Success Stories - Blogs - Ning Creators Social Network2024-03-28T22:11:56Zhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/feed/category/Success+StoriesSuccess Story with Bechy, Mathclub Virtualhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/success-story-with-bechy-mathclub-virtual2018-03-31T19:16:15.000Z2018-03-31T19:16:15.000ZVictoria_NINGhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Viktoriia<div><p>Every day new network creators come to our platform and start their own social website. There are so many of us today that we decided to tell more about our members. And want to share with you a story about Bechy, <a href="http://mathclubvirtual.ning.com/">MathClub Virtual</a>.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Tell us a little about yourself and your community.</strong></span></h2>
<p>I am Colombian, a teacher of mathematics, passionate about virtual environments to teach and learn.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>How did you decide to create your network? What is your community for you?</strong></span></h2>
<p>MathClub was initially a face-to-face math club, formed by students of the Educational Institution No 2 in which I work. The club grew and students from other institutions expressed their desire to join. Not being able to gather everyone in a physical space, I decided to create Virtual MathClub in NING. Today we have thousands of members from more than 20 countries. For my MathClub it is my virtual house, and all its members form a great family.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>What can’t you imagine your community without?</strong></span></h2>
<p>I can not imagine my community without the FORUMS, I love helping students who have difficulty with math or with some problem that they have not been able to solve, that is why we have several forums of advising.</p>
<p><img class="size-full wp-image-36218 alignleft" src="http://cdn.ning.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/%D0%94%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%B9%D0%BD-%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%B7-%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F-3.png" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" srcset="https://cdn.ning.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Дизайн-без-названия-3.png 800w, <a href=" /></p>
<h2 dir="auto"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Do you have interesting stories or people in your community? Tell us about them</strong></span></h2>
<p>The first foreign member of our network was Professor Ali Amgaad of Morocco. I keep a lot of gratitude because it motivated me a lot and gave me ideas for the community. He became my best friend, although I only know him virtually.</p>
<p>With Professor John Jairo Escobar of Ibagué, we developed a project for the learning of Multivariate Calculus which was developed in a GROUP created in Virtual MathClub, this experience was awarded by the RIBIE in the category of educational experiences in higher education.</p>
<p>Thanks to MathClub Virtual I was selected in 2011 to attend the ICT Training for Colombian Teachers in Incheon, South Korea. I have been a speaker at mathematics conferences and educational informatics in countries such as Spain, Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina. In 2015 I was invited by UNESCO to the International Conference on ICT and Post-2015 Education, in Qingdao, China.</p>
<p>One of the activities we do in our community is the preparation of eleventh-grade students for State tests through online workshops. Last year this experience received the National Award for Digital Social Mobilization of the ICT Ministry.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Can you give us some tips how to build successful community?</strong></span></h2>
<p>I think we should do everything possible to answer members in the chat, in forums and messages. Send messages to all members informing about the achievements and the new features that are incorporated.</p>
<h2><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><strong>Tell us a little about your experience with NING?</strong></span></h2>
<p>NING has been too important in my professional life, it has taken me further than I ever dreamed. It’s nice to be a teacher, not only of the students who assign me in the institution I work for but of thousands of students who come to MathClub Virtual in search of support in mathematics. And it is also very pleasant to meet and share experiences with professors from different countries.</p>
<p>I want to take this opportunity to say: Thank you NING.</p>
<p dir="auto"><strong>Want to share your story? Write us at</strong> <a href="http://hello@ning.com/" data-cke-saved-href="http://hello@ning.com">hello@ning.com</a></p>
</div>What's new: №3https://creators.ning.com/blogs/what-s-new-n32018-03-31T17:34:34.000Z2018-03-31T17:34:34.000ZVictoria_NINGhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Viktoriia<div><p>Hi creators!</p>
<p><br />
Wonder what has happened with our community lately? Read our latest materials:</p>
<ol>
<li>Community Story with <a href="https://www.ning.com/blog/2018/03/community-story-tim-grimes.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Grimes, GoldProspectorsSpace</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ning.com/blog/2018/03/10-tips-to-drive-more-blog-traffic-from-linkedin.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10 tips to drive more blog traffic from Linkedin</a></li>
<li>New discussions in <a href="https://creators.ning.com/group/business-networking" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NING Business Club</a> and <a href="https://creators.ning.com/group/monetization-with-ning" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Monetization with NING</a> groups </li>
<li><a href="https://www.ning.com/blog/2018/03/choose-best-digital-marketing-channel-business.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to choose the best digital marketing channel for your business</a> </li>
</ol>
<p>Have something you want to share with us? Post your thoughts in comments!</p>
</div>What 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>NING POWERED PROJECT: Survey Earth in a Day 6https://creators.ning.com/blogs/ning-powered-project-survey-earth-in-a-day-62017-06-14T22:58:04.000Z2017-06-14T22:58:04.000Z⚡JFarrow⌁https://creators.ning.com/members/JFarrow<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2233600?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p>If you have been on Creators for a while you may remember my post about Survey Earth in a Day back in 2012. This is a GLOBAL Community event for our <a rel="nofollow" href="http://landsurveyorsunited.com" target="_blank">Land Surveyor Community</a>.</p><h3 class="entry-title" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://creators.ning.com/forum/topics/ning-powered-project-survey-earth-in-a-day">NING-POWERED PROJECT: Survey Earth in a Day</a></h3><p style="text-align: center;">Well, this year will be our 6th year remeasuring the entire planet as a community, in a single day.</p><div class="wrapper"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.surveyearth.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.surveyearth.com/assets/public/images/surveyearth.png" width="100%" class="align-full"/></a></div><p>What Is Survey Earth in a Day?</p><p>On the day of the solstice June 20, 2017, geospatial professionals around the world and members of Land Surveyors United (a global support network for land surveyors) will be simultaneously recording survey grade GNSS/GPS data from thousands of points around the globe, in order to promote awareness of and a better public understanding of the surveying profession. Measurements made on this day will serve as comparative data from prior events and to expand upon the database of logged points.</p><p><span><span><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.surveyearth.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.surveyearth.com/assets/public/images/456.jpg" class="align-center"/></a></span></span></p><p></p><p><span><a rel="nofollow" href="http://surveyearth.com" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QxHBc5XE_RiuixT94rEZ18e1upBOEdeTAwjKxR9zylyhHT5KO3MC__sgn2VAevgNQ99qOlPDWEw_Ff_HNn-_4YNwHa86ZGAZ8TORS2UhWL8TEWXJZeAvETJgWrIcOxWhSMefwUY" class="align-center"/></a><br/></span></p><div id="TE_3" class="mce-content-body"><p><span class="font-size-5">So WHAT happens on Survey Earth in a Day?</span><br/> On the day of the solstice June 20, 2017, geospatial professionals around the world and members of Land Surveyors United (a global support network for land surveyors) will be simultaneously recording survey grade GNSS/GPS data from thousands of points around the globe, in order to promote awareness of and a better public understanding of the surveying profession. Measurements made on this day will serve as comparative data from prior events and to expand upon the database of logged points.</p></div><p></p><p>This is just an example of what you can do with a Global Community!</p><p></p></div>Your Community as a Planet and Prismhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/your-community-as-a-planet-and-prism2017-03-05T22:34:44.000Z2017-03-05T22:34:44.000Z⚡JFarrow⌁https://creators.ning.com/members/JFarrow<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2233583?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><div style="color:#1d2129;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;word-spacing:0px;background-color:#ffffff;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:center;"> </div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:center;"><span class="font-size-6"><strong>My <a href="http://landsurveyorsunited.com/" target="_blank">first community</a> Turns Ten Years Old March 10th!</strong></span></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:center;"><strong>After a decade of community building, here are a few things I have learned</strong></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:center;"> </div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><strong>Some Observations About Planets and Such</strong></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/560228?profile=original"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/560228?profile=original" alt="560228?profile=original" /></a>Online communities are like little planets, each with their own ecosystem. As a community manager, you provide the venue for conversations to happen. Once they happen, it is your job to make sure the content becomes categorized, tagged and grouped with relevant items. Of course you must make members aware that such place of your creation is the type of a place for people of suchness to discuss what it is worth discussing. In order to help others of such suchness find your place for discussing such so that they might discuss such too. As such, you must "do" certain things outside of your community, like linking back to those discussions and photos which continue to bring in new members. Only the best of the best content originating on your site will attract visitors. Visitors interested in such may become members in order to join such discussions. Then it becomes up to you to decide what you need to know about their relation to such through profile questioning. As founder, you must gauge whether or not they qualify for membership. There is a good chance that a follower of your facebook page will already be interested in your topic, as long as you stay on topic. If you stray too far from the topic, members will leave.