Would like more facts in the "Add facts about this Ning Network" (Activity feed message)

[Michael Thompson]

I use the activity feed message (write your own message) fairly often on my network, but I rarely used the default options provided by ning (Add facts about this Ning Network) until the last few weeks when activity really started to pick up. Now these facts seem much more useful for our network. Plus. the facts about your network options can be used to help fill up the activity feed late at night or or other times when activity on the network slows down. 

I would not mind seeing a few more options included in the (add facts about this Ning Network) options. Currently we can send out a message listing the total number of members on our network or the number of new members that have joined over the past week.

Adding the number of new members that joined over the past month and perhaps the total number of new members that joined over the past year could be a useful tool for network admins and creators.

The current options include the "most popular" and the "total number" of blogs, photos and videos. Adding the number of new blogs, photos and videos over the past month might be useful fact options as well. 

[Eric Suesz]

More stats. Sounds good to me, although the flip side of that is that some people want to hide all of the stats (particularly when they are just getting started). I will pass this request on to our product team. Thanks!

[Michael Thompson]

Thanks Eric. My network is one of those networks that keeps the member count hidden. We have a certain goal of members that we want to reach before displaying the member count. However, as things begin to pick up (new members and posts) we want to publish that news to our members to further motivate them to remain active and invite others to help us reach that goal. Publishing a strong month or strong six months in our activity feed would also likely help bring aboard non-registered visitors to the site. I actually think that we will use these fact features more in the growing, but still hidden phase even more than we will after we reach the point when we will display our member count. A (non D or R) political site like ours has to demonstrate constant forward momentum. Potential members have to believe in the movement and see the potential for actual positive electoral results. Displaying a member count of just 200 or 300 members for a young political network like ours likely will not cause many potential members to join and learn more. Many will likely write us off not to visit again. But, displaying the first strong growth month(s) of 40, 60 or 100 new members in the activity feed will go much further in either getting interested visitors to sign-up or at least get them to visit again in three or four months to see our progress. We have to go well beyond just finding people that share common ground, interests and a common vision. Positive momentum and member count is a major factor in determining if visitors sign-up or move on to the next site/party for networks like ours. Having more facts/stats available just gives NC's more options to help point out the positive movement of their networks to current members and visitors.