ning - Blogs - Ning Creators Social Network2024-03-29T12:48:50Zhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/feed/tag/ningWhat do you see as the next phase in your community's lifecycle?https://creators.ning.com/blogs/what-do-you-see-as-the-next-phase-in-your-community-s-lifecycle2017-06-23T19:45:27.000Z2017-06-23T19:45:27.000ZShamshir Rai Luthrahttps://creators.ning.com/members/ShamshirRaiLuthra<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2233580?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>A Big Positive Hi There - to the new Ning Team and my Ning Creator comrades from New Delhi, India.</strong></span></p><p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>It's 1:10 am and I just can't stop loving you!</strong></span></p><p>I heard a slight bumble bee buzz, it was like a small Ning tinggg... and so I though of putting in my long forgotten requests which were highlighted in the <span class="font-size-3"><strong>Community Spotlight</strong></span> interview by the Ning Team <span> </span><a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/community/allisonleahy">Allison Leahy</a><span> on August 12, 2013</span></p><p><em>Here is the link of that interview:</em></p><p><a target="_blank">http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/community-spotlight-shamshir-rai-luthra-talking-rich</a></p><p><em>I had proposed/requested two things:</em></p><p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>1.Live Audio Recording Feature</strong></span></p><p><span class="font-size-3"><strong>2. Multiple Sign In Feature</strong></span></p><p></p><p><em>Here is an Excerpt of the interview:</em></p><p><em><strong>What do you see as the next phase in your community's lifecycle?</strong></em></p><p class="p1"><em>1. We really need an Audio recording feature, hooked in to all the other features.</em></p><p class="p1"><em>2. And a multiple network sign-in feature for our managed Ning networks, as well as signing-up, and collaborating with other Ning networks.</em></p><p class="p1"><em>Let me explain how and why:</em></p><p class="p1"><em> * Co-Promotion: Collectively, all Ning communities together are bigger than Facebook. For, numbers is just a game. Money and Time Investing Leaders are the ones who can create more value, because they are the risk takers. And Ning has many of them. A Ning Community Owner is like a Thought Leader of Ning. Put all these leaders together, and ask them to organize, and collaborate databases, content, community welfare work and their commercial ventures. That's the next phase, or the next level of social networking that we wish to initiate. If just four of our networks are conjoined, to begin with, just a single Ning sign up, that would be a test run for many more.</em></p><p class="p1"><em> * Constant Progressive Communication Through Technology: What if all content uploads on blogs, images, etc. are not just written content, but responses in either audio or video formats as well. That would be the next level, of communication. Technology drives communication, and communication drives technology. The importance of developments in Electronic Devices must be understood by New Media, and Community Creators like Ning, and Facebook. Uploading audio responses, instead of text comments is the next level of communication that the world audiences are near-ready to use. Hope Ning Research and Development is aware of the progressive human mindset, and will remain ahead.</em></p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1"><span class="font-size-3"><strong>PRESENT DILEMMA:</strong></span></p><p class="p1">I had purchased 4 ning networks at the time of that interview. And now am planning to reactivate the third one.</p><p class="p1">I find the ning plans expensive and unreasonable and might have to just stick to two or a singular network and move my other sites to weebly, etc.</p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1">Can the current programming and marketing teams please understand a ning creators dilemma, and help us through this?</p><p class="p1">Best wishes,</p><p class="p1"><strong>Shamshir Rai Luthra</strong></p><p class="p1"><em>India's First Radio Jockey, Consumer Activist, Voice Healer</em></p><p class="p1"><em>My (almost) revived new Ning 3.0 Networks are:</em></p><p class="p1"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ashirvachan.com" target="_blank">www.ashirvachan.com</a></p><p class="p1"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.talkingrich.com" target="_blank">www.talkingrich.com</a></p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1"></p><p class="p1"></p></div>110+ Useful Ning Tips and Tricks for 2.0 and 3.0https://creators.ning.com/blogs/110-useful-ning-tips-and-tricks-for-2-0-and-3-02016-12-07T21:27:02.000Z2016-12-07T21:27:02.000Z⚡JFarrow⌁https://creators.ning.com/members/JFarrow<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2233568?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>The best part about running a community on the Ning platform is the endless possibilities for changing and tweaking just about ever aspect of the platform. This is what has always kept me interested. This is what is exciting about cultivating a community. You can always make the platform adapt more and more to the culture of your members. This is what your member expect, after all. They want to see something new everytime they log in. It is up to you to provide that.</p>
