Updates on revamped Activity Feed and other Main Page improvements

[Nick Barr]

A few weeks ago, we announced a project to make the Main Page of your Ning Networks more interactive and engaging. I'd like to share our progress with you.

Here's a screenshot of the new Activity Feed in action, along with a Main Page status box:



There several things I'd like to highlight here:

• Members can post a Status from the Main Page. If you uncheck "Status updates" in the Latest Activity controls, this box will disappear.
• Activity Items have a new, cleaner UI that makes it easier for members to interact with content in the feed.
• Videos are playable inline, and photo thumbnails are larger.
• When you click "Continue" on a blog post, the post expands inline.

See how this Ning Network looks in comparison for a clear picture of the improvements.

We're going to release this new and improved Activity Feed on a select number of Ning Networks very soon, and gather feedback and data on how people are using it. We're also going to release it here on Creators, so you can get a feel for it from a member's perspective.

In the meantime, we're also working on these additional features:

• Ability to like & comment inline on the Activity Feed
• Ability to like & comment on statuses.

Screenshots and more details on those features to come.

I'd also like to call out that when we release the Activity Feed improvements to the Ning Platform, they will take effect on all Ning Networks. We'll be posting more details in the coming weeks to ensure that you're equipped with everything you need to take advantage of these new features and communicate them to your members.

[Speed Racer]

looks killer, Nick, i'd love to help you guys test it.

[Chris]

Ditto.

[Kanti Kumar]

Looks cool. I like the inline video playing and post expanding bits best, not to mention the status update option right upfront. Will members be able to comment inline too, I mean, in the Latest activity list itself?

Count me in for testing this...

[Eric Suesz]

Hey, Kanti: "We're working on these additional features: Ability to like & comment inline on the Activity Feed"

[Kanti Kumar]

That's great! Looking forward to these new features... :-))

[Calvin Carter]

• Ability to like & comment inline on the Activity Feed
• Ability to like & comment on statuses.how long before these features are live ?

[Eric Suesz]

In the coming weeks, Calvin: 

We'll be posting more details in the coming weeks to ensure that you're equipped with everything you need to take advantage of these new features and communicate them to your members.

[Calvin Carter]

ok thanks eric

[Marcs Marcello]

Por que não transformar a página principal como aqui no fórum, onde podemos responder os comentários, os vídeos e fotos dos membros na página principal sem sair dela?

Por que nossa página no fórum não é igual a de vocês? Não vejo essa setinha de resposta na minha. Se vocês podem criar isso aqui, poderiam criar na página principal.

Eu adicionei um script que dá para os membros comentarem e responderem na mesma página. Confira em: www.oonzap.com

 

A paz!
 

[AnDrE]

[Manny Hernandez]

Nick,

Love the evolution this will bring in terms of interactivity. Seems like a step to infuse our networks with the level of  interactivity that you can see on the Facebook main page. I am sure too, it will make more people "hang out" on the main page too, since there will be more to do there.

 

A couple of questions:

1) Will this update only mean that the Latest Activity will be "injected" with all this goodness but it will remain in the same place where we have it now and with the same width we have it now? I ask this b/c we currently still have an "old layout" (working on moving on Design Studio) and, under it, we have Latest Activity as a left-side (small) column.

 

2) Would love to hear your thoughts on Design Studio layouts that, in your testing, would be better suited to this new update.

 

Thanks,

[Nick Barr]

Hi Manny, thanks for your awesome questions.

 

1) All the Latest Activity goodness will get injected into your Latest Activity module, wherever it is, whether you are in a "new" or "old" layout. Here's a screenshot of what it would look like in a skinny column:

 

2) One of the most important things the Design Studio allows is the ability to create 2-column layouts. While 3 columns was historically the Ning trademark and may work for many Ning Networks, I think there are some key advantages to having less, but more interesting content on your Main Page. For example, historically many Ning Networks might have had a Forum Module, a Blog Module, and an Activity Module on their Main Pages. Part of the goal of this release, and the goal of future releases, is for you to be able to pick just one of those, place it prominently on your site, and have it work in an awesome way. Ultimately all of these embeds are "Activity Feeds," they just show different kinds of Activity. Which is the most critical for my site? Where should I place it to get the maximum engagement? Those are the questions I think NCs are and should be asking. By improving the quality of each Main Page embed, we give you the freedom to pick just 1 because that 1 module is going to be awesome.

 

One of the most critical things that we can do in the coming months is to share our data and learnings with NCs to give tips and tricks to creating the most engaging Main Page possible. We've started to do that with Leaderboards and Like Button information, and will continue to do so as we learn more about different layouts and the new features described above.