</div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"> </div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><strong>The Questions We Ask</strong></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/560454?profile=original"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/560454?profile=original" alt="560454?profile=original" /></a>The questions you ask them should require answers by which you test their humanity and sanity, unless you're building a social community for robots and refridgerators, think of it as a quiz. This quiz is the best kind of quiz because they can always change the answers to reflect who they actually want themselves to be seen as online. The answers they save become the about section on everyone's profile. With the right tuning, a member's profile could be as impactful as a living resume. The answers they provide can tell you whether they are joining for the right reasons. Their profile become the criteria upon which all other members will gauge them as well. You shouldn't accept every person who joins to increase numbers. The person who joins must be deeply interested in the specific subject matter of your community. If not and they still try to join, they have ulterior motives, which may cause you stress eventually. In my experience I have noticed that if a person will not take the time to fill out their profile, they will never contribute anything to your community. Avoid the pain of spammers joining by asking well thought out questions in addition to using the other social platforms as your <span style="text-decoration:underline;"><em>qualifiers for new members</em></span>. That is where facebook, twitter, tumblr, pinterest, instagram and any number of other services become your community satellites, amplifying your message to other planets and to people in the future who haven't even been born yet..</div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"> </div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><strong>Listening Through Noise</strong></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/559359?profile=original"><img class="align-right" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/559359?profile=original" alt="559359?profile=original" /></a>In a world of noise, social channels become clouded and must be filtered and categorized according to relevance, if for no other reason than clarity. A community online becomes different over time, changing while pushing older content down and replacing with it with new topics. In communities of practice, old topics can become new discussions to anyone who is serious about what it is that they do. Each topic originates in your community or rather, it should. Rather than bang it out on Facebook, put it inside a post on your community and share the link on Facebook. You'll have much more control over the message that way. You message will be read by those who want to or have time to read it. When the post is live, the link becomes what you share as updates on your satellites- your associated social profiles. All of those links should all be linking back to your post in the communitynow. That link become like a prism through which the focus is channeled and redistributed in a manner similar to a spectrum - public knowledge changes every single time an object of knowledge is reinterpreted. Every time some new way of doing anything is invented, the old way may still be the best way , if for no other reason than because it is known to work. Whether or not it is will always remain a matter of opinion or debate. Questions of this suchness are timeless and as such should be grouped for reintroducing members to your site or in the very least make it simpler to find what they are looking for somewhere in that community. This is how we lessen the noise. We must learn to listen to one another through noise while reducing the noise, together.</div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"> </div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"> </div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><em><strong>Think of it like this:</strong></em> Your community is your planet that you are trying to protect and grow- the inhabitants of that planet (your members) love to have choices. One such choice is the ability to follow the community feed if all things happening <em>inside</em> your community from the <em>outside</em>- from the comfort of their fb profile by following your associated facebook page, for example, as a filter. This gives them an option. They don't have to be bombarded with everything that happens. This is the whole point in Groups. You follow groups to reduce the noise. For example, a surveying student wouldn't be interested necessarily in the discussions happening in the Retired Surveyors group. Such is the case with your community. Relevance becomes possible through organization. If your members follow your satellites, they are able to casually jump in at any time. This is their <em>right</em> as <em>citizens</em> of your community to not have to be notified when something irrelevant to their interests occurs on the main site. The best way to keep those following from the outside coming in is by feeding them links to community content every-single-day. The best way to do this, in my opinion is through creation and updating of <em>linktrees</em> - one link with a collection of links related in type or subject matter. It could be discussions about a particular brand, organization, topic, category or type. You collect the links and keep adding them... but only share the one elink. Now you can pack 20 reasons to come back to the site rather than one.</div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><a href="http://creators.ning.com/members/JFarrow"><img class="align-full" src="{{#staticFileLink}}830762684,original{{/staticFileLink}}" alt="830762684?profile=original" /></a></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><a href="https://elink.io/9ac35" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868470?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt="1868470?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" /></a>This is a snapshot of my dashboard where i have links that I can turn into newsletters or embed them. eLink basically eliminates all of the time that you normally would have to spend crafting the HTML newsletters. You can easily track your views and use deeper analytics for any of the links to get geeky. It's the best $5 (if you're a student like me) you could spend on your community.</div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"> </div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><a href="http://landsurveyorsunited.com/" target="_blank"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868482?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt="1868482?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="747" /></a></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;">Recycling archived content and bringing awareness to popular items is kinda your job if you manage a community. No one likes to enter a room for the first time and join a group of people standing around and staring at one another. A good way to insure this doesn't happen is to continuously reignite the conversation by introducing new speakers to the circle. Regularly update the links and redistribute them to your peers and colleagues. On one community forum I built, we have conversations that were first started in 2009 that still receive comments and every new visitor offers a new perspective or insight from another geography. Of course you could pay a person like me to try to do it for you. I would of course do my best, but chances are it would be better if I taught you so that you could put the time in. Chances are if I can't relate the subject matter of your community to my own life, job, hobby, interest and/or passion, how could i ever really be able to make it perfect?</div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"> </div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><strong><span class="font-size-5">Lead By Example</span></strong></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;">Put the time in and see what you attract. If you think your community is dead because no one new is applying to join, no one posts anymore, people are leaving, or any of the 100 other reasons why communities die, you may be wrong. Word of Mouth to mouth resuscitation may save it's life. If you want for your network to expand, you must lead by example. You will never be able to effectively "pay someone to do it for" you. At the end of the day, week, month, year, decade, only you know what will gain the interest of people like you...for whom the community was intended. Take it from me..a person who like you felt at one time like i didn't know what to do next. I noticed a sort of scientific process at work that I wanted to follow closer. My original Ning <a href="http://landsurveyorsunited.com/" target="_blank">community for Professional Land Surveyors</a> built March 10th 2007 will turn 10 years old next week. I have learned a lot from managing online communities over the past decade. Hopefully some of my observations can help save a few of you some time.</div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:center;"><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/558897?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/558897?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" alt="558897?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" /></a>Every June on the Solstice, <a href="http://landsurveyorsunited.com/profiles/members/" target="_blank">Land Surveyors United Members</a> <a href="http://surveyearth.com" target="_blank">Survey Earth in a Day</a>. This year will be our 6th celebration.</div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"> </div></div><div style="color:#1d2129;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;word-spacing:0px;background-color:#ffffff;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"> </div></div><div style="color:#1d2129;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;word-spacing:0px;background-color:#ffffff;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"> </div></div><p> </p><div style="color:#1d2129;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;word-spacing:0px;background-color:#ffffff;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"><strong>Takeaway and Give Back</strong></div><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;">If you have a lot of content which has not been categorized or recollected into linktrees, you are simply missing out on all of the traffic you could and should have- would have, if you did. elink.io is not the only web service out there allowing you to curate collections of links. It is, however, the most versitile and (as a student) the cheapest to manage, in my opinion.</div></div><div style="color:#1d2129;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;word-spacing:0px;background-color:#ffffff;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;"> </div></div><div style="color:#1d2129;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:pre-wrap;word-spacing:0px;background-color:#ffffff;"><div class="_1mf _1mj" style="white-space:pre-wrap;text-align:left;">Building a community doesn't happen over night.In fact, it shouldn't.You do not need a lot of third party add-ons to make your site attractive, but you will have to do work outside your community to bring new members in.. You simply must put in the time and effort if you hope for a community to form. The way your site is designed and layout is tuned will be an ongoing experiment for the entire life of your community. For this reason I have always tried to help save time by <a href="http://creators.ning.com/members/JFarrow/content?type=DiscussionEntry&context=all">sharing tips</a>. In order to build a sustainable community, you must get to a place where your members feel comfortable and think of your place built for them when sharing that photo or tip or guide on the community you built for them. Progressive enhancement is the human way to increase relevance of your community for search engines, social graphs, bots, algorithms and yes, humans. You can do this for your community by channeling the traffic back into the network and reintroducing relevant content to those new members and visitors which might find it and the dialogue which occurs useful even five years in the future..</div></div></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>Business Fights Poverty: A Community With a Causehttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/business-fights-poverty-a-community-with-a-cause2014-04-30T17:40:25.000Z2014-04-30T17:40:25.000ZCrystalhttps://creators.ning.com/members/CrystalC<div><img src="https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2233575?profile=RESIZE_400x&width=400"></div><div><p><em><span class="font-size-3">This post originally appeared on the <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/business-fights-poverty-a-community-with-a-cause" target="_blank">Ning Blog.