<p>Tips left for other Ning Creators get buried with time, so I developed a method to resurface those good ones for another round of help. A while back I showed you <a href="http://creators.ning.com/forum/topics/megaload-of-ning-tips-tricks-and-hacks-over-200" target="_self">over 200 Ning tips</a> that I had scraped out of my own profile discussions dating back to 2007. There was quite a bit of garbage in there so I have gone through those and picked out around <a rel="nofollow" href="https://elink.io/9ac35" target="_blank">110 tips which are still relevant</a> and have compiled them <a rel="nofollow" href="https://elink.io/9ac35" target="_blank">into a collection for you</a>. You can simply learn something new every day from these tips alone. So, if you think you have done all you can do to make your network the best it can be, i am here to show you that you still have much to do. Here is the PDF of the link collection for download as well. </p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/559044?profile=original" target="_self">Ning-Creator-Tips-Tricks-Hacks-JFarrow.pdf</a></p>
<p>If you need help with some aspect of your Ning community or would simply like to redesign or build your network, <a href="http://creators.ning.com/members/JFarrow" target="_self">reach out to me</a> and let's discuss it. It may be much simpler than you think. I also have a form that you can fill out for <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.jbfarrow.com/projects/ning-help" target="_blank">private help here</a>. Good luck and by all means, be creative!</p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="https://elink.io/9ac35" target="_blank"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/558886?profile=original" alt="Ning tips collection" width="100%" class="align-full"></a></p></div>Thank you NING & Creators!... (member engagement)https://creators.ning.com/blogs/thank-you-ning-amp-creators2011-06-19T07:34:51.000Z2011-06-19T07:34:51.000ZTherese Legerhttps://creators.ning.com/members/ThereseLeger<div><p>I just wanted to thank everyone who helped me with advice on how to get members more engaged with my network...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>AND</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I am just a baby network right now, but in less than 24 hours I had 4 new sign ups and they weren't people that I asked to join. It was word of mouth. Not only that but most of the members that joined immediately were engaged with the network, and I am so much more confident in the potential growth of this site.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>One of the main problems I had in the beginning was the fact I didn't want to go overboard with adding too many graphics or colors. So instead, I went to the other extreme and made it look more bland than facebook in some ways. I had the content, but I was missing the pizazz needed for my kind of network.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Since my network is for artists, I realized that artists aren't attracted to bland looking things. Even I hated the look of my own network but thought it would be better to go with simple. My look and feel is still pretty simple but I added a new logo that pretty much defines everything I was hoping the network to be. I then changed up my colors to compliment the logo, and presto! I think my site looks a lot more appealing to artists and even I feel like I want to log in everyday. Pretty much as soon as I changed up my look, and posted the new logo I had 3 new sign ups without even asking anyone to join.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here are my before and after photos for my logos: can you guess which one is which?</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868404?profile=original"><img class="align-left" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868404?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="100"></a><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868526?profile=original"></a></p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868526?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868526?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="100"></a></p>
