Pro's and Con's with the Ning Platform

[Nascent Dynamics ( )]

Hi there, I welcome any conversation concerning the Ning platform. I think it's great and I want to get the word out to anyone who doesn't know about it yet. Now to begin, I did my research and found some issues. One of them being SEO. I guess there is an issue with search results showing irrelevant information- not necessarily the network description you put in. However, the platform is relatively new and i think they will work that out.

I also get the feeling the platform is better for networking. I am setting up on Facebook too and was playing with their new page layouts. I still think Ning is superior. I intuit networking will do more for people to get higher on search results because networking implies link backs and reciprocation on eachother's sites. I think that affects search engine results more than a catchy name or even some of the other techniques being employed. Furthermore, I think the volume of activity on a site increases it's rating/ list position. So the more people we get on Area Light, the better our chances of being at the forefront of searches.

[Nascent Dynamics ( )]

I recently upgraded my browser to the IE8 BETA. I've noticed some issues in viewing my Ning sites. Fortunately, these are easily addressed by using the new browser tool to view in compatability mode.

With this latest upgrade settled, I can honestly say I'm missing the old Ning bar at the top of the page. I thought it was an especially attractive feature of networking on Ning, especially with the easy access to your Ning networks and the ability to see other member's Ning networks. In one sense, I intend to do some networking between Nings here and can see I'll have to be a little more intentional to find manual ways of doing this. I have about 9 other nings I want to present eventually here and I could have simply referred people to a controlled identity in Area Light Member Services. Now I'll have to be a bit more creative.

Pierre was mentioning how creative use of the tools made available can be key. I've mentioned that before too. Where you do find an unconventional application of some tool for your own unique uses, just be careful that the feature is subject to change by the Ning proprietary initiatives. They do show special attention to facilitating alternatives to the intended applications. However, they are not likely to consider the creative applications.

[Nascent Dynamics ( )]

Continuing on my train of thought with Area Light, one of my big intentions is to support Ning and introduce it to people who have no idea. A successful expression of this will be in helping people set up their own social networks. I also see serving other network creators. I'm moving forward on this with the Area Light Explorer and Area Light Collective projects. You should see me making some progress on offering services to people who are on Ning. One thought that crossed my mind lately was how I keep running into familiar faces on other networks. Pierre has been a great contributor to this discussion of using Ning. He reminds me that he views Ning as one big network we are all a part of. When I first thought of The Next Big Ning, I was looking at it from the exclusivity of my own site. However, as time goes on, I still see that niche but balanced with that understanding. We are still in a good position to support Ning as a whole and do our part to ensure and be a part of it as The Next Big Thing.

I think it's time to adjust this group a bit. The contact I tried to make with this Ning tech didn't yield any contact. So I'll probably change the RSS feed to the Ning Network Creator community hosted by Ning. I'm also set up on that social network but haven't put anytime into meeting people. In Area Light Explorer, I've fed the blog they have doing expose's on other networks. So as I begin to explore those sites, it will be interesting to open up into the existing conversations and activities pertaining to the promotion and member support of the platform. On that note, this group would be a great place to discuss Ning for the sake of organizing relevant activity on this site. There's room to branch out on your own areas of expertise and add tutorials or such. I will keep my conversation generated here in this thread. Regarding pros and cons, I have noticed some issue with RSS feeds. I've had mixed results linking my own works on other sites. Sometimes I see what I want to come up, other times I think there is a glitch or maybe I need to understand how RSS feeds work on Ning a little better.

More to follow.

[Nascent Dynamics ( )]

Some interesting news for Ning today.

They are rolling out some changes. One is the administrative access page. They have apparently simplified this so we can log on to our sites normally without the extra step. This shows a pleasant focus on usability. They also mentioned they made the necessary behind the scenes moves to ensure the same level of security. I am sure that will be appreciated too.

They also mentioned some improvements to the search function. We are still developing a search methodology here. Primarily, we will be investing time into an offsite application to work with Area Light...The Collective wiki. Onsite, however, is a different story. We could really put some thought into our search and tag protocols to help make this site an online social network of choice.

The other aspect of the improved search is the Advanced Member Search. In a nutshell, the feature should improve the search results when searching for members based on profile questions, etc. That's interesting. We have omitted profile questions but thought seriously about including them. One advantage would be to encourage people to post their websites. However, they can do that on their profile page in other ways if they want to. The con's for it is that profile questionairre interrupt the sign-up process with an extra, perhaps unwanted step.

As we work on the wiki navigation tool, we will be creating links to personal, professional, organizational, and geographic material Area Light users explore both on and offsite. We also have in mind creating some customized directories to help find specific people, places, or things that are on Area Light.

