Membership site

[nula]

Hello :-)

I'm not sure where to post this, but General seems fine.

I'm looking for information on how to build a membership site. It's meant to be for a fan club, and I'm looking for good software/online solutions.

Is there a website you can recommend on how to build a membership site? Or maybe even a site that suggests a good software. I would be willing to pay, however, the price shouldn't be outrageously high.

I'd appreciate any and all input.

Thanks.

[edited by: nula at 12:55 pm (utc) on Sep. 10, 2008]

[nula]

Maybe I should also add that the most important issue is for the site to be secure. Doesn't have to be "Fort Knox secure" but shouldn't have easy to crack code either ....

[edited by: nula at 12:56 pm (utc) on Sep. 10, 2008]

[nula]

... and one more thing (sorry!). I also should be able to use my own design. So a content managament system that doesn't allow me to use my own design wouldn't work. Thanks!

[dr_paul]

Try Drupal or Joomla.

[nula]

Thanks for the help, dr_paul!
I'll check them out.

[Fortune Hunter]

Try Drupal or Joomla

I don't use either of these currently. I have been tempted to start using Joomla, but a friend of mine talked me out of both. His argument was that with both of these being open source programs that while they may work great when you have a problem there is no regular support option so you are forced to search message boards and comb through forums, blogs, etc. to find a fix if one exists. That can cause you to waste a lot of time. For that reason alone you may want to consider a paid software program that has a good track record and support.

On the other side of the argument, some people don't mind searching for fixes and work around solutions and a lot of people and groups love these programs.