Blog-social network from scratch, where to start and where to start?

Question

Blogs

Such questions have already been raised, but I did not fully understand, either there is no answer, or they write not on the case. I would like to write my blog-social network, we can say that for practice. But the question arose on what to write on, and what to use additionally. I think that for a basis to take PHP. It turns out in my plans something like Habr, only greatly curtailed.
At a minimum, the functionality is as follows:
- You can register.
- There is a rating of posts, users, blogs.
- You can create blogs that contain user topics (similar to Habr and its clone LiveStreet).
- Possibility of commenting, but in extreme cases I will put separate KOMENT or Disqus services.
- Most important: created topics will be displayed all on the main page, that is, links to them with part of the description, etc.
- Possibility to write private messages.
- Other little things.
I will use mysql database. I don’t think a template engine is needed, since I will write alone, as I understand it, it is needed to separate the functionality from the design. I'm not going to make an admin panel, there will be one template and, probably, immediately built-in, plugins and similar things will not be either. Have I chosen the right direction? Is it worth writing in PHP or do you need something else?
I think it’s not worth asking for tutorials on creating a CMS, since this concept is loose, but if anyone has come across similar articles / books, I will be glad to see the link. Please write to the point and do not criticize.

Answer 1

Have I chosen the right direction?

I can't really imagine how to answer this question. What do you think?
If for practice - probably yes, the direction is partly correct, but depending on what kind of practice ... the practice of writing your own bicycle or the practice of writing a project in PHP or the practice of creating a social network structure?
As soon as you answer yourself for what practice you want to do all this, the answer to your question will be 85% ready. ;)
You can also get the answer to this question by answering the questions above. If you need PHP, then the question disappears by itself, if you need the practice of creating a social network, then choose the toolkit (php, ruby ​​or .net) depending on what you need in the future or what your soul lies more, because here advice is useless. Each of the voiced PLs has many advantages and disadvantages, each of them is designed for similar tasks, but they all differ both in complexity (convenience) and in the preferred field of application.
This is the remaining 15% of the answer to your question.

Answer 2

Rails

Answer 3

If writing for educational purposes, then take some mainstream framework (Symfony2 or Zend2 for php for example). Take complexity as the main criterion for a framework. Don't go with frameworks where the slogan is "start writing cool apps in just a week of tinkering" because you end up having to burn yourself on the basics 10 times before you have any understanding of web application design. It’s better to take something that makes you write correctly, or at least gives you the right direction for development. You can also take some microframework, ala Silex, Slim and what else is popular there today. I described this from the situation in php, for other languages ​​​​(such as ruby, for example), the problem of choosing tools is a little less acute, because most of the tools were designed normally. There is a lot of this in php (this also applies to built-in functions,
Use TDD (PHPSpec)/BDD (Behat, PHPUnit) right away, you will upgrade at the same time.

Answer 4

I doubt that you will immediately start writing a blog-social network without knowing what a framework is. Set yourself more realistic goals, the result of which, say, you can already feel in a couple of weeks of work. And most importantly - to make the development process feel like a drug, so that you want to write more and more. Then interesting things will turn out, and not just another banal 'Hello world' based on cutting-edge technologies.
And yes, if the question arose about the language, then without a competent mentor it is better not to look at PHP. Pay attention to Python or RoR, there is no heavy heritage of bydlocking there.

Answer 5

Well, there is nothing difficult in this. To write such a system and php OPP is enough. There for animations, etc. js, jquery, ajax - it's enough to use. BUT

private messages

, you can do it by the principle of registering or publishing articles. p.s. most people do that. I myself do this for myself, not for the sake of PR, but for the sake of knowledge.