</a></span></em></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Business Fights Poverty was established in March of 2008 to pioneer new ways of fighting poverty utilizing economic and business opportunities by groups and individuals. Founder and Director, Zahid Torres-Rahman discovered and implemented the perfect platform for his idea through a chance conversation and a day’s worth of work. “A technology guru friend of mine first told me about Ning over breakfast, and by dinner I had set up the community." Since its creation, the community has continued to evolve and expand its public profile. Business Fights Poverty has bloomed from 1,000 members after one year to more than 10,000 members today.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Openness, community, professionalism, respect, and integrity are the five core values that drive this vibrant network of business professionals, academics, philanthropists, and non-government organizations – all of whom share a passion for fighting poverty through business. Business Fights Poverty utilizes inspiring blogs from members, face-to-face events, and a powerful resource hub to captivate potential members and engage current ones. Their community also serves as the central station for public outreach via social outlets like Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. All these components have come together to make it the largest organization of its kind and a vital resource in the fight against poverty.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">We reached out to Zahid Torres-Rahman to get the inside scoop on how his community has grown and helped created a brand with public impact:</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://blog-o.ning.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-07_1100.png?width=176" target="_blank"><img src="http://blog-o.ning.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-07_1100.png?width=400" width="400" class="align-right" /></a></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><b>What made you start your Ning community?</b></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">All around the world exceptional people are finding new ways to fight poverty – by creating new jobs and economic opportunities in low-income communities.   The challenge we set ourselves back in 2008 was to help turn these individual acts of inspiration into a broader movement for change.   We wanted to build a sense of community by connecting these intense, but often dispersed pockets of energy.  We wanted people to be able to find, engage with, learn from and be inspired by like-minded peers.  Ning made this all possible for us – by offering an affordable and easy way to build an online community.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><b>Have you achieved this original objective?  How else has your community helped you and your business, brand or mission?</b></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">I think we have come a long way. We’re now the largest community of our kind, with a brand that is steadily growing in profile.  We publish a great story every day, and pretty much all of these come from community members.  We are increasingly active in the real world too, with face-to-face events and publications.  At the same time, I feel that we are only at the beginning of an exciting journey.   We are constantly trying to learn and improve.  We recently hired <a href="http://www.feverbee.com/">FeverBee</a>, following a Ning webinar (<a href="http://www.ning.com/blog/2012/12/how-to-grow-an-online-community-%E2%80%94-recorded-for-those-who-missed-it.html">which you can watch again here</a>), and they have been giving us some great advice on enhancing our member engagement.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><b>If you had to pick one measure of the success or impact of your community, what would it </b><b style="line-height: 1.714285714; font-size: 1rem;">be?</b></span></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">We track all the usual metrics about visits and member engagement, but for me nothing beats the personal stories that I hear from members about howthe community has helped them – whether to find a new job; connect with potential project partners; or just to be inspired by what others are doing.  I enjoy reading what our <a href="http://www.businessfightspoverty.org/profiles/blog/list?user=3u7jk8jijwj2g">Members of the Week</a> say they hope to get out of being part of the community.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><b>How long did it take your community to reach critical mass?</b></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">It took us a year to reach 1,000 and four more to reach 10,000.  But one thing we have come to appreciate is that it’s the number of actively engaged members that matters, and that’s where our energy is now focused.  The great thing about Ning is that by massively bringing down the costs of organizing online, it has made it possible to create successful, small, specialist communities.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><b>What tactics drove the most growth and activity in your community?</b></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://blog-o.ning.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/2013-02-07_1131.png?width=213" width="213" class="align-right" /></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">We have focused our energy on three areas. The first has been on building the community brand.  We worked with professional graphic designers to develop a strong look and feel for the site, and we invest in great photography to illustrate stories on the site. The second area is around content.  We have put a lot of energy into our editorial calendar – to build up a strong flow of timely, high quality and interesting content, primarily from our own members.  We drive traffic to this content through our weekly broadcast messages, and we are also very active on Twitter (@FightPoverty) and other social media sites. The third area is around member engagement. Every year, we have an active programme of face-to-face and online events, such as webinars.  Through our “Member of Week” and “Star Member” initiatives, we profile our most active members.  We have high hopes for our new member’s Forum, and have other ideas in the pipeline to encourage member interaction.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><b>What feature(s) are most important to your members?</b></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Right now, our blog is the most popular feature on our site, followed by our events.  Over the next few months, we are looking to grow our forum as a way to generate more member-to-member engagement. We’ll also be more closely integrating our offline and online activities – so for example, we’ll be running online discussions linked to our face-to-face events. Following member feedback, we’ll also be launching a jobs board.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><b>Do you have any advice for other people building online communities?</b></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">We recognized early on that community management is a full-time and professional activity!  Continuous investment of time and effort is needed to encourage member activity and network growth. On top of that, listening and responding to what your members want is critical.   Recognizing when things are not working is important too! For us, we have been on a continuous learning journey, and are constantly looking to improve the site. I am a fan of the <a href="http://creators.ning.com/">Ning Creators Network</a> – and have picked up many great tips there.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><b>What’s the craziest story you have about your community?</b></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The craziest story is from our first day. A technology guru friend of mine first told me about Ning over breakfast, and by dinner I had set up the community. I was the first member and my wife was the second. I remember telling the third member – a colleague of mine who was working for a charity at the time, “I know you are only member number 3, but I promise that one day there will be many more of us!”</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">There is an African proverb that has been an inspiration to me: <i>if you want to travel fast, travel alone. If you want to travel far, travel together</i>.  For me that is at the heart of what the global Business Fights Poverty community is about, and I am excited about what the future holds.  I believe that for all the amazing things we are doing individually, if we can do more together – as part of a movement for change, the possibilities are limitless.</span></p>
</div>Looking Back at 2012: Identifying Successhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/looking-back-at-2012-identifying-success2014-04-30T17:36:13.000Z2014-04-30T17:36:13.000ZCrystalhttps://creators.ning.com/members/CrystalC<div><p><em><span class="font-size-3">Written by <a href="http://creators.ning.com/profile/MayraPacheco" target="_blank">Mayra Pacheco</a>. This post originally appeared on the <a href="http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/looking-back-at-2012-identifying-success" target="_blank">Ning Blog</a>.</span></em></p>
<p></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">As the year comes to a close, it's a great time to look to a few Ning Networks that have had great success throughout 2012 for inspiration. <a href="http://creators.ning.com/forum/topics/it-s-time-to-brag-about-2012">We asked Network Creators</a> on our <a href="http://creators.ning.com">Creators Network</a> to let us know how their year went, and we received some exciting stories of success and lessons learned.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">These Ning Networks were led by creative, hard-working teams and have achieved their own forms of success due to their dynamic leadership. Using the words of <a href="http://wellkunnected.com/">wellkunnected.com</a> Network Creator, Armani Rouse: "There isn't a hack for had work and creativity!"</span></p>
<h3><span class="font-size-3"><strong><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281637?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281637?profile=RESIZE_320x320" width="300" class="align-right"></a>eCoronado.com</strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://eCoronado.com">eCoronado.com</a> is the most popular newspaper website and online community resource for Coronado, Calif. During 2012, the eCoronado team looked beyond their online tools and developed successful strategies to incorporate their community with offline events/ giveaways/ discount cards/ sponsors/ pretty-much-anything-they-set-their-mind-to.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">In brief, they hired two paid writers, a site admin, and interviewed many candidates to bring on their 13th intern. They now have 20+ paid sponsors and have launched over 40 physical photo/scavenger hunt <a href="http://www.ecoronado.com/profiles/blog/list?tag=photocontest" target="_blank">contests</a> to drive activity. In their spare time, they hosted an <a href="http://www.ecoronado.com/profiles/blogs/member-appreciation-ecoronado-com-102220121239?xg_source=activity" target="_blank">anniversary party</a> and bought hundreds of local members ice cream, created a <a href="http://www.ecoronado.com/csf" target="_blank">local discount card</a> in partnership with public schools and started rewarding <a href="http://www.ecoronado.com/profiles/category/photo-star" target="_blank">top photo contributors</a> with badges and <a href="http://www.ecoronado.com/coronado-shirts-hats-92118" target="_blank">company schwag</a>.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">We're not sure when the eCoronado.com team finds time sleep between advancing their development strategy and hosting ice cream giveaways!</span></p>
