[Delraich]

I would like to create a review based website but I have never tried something like before and was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction. Key features I would like to include:
1) Website can be populated with the items I would like to have available for review
2) Website must be able to collect some basic information about the person submitting the review
3) Person can submit their review score(s)
4) Website can display and rank the scores in a flexible way

Where can I learn to do the above?
What software do I need?
What sort of extra hardware would I need?

[Meatex]

You would need to learn PHP programming and possibly SQL database management (i don't know about SQL but you'll need php)
You will need web hosting that supports those features too
You can use any number of free software to write your code, even notepad

[veteris]

Please keep in mind that I am not a developer and everything I say might be completely wrong.

1. You need to decide on the tech you are going to use for the program.
Most common, would be PHP (scripting) + MySQL (database). There are other options, but for your first or one of your first web apps, I'd suggest PHP + MySQL

2. Then you need to set up a web server for development.
Your main options are to set one up on your current computer, which I imagine is probably Windows, or if you have a spare computer/laptop lying around, I'd suggest converting that into a Linux web server, if you have a bit of experience with Linux e.g. Ubuntu.
You are probably looking at either WampServer http://www.wampserver.com/en/ or XAMPP http://www.apachefriends.org/en/index.html. These both let you set up a web server on a windows pc. if you don't want the world to connect to it, it is probably best not to port forward your router to your PC.
For setting up a web server using linux, How to Forge http://www.howtoforge.com/ is pretty good.

3. Websites for learning PHP + MySQL:
I'll assume that you are familiar with HTML and CSS?

For starting off. Give you a basic understanding of PHP and MySQL. Enough to get you started.
PHP:
http://www.w3schools.com/php/default.asp
http://www.tizag.com/phpT/index.php
http://www.webmonkey.com/2010/02/php...for_beginners/
http://devzone.zend.com/6/php-101--p...lute-beginner/

MySQL
http://www.w3schools.com/sql/default.asp

Manuals. You'll need these when you move on from the above tuts. No tut can teach you everything from the language. Occasionally you'll need the manuals. Or Google.
PHP: http://php.net/manual/en/index.php
MySQL: http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.5/en/

4. Hosting for this can be thought off in tiers:
1. Shared hosting - cheap hosting that often will include a few MySQL databases and the ability to run PHP scripts but, depending on the hoster, little else. For a starting application with few users, this may be ideal but once it takes off, you may need to move it. It has the advantage of having the web server installed and loaded for you, but has the disadvantage of less customisability. You are looking at <$50 AUD
2. VPS (Virtual Private Servers) - You get a virtual 'PC' usually loaded with Linux to do what you want with. Ideal for slightly bigger loads, but more expensive. You also need to set up the web server by yourself as well as any security measures. Also <$100 depending
3. Dedicated servers - Your own machine which can do whatever it wants. In the realm of hundreds of dollars every month. Better performance but again, you often need to set it up to your liking. >$100

I have not used Cloud hosting so I cannot give you an idea as to what it offers.

Disclaimer: Once again, I am not a developer and have no formal training in programming, so take what I say with a grain of salt. You will probably get better advice from someone who is better acquainted with web design, but this is my two cents.
(Also, I need to remove the lurker picture)

Quick Comments

nirvAnA:

nice!

[Dumbledore]

A good site to get started at is www.killersites.com.
Trust me!

Quick Comments

ToRVenom:

Total Nerd Baller!

[eCKo`Tazerenix]

Veteris has some good information but you probably aren't going to want to make your own website from scratch. Something like what you want would probably require significantly more time and knowledge than you have, so it would end up taking you many months to complete.

My suggestion is that you look at using an already existing Content Management System such as Drupal.org or Wordpress.org and install a review plugin on it.

Just a quick look brings up this Wordpress plugin: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/...tomer-reviews/
I've not tested it but from the description it appears to be similar to something you'd want. You'll find a bunch of help on the Wordpress support forums if you are unable to figure anything out and feel free to PM me about it if needs be.

You'll need to set up a web server with PHP and MySQL, probably through a web host like hosting24.com and get a Wordpress installation set up (although most of them have auto-installers for most common software).

