This open source social network software won the best networking engine in 2008. It has features such as activity streams, user management, powerful data model, web services API, plugin API and access controls. It operates on Apache, PHP, MySQL and Linux environments that enable its easy installation and configuration.
3.Insoshi
Long Nguyen and Michael Hartl developed Insoshi. Logical Reality and Evan Dorn Designs maintain it now. It is a platform designed on Ruby on Rails. This free social network builder is released under MIT license. It takes around 30 minutes for installation. It has an efficient deployment system and support for version upgrades.
4.Lovd by Less
It is the first amongst few open source social media platform designed on Ruby on Rails. As it is developed by using model view control patterns, developers would just need a server and to update the database. It includes features such as user blogs, following mutual option, and the creation of a profile, private messaging, ease of interact, comments, and electronic mail activities. You can even link YouTube and Flickr to the wall.
5.XOOPS
XOOPS is a classic tool for evolving from small to big community sites, intra-company web portals, and more. XOOPS has a modular format that can be extended as per needs. The web content management system helps in it. You may start with a blog and further augment it into a social networking website and with more functionality.
6.AstroSPACES
It is one of the finest social networking website development companies. It is coded from scratch and is very efficient and easy to use. It is customizable, and PHP environment is used. It is licensed under GNU General Public License and uses Smartly Template Engine.
7.Mixxt
Mixxt is a social network design company, developing social extranets and intranets. It enables collaboration, communication, and Knowledge management through a single tool. It has a dedicated platform for fast development and enhancement. Develop your site with the help of custom designs, forums, wikis, and photos. It also provides a private network to set up your community and also makes it possible to work along with the others to help them and, grow yourself and your community.
8.Pligg
Pligg’s CMS is designed from scratch with the help of many contributors to help you build up your website. This open source social network software can be easily managed and used and helps to lively setup communities.
9.SocialEngine
SocialEngine provides the best social media development services and is the first choice among the users. It has features similar to those of the social media sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Members’ signs in through their accounts and brings along their friends to interact. It works similar to these major sites where users posts and share their data and contents with other users, and the same process goes on. This strategy helps in increasing publicity of your website.
10.BuddyPress
As you all would be aware of WordPress; BuddyPress is a social media service that helps you build up your social networking website using the WordPress. It has same frame structure as WordPress and enables you to customize into a unique site. It is a free open source development platform.
Nice list (apart from the closed source ones), mediagoblin is what mostly caught our attention though.