<p>Ok, so another thing I did was well I have many artists friends on facebook, and I of course read my friends updates often, and when I see someone post something that is relevant to a discussion happening on my network I message them about it. For example: One of my friends posted an update on facebook asking if anyone new of any art shows around down. So I messaged him and copied and pasted a discussion about planning an art show at a local venue that was happening within my network, and in turn he messaged me back and told me he would check it out. A few days later he joined, bringing with him a couple of other friends. Cool, yeah?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Something else I've been doing is when someone signs up I read their "about me" information in their profile. After I welcome them to the site I mention something going on, discussion, blog, conversation or a piece of art they might be interested in relevant to what I read about them. Or perhaps if I know they have a group in facebook, I invite them to create a group in my network as well and to invite new people to get involved in what they're already doing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Also, if I read something in their profile that seems intriguing or interesting/unique and they haven't posted anything about it really, I ask them about it and ask if they can upload a photo/video and share it with everyone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>These are just a few tidbits that I've been doing and it seems to be helping a lot- some of them were ideas from the Creators Network and some of them I thought of myself.. but the ones i thought of myself I think were born out of what others told me.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So, Thank you all!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>-Therese</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p></div>From the ground up, Ning, Facebook & Your Hustle.https://creators.ning.com/blogs/from-the-ground-up-ning2011-02-12T17:37:08.000Z2011-02-12T17:37:08.000ZSwurvhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Swurv<div><p>I know there have been post on why not to send your users to facebook and I may have mis read or not understood but one thing I know for sure is that we are starting to see more members and people actually blogging more on our site then ever before. In the last 2 days we got 11 people to join. We have been trying hard to control the spam so I would say maybe 2 out of the 11 could be spammers but most we can see that they like our page on facebook. <br />
<br />
Make it simple and put in the work to talk to people who like your page on FB, invite them to join your Ning site. With the new like page profile update you can see and do allot more. Everyone who likes our page we "TRY" to send them a thank you and to check out our NING site. On our ning we ask how did they hear about SwurvRadio and guess what they say :) not myspace....If you don't put in the work to get people to your site stop complaining about nobody coming to your site. I'm personally up at 6am daily promoting, engaging and networking...We are not even close to this is 50 or sites like that but I can see the fruit of my team as well as my labor. <br />
<br />
I can't remember this guys name but he was a great programmer that I met in SF years ago at some apple convention and he said "if you don't break it your not gonna know how to fix it" Basically try everything...look at what other sites are doing and do what they are doing but make it your own. Do it better. Try something different do research on your competitor, google 100 sites like yours and look at what they are doing and see what you can do to stand out. <br />
<br />
When we first started I had over 200 employees and I personally spent more money developing Swurv over that past 6 years than I thought I would. Paying a programmer thousands for a site that never got developed I had to think how can we have some sort of online presence and along came NING. We aggressively put our site together and within days we have almost 2-300 people join and it went nuts from there. But that wasn't because we didn't Hustle. We got out and promoted with flyers and word of mouth and just about anything we could do to get where we are today. I can honestly say I'm almost as excited about The new ning as I was when we first got on the platform. Whatever kind of site you have, if you believe in it...DO NOT WAIT FOR PEOPLE TO COME TO YOUR SITE, MAKE THEM! GO GET EM! BREAK SOMETHING & figure out how to fix it..You might Discover something new.  </p>
<p>I know I'm rambling now but I hope this helps anyone struggling with there site. I always tell my djs "I would rather have 1 really good dj than 35 who don't do <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Shit</span>" How many ever members you have treat them like they are #1 and they will bring people to your site"</p>
