basically ning is a hosted solution so if you want something to host in your own servere, you can try ELGG www.elgg.org.

If you are buying a domain and building your own community then I would suggest you chose a content management system between Mambo and Joomla.



Then you are going to want to chose a forum software to go with it such as phpBB or Simple Machines forums. All these packages are free.



Buying a domain name and hosting it will not be but take a look around and you can find some great deals. http://www.hostmonster.com/ are good and have installers built to their hosting plans for all the packages I have mentioned - so are http://www.godaddy.com/ - just two examples.



Both mambo and Joomla have bridges available such that they can share user credentials/profiles in one database and logging in to the main site or the forum logs you into both.



Exlplore the functionality of these Content Management Systems, their flexibility and how easily they will integrate the aspects of your community site before you make a choice. Maybe install both and play around for a while.



A lot of people are tending towards Joomla these days and there is a lot of open source work around that CMS making it better and better and offering more and more functionality.



See links to the Joomla and Mambo sites in sources and start from there. The support forums are worth a good look around too.



Best wishes with your new community site. One thing I will say is the more thought you put into getting the basics right, including site design and site integration, before going live or beta, the better your site will likely be.



Matthew

As you may know a domain name is just a name, not a real website. If you are going to create your website: 1- Buy a domain name. To get a domain name, you have to pay an annual fee to a registrar for the right to use that name. 2- Buy a web hosting service to provide your online space and enable you to get your website online at your purchased domain name.



If you want to start your website I recommend purchase your domain and hosting together. In this way it is possible to get your domain for free. Some hosting services offer this gift today.



As an experienced webmaster I recommend BlueHost service which I’m sure it would work for you and fulfill all your requirements. They have a really great offer for hosting & I have used them for over 3 yrs now, and have never had a single problem with them.



They are a Multi-awarded Web Hosting which offer a Full-featured service only $6.95. You can see their Plan Details accompanied with reliable reviews regarding their service at:

http://bluehost-service.atspace.com



Here I have copied and pasted its features from their website to view:



- Free Domain Forever

- Unlimited Space

- Unlimited Transfer

- Host UNLIMITED Domains (Support All Domain Names)

- 2,500 POP/Imap Email Accounts

- SSH (Secure Shell), SSL, FTP, Stats

- CGI, Ruby (RoR), Perl, PHP, MySQL

- Front Page Extensions

- Free Site Builder

- 24/7 Superb/Responsive Sales/Support

- Free Search Engine Submission



They also offer "Free Site Builder" that helps you build your web pages without difficulty if you are not skilled in using any website creating program. (WYSIWYG: What You See Is What You Get)



******IMPORTANT*******

* This service was awarded “The Best Web Host OF The Year”.

* If you sign up for this service you will have $75 credits to advertise your website with the google & yahoo search engines for free!

* You Can Register A Free Domain or Use Your Existing Domains. They Support All Domain Names.

**************************



Other useful links:

http://www.threehosts.com/build

http://www.goldpuma.com



Good Luck!

ning.com can help you easily set up a great community website for free.



http://www.ning.com/