Until most recently, I pretty much avoided social networking sites, such as MySpace, FaceBook, and the like.  Although I understood that they could be valuable tools (used correctly), it was simply “not my thing.” A few days prior to writing this article, I received an email invitation from my cousin to check out a social networking website that he had created. I reluctantly clicked the link to see what it was all about. I was intrigued when I saw what the site was about. The website was dedicated to our family – attempting to use the Internet and technology as a means for our ever-growing, ever-spreading family to stay in contact. My cousin and I were the only two members of this site. Adding content (pictures, video, events, blogs, etc.) was very simple. Within minutes, I had uploaded dozens of pictures, some video, and created a blog entry. There was a place to invite others (even offering the ability to scan your email address books for contacts to invite). Within 24 hours, ten other family members were signed in and the site had hundreds of photos, lots of video, and numerous blog entries. Family members spread throughout the states were communicating, chatting, and sharing each other’s uploaded content.

       This social networking site was created on http://www.ning.com. I must admit that social networking sites, such as MySpace and FaceBook, could have accomplished the same task, but this site seemed more suited to what we were trying to accomplish. I thought it was a good idea, so I signed up and signed in. Upon reviewing the website, I could see that this site was extremely popular. There were sites by T.I., Bow Wow, New Kids on the Block, Britney Spears, T. Boone Pickens and many others.

       Creating a site is very easy. The site needed to be named (i.e. PC Solutions and Training) and needed a web address example.ning.com (i.e. http://pcsolutions.ning.com). After filling in the rest of the basic registration information, the site was set up. The site content was set up using a simple template and clicking and dragging desired content to the area in the template where you want it to appear. There were many preloaded themes to choose from. Upon choosing a desired theme, the site was created and launched. In an effort to provide accurate information, pcsolutions.ning.com was actually created. The total time to set up and launch the site took about five minutes. All site content can be made viewable to the general public or can be made private (viewable to those who you have invited to be members).

       There is no cost associated with this service. Sites can be created free of charge. However, there are some “premium” services that can be added to your site for a fee.

 

l Remove Ning Promotion Links – (By default, your social network display links for your members to create their own social networks on Ning. You can remove these links with this option.) – $7.95/month

l Control the Ads – (By default, Ning reserves the right to run ads on your social network. You can choose to remove the ads on your network or, alternatively, run ads from any advertising network with this option.) – $19.95/month

 

l Use Your Own Domain Name – (By default, your social network displays the web address you chose when you created your network. This option enables you to use a different domain name for your network. You need to purchase a domain name from a domain registrar before choosing this option.) – $4.95/month, per domain

 

l Get More Storage and Bandwidth – (By default, your social network comes with a quota of 10GB of storage and 100GB of bandwidth. This is a network with approximately 5,000 photos or 500 videos. You can purchase additional units of 10GB of storage and 100GB of bandwidth for 9.95 per month, per unit.) – $9.95/month, per unit

       For answers to your questions, please call Damon Slocumb at PC Solutions and Training (413) 612-2824 or via email to povreaderquestions@comcast.net.