</div>The Bivings Group Launches Ning Design Serviceshttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/the-bivings-group-launches2010-12-08T16:30:00.000Z2010-12-08T16:30:00.000ZTodd Zeiglerhttps://creators.ning.com/members/ToddZeigler<div><p><a href="http://www.bivings.com/ning"><img style="background-image: none; margin: 1px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: right; padding-top: 0px; border: 0px;" title="ning_page" src="http://www.bivingsreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/ning_page1.jpg" border="0" alt="ning_page" width="240" height="85" align="right" />Ning</a> is a great platform that allows organizations and individuals to launch their very own niche social network in only a few minutes time. As a <a href="http://about.ning.com/certified/index.php">Ning certified partner</a>, over the last few years <a href="http://www.bivings.com">The Bivings Group</a> has built and designed <a href="http://www.ning.com/?cj=10831683#utm_source=CJ&utm_medium=AFF&utm_campaign=cj&utm_content=10831683">Ning</a>-based sites for clients such as <a rel="nofollow" href="http://push.pickensplan.com/">The Pickens Plan</a>, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://iava.org/">Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans and America</a> and the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://community.peacecorpsconnect.org/">National Peace Corps Association</a>. We think Ning is a great solution for organizations looking to launch their very own social network quickly and cost effectively.<br />
<br />
As a result of our work with Ning, folks frequently get in touch with us asking for help in setting up and designing their network. Most of the time their needs are pretty modest – they just want someone to help them create a custom design for their network or some initial advice as to how to set up and manage their community. Since our focus is on larger development projects, we typically haven’t been able to help.<br />
<br />
As a way of filling this void, today we are pleased to launch a cost-effective <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bivings.com/ning"><strong>new suite of Ning consulting services</strong></a>. For a one-time fee of $2,500, we will create and implement a custom design for your Ning network and provide some initial advice on how to get the most out of your network. If you need help developing your overall strategy, integrating your network with a CRM, managing your network long term or completing custom development work, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bivings.com/ning">we can help with that too</a>.<br />
<br />
<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.bivings.com/ning"><strong>Learn more about our Ning services here.</strong></a></p>
</div>YAAAAAAAAAAAAY 1000 Members!https://creators.ning.com/blogs/yaaaaaaaaaaaay-1000-members2010-07-18T19:30:00.000Z2010-07-18T19:30:00.000ZLisa Bhttps://creators.ning.com/members/LisaB<div><div>I've finally hit over 1000 members *does a little dance*!
<div>Im so happy and excited! Im actually on 1162 to be exact :D So chuffed I needed to brag ;)</div>
<div>Im starting to branch out now too...I've found a company that makes really affordable websites so Im getting a new directory made...I have a directory section already on my website where I sell add space for business's .... I make some okay money from that...it all depends how much effort I put into it..for instance..one night of emailing and I made R1000! So cool!</div>
<div>So I am now going to make an independent directory with awesome features for my clients and connect it to my NING network as well and a new online shop that I'll link too...so things are finally starting to grow and Im slowly starting to actually earn an income from my site :)</div>
<div>Happy days!</div>
<div>And on a last note of my gushing excitement......Im soooooo excited for the new premium options too!! I'm going to get to save some money (I was already a premium member) AND get more features!</div>
<div>Im counting the days to the swap over!</div>
<div>Just in case you want to have a little look see at my NING baby, its <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mommalicious.co.za/">Mommalicious Mammas</a> :)</div>
</div>
</div>How to Manage Advertising Real Estatehttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/how-to-manage-advertising-real2010-06-09T01:00:00.000Z2010-06-09T01:00:00.000ZJohn Howellhttps://creators.ning.com/members/JohnHowell<div><p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Generating revenue through advertising can be golden; however, how does a network creator manage the advertising real estate?</span></p>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">First...what is advertising real estate? Since there is only so much space on a web page (okay so technically there is nearly unlimited space on a web page, but being realistic, there is only so much that is considered quality space) advertising real estate, is that space that a network creator allocates to advertising.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A few of tips before moving forward:</span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Too much advertising can take away from the site visitor's experience and too little can be lost revenue. Finding a balance that works for your demographic is key.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Work within your chosen web design. Placing advertising in awkward places on the site just to draw attention can be counter productive. Yes, you may get a visitor's attention, but by diminishing their experience on your site can be a huge negative.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The key to success in advertising revenue is going to be return site visitors. The amount of effort and cost to get a new visitor to your website can be very costly and usually is. Keeping a balance of new visitors vs returning visitors is key. The balance and mix of these two variables is dependent on the site business model. For a social network, heavy percentage on return visitors is a must. If they aren't returning, something is wrong.</span></li>