<h3><span class="font-size-3"><strong>IAVA.COMMUNITYOFVETERANS.ORG</strong></span></h3>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><a href="http://iava.org/" target="_blank"><img src="http://theponyhof.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/iava-logo.jpg?w=300&width=300" width="300" class="align-right"></a>Some networks define their success by the number of members they attract, while <a href="http://iava.communityofveterans.org">iava.communityofveterans.org</a> has amassed 24,500+ members, this is not where they see their triumph. The IAVA community is part of the largest nonprofit organization helping Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">The IAVA community team sees their triumph in the very real resources they have developed for their members. They implemented a Crisis Response SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) this year which was used to connect members with suicidal urges to life-saving resources. As Jason, the Network Creator, puts it: "Running a mental health / veteran network provided endless excitement. It's been a crazy year on our network."</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">They also had the opportunity to personally officiate a wedding of two long-time and active members of the community — who actually met because of the network — and secure a couple of grants to get some part-time support and a redesign for 2013. We look forward to continue to hear inspiring stories from this community in 2013. If you'd like to support an organization that <em>Time</em> magazine says remains the most important organization representing the new generation of veterans, please head to their <a href="http://iava.org/their-service-our-stories">donate</a> page.</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://theponyhof.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/sound-check.jpg?w=300&width=300" width="300" class="align-right"></span></p>
<h3><span class="font-size-3"><strong>FOTOGRAFIAPUNTODINCONTRO.COM</strong></span></h3>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Italian photographer network <a href="http://www.fotografiapuntodincontro.com/">fotografiapuntodincontro.com</a> defines its success by the elegant, clean and efficient community they have created thanks to their decision this year to enable the option to have all new photos approved by administrators before they become visible. <a href="http://www.fotografiapuntodincontro.com/profile/RiccardoRossini">Riccardo</a> believes this enables <a href="http://www.fotografiapuntodincontro.com/">fotografiapuntodincontro.com</a> to deliver the highest quality photos to enrich the member experience. "We are proud to offer in Italy something different about photography site, thanks to approval photo."</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Check out some of their <a href="http://www.fotografiapuntodincontro.com/photo/photo/listFeatured">featured photos</a>; they truly are stunning. We'll be keeping an eye on their network to see them grow and to enjoy more of their masterful shots in 2013.</span></p>
<h3><span class="font-size-3"><strong>PARENT-CHAT.COM</strong></span></h3>
<p><span class="font-size-3"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1281647?profile=original" width="300" class="align-right" height="112"></span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3">Three weeks ago, self-proclaimed web novice Jennifer realized her dream of managing an online parenting community with <a href="http://parent-chat.com">parent-chat.com</a>. Having no</span><br> <span class="font-size-3">experience whatsoever, she set about getting her network up and running and now has a solid founding-member base. The Network Creator, Jennifer, promises: "I am only related to 5 of them!" Creating something tangible from an abstract idea is definitely a great leap forward, so we'd like to congratulate parent-chat.com for launching their network in 2012!</span></p>
<p><span class="font-size-3"> </span></p>
<h2><span class="font-size-3"><strong>Defining Success for Your Community in 2013</strong></span></h2>
<p><span class="font-size-3">It's important to remember that each community defines success differently. The end of the year marks a great point to look at your own community and decide what you define as success. Whether it is defined by page views, engagement, or financial profit, we wish you the best of luck in 2013!</span></p></div>Global One TV - Online Spiritual Site is REALLY Growing :)https://creators.ning.com/blogs/global-one-tv-online-spiritual2011-07-16T21:02:57.000Z2011-07-16T21:02:57.000ZEric Allen Bellhttps://creators.ning.com/members/EricAllenBell<div><p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font-size-2" style="color: #000080;"><strong><span style="font-family: georgia,palatino;">THE DREAM OF SPIRITUAL MEDIA IS BECOMING A REALITY</span></strong></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>This Chart Shows Visitors Per Month for the Past 24 Months, <span style="color: #008000;">as of July 8, 2011</span>:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868376?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868376?profile=original" width="560"></a></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>The total number of unique visitors during the past 24 months is <span style="color: #ff6600;">14,045,305</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #008000;"><span style="color: #003366;">The total number of page impressions during the past 24 months is</span> 17,034,634</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff0000;"><strong>SOURCE: eTracker Analytics</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><br></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868409?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868409?profile=original" width="560"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>WEEKLY PERFORMANCE:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Chosen Timeframe: <span style="color: #008000;">07/02/2011 - 07/08/2011</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #008000;"><br></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868437?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868437?profile=original" width="560"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>JUNE 2011 PERFORMANCE:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>June Visitors: <span style="color: #ff6600;">1,476,267</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>June Impressions: <span style="color: #008000;">1,729,074</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868459?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868459?profile=original" width="560"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>JUNE PERFORMANCE:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Chosen Time frame: <span style="color: #008000;">06/01/2011 - 06/30/2011</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><strong><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868472?profile=original"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868472?profile=original" width="560"></a><br></strong></span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>YEARLY PERFORMANCE:</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>We launched in March of 2009</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><br></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">NOTE: Halfway through 2011 we have already exceeded our entire 2010 traffic volume!</span><br></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #003366;" class="font-size-7">THANK YOU!</span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #003366;" class="font-size-7"><br></span></strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><object height="242" width="206" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"> <param name="flashvars" value="backgroundColor=0xFFFFFF&textColor=0x2E5F87&config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalone.tv%2Fmain%2Fbadge%2FshowPlayerConfig%3Fxg_source%3Dbadge%26size%3Dlarge%26username%3D1tzo02xwzphtj"> <param name="src" value="http://static.ning.com/socialnetworkmain/widgets/index/swf/badge.swf?v=201107062030"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="false"> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"> <embed wmode="opaque" height="242" width="206" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="false" src="http://static.ning.com/socialnetworkmain/widgets/index/swf/badge.swf?v=201107062030" flashvars="backgroundColor=0xFFFFFF&textColor=0x2E5F87&config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.globalone.tv%2Fmain%2Fbadge%2FshowPlayerConfig%3Fxg_source%3Dbadge%26size%3Dlarge%26username%3D1tzo02xwzphtj" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"> </object><br> <small><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.globalone.tv">Visit <em>Global One TV</em></a></small></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ff;"><strong><br></strong></span></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>The reason I have stayed with Ning !!!https://creators.ning.com/blogs/the-reason-i-have-stayed-with2010-08-19T16:50:44.000Z2010-08-19T16:50:44.000ZPeter Harperhttps://creators.ning.com/members/PeterHarper<div><p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868390?profile=original" alt=""></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>MY OWN SPACE 360.COM</i></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i><br></i></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>I have been running Mos 360 for over 2 years now and have enjoyed every minute of it.</i></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>The site is a general social hub for all types of people and all types of interest, I started it on a whim one day at work when I was bored, I had come across this site called NING which I had never heard of before, but it said start your own site free !!!.</i></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>I had spent several years on Yahoo 360 which I had enjoyed for a while but had become unhappy with because of trolls and foul mouthed idiots, so I thought I will take the plunge and have a go (I had never done anything on computers other than surf), So I started MY OWN SPACE, this was very rough and ready to start with and may have looked more childlike than adult !!! lol, but it soon became more structured and with the help of my new admin team we have built it into what I think is a pretty damn good and safe place to be.</i></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Today we hit a BIG milestone for us , and that was reaching 1000 members !!!, This is small compared to many sites but it means the world to me and everyone associated with the site.</i></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Getting back to the title of this blog THE REASON I HAVE STAYED WITH NING , This is because without the great tools and easy applications we would never have got to this milestone. Dont get me wrong I have not always agreed with all that Ning has done and have done my share of moaning, but at the end of the day, Ning is head and shoulders above all the opposition and that is why I am happy to pay now.</i></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>May MY OWN SPACE 360.COM and Ning long work together.</i></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Pete (Sexy Evertonian)</i></b></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>Creator of Mos 360.</i></b></span></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>Making Money on Our Ning Network by Advertisinghttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/making-money-on-our-ning2010-06-14T20:30:00.000Z2010-06-14T20:30:00.000Zalicehttps://creators.ning.com/members/alice<div><p><i>My Modern Met has been running their own ads since 2008. By achieving high growth and traffic to their network, as well as creating high quality content, they’ve been able to secure deals with top tier ad networks and achieve CPMs in the double digits. Recently, these ad networks have brought to them site-specific buys and unique sponsorship opportunities.<br /></i><br />
Hi, I'm Alice from <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/">My Modern Met</a>. I was asked to share my story on how we've managed to make money on our Ning network. Though our story is unique, there are common experiences we as Ning Creators will all face. Particularly if you're going to try and make money through advertising, I'd love to share with you some things we've learned along the way.<br />
<br />
There are a whole bunch of ways to make money on your Ning network by advertising which include banner advertising with Google Adsense or ad networks, contextual advertising, affiliate sales (cost-per-click, cost-per-action, cost-per-sale), direct advertising and sponsorships. CPM (or cost per thousand) banner advertising is traffic driven, the more people you have looking at your banner ad, the more money you can make. Cost per thousand means that for every 1,000 impressions (or eyeballs), you get a certain amount of money which can range from a few cents to double digit dollars.<br />
