Organize your groups by categories using LOCATION

[Atheist Universe]

If the location field of your network's groups is not of importance, you can use this workaround to get clean listings of groups, only  groups, no comments, in up to 10 categories. In our case, location-related groups already have the physical location name in their title or in their description, so they'll appear in ordinary keyword searches.

1- Make up a list of the keywords that will best represent the group categories you need. We used the form #science to remind group creators not to modify it.

2- Go through your groups and edit the LOCATION field to contain only the proper category keyword.

3- In your tabs menu under Groups you add sub tabs with the category names and paste the following code in the URL field of the tab:

http://your_network_name/group/group/listByLocation?location=your_keyword

You now have a menu that lists all the group categories:

4-When you pick from the menu, you get a clean group search results page that contain only the groups under the given category, without any comments or discussion listings, just the groups.

 

The Location link on the main page of your group will also bring up the same group listing page.

 

Hope this helps,

Au

[socman]

very useful .thank you

[solo]

thanks

[Janettee McCrary]

I've actually been using something similar for quite a while. I might make a tutorial of it one day, but for now I'll just show you what I've done... I've been using the "location" section of my groups as a "tag" section instead. For example:

Our Earth

You will notice that I have several different links for users to click on.... Including "Groups". This will take you to all groups with the location "tag" "ourearth". Each group in that list has the same links, which link to groups tagged with that group's location "tag" (I use the ending URL of the main group).

You will note that most of my groups are location-based, but not all... If you click on Oklahoma City's groups list, for instance, you will see an alumni group and a charity in the list as well. I plan to do this for topic-based groups in the future, but just haven't gotten that far.

[Brother Richard]

Janettee, I really love how you made this drop down list : http://thehumantouch.ning.com/page/groups-1

Would you do us the honor of sharing the code you used to make this page?

 

Thanks in advance! 

[Atheist Universe]

Good question.

Janettee, how do you use the html form controls?

[Janettee McCrary]

I'm assuming you mean how do you make them "go"? You have to click the button, or they won't work.

[Janettee McCrary]

I'm sorry it took so long to get back to you... I'm working for the Oklahoma State Fair and they start soon, so I've been working a lot... I'll try and work on that tonight:)

[⚡JFarrow⌁]

A terrific suggestion and by far the only truly useful approach to using these location fields until Ning updates teh XML for groups and allows some sort of "Namespace" editing HINT HINT. As for the location related groups, we really need the ability to add geocoordinates which transfer with the RSS feeds coming from the forums, so that NCs have the ability to produce true to life GeoRSS feeds from location based groups. Thanks for this post..great thinkin!

[Mike]

+1 :-]

[Rob Young]

Hi Au

Thanks it really helped

Appreciated

 

Rob