Community Exchange 2

As the leader of a community group, I want a tool that will help facilitate communication and the exchanging of ideas among its members. I want to build an online community information exchange. The site I am looking to build would be very similar to [login to view URL], but with forum and BLOG capabilities. I have no formal programming experience, so I am looking for someone who can really lead me through this development experience by making recommendations as to which software should be used and how this application should be hosted. I do not have a budget for this project right now because I have no idea how much it should be. I hope to develop a budget as I go through this selection process. I think it is important to note that I would not be opposed to using an existing application and customizing it for my needs, and that I would prefer to use open source software wherever possible. The purpose for this request for proposal is to find a competent and passionate programmer who can: 1) Advise me as to the best way to achieve my objectives programmatically; and 2) Work collaboratively with me to develop the site. 3) Partner with me long term to keep the application evolving as the community grows along with their needs. I have a more detailed spec, but the file is too large to load. If interested please contact me and I will send the spec.