</ol>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Okay, so how to manage the ad space? First, what are the variables that affect ad space?</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">They are:</span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ad size</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ad placement</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ad cost</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ad exposure</span></li>
</ol>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In a nutshell there are just four variables to consider. Let's break each one down.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">First,</span> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_banner#Standard_sizes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ad size</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. Ad size is defined by the actual space that the ad will occupy on the web page. Whether placing graphics-based or text-based advertisements, the space requirement should be considered. Banner ads are typically sized by</span> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">pixels</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, so for example, a 160x600 banner requires 160 pixels for the width and 600 pixels for the height.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Second, Ad placement. There are many combinations that can be used with regard to ad placement. The typical placement on a Ning network will be the right column. This space will receive the highest exposure because nearly every page on the network will have this column visible. It is also easy to manage by simply placing a text box and adding a banner image. Network creators can also easily place ads in all three columns on the network homepage. With bit more work, posting ads in the header, footer, and content areas, can be done; however, at present this will require a bit of javascript code and may offer some unpredictable outcomes.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Third, Ad cost. In determining how much to sell advertising space for, there are numerous considerations.</span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What are the demographics of the site?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Who could benefit from advertising?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Do I charge</span> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_per_click"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">CPC</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, or</span> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cost_per_impression"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">CPM</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How much traffic does this network generate?</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Where will the ad be placed, (for example</span> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Above_the_fold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">above the fold</span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">or below)?</span></li>
</ol>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This consideration (ad cost) can be expanded even further, but I will leave that for the comments.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Forth, Ad exposure. Ad exposure has four basic variables. They are:</span></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How many times an ad is seen by an individual.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How often an ad is seen by an individual.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The geographical location of the individual seeing the ad.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The time the ad is being seen by an individual.</span></li>
</ol>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are additional variables, like age, gender, browser type, etc., but those are beyond the scope of this discussion and can be explored in the comments.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Managing the complexity of advertising space can be daunting if not properly equipped. for the task.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For this reason, I recommend,</span> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.google.com/dfp/info/welcome.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Google Ad Manager</span></a> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">as a solution for managing your advertising campaigns. This robust solution offers handy tools for managing your campaign along with providing confidence in reporting for your advertisers.</span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What experiences do you have regarding generating revenue via an advertising model?</span></div>
