The Ning Master's dashboard

Just a fair warning, because I see the writing on the wall.

This is not going to be a free running area, like Network Creators was. You will be responsible for your actions.

I can already tell by reading the guidelines that if I am approved I would have to tone down how I reply to discussions or risk being banned.

I agree with their guidelines and suspect there will be several individuals banned, who do not know how to address situations involved with Ning in a professional manner with others and won't change no matter what platform their on.

It appears Ning truly wants a place for us all to collaborate with each other and Ning staff without all the garbage we have all seen in the past.

There are a few of us in here that have been very vocal at times and if we do this on creators.ning.com, we can expect to be banned immediately.

So you really need to watch your step and help make this new place, one full of positive energy instead of the black cloud this forum has become.

No worries, I understand this includes myself. I will be more positive and offer constructive criticism, helpful techniques and positive input with the feelings of others, being a top priority when I speak..

I hope this new place works out well for us all. Please lets do our best to help it along.

"Cheers"
JP

Maybe I have it backwards. Click the dots and see if that works.

If not, guess your just gonna have to live with it!!!!!

Give this code a shot.

body {
background-position: center top;
Background-repeat: no-repeat;
}

"Cheers"
JP

You could be logging in with the wrong account.

Type the Ning network out in the URL bar, you should see something like this,

"This social network has been taken offline by its owner."

Below that is a link you can click to sign in as the administrator.

"Cheers"
JP

Try clicking on the arrows instead of the dots.

I was going through the themes the other day and was clicking the dots and I clicked the last dot and thought it had finally came to the end, or so I thought.

I clicked the arrow to the right of the last dot and came up with 3 more pages. go figure.....lol

"Cheers"
JP

You might receive help faster if you took the extra effort to list your Ning network URL's so your sites could be visited and the issue resolved.

Maybe explain what you did and how you did it and what happened after it was done.....

WTH and CAPS is kinda of a turn off in my book. Makes me almost just close this window and move on to helping someone else.

"Cheers"
JP

You can save the account as a CVS file, upload that CVS file by clicking on your invite link while signed in to your Ning network and then invite them all to your network.

You cannot just create member accounts without them knowing or giving you permission to create an account in their name on another website.

Even if you had their permission, it is just not possible to do it any other way than CVS file and then send an invite.

"Cheers"
JP

Well, I would help you but it looks to me like you are hiding things with CSS that violates Ning's T.O.S.

There is code in your example that hides things you can just drag off if your in the features panel.

What is you Ning network URL? I will stop by and see if I can help show your created by links again.

"Cheers"
JP

You can add the CSS code below to the advanced section of your theme appearance area.

It is not tested on all pages, please be sure and browse through your site and make sure it has not caused problems on other pages.

p.small {
display:none;
}

"Cheers"
JP

Brian,

Blendapps use to have two versions of chat you could use. One was userplane, the other was a meebo chat. Did they remove the second option?

I focus most of my disgust at those who are regular complainers, who continue to be very harsh about the Ning platform.

Let me say that I apologize for directing my annoyance at all of you when it really should be focused on a few individuals directly.

You are absolutely right Brian, some of you really want Ning to hear what is wrong and needs to be fixed. The others truly just whine about everything.

I am aggravated by them and in turn, reply forgetting there are others in the discussion that are not whining and are innocent bystanders who get caught up in the whirlwind because I am aggravated with the whiners.

From this point on, I will do my best before I decide to jump in. I will try and take a deep breath after reading some of these replies and discussions and make sure I direct my annoyance at those who deserve it.

"Cheers"
JP – The Ning Master, on November 03, 2009 18:00

Thank you for the super fast reply Phil.

Ok, got ya. Now it is clear as a bell.....lol

No ning text box with a edit button on the page, means no edit button for your script4ning text box.

Is there a way you can at least remove the information from those text boxes that no longer allow us to edit them. For example, it seems there is outdated code in a text box that is no longer editable according to this discussion.

Can Noelle contact the Ning help center and request this?

JP

That is the biggest misconception I see on Ning. If your members want to chat, they will sign up for a user account with your chat. There are some very robust chat add-ons out there.

Many websites much much bigger than any of your networks, utilize third party add-ons chat included, that require their members to sign up for an account to use that add-on. You don't see them whining about functionality and so on. They make things work for them and their members.

Everything does not have to be integrated to accept user images and names. If it is good and your members enjoy using it, then it works! If your members are to picky to even sign up for chat, how have you monetized your network? What else are they not doing, because it is not integrated with your Ning network?

I wish everyone would grow up and move on to bigger and better things. Add a chat, tell your members to sign up to the chat because you support it's features and you think they would love it.

I swear, if you all turned this negative energy into positive energy, you would have no reason to be in here whining!!!

