Put simply, the exported member data should also export a row of links for profile avatars. Without it, we are forced to employ other methods / processes and /or 3rd party services just to reverse scrape out the profile images in order to make any sort of directory. Simply adding the ability to export the field for profile photo makes the export all the more valuable... i understand privacy issues ..for a professional community, such and such is mentioned in Terms of Services....if would make Ning more valuable to me. The new archiver should provide an array of export possibilities in various formats and file types..its should give communities the ability to create new things and extend the reach of a community, in my opinion
As it is, if I want to build a member map (documented how to here and here), i must export/import/remove fields for public/reverse scrape thousands of profile URLs just to retrieve a simple image/add a column and hope they align exact/geocode the location column and then- only then- do i have what I need to make a simple member map. Exhausting.
I think about this request and I wonder how such a request is prioritized. Who's desk does this request land? Who is in charge of how time is alloted? Can I meet him/her?
i might like to at least say
3.0 is the 3rd version of a product that some of us have used since V1 I understand Ning needs new business and must push the 3.0, but shouldn't the earlier customers be getting some sort of focused if not special support? I would think that an entire microteam dedicated to helping those who have been here since 2007 should be established. Such a microteam could be instrumental in helping ease transitions and could focus heavy on a truly unique archiving tool that the community loves. I would love to head up such a group, if none such group exists..
If I could get a rough estimate of when we can expect migrations from 2.0-3.0 to resume, when might that be? June? December? Next Solar Eclipse?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is this migration on the priorities?
such a group would be working towards establishing solutions to these problems.
I would love to know, offer my support and look forward to the day that I can stop talking about migration as it has been a hovering dark cloud since 2014. For the love of all good things on this earth please let today be the day that these questions are answered for me and those like me. It will not go away-the problem- until a solution is developed. For communities with 20k/50k members, being trapped in 2.0 is an SEO death wish..add no SSL certificate and you've got search engine blooper style ranking..
How do we fix this? Who is fixing this? Can I help?
Replies
Hi there!
I have contacted management regarding the questions you have. The functionality which would allow you to export member's avatars in the same CSV file with the other CSV file is not in our plans and won't be implemented, unfortunately, however, the avatars also would be transferred with the migration script as you have also mentioned it in your post.
Regarding teh communication with management, at this moment they are satisfied with the model that we are using almost for a year so far when some sort of teh functionality is requested or update/ changes etc. the feedback is getting created in our task tracking system. This task is getting assigned to the responsible manager who is making decisions regarding the topic of the feedback. This approach helps to track each request and make sure that they won't be lost or forgotten.
Unfortunately, the group you are talking about won't be created, we are treating each customer, in the same way, regardless the time they have spent with us, the plan they have chosen etc. in order to bring the same quality support to every user of our platform.
Regarding the migration script, it's one of the most prioritized tasks for this moment, the release is planned on the end of Q1 of this year. In numbers, the priority is 9 of 10 based on the grades you have offered. The issue has such priority in order to give the users of 2.0 the ability to fix teh issue you have outlined in your last paragraph.
Please let me know if you have some other questions :-)
Best regards,
Ning Team.
Thanks Kyryl! I appreciate the support. Btw have you had any luck tracking down the person who can edit my listing in the Ning solutions directory? I appreciate your time.
Hi there!
Well, I have contacted the other manager who should help with this. Sorry for the delay.
Best regards,
Ning Team.
Yeah, I would hate to migrate without the avatars going also, it makes your site look dead.
Hi there!
As I have mentioned in the previous message, the migration script would be migrating avatars as well.
Best regards,
Ning Team.
I was under the impression SEO would be better for 2.0 because of pingomatic and more RSS feed support. They gather people by default more readily due to a matured platform with automatic notifications of new content in some cases. Such as groups, comments, replies by default. Then there's the sitemap. 2.0 has one. 3.0 doesn't.
I second your desire to add an export not of the avatars themselves, but of the links to where the files are stored. Put it next to profile URL and call it photo URL. I also think that people should have a CSV import script for Ning networks at least for member data if not post data as well.
Hi there!
As I have mentioned in my reply to ⚡JFarrow⌁, the decision regarding the member's avatar has been made already and the links to the avatar pic won't be included into the CSV file with members' data.
Regarding the SEO, the pages themselves are better optimized for 3.0 platform in order to make deep search more effective. RSS feed on 3.0 is available for the same modules as on 2.0, however, it displays more items than on 2.0. Also, it's necessary to mention that on the sites which are highly active the RSS feed showing itself more effective than a sitemap. Of course, RSS feed cannot help to display page higher in the search results, but the crawler would find it faster, so it will appear in teh results earlier.
Best regards,
Ning Team.