I know nothing about HTML/web coding, but know DW for web develop in design mode. I wish to develop a social network - should I learn AJAX, RoR, Java and/or PHP (or perhaps Coldfusion)? What is the easiest/quickest for this format/project? I need to get this site up soon.

Thanks

you are nowhere near ready for such a project.

first learn html & css.

then learn the name of a good programmer to partner with. Lots of great programmers can't do graphic design. or great layout!

You need to know what languages your web host supports such as .net, java, php, etc.

You need to know what databases your web host supports such as postgres, mysql, oracle, ms sql server

You need to know if there are already any programs out there compatible with the front and back end support your web host offers.

Then you need to have the knowhow to put it all together...

Depending on the level of sophistication of the site something can be done by a knowledgeable person within a few days.

If you don't even understand html code ---- and if time is of the importance, you're going to be better off finding a programmer who already knows how to do this.

At a minimum you'll need html and css before you even begin to look at the language supported by your host.

If you have questions about what you're getting into feel free to email me

I'd say ASP.NET. A few months ago I got the same dillema as yours, I looked at JSP/PHP/ColdFusion but finally fell in love with ASP.NET. This is because mainly I had a knowledge in c#, second of all the IDE is free (express edition), lastly you can find a lot of video tutorial in www.asp.net for free (download). So depends on what kind of Object Oriented programming that you know, you can choose the prefered server-side language. I hope it helps.