<br />
When I first started My Modern Met, we focused our attention on building up the community and providing interesting content. We started as a private, invite-only site and we took off the Google Adsense ads immediately, though looking back we probably could have kept them on. The reason we took them off was because our site was a little too broad, meaning we didn't have such a specific niche that Adsense was working effectively. That being said, even if you're not making a lot of money in the early stages, you want people to get used to seeing advertising on your site and making some money is better than none. We decided that it was better to use up the web real estate with interesting content. We built up our core community through friends and family. After about three months, we opened up My Modern Met to the public. Our content started to spread virally around the web, bringing in tens of thousands of people a day. At that point, we knew we were big enough to approach ad networks.<br />
<br />
Through our own research and by talking to people at conferences, we found a bunch of ad networks that would fit with us and found out their criteria for getting accepted. We knew that we had to reach a critical mass of unique visitors and pageviews before we could even approach them. Once we hit those milestones, we reached out to them and were able to secure deals.<br />
<br />
We manage our ads through Google Ad Manager. (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/how-to-setup-google-ad-manager-on-your-blogwebsite/">Here's</a> a good article from Hongkiat on how to set it up if you're looking into managing your ad networks or even your direct buys.)<br />
<br />
With time and increased traffic, we were able to partner with more premium ad networks. After two years, we're now in the position where we're receiving site specific buys and sponsorship opportunities.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Here are our top ten tips on how to make money through advertising:</u></b><br />
<br />
1. Be patient - Don't expect to partner with ad networks until you reach a minimum threshold (number of unique visitors or pageviews).<br />
2. Research ad networks - Find out which ones best fit with your Ning network. There's a wide range of ad networks for particular niches like luxury and tech.<br />
3. Be persistent - If you get denied from an ad network, don't give up. Approach them again after a certain period of time. Legitimacy comes with increased traffic over time.<br />
4. Have high quality content, find your niche - If possible create original content that others would want to link to and spread.<br />
5. Decide on your business model - Banners advertising works well for sites with high traffic, while smaller, more targeted niche sites work well with Google Adsense or affiliate sales.<br />
6. Grow your community - What sets your site apart from blogs is that you have engaged members. Make that one of your selling points when you approach advertisers or ad networks.<br />
7. Build traffic - Don't overlook the power of Digg, Reddit and StumbleUpon.<br />
8. Use social media tools like Facebook and Twitter - These will also help you spread content and build up your community.<br />
9. Get to know other Ning Creators - Find out what works for them and see if you can apply it to your network.<br />
10. Get outside your comfort zone - Attend conferences and network. You may want to just sit at your desk and work on your site but getting out there into the real world will help you see if you're headed in the right direction, find new ideas and identify trends. This is invaluable.<br />
<br />
I hope this information helps. Good luck to all of you Ning Creators out there and if you have any specific questions, feel free to contact me at alice@mymodernmet.com. Thanks!</p>
</div>Things you need to run an online communityhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/things-you-need-to-run-an2010-04-14T02:15:53.000Z2010-04-14T02:15:53.000ZManny Hernandezhttps://creators.ning.com/members/MannyHernandez<div><p>This was part of an interview put together by our friends from <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.aids.gov/">AIDS.gov</a> at the recent <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.nten.org/ntc">2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference</a> in Atlanta.<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7aN-ViS9UiA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" ></param>
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</div>Vote for two Ning Networks to get $250K in Pepsi Refresh Challenge!https://creators.ning.com/blogs/vote-for-two-ning-networks-to2010-03-03T21:30:00.000Z2010-03-03T21:30:00.000ZJoseph Porcellihttps://creators.ning.com/members/JosephPorcelli<div><p>Fellow Network Creators,</p>
<div>I am writing to ask you to rally for fellow Ning network creators. We support each other here, lets also help each other get funding!<br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Both <a href="http://blog.ning.com/2009/12/waggleforce-working-together-to-get-back-to-work.html">WaggleForce</a> and the nonprofit I founded and run <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.neighborsforneighbors.org/">Neighbors for Neighbors</a>, are in the running to win $250,000 from Pepsi this month as part of the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.refresheverything.com/">Pepsi Refresh Project</a>. Voting started Monday, and will continue through March. Y<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; font-size: 13px;">ou can vote <u>once a day</u> for each of our networks and nine other ideas you like. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Judging is simple; the two projects that get the most votes win funding. VOTE FOR US!</span></span></span></div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<blockquote class="webkit-indent-blockquote" style="margin: 0 0 0 40px; border: none; padding: 0px;">
<div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><b>WaggleForce <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size: 13px;">is a Ning Network that helps members collaborate with each other to create career clubs and get communities back to work. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; font-size: 13px;"><b>Vote for</b> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.refresheverything.com/waggleforce"><b>Waggle Force</b></a></span></span></b></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><b>Neighbors for Neighbors <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size: 13px;">operate neighborhood-centric community-generate social networks that serve as a soundboard for voice and a springboard for action. Unlike Facebook, Neighbors for Neighbors connect people who live, work ans serve in their neighborhood with the purpose of brining people together offline to do things with and for each other. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande', Arial, sans-serif; line-height: normal; font-size: 13px;"><b>Vote for</b> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.refresheverything.com/neighbors"><b>Neighbors for Neighbors</b></a></span></span></b></span></span></span></div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<div>If you know of any other Ning Networks that are in the competition, please leave a comment so we can support all network creators!</div>
<div>With much appreciation,</div>
<div>Joseph!</div>
</div>
</div>Congrats to Hugh and Harringay Onlinehttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/congrats-to-hugh-and-harringay2010-02-26T22:33:38.000Z2010-02-26T22:33:38.000ZLaurahttps://creators.ning.com/members/Laura326<div><p>The BBC ran a great <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/8535187.stm">article</a> about social networks holding local politicians accountable, and it features <a href="http://www.harringayonline.com/">Harringay Online</a>, a Ning Network by <a href="http://creators.ning.com/profile/Hugh">Hugh Flouch</a>.<br /></p>
<p style="text-align: left; margin-left: 40px; font-style: italic;">"The website was used to organise a petition to visit every local street likely to be affected by knock-on traffic.</p>
<p style="text-align: left; margin-left: 40px; font-style: italic;">"The council were just not listening to the community", he said. "By the end of that year we had 500 members. Now we are touching 2,500."</p>
<p style="text-align: right;"></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">It's great to see Network Creators receiving recognition for their efforts, and the real-world change that comes out of Ning Networks. We hope to read more stories like this!</p>
<p><br />
<br /></p>
</div>Ning Network wins web awardhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/ning-network-wins-web-award2010-02-25T16:08:45.000Z2010-02-25T16:08:45.000ZRichard Barnetthttps://creators.ning.com/members/RichardBarnett<div><p>Thought you would be interested to know that the site I run just won 'Best Healthy Lifestyle Website' in the Hantsweb awards.The awards are for sites in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (UK). What I thought was great was that all the other sites were created by web designers etc but Ning was judged better than them!!<a href="http://newforesttransition.ning.com/profiles/blogs/food-challenge-site-wins">http://newforesttransition.ning.com/profiles/blogs/food-challenge-site-wins</a></p>
</div>Explain your network search system to membershttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/explain-your-network-search2010-02-20T14:26:45.000Z2010-02-20T14:26:45.000ZPeter Matthewshttps://creators.ning.com/members/PeterMatthews<div><p>Recently I have worried a lot about the network search system on my Ning network.<br />
<br />
We have technical problems that may be inherent to all social networks, not just our Ning networks. The technology for searching inside networks that have new information added continuously is not very advanced, and this is general, not just at Ning.<br />
<br />
So now I have written a blog post trying to explain -- in simple language -- how the search system works on a Ning network, for the benefit of my members.<br />
<br />
See:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://cooperative.ning.com/profiles/blogs/our-website-search-system">http://cooperative.ning.com/profiles/blogs/our-website-search-system</a><br />
<br />
I have also described a couple of alternatives to using the Ning search (which I like very much, when it works).<br />
<br />
I would be happy if other Network Creators can adapt my explanation to their own situation. And I would be happy for any advice on how to improve the explanation I have given.<br />
<br />
Thanks, Peter<br />
<br /></p>
</div>Online Community Report interview: Jordan Williams, REIhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/online-community-report2010-02-18T19:32:15.000Z2010-02-18T19:32:15.000ZLaurahttps://creators.ning.com/members/Laura326<div><p style="text-align: left; font-style: italic;"><font size="2">"For me I see how easy it is to get caught up in the exciting side of the business, e.g. the technology, the platform, the shiny, bleeding edge new feature. But from my experience the way to make an impact is absolutely on the strategic planning and organizational development side of things. It’s not sexy and it’s certainly not easy, but ultimately the real impact if you work on the brand side is found through fundamental organizational transformation."</font></p>
<p><br /></p>
<p><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.onlinecommunityreport.com/2010/02/online-community-expert-interview-jordan-williams-rei/">So says Jordan Williams</a>, Manager of Digital Engagement at REI. I completely agree that this is the more difficult and time consuming aspect of community management, whether on a national level or smaller group. :)</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>One of the great features of Ning, is that creating networks is easy and free, which means you can create test Ning Networks. This is something I always encourage, to provide a place to test out changes to design or format. In terms of planning and organization, the test network can also be used to scope out goals for the main network, brainstorm or discuss issues that come up. An alternative is to have a private Group on the primary Ning Network for this, though that provide a bit less freedom in testing ideas.</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>I'd argue that representing a major brand like REI brings its own challenges and expectations. However I encourage all to read this interview of a seasoned Community Manager!</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p><br /></p>
