Beyond tiny tribal Nings... Strategies for Massive Inter-Ning Creations

[Richard Close]

In looking at Nings I am still amazed on how many Creators are still building tiny social tribal web sites and not thinking more out of the

box. Hint. How to build bigger contracts.

For a Scarsdale Middle school we built a Ning not just for the school, but to connect them with Lincoln Center school with then m in one Ning. It was packed with  activity in few days.

We just recommend that two large NYS counties place all their students on a single Ning and make the Groups like Threatre, Sports Technology and then had professional coaches in those industries head forums. Project Based Learning would be hard wired into the real world… Teen 20 anyone!

In many ways we are using Nings just to replace the same in the box tribal company web site thinking. The Ning should be cross tribal thinking. Which brings us to a feature they must add that would yield massive Nings. Ning Merging and Ning blending.  Now this  gets fun.

There a dozen good Library Nings out there that all replicate discussions with education Nings that blurr into the International  Development Nings. Ning Creators along with the Knowledge Boards (A future) can elect to allow reciprocal visiting and membership. Can you imagine how rich in
information a webinar and event calendars would be between these three groups?

Funny how limited our tribal thinking is. If your Ning is a customer relations program the cross pattern would get even more interesting. Let’s say I am managing a John Deer farm tractor Ning. Why not  cross it with fertilizer, seed  and weather Nings.

 

Imagine secure cross Ning search engines… Neat huh

So my fellow Creators.. stop the narrow minded tiny tribal Ning mentality and go change the world.

Hey maybe Apple and Microsoft could blend their Ning communities….Well maybe not. Stop laughing because IBM and Linex may do it.  On that thought… Anyone want to start a IBM Warp
Ning and link it to Wang Labs?

Hey I could of said Fox News with Michigan Militias. but that would in bad form.

Richard

http://globallearningframework.ning.com

[Janettee McCrary]

I'm doing that on my network, I absorbed three other networks already and would be willing to absorb more:) I have it set up so that those networks are now groups and are linked inside of each other.

Here is how it goes:
Our Earth -> Country Groups (Example:The United States) -> State Groups (Example: Oklahoma -> City Groups (Example: Oklahoma City-> Business, Nonprofit (Example: Wags To Whiskers), Alumni (Example: Northwest Classen High School), etc Groups

[Richard Close]

Janette
That is great. Why not link the school into local businesses
Richard

[Janettee McCrary]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean, sorry?

[Dena]

Two silly questions:

While it's a bit complicated for me to comprehend right now, I love the general concept of how you've linked everything. That's what I would love to be able to do.

The one feature groups don't have that many I know will want is chat.

What is the toolbar you have at the bottom of your site -- actually it looks like two different ones?

Do you find that will suffice as a chat option when they don't have a Ning chat feature within the group itself?

Thanks much! :)

[Janettee McCrary]

It really wasn't terribly complicated to do the links, although I guess it was a bit time-consuming because I had to go inside each one and do it.

I haven't found the need for chat to be exclusively for each individual group.

I use Wibiya, and I also added Meebo because I like their chat better.

[[e-mail]]

We need more ability in groups to in effect let these "tribes" or local chapters have in effect their own "web site" within the larger community. Example, a national or international group of carbuffs.xxx, then local chapters within this global group could have their own local club with events etc

[Richard Close]

There are association nings the have there group in regions
There is a Library Ning that posts other nings worth loooking at in a text box on the home page

[Dena]

If you have time, could you point to some of the networks you feel have laid out this regional group approach or just a general integrated approach well?

Thanks. :)

[Richard Close]

I have yet to see members use NIng chat. My communites are blended between Linkedin and Ning. My Ning community is over 500 and GlobalLearningFramework is only one hundred. What we really need is a Skype widget inside of Ning.

The Ning people talk amongst themselves and most use Skype internationally.

You need to understand your community. Mine are high level and control threir time. Most communication is via private emial because my communities are very private.

When Google Wave comes out I believe will will use that over chat. Wave allows us history on a topic and that is super useful. Ning will need a box for Google Wave

http://www.telecentre.org is a very clean large ning with groups

Feel free to Join my Ning at http://globallearningframework.ning.com

[Dena]

Thank you very much, Richard!

I, personally, don't use or care for chat much, but many of the people in my networks really use this feature

Great point about offering a Skype widget. I need to investigate the various apps and widgets currently provided; I haven't checked that out in a while.

I hadn't even heard of Google Wave. I shall check that out now....

Thanks again. :)

[Kapil K]

Just wanted to point out that I started a similar discussion here on 19 April and Eric Suesz from Ning HQ has created a group to serve as a marketplace if you're interested in consolidating with other like-minded Ning Networks to build something even bigger and better.

[Richard Close]

Thanks
We really should ha a search for content and people that is cross-Ning based. Or is that called Linkedin?
k-12 and Library Nings are very redundent.

Serious Linkedin seems to understand this search principle o:f groups and interest and people