Ning Network Creators:

How ya “like” me now? Like buttons now available in beta for all Ning Network Creators.

JenSocial has joined the Beta.

If you are a Ning Network Creator, and would like to join the Beta on your Ning Network, go to My Network and look under "Ning Announcements" to read about the new "Like Buttons". To join the Beta, look under Settings/Beta. Follow the instructions from there.

A few of the details, according to Ning:

Here's something you might like — we've just added Like Buttons to photos, videos, and blog posts. With the site Like Button, everything that you like gets added to your "My Likes" page. You can also Like something right from the Main Page. And with the Facebook Like button, now anyone with a Facebook account can like what they see and share it with their friends. Hope you enjoy this new feature! Get Liking!

Ning's Official Announcement: (Original Discussion)

 Today, we’ve rolled out the beta for our Ning Like Button and the Facebook Like Buttons, two features that enhance the Ning Engagement System. “Liking” is a lightweight interaction that has proved to be incredibly powerful. Now, you can bring that power to your Ning Network with either a customized Like Button, a Facebook Like Button, or both. Try them out today by going to your Beta Page.

If you enable the Ning Like button, members can “Like” photos, videos, and blog posts right from the Main Page, in addition to detail pages...

Additionally, anything your members Like gets added to a brand-new My Likes page, which is a handy way to archive interesting stuff:

According to Ning:

The Ning Like button comes with a ton of customization options. You can choose the default icon, as well as the default name for the feature, on the Like Button Settings page. This is also where you can re-enable “Rating” and “Favorite” if you want to hang on to those features.

If you enable the Facebook Like button, it will behave just like other Facebook Like buttons you’ve seen elsewhere. Unlike the Ning Like button, you don’t have to be a member to like something on Facebook. So the Facebook Like button is a great option if you want the maximum number of people to Like network content and make it go viral.

One awesome addition is that we hooked Facebook up to your network’s engagement system too. This means that if your content gets a ton of Facebook “Likes,” it will still rise to the top of the Leaderboards and other popularity sortings.

Naturally, you can enable the Ning Like Button, the Facebook Like Button, both, or neither. It’s up to you!

Go to Ning's Creator Site to read Original Discussion and Network Creators Responses.