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</div>Well-designed Ning Networkshttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/welldesigned-ning-networks2010-02-09T18:30:00.000Z2010-02-09T18:30:00.000ZLaurahttps://creators.ning.com/members/Laura326<div><p>We've <a href="http://creators.ning.com/forum/topics/design-inspiration">collected</a> Ning Networks that have inspiring design here in the past. <a href="http://www.socialbrite.org/2010/02/09/the-best-designed-social-networks-on-ning/">Here's a post</a> on Socialbrite, where LauraO shares some of her favorites. The collection includes Ning Networks focused on commercial efforts, those that are non-profit based, as well as a couple making best use of the Groups feature.<br> <br> Some will be familiar, but there are definitely a few Ning Networks new to me!<br></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://mountainhardwear.ning.com/"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868248?profile=original"></a></p>
<p><br> What do you think of those mentioned? Which do you think should be joining as a best-designed Ning Network?<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br></span></p></div>Jim Burke on finding your niche and collaborating with your membershttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/jim-burke-on-finding-your2010-02-05T00:00:00.000Z2010-02-05T00:00:00.000ZCourtenayhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Courtenay<div><p><a href="http://creators.ning.com/profile/JimBurke"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868275?profile=original" alt="" style="float: right;">Jim Burke</a>, High School English teacher and Ning Network Creator, recently won the 2009 Edublog Award for Best Educational Use of a Social Networking Service. When I came across <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100111005306&newsLang=en" target="_blank">this article</a> announcing the Edublog Award, I was interested to hear what inspired Jim to create <a href="http://englishcompanion.ning.com/" target="_blank">English Companion Ning</a> and what he learned along the way. With over 11,000 members, it is clear that English Companion Ning created a much-needed space for High School English teachers. Jim discusses how he found his audience, and uses his audience to build and maintain a successful environment. Thank you Jim, for sharing this advice, and congratulations on the Edublog award!<br> <br> <b>Why did you create The English Companion community?</b><br> I created the <a href="http://englishcompanion.ning.com" target="_blank">EC Ning community</a> after attending the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) convention in November 2008. I realized while there that few teachers under 30 attend the convention, join the organization, or participate in the larger conversation about the profession and our work since they are so often isolated in their classrooms or at home doing the work. I wanted, originally, a space for new teachers—I imagined it as something like our own treehouse, a club just for them—but then the third person to join was a librarian from New Zealand and I thought, “Well why wouldn’t we want librarians? And people from other countries?” I quickly realized that you just don’t tell people on the Internet what to do; it’s a powerful tool that encourages people to want what they want and find or create those resources to satisfy that desire. Also, there was really nothing out there like this English Companion Ning. The NCTE created one, but it was for the convention and was thus not seen as an ongoing community but tied to a specific event.<br> <br> <b>When did you discover that you were filling a much-needed niche? How has this helped you grow your network?</b><br> I created our ning between grading a couple papers for my senior English class. I had signed on to the NCTE Convention Ning and liked the idea of it. I was, as I mentioned above, wondering what I could do to help new teachers join the professional conversation and community and had an epiphany! Oh, I could create one of those Ning things. Took me, honestly, five minutes, and I was back to grading papers. I sent out <a href="http://www.englishcompanion.ning.com" target="_blank">the URL</a> to a few key friends and by the next evening had 100 people signed up. As an author of many books, all about teaching English, and a successful website (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.englishcompanion.com" target="_blank">www.englishcompanion.com</a>), I had a large network of people, each of whom came with his or her own network. For example, I could send an email with a description of the EC Ning and the link to the directors of National Writing Project sites or the heads of organizations, and they would check it out and send it out to their people. So it went somewhat viral. Also, I should say that the EC Ning grew out of reading Seth Godin’s book Tribes, which led me to ask myself who my “tribe” is and whether I was doing all I could to lead and support them. I made several other decisions right away that turned out to be crucial to the success of our community:<br> <br> <i>1. Paid the money to keep ads out</i>: Teachers want a sheltered space where they can talk, share, support—but not be bothered about buying. This reduces the level of “noise” on the site and improves the quality of the “signal.” People expressed their gratitude early on for this and I just decided one of the missions of the site was going to be to help not to earn.<br> <br> <i>2. Clarified my own role</i>: I could either host the party or join and enjoy it but could not do both. If I committed myself to posting and participating actively every day, I would burn out—I still teach and write books and speak around the country—and get no work done on my books, which is what earns the money to pay for the EC Ning. I just finished reading An American Prometheus, the biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Now I am NOT comparing myself to JRO, but I found it very instructive to read about his experience when he first set up the Manhattan Project. He was a renowned physicist at that time and wanted to contribute his intelligence to the project but realized he could not do that and run the Los Alamos project, so had to clarify for himself and others what his role was: to see that everyone enjoyed the conditions they needed to have the conversations and do the work they needed to do.<br> <br> <i>3. Made it clear that the English Companion Ning was OURS not mine.</i> Everything on it that has led to attention and awards was done by all of us, not me. Even this interview, which I appreciate!, makes me feel like I am taking credit for the great ideas discussed at the party that I simply invited people to attend. So whenever I send out notes or my weekly News and Notes letter on Sundays, I always use “we” and “our” and “us,” not I, me, or mine.<br> <br> <b>What has the feedback been from your members? How has that helped you shape your network?</b><br> The feedback is tremendous. I am not sure any of us realized how isolated we feel in our work until we could come together and discuss it. We have had nearly 11,000 join in little over a year and it just keeps expanding. Within two years it is very possible that it will be the largest organized community of English teachers in the world. One thing that we have achieved, which I think we are all especially grateful for and find so rare is the tone: I would say that in a year we have had essentially no flaming or otherwise aggressive attacks. It is the most supportive, engaged online community I have ever been a part of. People send suggestions all the time about how to improve efficiencies, features to add. One constraint is my own time: I would love to have time to learn more about Ning Apps and other widgets to add features. We have found, however, a pretty elegant efficiency through the current design. I have found the basic features of the Ning software incredibly easy to use and powerful. I have no real background in web design and would not describe myself as a seriously techy person.<br> <br> <b>What has been the most useful feature for your network?</b><br> The Groups feature, for sure. There are so many different situations out their in the schools, so we need a very flexible structure on the EC Ning to allow people to accommodate their needs. The Teaching Texts group, which allows people to set up a new discussion strand for a book they have to teach, is the biggest and most lively as that relates to what we must do every day in our classes. I really like all the features, though I would say that the most essential are: groups, forums, blogs, and text boxes where I can insert notes and information about, for example, the latest book club.<br> <br> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Are there any other tips you would like to share with fellow Network Creators?</span><br> Here are a few other random things we have done that I think have made a major difference:<br> <br> <i>1. Monitor and weed members based on postings and profile questions</i>: spam and other junk undermines the experience and leads to wasted time which causes people to leave. We approve every member as they sign up and ban immediately or do not permit membership if they are not serious.<br> <br> <i>2. Ask for help</i>: While I created it and oversee the general EC Ning, the membership joining-rate reached a point where I needed help. So I recruited five others who are major users on the EC Ning and gave them administrative access. This also turns out to be very important in the event, which has happened several times, that something goes wrong—a major spam attack from some new member—while I am traveling.<br> <br> <i>3. Create buzz and build community</i>: I promote the good work of the ECN community through my Facebook page, my tweets, and my blog, as well as my keynotes and workshops.<br> <br> <i>4. Create special events</i>: As we are an English teacher community (or rather, a community dedicated to helping English teachers or those who are in the process of entering the profession), we like books! I take advantage of my connection to publishers, authors, and organizations by inviting authors to host book clubs around their own books. The author has to lead it. These have been wildly successful and very important in fostering new discussions and creating professional development opportunities with some structure. We just learned that E. D. Hirsch is willing to run a book club discussion this summer on the English Companion Ning about his latest book The Making of Americans. We are thrilled!<br> <br> <i>5. Communicate regularly to your community</i>. I send out a note every Sunday with a welcome to all who joined, news about what is going on, notes about particularly important discussions, links to any news about the ECN, and reminders about what is coming up, sometimes inspirational notes or otherwise encouraging words. I use the Broadcast Message feature, another feature I really like, though I think you have to use it sparingly, otherwise you just become part of the noise that pours into our Inbox.</p></div>Vote for @Tudiabetes!https://creators.ning.com/blogs/vote-for-tudiabetes2010-01-21T17:30:00.000Z2010-01-21T17:30:00.000ZCourtenayhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Courtenay<div><p>Manny Hernandez, Network Creator and <a href="http://creators.ning.com/profiles/blogs/welcome-to-ning-creators">Guide</a> here on Creators, is up for a <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.shortyawards.com" target="_blank">ShortyAward</a> for his network, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tudiabetes.org" target="_blank">Tudiabetes</a>. Shorty Awards honor the best producers of real-time, short form content on Twitter.Let's help out a fellow Network Creator and vote! Tudiabetes, a "community of people touched by diabetes", is currently in 4th position in the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://shortyawards.com/category/health" target="_blank">health category</a>. To vote, just tweet:<b>I nominate @tudiabetes for a Shorty Award in #health because...(add reason here)</b>Visit <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.tudiabetes.org" target="_blank">Tudiabetes.org</a> to see the amazing work Manny has done so far then add your reason in the tweet. You can do this on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.twitter.com" target="_blank">Twitter.com</a>, with any Twitter client, or using the voting box on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://shortyawards.com/tudiabetes" target="_blank">Shortyawards.com</a>.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://shortyawards.com/tudiabetes" target="_blank"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868344?profile=original" alt=""></a></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>My Modern Metropolis discusses member engagementhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/my-modern-metropolis-discusses2009-12-16T19:30:00.000Z2009-12-16T19:30:00.000ZCourtenayhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Courtenay<div><p><a href="http://creators.ning.com/profile/alice"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868257?profile=original" alt="" style="float: right;"></a>Alice Yoo is Founder and Editor-in-Chief of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/" target="_blank">My Modern Metropolis</a>, a Ning Network and community blog where artists, trendspotters and design lovers share today's best modern day experiences. Alice shares some great tips with Ning on welcoming new members and rewarding active members.</p>