</div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>Win a Year of Box.net’s Business Service (worth $2,400)https://creators.ning.com/blogs/win-a-year-of-boxnets-business2010-04-13T16:53:04.000Z2010-04-13T16:53:04.000ZLaurahttps://creators.ning.com/members/Laura<div><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868332?profile=original" alt=""></p>
<p></p>
<p>Can content enhance your Ning Network?</p>
<p>Yesterday <a href="http://blog.ning.com/2010/04/interview-box-nets-cloud-content-management-system.html">we interviewed Box.net Platform Manager Jeremy Glassenberg</a> about the Box.net Ning App, and how Ning Networks can use it to help manage and share content. Today, the friendly people at Box.net are giving away one year of Box.net Business service for 20 seats — a $2,400 value!</p>
<p></p>
<p>Entering is super simple. All you need to do is comment on <a href="http://blog.ning.com/2010/04/win-a-year-of-box-nets-business-service-worth-2400.html">this blog post</a>, and let us know how your Ning Network would benefit from Box.net’s Cloud Content Management capabilities. Please include both your Ning Network’s address (http://) and how you would use Box.net in your comment <a href="http://blog.ning.com/2010/04/win-a-year-of-box-nets-business-service-worth-2400.html">on the blog post</a>. One winner will be chosen by overall best use case. Hurry! We’re accepting entries up until Tuesday, April 20 at 5 p.m PST.</p></div>Ning.com Network Search is back! [Now Live]https://creators.ning.com/blogs/ningcom-network-search-is-back2010-03-25T19:30:00.000Z2010-03-25T19:30:00.000ZBrent Vincenthttps://creators.ning.com/members/BrentVincent<div><p class="MsoNormal">As we <a href="http://creators.ning.com/profiles/blogs/current-progress-on-ning">announced last month</a>, Ning.com Network Search is making a comeback!</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">We have been working hard to make it easier than ever to find Ning Networks for your interests and passions. So we’re happy to announce that in the next few days, search will be back on Ning.com! We’ve heard a lot of feedback about how important this feature is from Network Creators as well as from members looking for Ning Networks.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">For your Ning Network to appear in Ning.com’s Network Search, it must:</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-bottom: 0.1pt;">Be <strong><span style="font-family: Cambria;">public</span></strong>. Prospective members won't know too much about or be able to join your Ning Network if<br />
it's private, and we want to protect the privacy of private Ning Networks and their members.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-bottom: 0.1pt;">Be <strong><span style="font-family: Cambria;">active</span></strong>. If your Ning Network has thousands of members but hasn't had new content in months,<br />
it's not likely to be ranked highly in searches.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-bottom: 0.1pt;">Be <strong><span style="font-family: Cambria;">launched</span></strong> and accessible. We don't want to showcase Ning Networks that aren't yet ready for prime time!</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-bottom: 0.1pt;">Not contain content that violates our <a href="http://about.ning.com/legal/tos.php">Terms of Service.</a></li>
</ul>
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<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">For information on how to optimize your Ning Network for search, or if you have any search-related concerns about your Ning Network, please contact us through the <a href="http://help.ning.com/?faq=3794">Help Center</a>.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks,</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Brent</p>
</div>SXSW Day 3+ (I heart Ning.)https://creators.ning.com/blogs/sxsw-day-3-i-heart-ning2010-03-16T01:55:08.000Z2010-03-16T01:55:08.000ZDarcyhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Darcy<div><p>Last day, and Mama's headin' out the door to an SXSW party (Get OUT. Reeeeeally??). Unlike last night and the night before, tonight should be a fairly early one (*snort*), seeing as my flight leaves at 8:30 tomorrow morn.<br />
<br />
What a fabulous experience this trip has been. I've been inspired, learned some new things, met some great people, made fantastic contacts (fingers crossed!), and hopefully turned a bunch of people on to the awesomeness that is Ning.<br />
<br />
I'm SO grateful for such an amazing opportunity -- I have no question that with all I've gained these past few days, Swap Mamas will benefit immensely. I owe it all to you, Ning. I'll definitely be posting better pics when I get home ... catch y'all soon!<br /></p>
