As we announced last month, Ning.com Network Search is making a comeback!
We have been working hard to make it easier than ever to find Ning Networks for your interests and passions. So we’re happy to announce that in the next few days, search will be back on Ning.com! We’ve heard a lot of feedback about how important this feature is from Network Creators as well as from members looking for Ning Networks.
For your Ning Network to appear in Ning.com’s Network Search, it must:
- Be public. Prospective members won't know too much about or be able to join your Ning Network if
it's private, and we want to protect the privacy of private Ning Networks and their members. - Be active. If your Ning Network has thousands of members but hasn't had new content in months,
it's not likely to be ranked highly in searches. - Be launched and accessible. We don't want to showcase Ning Networks that aren't yet ready for prime time!
- Not contain content that violates our Terms of Service.
For information on how to optimize your Ning Network for search, or if you have any search-related concerns about your Ning Network, please contact us through the Help Center.
Thanks,
Brent
Comments
For a more specific example, I will use mine.
Type in "Proviso East" in the Ning search box and you will get 1 result (not mine), type in proviso East and then Ning within the results on Google and you will get 4 Ning networks out of the top 5 results.
Now for the kicker: The 1 result that the Ning search engine returns only has 36 members. The Google result lists 2 more Ning networks (1 is mine) ahead of the Ning returned network. Mine has over 600 members and I think the other one has way more than that. I also know that both mine and the other one have content added all the time.
THAT is the problem with the Ning search engine. It is NOT indexing the titles, tag lines or any of the other vital criteria correctly. NO, I do not want mine listed 1st if it doesn't meet the criteria better than the others, but I do want mine listed! This complaint is not about who gets listed first or last. It IS about getting listed at all.
And 2 weeks to the help ticket on this and no results. Apparently they can't even just slam me in 1st place just to shut me up. ;-)
http://www.ning.com/search?sf=t&q=mountain+dulcimer
and when I search for 'dulcimer', this is what I get:
http://www.ning.com/search?sf=t&q=dulcimer
Why oh why don't I get any references at all to my site???:
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/
I've done the help tickets, and the Ning 'search team' (Lisa) has been in touch back and forth with me politely 3 times since April 1st on this thread, assuring me that my site will be included....but it's just not happening.
I understand your criteria for the relevance issue but only to the extent that someone has searched for mud racing, for instance, and you have 52 networks related to mud racing. Common sense would dictate that the most active network meeting all of your other criteria would gain a higher ranking. Problem with the pinwheel is that not all mud racing networks are listed on one pageas you get with a Google or Yahoo search. You have to keep spinning the cute little pinwheel which can be exacerbating.
My issue, and that of others, is that when the exact words that are in the network name are entered, the so named network does not show up at all!! This is ridiculous. If a stranger wants to find my network using the Ning search function, I don't exist. BUT if they use Google, up pops the devil. WHY??
Are you taling about this right? http://www.ning.com/
Yes, nice graphically, but then? At first, my communities, as the other communities that I have joined in the past, are "spiritual". Now I do not join any community because I do not get invitations and I cannot look for communities that I may interest me. About "spiritual", that is a HUGE TOPIC, I do not even see the category here. Then, if I click for example "network", I get some networks to see...and when I click again, I get more...you need to be retired to find what you are looking for! That means that you must have so much time for this search, if anyway your patience holds until the end.
Honestly, I tried already several times to look for something, but it drains my energy at once! Besides, my communities are not going to show up in that way...how can I know? I cannot play with that tool more than 2 seconds, it must be more effective! It looks that just a little part of all the Ning communities will show up in a considerable time available to "not retired people". How can we find what we are looking for, with all the thousands and thousands of communities that you have, not using a specific keyword?
I make you an example. I wish to find a community for "vegan people". Shall I click forever hoping that it will show up? For me this tool is useless. I already expressed my judgement via email several times, but I get an occasion more here...as for a case I was this discussion. I think that it is pretty weird that I need to go on Google to find Ning communities! Before it was much better...as many other stuff. You are caring for the graphic side of tools, but technically things do not work as before in time.
My community is about Twin Souls and it is a spiritual community. How can someone find me? Please Ning Team, show me, because I do not get it. I have paied the Premium Service for about 2 years, until a few days ago. Now we will see what you are going to tell us...but if you charge, you must make these tools to work! And for every community and not just some selected ones of your own choice!
If I am missing something, enlighten me...
I see that Robert tells about searching with the network name. I cannot see that possibility. Then, I see that for example StartUp always shows up as first search, although it has 75,000+ members...this tool would help minor communities to be found! Besides that we must have every page visisble to be found is another mistake.
is there anyway to set it back on public and not have my site hacked again.. because these former members also have css codes they are sharing with each other to wreak havoc on various similar sites. one of my friends even got her bank accunt hacked!
how can we protect the privacy of our members?
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