<p><b>Why did you start My Modern Metropolis?</b></p>
<p>I started theMET because I wanted to create a place where artists, trendspotters and design lovers could share today's best modern day experiences. At our core, we focus on art, design and photography.</p>
<p><b>How would you describe your typical member?</b></p>
<p>Our typical member is creative, opinionated and open to new experiences. They're not only on top of current events but they're also interesting in spotting trends.</p>
<p><b>What is your strategy for welcoming new members? Tell us a little about the process.</b></p>
<p>We personally greet every new member of the site. We also respond to them if or when they reply. Everyday, we actively engage with them on the forum and blog section so that they know that there are real people behind the social network. In our Welcome section we also have a link called "say hello" where new members can introduce themselves to the group.</p>
<p><b>What has the feedback been from new members? Do you find they engage more when they are welcomed to the community?</b></p>
<p>The feedback has been phenomenal. Almost every time we welcome them they leave a comment on our page, thanking us. What's interesting is that a lot of the time we'll find out that members have been quietly visiting us for months. We've had more than a few members tell us that after they start to feel comfortable, they sign up. What this tells me is that trust builds over time.</p>
<p><b>How do you reward your members? Has this increased engagement?</b></p>
<p>We started a section about six months ago called Rock Star Bloggers. It's where we recognize our community members that write up their own blog posts. If we feature their post on the front page, we show their name and how many blog posts they've written for that month. After we put up that section we saw a huge increase in the number of members putting up their own posts. Not only did it spark competition, it gave our dedicated members some much deserved recognition.</p>
<p><b>How did you come up with the idea for theMET's Rock Star Bloggers?</b></p>
<p>We saw how other sites gave recognition to their members through badges or lists. Our Rock Star Bloggers list is the perfect way to show our members that we value them.</p>
<p><b>What had member feedback been? Has it promoted more activity?</b></p>
<p>Our dedicated members love the list. We've had many of them thank us for giving them recognition. It's definitely prompted more activity, as well. We saw a huge spike in custom blog posts coming from our members after we created this section.</p>
<p><b>What is the process for highlighting bloggers?</b></p>
<p>The process is really simple and straightforward. When we feature a blog post, we update our list. We add in the name of the blogger and we tally up how many posts get featured on the front page.</p>
<p><b>Any other tips you would like to add about promoting member engagement on your Ning Network?</b></p>
<p>• Every so often, we'll also write up a custom blog post called Met Member Spotlight where we introduce the community to a core member. We've found that this not only creates more of a community feel, it really gives recognition to the people who make the site what it is. Here's an example. <<a href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/met-member-spotlight-mark"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/met-member-spotlight-mark%3E">http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/met-member-spotlight-mark></a>;• Granting admin status to core members is also a great way to keep your active members involved.• Your social network will only be as active as you make it. Members and visitors can see how much work you put into your site by how fresh and relevant your content is. This gives people a reason to come back.• Not only should the Creator lead discussions, they should also actively participate in their community by listening and responding to questions. This will keep your members engaged.• It takes a lot of time and effort to get members actively engaged. Though hundreds of thousands of visitors come to our site each month, it's only a handful that actively participate. Ultimately, it's important to remember that it's the quality of the content that's most important.<a href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/" target="_blank"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868278?profile=original" alt=""></p></div>Kicks on Fire shows us how to run a great promotionhttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/kicks-on-fire-shows-us-how-to2009-12-16T19:30:00.000Z2009-12-16T19:30:00.000ZCourtenayhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Courtenay<div><p><a href="http://my.kicksonfire.com/forum/topics/comments-contest-free-air" target="_blank"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868303?profile=original" alt="" width="282" height="300" style="float: right;"></a>Furqan Khan is the 21-year-old whiz kid behind Kicks on Fire, a Ning Network for sneaker aficionados (or "kicks", for the uninitiated). Furqan regularly runs promotions and contests on his Ning Network to engage members and even drive new membership. He chatted with Ning about Kicks on Fire, the promos he runs and what's coming up.</p>
<p><b>What’s your role with Kicks on Fire.</b></p>
<p>I am the founder/owner of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.KicksOnFire.com" target="_blank">KicksOnFire.com</a>. My job at KicksOnFire basically involves a little bit of everything; from writing in-depth articles about sneakers to planning future projects to expand the brand and making sure that we provide what sneakerheads are looking for.</p>
<p><b>What was the inspiration behind creating Kicks On Fire?</b></p>
<p>Growing up in Brooklyn, NY, I was always attracted to the sneaker culture. I found myself being extremely passionate about sneakers. KicksOnFire.com started when I realized that there was a deficiency of reliable sources on the Internet about sneakers. Bridging the gap between major sneaker brands and sneaker enthusiasts, KicksOnFire aims to provide a haven for sneakerheads and collectors by providing them with the most current sneaker news. It is important to me that people know how this sneaker phenomenon all began as well as where a large part of their fashion culture came from.</p>
<p><b>How would you describe a typical member on your Ning Network?</b></p>
<p>First of all, the social network component of the site is extremely important. Being the first major network dedicated to the sneaker community, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://My.KicksOnFire.com" target="_blank">My.KicksOnFire.com</a> gives sneakerheads worldwide a chance to show off their collection. A typical member on our network is anywhere between the ages of 13-25 years old and has a strong passion for sneakers. As sneaker collectors, they are not only interested in the looks and appearance of a sneaker but also pride themselves in knowing the inspiration/history behind the shoe.</p>
<p><b>You have a lot of kicks giveaways on your network. How do you build each promotion?</b></p>
<p>To give away the right product, you must definitely be in sync with your readers/users. We usually pick a product with a lot of hype around it. We interact with our users via our blog, forum, social networks and other outlets. We simply ask them: "What would you like to win?" We pick the most voted sneaker and the contest begins!</p>
<p><b>What benefits have you seen from the promotions?</b></p>
<p>To participate in the giveaways, you MUST be a member on our network. So instantly, sign ups usually go through the roof during a contest. User interaction also picks up during this time.</p>
<p><b>What has your members’ participation level been like?</b></p>
<p>As a network creator, member participation is always our major concern. To boost participation, we do monthly giveaways and keep the contest entry process simple. Giveaways are a great way to convert viewers to members who actually get a chance to use the great tools we offer.</p>
<p><b>What has the feedback been like from your members?</b></p>
<p>Who doesn't love freebies? If you keep the giveaway simple and don't ask too much of your members, they usually love the contests. Our giveaways basically give our members a "nothing to lose" mentality. All they have to do is sign up!</p>
<p><b>Do you plan on running more promotions?</b></p>
<p>Definitely. Giveaways have proven to be very helpful in increasing interaction and sign ups on our network while furthering our brand. We plan on consistently doing monthly giveaways.</p>
<p><b>What advice do you have for other Network Creators who are looking to engage their member through contest and giveaways?</b></p>
<p>• Make sure you know your member.• Keep the entry process simple.• Give away something desirable.• Interact with members.• Use the broadcasting tool to your advantage.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868330?profile=original" alt=""></p></div>Building Strong Tieshttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/building-strong-ties2009-12-01T18:00:00.000Z2009-12-01T18:00:00.000ZCourtenayhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Courtenay<div><p><a href="http://creators.ning.com/profile/Robert"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868264?profile=original" alt="" style="float: right; padding-left: 10px;"></a>World AIDS day is observed every year on December 1st to raise awareness and cultivate a strong community of support. Network Creator Robert Breining has taken these values online with his network, <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.community.poziam.com" target="_blank">POZIAM</a>. Robert is dedicated to developing a welcoming and supportive community, and it really shows. Since creating his network, Robert has established techniques for building strong ties within POZIAM. Thank you Robert for sharing!</p>
<p><b>Can you tell us a bit about POZIAM?</b></p>
<p>POZIAM is a social network for people living with HIV/AIDS. It was created to benefit both those infected and affected and has grown to include family, friends, celebrities, newbie's and long-term survivors. The POZIAM network has a great balance of members—some come here to learn, while others come here to share. There is no greater feeling than being comforted by someone who has experienced a HIV/AIDS diagnosis, or discovering you have helped someone realize that their journey is not one they need to take alone. Paths cross for many different reasons, the diversity of over 1100 members in over 40 countries makes POZIAM an interesting place to find support and begin moving forward after a diagnosis. The network offers a safe place to ask questions, share experiences, find support and build new friendships.</p>