We'll see how the changes affect us or present new opportunities. You also kind of have to view Area Light as a snapshot of a company very early on in its development process. We have a lot of work to do on projects we have started and more new ideas in the works. We are going to be flavoring...or coloring...the site with some creative passion about the concept. So check out our current MAIN page video of an Adidas Commercial. Let's Celebrate Originality and live the dream here. More information about the project can be found on The Quickening discussion in our group American Soccer.

[Nascent Dynamics ( )]

I just added a new RSS feed to this group. One of the blog topics was 4 criteria for social networks. I think they hit the spot with interface customization, scalability, and reliability. I also think they talk about the ownership issues such as profit models.

Ning has some pretty good standard templates and is customizable enough in my opinion. In terms of social networking, I think their model is usable and attractive. It looks and works like a high-end application. If you are any good at it you can have a very professional site without hardly any of the obvious shortcomings that normally cheapen other platforms. There is of course the advertisiement. However, you can pay to remove it. I think for the free value, the advertising model they use is just fine.

Scalability would be an issue for mass volume networks I think. You can also upgrade to greater bandwidth and storage etc. I'm a little uncertain to just what my usage is and if adding all the content I do just walks me closer and closer to needing more capability. As far as I know it could just depend on how many users you hyave and how many are trafficking your site at any time. I actually see myself creating new groups and discussions and wondering just what capability I am taking up. Obviously, I'd rather pay at the point my site is generating enough traffic to be worth putting money into. This should be something good to look into as i plan my network growth. I think I can make some decisions to encourage people to point out to their own content and networks as much as add content on my own.

I have mentioned one of the biggest concerns is what is going to happen with Ning. ave i forgotten, or was it really over 240 million privately invested in Ning? In the new thread I posted, the comment was that confidence grew with a recent 60 million raise to Ning from their sponsors. So the money sure seems to be getting put in. However, I'm not paying for any of it. I may do my part with accepting their advertisement. I find it hard to believe they are recovering so many millions from ads though. It's good to know they are getting money, but a little disconcerting not to understand how it is contributing to long-term security and maybe even wondering why they needed more. At the moment, I'm operating on some faith. I'm impressed with the application as well as what I can see of the organization. It's worth it to me for now to let it all be in their hands, however, I am diversifying my interests across other applications just to be responsive to changes that may some day come around.

In terms of profit model, I understand their advertisement and premium service options. They put a lot of attention on enabling you to monetize your site however you want. However, there is some condition not to use your own adservices unless you pay to remove theirs. I take some exception to my profit model in that I think it will come through featured business promotions offered to members and done on a donation/ gratuitary level. I also intend to offer a supportive environment for professionals to outsource services. So I think those client/ provider relationships are not restricted by free use of the Ning application anyway.

Overall, I think Ning still rates very highly. That's good to know. I look forward to exploring the new blog RSS feed here for intelligent contemplation that will hopefully contribute to our development of Area Light as a social network of choice.

Best,

Anthony

[Nascent Dynamics ( )]

It has been a while since I commented on this segment, but the new Ning Gift Store compells me to it. I've actually got quite a lot going on in my personal life as well as with my online projects. Simply put, there's not a lot of time right now for me. However, if you've seen me work up to this point, you will note I go through periods of low activity to extreme immersion! I have a bunch of ideas I am working on for Area Light, but the Gift Store is an example of where I think either Ning is heading in the wrong direction, or I am become too principled in my view of social networking!

What is up with an App just showing up on my social network? I didn't ask for it. Well it is free, so I am willing to accomodate Ning as they roll out improvements to the medium. But gifts? That is something I have seen on Facebook. It's essentially a little novelty where you can send somebody a "hug" or something to let them know you are thinking of them. Somehow, for the masses of "social" people out there, having these tokens is an excuse to reach out back and forth without really networking or engaging in some kind of substantive dialogue. Perhaps that is the world today! For a platform that might want to drive more traffic, I can see coming out with something like that. However, as far as I am concerned, that's not the kind of thing I want on my sites which are going to be personal, but also professional, and business related. Not to mention my pet peeves of substantive engagement as a quality social networking theme.

Why do they put this app up without asking? It seems they have some kind of points system and a profit sharing model. Don't tell me people are going to buy these little gifts with real money and profits are going to be split between Ning and network creators who have the stores on their sites!!! My gosh! I've been critical of certain networks trying to monetize with cheap ideas, but this might cut the cake. Where is the old Ning forum/ community where people could say what they like and dislike to Ning? Are they really listening? Most of what they have done to now has been pretty right on in my opinion, but this....

Thankfully the option was available to remove this, and I got to it before anyone started using on my network. Kind of dissapointing to have to go through the stress and figuring out if/ how to take off. I'd rather be invited to check it out and install it if I want without the trouble. Makes me think maybe I need to see what I have available to communicate my feedback to Ning, and alwso makes me question the long-term viability of the platform for my projects. There's no saying they could take it in dramatically divergent directions...even if they have been so right on up until now.

Best,

Anthony