Customizing and revamping; breaking some of the social networking cookie cutters

[Add a Tip for Other Network Creators (Ning 2.0)]

I notice that  a lot of creators (not all) are aiming to be the "spitting image" of  places like Facebook".  If I would have wanted to be like Facebook I would have made my website using them. I prefer Ning, thank you.  And "Thank you", Ning!

Our friend, Patrick Chappelle has mentioned getting rid of the "Ning-ness by changing some of the coding.  We have, Patrick.  I am suggesting alternatives to the social networking language, period.  I  have changed the majority of the language used on my site; little has not be touched by my hand.  I got very sick of seeing the tired Sign up/Sign in/ log in/log out lingo. The "Likes" seemed somewhat juvenile.  So here are a few of the ones we use on our site.  Some of it has been mentioned on other discussions, so it may be a repeat.

"Forum" has been changed to "Discussion Boards", "Like" to "I admire this!", Recent Network Events"  (Events also can mean happenings or occurrences, or thing past.) was "Latest Activity". Our place is for morticians so I renamed "Chat" or "Main Room", "The Visitation Room".  Could have named it "The Parlor", but that is British terminology, and I am American.

Why have "TOP MEMBERS"?  Changed it to "ACTIVE MEMBERS".  We dumped the "Inbox" for "Message Center"  Added our initials TMN to Friends .  "Settings" is now "Profile Settings".

In addition, we gave the Ning footer a facelift, by adding and subtracting links. Nothing wrong with using Nings footer, just customize it to fit your website.  We use the "Instant Ad Footer" for US. We have our custom logo there.  It is the same as the header used in our Broadcast messages.  It is slightly different than our main header.

We scraped the "SO and SO is a social network"  We are not a social network. we are a professional network.  We replaced it with our tagline.  Unique and customized for us!

We also file 13nd the Sign up /Sign in page, and remade it.  It is now "Join" or "Enter"; you also "Exit" not "Sign out.  We kept the site search and did away with the Signing links.  We admire our site, and thank Creators for making it so.  You may visit us, our main page is visible. http://morticiansnetwork.com

[Jayne]

You have some good advice there, ty.. as for the Facebook reference, WELL SAID.... I too would be on FB if I wanted to be and have my network there, but I don't, I don't want my Ning network to look or act anything like it either, so wish everyone who does, to maybe head on over to FB and stay there....

[Vipster]

I wouldn't change the positioning of elements on your network just to make it NOT look like Facebook. They've got a huge UI department and spend a few million USD each year to research what should go where. Be different based on feedback from your members, but don't be different just for the sake of being different. My networks are laid out fairly similar to Facebook. Three of my four networks are likely in the top 50 at Ning in terms of activity. I'll be staying here and keeping my networks exactly the way they are, but thanks for your advice :)

[Scott Bishop]

I changed out my Settings to Profile Setting & Top Members to Active Members. They both make better sense for less confusion. Thanks!

One word change I did that made a big difference in getting rid of a HUGE annoyance was changing up "Photos" to "Surf Photos", "Videos" to "Surf Videos" etc.

In my beginning I was getting all kinds of photos on my site that better belonged to FB and not my site, a Surf Community site. After making those word changes my last 2,500 photos uploaded by members have all been surf photos not "friends at a party" or "baby" photos.

It really does work!

[Luciano Costa]

Interesting take. May try some of it. But really interested in how you set up the scrolling across your page. I've been wanting to add something like it for testimonials. 

[Jayne]

Add this to your custom code, change the values to suit yourself.

<!-- Add Scrolling Message to NingBar -->

<div style="xg-p:absolute; right:400px; top:4px;"><marquee onmouseover="this.stop();" onmouseout="this.start();" scrolldelay="125" scrollamount="3" direction="left" height="30" vspace="0" bgcolor="transparent" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size:20px; color: #FF0099

;"> Add your text here</marquee></div>

<!-- End Scrolling Message to NingBar -->

once done click 'main page' to see the results.

[Scott Bishop]

What does that do? Do you have a link to show it.

[Jayne]

guess it's not working in this box, it does in a text box on your page as well as if you add to custom code..

you put the text you want, then it will scroll from right to left on your page...

see the 'happy 4th' at the top, it scrolls....

[Luciano Costa]

Hi Jayne,

Thanks for the code but didn't work on my site. I updated with a test message and then copied and pasted exactly as you provided but nothing happened.

[Jayne]

Not sure why it's not working for you Luciano, I have it as you see on my Network, and it's working fine, did you click the 'main' to go to your main page? try it in a text box as i have added it here, then if that works, you might have done something wrong in changing the values...

[Luciano Costa]

I didn't change any values (except for adding a test message where it says to add message). I don't know how to mess with the other stuff. Not a computer expert here.

[Jayne]

This is what i have now. Try adding that to your custom code box as it is.. see if it works.
if not then maybe you have something in your custom box that might be interfering with it.

<!-- Add Scrolling Message to NingBar -->

<div style="xg-p:absolute; right:700px; top:20px;"><marquee onmouseover="this.stop();" onmouseout="this.start();" scrolldelay="10" scrollamount="6" direction="left" height="30" vspace="0" bgcolor="transparent" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size:26px; color: #0015aa;"> HAPPY 4TH JULY TO OUR USA FRIENDS</marquee></div>

<!-- End Scrolling Message to NingBar -->

[Luciano Costa]

It worked, but it was at the very bottom of the page. It may have worked last time too but I didn't think about looking at the bottom. I thought it was going to appear at the top.