<p><b>Why did you decide to you use Ning? How has it helped you expand POZIAM?</b></p>
<p>When I decided I wanted to create a social network I wasn't the most tek savvy person. I could barely design a myspace page. I decided to use Ning because they are leading the pack for building social networks. Ning made it so easy for me as the NC to be creative and truly get my message across to my members , because of that alone I was able to expand my network with new members and cool features to keep them connected. I have learned so much in design using Ning. Ning made my vision obtainable, and now a reality</p>
<p><b>POZIAM has such a great sense of community. How do you welcome members into your network?</b></p>
<p>When a new member joins a social network like POZIAM they are hesitant to participate right away, so I set up a group called "Greeters". I asked members to volunteer to become network greeters. When a new member joins POZIAM, they are welcomed with my personal message and the messages from our greeters. It is a great way to welcome new members. and it makes the members who are greeters feel connected with POZIAM. We also have an introduction forum category where new members are asked to introduce themselves to the rest of the network. It is wonderful to see a member start participating on the network. This is when I truly know they have found their comfort zone.</p>
<p><b>When I first visited your network, I noticed an announcement for an upcoming group chat session. Tell us a bit about how these chat sessions have been going and whether they have been an effective way to connect.</b></p>
<p>When first diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, part of you feels like you are alone almost instantly. While some people go to support groups in their areas to talk about living with HIV/AIDS, others, like many POZIAM members, live in rural areas and don't have these local resources. I thought it would be a great to schedule a weekly group chat as a form of support for my members. I created a group for this scheduled chat and invited members to join . This gave me a sense of how many would participate. Group Chat allows new members to introduce themselves and members who have just been diagnosed HIV+ a place to ask questions without being judged. When we begin group chat I ask the members to suggest a few topics. From there we begin to chat about one topic at a time and then move on to questions. My members love the group chat and look forward to it every week.</p>
<p><b>How do you integrate POZIAM Radio, your internet radio show, with your Ning Network?</b></p>
<p>When I started POZIAM, I wanted to do something different to bring my members back after they first joined. As a person living with HIV/AIDS at times we feel like our voice is forgotten. I wanted to give that voice back to the HIV/AIDS community. I discovered BlogTalkRadio, an easy-to-use medium to bring my members together. I post the Radio player on the top of each member's profiles, so it is easily accessible. When we started hosting on BTR we had a bi-weekly radio show but now we are down to one night a week . Sundays at 9pm EST. The members love to listen live and if they miss the live broadcast they can download past shows on iTunes and take POZIAM Radio wherever they go.You can read what our past POZIAM Radio guests have to say about being on the show at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.poziam.com" target="_blank">www.poziam.com</a>.</p>
<p><b>World AIDS day is coming up on December 1st. How will this event shape the content and features you focus on? (OR another similar questions related to the event). ex. How will this event drive/influence traffic/how do you connect members to this event?</b></p>
<p>On World AIDS Day we remember the fallen soldiers in the fight. We reflect on how far we come and where we are headed. I usually set up a table at my local WAD event in Philly and have our flyers for local HIV+ individuals in Philadelphia. I don't pay to advertise. I believe that word of mouth is the best form of advertising. My members will also be attending WAD events around the world wearing POZIAM T-shirts to spread the work about the radio show and social network.</p>
<p><b>Which feature has been most useful for your network?</b></p>
<p>Besides Chat, the most useful feature on my network would have to be the Blog. I decided one day that having featured Bloggers would allow members to share stories and discover similarities with other members. Newly diagnosed members can be hesitant to share at all when they first join. When they read blogs from members who are long-time survivors,living with HIV/AIDS 25+yrs, They get a sense of hope and purpose. Members discover that this journey is one they don't need to take alone. This is what POZIAM is all about.</p>
<p><b>Can you share tips on how you have used Ning to build a strong community? What areas/features will you highlight or change in the future?</b></p>
<p>One thing my members tell me is that when they join they don't feel like member # 1234. They want to feel like they are part of the POZIAM family. They love chatting with me and receiving the greetings they get when they join. They realize their "Dreams are not Infected".One tip I would share with other NC's is to allow your member to get involved and make them feel connected to the network. I would love to change our group chat into a video/audio chat but have been unsuccessful. POZIAM TV is also in the works.<a href="http://www.community.poziam.com" target="_blank"></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868288?profile=original" alt=""></p></div>Meet Greg from Ski Dazzlehttps://creators.ning.com/blogs/meet-greg-from-ski-dazzle2009-11-19T23:30:00.000Z2009-11-19T23:30:00.000ZCourtenayhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Courtenay<div><p><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868334?profile=original" alt="" style="float: right; padding-left: 10px;">Let the Network Creator interviews begin! Each week, we would love to spotlight a new Network Creator to find out how they have built their network in a unique way. The interviews should be yet another way to share tips and best practices.I recently had the opportunity to interview <a href="http://creators.ning.com/profile/GregHendrickson">Greg Hendrickson</a>, the Network Creator of the Ski Dazzle networks. As an avid skier and snowboarder, I admit I was naturally drawn to the content on the network. Content aside, Ski Dazzle stands out by creatively combining their four event-based networks. They created a network for each of their Ski Dazzle shows, which you can navigate to from their main Ning Network: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.skidazzle.com" target="_blank">skidazzle.com</a>. Greg and the Ski Dazzle team have recently been on the road for the Ski Dazzle shows, so thank you Greg for taking the time to share with all of us!</p>
<p><b>Tell us a bit about your overall business.</b></p>
<p>Ski Dazzle owns and produces four of the largest consumer ski & snowboard shows in the world. There are shows in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Sacramento and Chicago. The four shows draw ski & snowboard enthusiasts to hundreds of exhibitors. The exhibitors include industry retailers and resorts from across North America.Ski Dazzle aims to help consumers by making the shows the most important money-saving ski or snowboard trip of the season. We partner with ski and snowboard experts to help consumers with equipment and the latest resort info; money-saving tips; loads of family entertainment and holiday bargains.</p>
<p><b>Why did you create a Ski Dazzle Ning Network? How does it help you run and grow your business?</b></p>
<p>The five Ski Dazzle networks on the Ning platform were created to provide a connection between Ski Dazzle and consumers all year long.</p>
<p><b>Can you share your learnings on how to best use a Ning Network to drive members to events?</b></p>
<p>At Ski Dazzle we use a combination of traditional advertising, online advertising, SEO, active blogging and partnering with online ski & snowboard related companies to educate new consumers about the four Ski Dazzle shows. We integrate ticket purchase banners into the different areas of our Ning Network sites to promote and enable ticket sales for the shows.</p>
<p><b>You have four local Ning Networks in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Chicago and Sacramento, and you link to them from your Ning Network at <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.skidazzle.com">www.skidazzle.com</a>. Why did you choose this approach, rather than create one Ning Network with local groups?</b></p>
<p>For Ski Dazzle, each of the four shows has a different flavor and personality. We decided to provide each show with a network to showcase the different exhibitors, events, and promotions for each show.The fifth network is our social network to promote year-long member participation independently of the shows.</p>
<p><b>How do you see your network growing or expanding in the future?</b></p>
<p>We are always on the lookout for additional shows to add into the Ski Dazzle network. When that type of growth occurs, we can use the same Ning Network approach in providing an individual Ning Network for the show.We have many opportunities to expand our approach when the timing is right, including growth with innovative events like Ultimate Boarder (surf/skateboard,snowboard competition), and the many opportunities to work with our resort customers on mountain biking, road biking and other outdoor events & activities. The approach of using a new Ning Network with each new event provides us with a great promotional tool that is easy to setup, easy to use, and can grow as the business does.</p>
<p><b>Which areas of your network do you think your participants use the most?</b></p>
<p>Every year the show specific information and online ticketing draws a lot of general traffic.There is a much different and exciting level of interaction going on with the participants in our Ski Dazzle Networks on Ning. We have seen an incredible amount of growth in participation and interaction, with videos, photos, member blog entries and online discussions.</p>
<p><b>What’s been the most surprising thing you’ve encountered?</b></p>
<p>The age range of participants in our ski & snowboard network. From 18 to 80.</p>
<p><b>How does your network, and your traffic, differ once the four events are done for the season?</b></p>
<p>Ski Dazzle buys nearly $1 million in advertising on an annual basis to promote the shows. When that advertising push is over for the shows, we obviously see a change in traffic and network activity. However, with the ability to easily sustain customer interaction with the Ning Networks we've been able to drastically increase the "off-show" activity.</p>
<p><b>Which feature has been most useful for your Ski Dazzle networks?</b></p>
<p>The Feature's page and the Tab Manager have been incredibly useful for our business. The tools provide easy mechanisms to change the focus of our event home pages and sites as we move through the different shows, and enable different promotions over the course of a snow season.Another surprisingly useful tool is the Notes functions. The tools for rich text editing, html editing and preview have been very useful for the Ski Dazzle team in dealing with day to day content changes on our five different sites.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.skidazzle.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1868357?profile=original" alt=""></a></p></div>Why the New Creators Network is Fantastic!https://creators.ning.com/blogs/why-the-new-creators-network2009-11-17T05:15:09.000Z2009-11-17T05:15:09.000ZJenhttps://creators.ning.com/members/Jen<div><p>I have to say, I couldn't be happier with the interaction Team Ning has given, on the new Creators Network! It's been a while since I felt so connected with Ning and fellow Network Creators - - and most of all, "heard".I hope fellow NCs feel the same. I see Team Ning jumping in, continuously, to address our concerns, answer our questions, and ask our thoughts and opinions. Even Gina has offered a helping hand.<b style="text-align: center; font-size: 16px;">Thanks Team Ning!</b>I think the new Creators Network is <b>fantastic</b>. And, I want to thank you for creating this network.Best Regards,Jen</p>
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