Build Your Own Social Network with Ning

With social networking sites being all the rage these days, many people wonder if they can build their own online social network where people sharing the same passion or interest can collectively participate. Such a website allows members to share stories, photos and videos and participate in discussions. If you are looking at building such a online community site then I would recommend Ning.

1. Go to Ning at http://www.ning.com

2. Just like any other web service you got to sign up.

3. And just like several other online offerings these days, Ning is also free. Just fill in the details.

4. Once the system has accepted you, you can start creating your social network

5. Give a name to your social network. I am calling mine “Technology and Learning” as I intend my network to be for trainers and technologists interested in using technology to improve learning. I am choosing the web address techlearn.ning.com so anyone wants to get to my network will have to type http://techlearn.ning.com on their browser.

6. If the names are available, Ning would show you the next page where you can type in a description and couple of keywords. These would help people find your Social Network so it is good to be as descriptive as possible.

Click on the Next button at the bottom to continue.

7. The next page is Features page. The left column shows you a list of possible features. The right hand side is a mock-up of your Social Network page. You can drag the feature from the left to the right. For example, If I wanted my social network to have a forum, I would drag the forum tab from left to the right.

Click on the Next button at the bottom to continue.

8. You can change the visual appearance on the next page. Choose a style from the ones provided. Further down in this page, you can change font style too.

Click on the Next button at the bottom to continue.

9. You can set who signs up on your network. Making it Public lets anyone join in. On a private network, you will have to invite the members to join. To start off your network, you can straight away invite a few of your contacts. There is also a section on the right hand side where you can set what visitors (non-members) to your site can see.

Click on the Next button at the bottom to continue.

10. On the “Profile Questions” page, you can specify the questions that the person who is trying to sign up on your network has to answer.

You can choose the text of questions, the type of answer and also the number of questions you want you ask. The questions can also be made compulsory by ticking on the “Required?” box. Don’t make them too many. Click on the Next button at the bottom to continue.

11. This last page shows you a summary of all the actions by you. Click on the title of the action if you want to change something. For example I still wanted to go back and change some colors, I would click on the Appearance link.

Click on the LAUNCH button to start your social network.

12. Your network is ready now for your members to sign up and use.

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