How to operate a social networking site??

[hannah holt]

So there was Digg, and now there's Sphinn, and the other day I visited an SM site called FaithTag built by a pastor, and I have become very curious about what it actually takes to run a social media site.

Is it a full time job?

What would the owner have to do?

Would he/she be checking the site on an hourly basis?

I just can't visualize how much labor is involved in running a site of this kind, and I wondered if anyone here would be able to tell me about this. I think its too difficult to manage a forum. You're always having to check for spam, make sure people aren't fighting, etc. But, is an SM site different in that it's supposed to be self-governing? How does this work?

So, basically, my 2 questions are:

1) What would be the job description of managing an SM site?
2) What is the incentive (beyond altruism) for the owner to create such a site?

[techforlyf]

I'd say it takes as much effort as running a growing website. Some may do it the easy way, some may spend 15 hours a day on it.

The money is made through advertising (not PPC, though) and can be used to launch other projects easier.

[ruth cowdrey]

What would be the job description of managing an SM site?

The answer depends on the type of social community site that you run and how many people are on your team. It really isn't that much different than running any oher website. You'll spend a majority of your time keeping the site running smoothly, making certain the site stays up which is challenging especially when you experience rapid growth, and then the creative aspect of coming out with features to offer to the community and then executing them with your designers and programmers.

2) What is the incentive (beyond altruism) for the owner to create such a site?

I think altruism is a good basis for any business however I am certain that most social media entrepreneurs have a profit motive too. A busy social network provides many opportunities for monetization. It also provides great opportunities for doing good.

The combination of being able to do good and make money is a huge incentive to running a social network.

[kamal ajmal]

2) What is the incentive (beyond altruism) for the owner to create such a site?

I think altruism is a good basis for any business however I am certain that most social media entrepreneurs have a profit motive too. A busy social network provides many opportunities for monetization. It also provides great opportunities for doing good.

The combination of being able to do good and make money is a huge incentive to running a social network.

I agree with you ruth...
Good social networks are prized a lot.. There was also initial reports about google buying bebo for around  a $billion... So profit motives are always there..