[Delraich]

thanks tazerenix. I did a quick search for reviews on Wordpress vs. Drupal and came up with this article.

http://www.digett.com/blog/04/20/201...al-prize-fight

This comment seems pretty balanced and informative:
Not sure I agree for small sites. I like Drupal better, and I can do things fast in Drupal, I can simplify Drupal for the client, and I want to believe you. But I still recommend WP for small clients because, 1. Many clients are cannot do their own Drupal core updates; 2. With WP I feel safer letting clients run updates on a live site: running a test site does involve a little extra time and cost. 3. Major version upgrades are beyond most clients in Drupal. 4. Once people start with Drupal they want lots of extras, there is something about Drupal which does that to people, and they start asking for features outside their budget. 5. Drupal has far more problems than WP on shared hosting; I run fast Drupal hosting for a few clients but cannot do it at anything like the price of small shared hosting packages. 6. On WP I have been using a framework where you can do everything imaginable via GUI (really!), and the markup is pretty clean, so once there is a design in hand, any design you like without regard to WP limitations, I can theme it surprisingly fast.

This is another interesting article I plan to read tonight:
http://techczech.net/2012/07/28/drup...dpress-choice/

[Jaywalk]

i'm a developer, im still fairly junior at the moment but this project doesn't seem too difficult however it may be very time consuming, especially if you have never done any web development before. if you have any particular questions once you decide on a route to take let me know and i might be able to help.

if i was going to do this personally, i would use .net with a mssql server. if you have never programmed this sort of thing before, you could try a free CMS as has been suggested or go for a php/jquery/sql build.

just look for examples of what you want online and after enough research and effort I think you could build this no problems good luck!

Quick Comments

	eCKo`Tazerenix:	http://i.imgur.com/wnoVg.jpg , get your dirty ASP talk out of here heathen
	breadfan:	ToR website wants you!
	Delraich:	you are a legend - let me do a bit more reading first though!

[Mayo]

Good luck mate, PM me when you have it up and I might send you some Tt gear!

In all honesty, a review YouTube is much more likely to get views. Websites alone aren't that big any more.

[Delraich]

Originally Posted by Mayo

Good luck mate, PM me when you have it up and I might send you some Tt gear!

In all honesty, a review YouTube is much more likely to get views. Websites alone aren't that big any more.

This is a really good suggestion. I will need to have a functionality where part of the review submission process includes an option to add a YouTube video hyperlink and maybe even images (e.g. a damaged component or something).

[eCKo`Tazerenix]

Originally Posted by Delraich

This is a really good suggestion. I will need to have a functionality where part of the review submission process includes an option to add a YouTube video hyperlink and maybe even images (e.g. a damaged component or something).

It's pretty likely that any good review plugin/module for a major CMS (Joomla/WP/Drupal) would have that. If not it could easily be added (just google it or ask me).

Quick Comments

Delraich:

Thanks so much, I am getting quite excited. I have all these ideas zooming in my head atm.

[Delraich]

Hmmm, this is gonna take a while before I the hang of it! So far I have installed XAMPP and Wordpress and all I have managed to do is name the site, choose dark theme, change the font colours and download 2 plugins

The trouble I am having now is matching my imagination to the functionality of the plugins. It is a bit of a catch 22 because I cannot work out how to play around with the plug in settings atm (e.g. gdgt databox or embed plus). Do you have to purchase the plugins before you can use them? It is asking for an API key and I have no idea what that is. How do I get to play around/ test the different plugins? Another thing I noticed is that when you search through Wordpress for available plugins the list is much shorter compared to when you search Google for Wordpress plugins.

[rezyn8]

Wordpress plugins from wordpress.org are free - some will have upgrades available for a price - but generally all are free.

In your admin section you just need to install and activate the plugins from the plugins section. If it requires an API key you will need to get this from the Wordpress site or from the developer of the plugin.

Generally I will do a google search for a plugin's functionality and once I find what I am looking for I will download it through my wordpress, install and test its functionality from there. Alot of the time it is trial and error with these free ones but if you have the time to learn PHP/JavaScript basics you can build your own.