</div>SXSW Day 2+ (Be kind to others. And post unflattering pics of them.)https://creators.ning.com/blogs/sxsw-day-2-be-kind-to-others2010-03-15T04:45:08.000Z2010-03-15T04:45:08.000ZDarcyhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Darcy<div><p>Today was FANTASTIC. Great sessions, great parties, and now, at 11 pm, we're on our way BACK out to meld into the fray -- first on the list, the Mashable Party (if we can deal with the line wrapping around the block)!<br> <br> I'm spreading the Ning luv aaaalll around -- hoping to catch up with the RVIPers shortly. (Ning has an RV. They drive around. They let people on. And they SING KARAOKE. It's a beautiful thing.) One thing's clear -- EVERYONE knows what Ning is. And convincing them of it's awesomeness has been unnecessary.<br> <br> Best session today? Peter Shankman of HARO (Help A Reporter Out). If you're not already familiar with his site, do yourself a favor, head over and sign up for his 3x daily newsletter. His best advice? Be kind to people. When someone asks what my business model is, it's hard not to respond, "Be good to people and good things will come to you." It's how I live my life and it's how I run my network.<br> <br> Sadly, tomorrow's my last day ... I'm packing in as many panels as I can. As for photos? Of course, I have a bunch. But, um ... yeah, left the cord to download 'em at home. Lovely. Sooo, I promise to post as soon as I get back. For the time being, this crappy phone-photo should whet your appetite.<br></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868349?profile=original" alt=""></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">To be clear, this is NOT the Ning RV. (One can dream ...)</p>
<p></p></div>SXSW Day 1+ (and I heart nerds).https://creators.ning.com/blogs/sxsw-day-1-and-i-heart-nerds2010-03-14T05:04:07.000Z2010-03-14T05:04:07.000ZDarcyhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Darcy<div><p>Day One at SXSW and seriously? I heart nerds. And I say that with all kind of luv, seeing as I'm a complete nerd myself. (Self-love is good, no?) Which means I'm in H-E-A-V-E-N.<br> <br> So far, best part of the day, was the Opening Speaker, Danah Boyd. Boyd works at Microsoft Research New England and also serves as a fellow at the Harvard University Berkman Center for Internet and Society. She's doing some fascinating stuff with regard to privacy and publicity. And one of her comments struck me as particularly relevant to many of the conversations going on in the Ning Creators Community. In a nutshell, she makes the very valid point (IMHO) that when it comes to social networks, more is not necessarily better. That just because we CAN "optimize" the user's experience, doesn't necessarily mean we SHOULD.<br> <br> Hallelujah.<br> <br> I've often felt, that as much as I ADORE social media, it's important to remain grounded and remember that nothing replaces the human touch, metaphorical, or physical. Leaving just a little bit of that "human" experience in my network is integral to my network, and I would argue, ANY network. And when you can create a community that successfully straddles the chasm between the virtual world and reality? Gold.<br> <br> So, enough of the soapbox. Needless to say, I was impressed. And inspired. And later, when I attended the panel, "The Socially Conscious Geek: Making Money While Doing Good," I was inspired even more.<br> <br> Like I said, I heart nerds. (Oh, and Ning, btw. :D)<br> <br> PLUS ...<br> <br> they party like ...<br></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868325?profile=original" alt=""></p>
<p><br> Forever's gonna start tonight.<br> <br> But more about that tomorrow. (RAWR.)<br> <br></p></div>Ning + Austin Winners Announced!https://creators.ning.com/blogs/ning-austin-winners-announced2010-03-05T18:48:16.000Z2010-03-05T18:48:16.000ZLaurahttps://creators.ning.com/members/Laura326<div><p>Thanks to all the amazing Network Creators who entered our Ning + Austin contest! We’re thrilled to announce the three winners:</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.swapmamas.com/"><img style="float: right;" src="http://api.ning.com/files/OmBcC3KK1H5kuaukDlUsYoG26v4hZ9KetBwj0Imp2R*Io9Gul4z5ESpSbBeE8BSYdUE9jTkhxADOr5wYHQq33Wy95FBjWQ1f/Picture11.png"></a></p>
<p></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.swapmamas.com">Swap Mamas</a> is about getting to know other parents, making connections, and doing a little old school trading with friends. The more you give, the more you get.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.ampednation.org"><img style="float: left;" src="http://api.ning.com/files/XbLhfjsIBI7GpE-hJPtASIPa*gXnzT2k0avlL1MxOP2FhduO6Af8k2ekmi3FGlI8fRqL*-pbLnDLm25sGZXSyE8U1tDJ909d/Picture9.png?width=145" width="145"></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ampednation.org"></a><br> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.ampednation.org">Amped 4-a-Cure</a> uses the universal language of music as the vehicle to deliver the message to the masses of the importance of getting behind the efforts of cancer research.</p>
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<p><a href="http://www.20sb.net"><img style="float: right;" src="http://api.ning.com/files/oPYYrL3fTRYQsYXTWNTjTs-A*DrYjvEsEeVU8sqqMX5ciaC7t*20QdK8*9wpRlynlQhLEjte94UFyfX2EwbdD7BHk94zRXzp/Picture10.png?width=103" width="103"></a><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.20sb.net">20 Something Bloggers</a> has brought together thousands of bloggers from all over the world, and spawned a vibrant community of like-minded, fascinating people who thrive on one another's support and feedback.</p>