Waaaaaaaaaa! Lets move on children! I am going to send you to the time out mat, if you don't stop throwing a fit about not getting your way all the time.

"Cheers"
JP

"Making things happen on my networks since 2007!"

Thank you Phil,

Excuse me if I seem lost, but what are you talking about when referring to a text box on the right hand side of the network?

Do these scripts not supply additional text boxes for use in the header, below the header above the the navigation area, in the footer, on members pages, on forums pages, on groups pages and so on?

Are you saying this script will still provide you with extra text boxes, just not in the locations that they use to be??

Or, are you saying the script will function as normal, as long as there is a text box for the script to see, so that it knows to add a new text box in a specific area according to the script and the settings in the script manager?

So as long as you have a text box on the right hand side of your network, the script will continue to work as normal aside from the areas an extra text box was being placed when there was no option to add a text box from the features area to that page?

"Cheers"
JP

Another script bites the dust!

Maybe a better idea, would be to have the chat alert "Default to on" and then the members could decide to turn it of or not.

@Zohra,

I am confused here!

I have seen you post about Drupal and your own server and how it would be better, yet you lack the skills to maintain something like that.

Are you willing to set aside a budget to hire a developer to come in a repair your database, maintain security and make sure you achieve the same up time that Ning has?

What would you do with a downloadable Ning? You can't even write CSS or JavaScript to develop your own Ning layout.

I am not trying to be condescending, I am just pointing out the facts, that I have gathered from your discussions the last few years.

There is much more responsibility when it comes to running your own website on your own server. There is no one their to help you when the (#*$ hits the fan.

I have developed a very robust community using Simple Machines Open Source forum software and about 18 mods.

The downside to this? I don't want to be the one to take care of this community when I put it on their (client) server.

I like these Social Network platforms doing all the work for me and I am willing to pay for it. My only concern with that, is back up of all critical information on a Ning network, just in case Ning loses the data. We all know it could happen, just look at what happened when Microsoft Lost Sidekick Users' Personal Data.

I would choose Ning Freemium over my own server side community any day.

"Cheers"
JP

***Yes this is all very exciting.***

I have a few questions after reading negative comments about Ning and hearing first hand negative input from hundreds of network creators.

What will Ning do, to bring back the sense of separation from the Ning platform and the old saying "build a Social Network about anything"?

Will Ning bring back network individuality?

For the last 1 1/2 years, I have watched Ning slowly whittle Ning Networks down to Nothing. The last thing left to take away is the analytics box. After that, Ning will slowly fade away.

Facebook numbers climbing, Twitter US numbers have failed to increase. HuLu going to premium version. So much happening in the World Wide Web.

What will Ning do to keep it fresh with 2 major competitors working to overtake them.

Will Ning give Network creators more freedom and access to areas that will help them create a unique and interesting Ning network?

How will they help NC's monetize their Ning networks, so they as Network Creators can earn a study income from their Ning networks?

Will they ever offer premium features, like classifieds, directories, subscriptions and so on??

Have they noticed that Open Social is a lost cause and they should offer some of the Apps as a premium feature that is built right into the Ning platform. Have they noticed how bad these iframes look on Ning networks?

Have they come to the conclusion yet, that the more an NC can monetize their Ning Network, the better the chance they can increase revenue generated for Ning?

Sell or go public will be here in a flash. What will Ning do when their investors start knocking on the door asking for their due?

I have been using Ning for close to 3 years now. What it was and what it has become, concerns me.

I have supported Ning for 3 years now, through everything I have told many NC's to stop whining, why? There was always a way to make things work, no matter how closed the platform was becoming.

Now, I can no longer support Ning 100%. I have moved networks from the Ning platform and only propose a Ning network to my clients about 50% of the time.

Traffic on my site has declined, this negative impact to my Ning network I blame directly on the decisions Ning has made in the past. Network Creators no longer create networks like they use to. Back in the day I had up 20 Ning networks. I have 2 active ones now.

Bottom Line:

Network creators want their networks to work for them not against them.

Bring back the old Ning with source code access for a premium fee.

Stop third party add-ons! New features need to be integrated into the Ning platform, not iframed in with a 7 second loading window.

over 100 million in funding and Ning can't even incorporate their own robust forums, instant messenger, who's online, rewards and so on.......

Who is in charge of monetization over at Ning, Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street?

Network Creators are starving for functionality! You have yet to even integrate a proper HTML editor for blog post's, notes or even text boxes.

So much wrong, so much missing, what are "YOU" (Ning) going to do to make Ning better?

I could add another 10 paragraphs to this reply and still not cover all the concerns I myself and hundreds of other NC's have.

"Cheers"
JP

Kisses – The Ning Master, on October 18, 2009 16:19