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New Ning Dashboard (Manage Panel) - What Are Your Thoughts?

First, let me announce: I've added a new Forum Category called "Join The Conversation". This Category will be used for Forum Discussions that may lead to heated discussion and debate. Now there are two Admin Categories on JenSocial Forums - - one for Announcements and one for Conversation. Naturally I have made the Announcements Category for Admin only. And, for now I have set the Join the Conversation for Admin. only. If you think I should open it to all, I will be happy to change it. Just let me know.

So tell me, what do you think about the new Ning Dashboard (Manage Panel)? I've been trying to use it all day, and as much as I hate to complain, I don't like it, at all. Like I've already stated on Ning's Creator site, maybe I'm just set in my ways. Is it that I use the dashboard so much that the new orientation (side links) has me all off-balance? It really throws me.

This is what I just wrote on Creators in this Discussion:
Sorry Ning. The new manage panel is maddening. It took me 10 minutes to find out how to add a new Category to a Forum - - good grief. And, it may not be that far off from the old. But since the orientation is totally different, it is completely discombobulating - - for me at least.

I hope you all hear me. I'm the kind of person who can catch on quickly, and don't mind change for the most part. If I'm confused, not good.

For anyone who needs to add a Forum Category: Manage/Settings/Features/Forum

I'm trying to decipher if the links are the same. Are they? If so, I'll just go by URL, instead of this panel.

I've been designing software for 20+ years. I just don't get this. Why go from a lovely Web2.0 look with easy icons, to a "smushed" up side panel with old fashioned links that you have to drill down over and over to get to where you want to go?

Best Regards,
Jen

UPDATE - GREAT NEWS!
Ning has made the statement that they are working on giving us an option to use the old Manage Panel!

What are your thoughts? Join the Conversation!

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Permalink Reply by Predestined by God on July 20, 2010 at 11:30pm

LOL . . .

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Permalink Reply by Emprendedor Digital on July 20, 2010 at 11:27pm

Well, what is one to do after an earthquake? I feel like the earth has shaken my admin page in my sites. Do I have to panic and act irrationally? ( probably the most natural human reaction) Nope, I refuse!!! Lets focus on providing ning with good, detail and problem solving oriented feedback, so they can get things up and running faster for all of us. So, with that being said, I still see code errors on top of my page while accessing some of the tabs in the dashboard. i.e. 3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd"> not sure how would that affect the other pages on my site, but the front end seems to be working just fine.

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Permalink Reply by JenSocial on July 21, 2010 at 1:48am

No panic here, just speaking what I truly feel. ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Mind's Eye on July 20, 2010 at 11:32pm

Actually Jen, During the beta test I noticed that each menu options on the dashboard would evade me. By that I mean it wouldn't register in my mind even though I saw the name ...just wouldn't register. I report it to the Ning beta site via email and suggested that they use icon driven menus so that it would be easier to register.

I also thought that dashboard should be user friendly and programmable. I knew the grid was a nice feature but it falls short with all the stuff including customizing what the creator would like to display at a glance to his/her admin.

The announcement section was cool but I thought they should have ning status available on the dashboard also.

Anyway there are a lot of things...but this was as a beta tester...

ralphy

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Permalink Reply by JenSocial on July 21, 2010 at 1:50am

Funny, your comment "...even though I saw the name ...just wouldn't register." - - for some odd reason, exactly what happens to me, and I've read the same feelings by several others. You see it, but you don't see it. LOL!

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Permalink Reply by Mind's Eye on July 20, 2010 at 11:36pm

Here is something I don't think ning is considering...they are inundating each creator with the banner to remind them to sign up but they keep it coming...every-time someone goes to the main page the banner pops up. That is not only rude but annoying. I think they just haven't thought that through.

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Permalink Reply by Writer Chick on July 20, 2010 at 11:38pm

I don't mind it, but it's organizationally not very attractive. I liked the icons better. But that's a minor thing.

The one part that I was disappointed in was the "Most Popular" sections. From what I can tell, this is just based on the Latest Activity feed, but just presented in a visual way. It changes hourly! What I was looking for was more statistical data.

for example: Member A logged on 25 times this week/month, etc.
Group B had the most new members, or the most activity this week/month, etc.

What they gave me is useless basically. I'll just continue to watch the Latest Activity feed to guesstimate which member/group is the most active.

And...I thought that we were going to be able to tell how much storage and bandwidth we were using so we could decide which Ning plan would be best. Guess not...

The rest of the stuff, I'm good with. The extra text boxes and the wonderful blank space where the Google ads were. In that, I've already added an Amazon affiliate widget to earn some extra cash for my site. Planning on maybe adding CafePress too.

I've only had one minor bug and Ning is aware of it and is looking at it. (Some really strange code when you click on Featured Photos or Featured Videos.) I have confidence that it will be fixed shortly.

I'm really disappointed in some of the "adults" on the forum though. I'm a teacher and usually I would say that there is no such thing as a "dumb question", but some of these people are simply lazy! You can tell that they haven't even bothered to play around with their new dashboard! They start complaining on the forum immediately that this or that is not there, when it IS! They just haven't looked hard enough.

Poor Thunder X and nice people like him have had so much patience today in dealing with these kinds of people. But after awhile your patience wears out when you hear nothing but negativity and whining.

*sigh*

All in all, it wasn't what I was hoping for, but baby steps make giant ones. Hopefully the product timeline will bring us more soon.

Sorry to get so long-winded.

(The nudity clause is getting a lot of attention, too. LOL Ning really needs to jump on that one fast and clear it up!!)

Donna

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Permalink Reply by JenSocial on July 21, 2010 at 1:53am

Hi Donna,
I noticed this evening, some of the links for the new dashboard are not showing up for a while. I think that's been a lot of the confusion, more than lazy. For example, I'm still seeing "Manage" and not "My Network", on JenSocial.

Good points you've made,
Jen

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Permalink Reply by Writer Chick on July 21, 2010 at 9:37am

Aah...everything on mine was perfect, so I guess I need to be a little more understanding, huh? LOL Yesterday was a stressful time for everyone, I think. And when your expectations are high and the results are low, that equals frustration.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Sohiniben Shukla on July 21, 2010 at 12:52am

Dear jen, You have done a good job ! I think it should have expansion for all the Members who wish to......... Love and Blessings,

Dr. Sohiniben Shukla.

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Permalink Reply by JenSocial on July 21, 2010 at 1:53am

Dr. Sohiniben Shukla,
Always so nice to see and hear from you.
Thank you for your input.
Best Regards,
Jen

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Permalink Reply by disabilityresourceexchange.com on July 21, 2010 at 1:38am

"I've been designing software for 20+ years. I just don't get this. Why go from a lovely Web2.0 look with easy icons, to a "smushed" up side panel with old fashioned links that you have to drill down over and over to get to where you want to go?"

Jen I definitely agree with your the above point.

But I do like the new features Ning has added

and I'm looking forward to the further integration with Facebook and other social networking platforms that are Apparently coming soon

Sincerely,
Rudy Sims