<p><br></p>
<p>Stay tuned – we’ll be announcing another Creators contest this Monday - open to every member of Creators!</p>
<p></p></div>Community Manager Appreciation Day #CMADhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/community-manager-appreciation2010-01-25T20:00:00.000Z2010-01-25T20:00:00.000ZLaurahttps://creators.ning.com/members/Laura326<div><p>Happy CMAD!If you didn't know today is Community Manager Appreciation Day, it's ok. It doesn't mean your community doesn't appreciate you. They likely don't read or follow <a rel="nofollow" href="http://twitter.com/jowyang" target="_blank">Jeremiah Owyang</a>, who has dubbed the fourth Friday in January, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2010/01/25/community-manager-appreciation-day-cmad-every-4th-monday-of-jan/" target="_blank">Community Manager Appreciation Day</a>.This is a day for us to reflect on our own efforts, trials and tribulations as community managers, as well as give ourselves and each other pats on the back.Every member of Creators is a burgeoning or successful manager of at least one community. With this role comes stress, but also joy as we see our networks grow and evolve. We each put in hours and hours (and hours) of work strengthening the connections between our members, sharing stories and information, and helping one another.So from one community manager to more than 5000 others, I say congratulations and thank you!Laura</p>
</div>Network Meet Ups and Parties - BaristaExchange.comhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/network-meet-ups-and-parties2010-01-05T22:00:00.000Z2010-01-05T22:00:00.000ZMatt Millettohttps://creators.ning.com/members/MattMilletto<div><p><object width="425" height="344" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="false" ></param>
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<p>3 to 4 times a year I host a Barista Exchange meet up party in different cities across the US. We have had meet ups in D.C., Atlanta, Portland, Seattle, Las Vegas, etc. These parties are often in conjunction with a large coffee industry trade show, or barista competition and range from 100-700 attendees.By hosting meet ups, it really gives our members the chance to meet face to face, and by being a member of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.baristaexchange.com" target="_blank">BaristaExchange.com</a> one feels that they are part of a larger community.One of my favorite moments was when a couple baristas from upper Michigan showed up at the D.C. bX meet up, and came up to me thanking me for hosting the event as they would have never felt comfortable just showing to a party, without the Barista Exchange connection.These events have been a big success and we often have stations set up for live sign ups and promo materials for those who have not joined to take away with them. We have done everything from simply buying a couple kegs and taking over a coffee bar, to renting out a full show venue and having bands, to an 80's theme barista prom, to throwing a party in 2 huge 51st floor suites at the palms in Las Vegas.Meet ups can be small or large, but it is a great chance for the membership of my site to interact face to face. I encourage any network creators to try a meet up and see how it goes.- Matt</p>
</div>Social Media Predictionshttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/social-media-predictions2009-12-17T00:14:17.000Z2009-12-17T00:14:17.000ZBenjamin Brandaohttps://creators.ning.com/members/BenjaminBrandao<div><p>The buzz word for 2010 will be <i>Micro-Localized Social Networking</i>. Spacial relativity will become less and less a factor in determining social borders. A new world order will begin to emerge within two years.According to Nielsen Online, 2009 saw exponential growth of social media. Twitter alone grew 1,382% registering more than 7 million unique US visitors in the month of February alone. Meanwhile, MySpace users continued the migration to Facebook. What will social media look like in 2010?Next year, "social media will get even more popular, more mobile, and more exclusive" — at least, that's what <a rel="nofollow" href="http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/11/six_social_media_trends.html" target="_blank">David Armano's</a> thinks, author of <i>Six Social Media Trends for 2010</i>.I believe the boutique social media phenomenon that Ning has enabled will surpass all other social media providers combined. Due to the ability of Ning users to create their own social media experience based around what ever passion they share with others. When I last checked, in November 2009, Ning users have created 1.5 million social networks with a combined 37million unique users; growing at a rate of 12 million new users every month.I believe the tasks Ning made possible for us to undertake will have a tangible lasting impact on the evolution of the human experience.</p>
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