Need ideas for creating an online private community

[Cloud9]

I am a wedding photographer working in the twin cities. I am attempting to create a formal back-up network for other wedding photographers in the area. I want to have an online resource for this to work. I need a place photographers can post their days available and unavailable on something that looks visually like a calander. I also want a forum around it where people can post messages. I would be the main moderator with master privileges and the network would be private where I approve and invite members to join. What is available out there for this to work. Ideally it would be free.

Thanks

Barclay

 

[adrianblaine]

Have you looked into Google Groups?

http://groups.google.com/

I'm not sure about the calendar, but I think it will do pretty much everything else. Everyone would need a gmail account however (I think).

 

[Abstract]

Can .mac handle the calendar? I don't know much about .mac, but I swear I've seen something about a single calendar that numerous people can edit as though it was a group project. Maybe it was another company's product. Not sure.

 

[adrianblaine]

Can .mac handle the calendar? I don't know much about .mac, but I swear I've seen something about a single calendar that numerous people can edit as though it was a group project. Maybe it was another company's product. Not sure.

I think .Mac would work fine, except for that it is $100 US/year, which is quite far from "free".

 

[Abstract]

And yet it's really still peanuts from a cost perspective. This is a business expense. Even if he got himself a domain name, it would still be quite cheap.

Get a .mac package off eBay, and you'll be spending even less.

 

[Cloud9]

Nope, It's gotta be free.

Any heard of this before?