Wow, Ning has really stepped up their game in the past year! That makes me smile in a big way! I don't think I could ever not love this platform. Well, it was a challenge during their trials and tribulations. But, don't know if it could have been prevented after the first changing of the guard. From everything I have seen in the past year, it's looking like Ning is back full-speed and maybe better than ever.

Just to let you know why I've neglected JenSocial - - I've been…

If you're negative about the Ning platform, I sure can't blame you. You have excellent reasons for feeling this way. But, call me crazy. After the announcement (January 4th, 2017) from the CEO of Ning, I am 100% convinced that Ning will make a complete and total comeback!

Excerpt from Announcement:

I want to take this opportunity to thank each and every Network Creator for your continued support!  On behalf of the entire Ning…

I would like to thank the men & women I had the pleasure of serving with, the ones I did not, the ones that still do but more importantly the ones who gave their lives so that we may have ours.

Every time you complain that the line at Starbucks is too long; be grateful that you aren't being shot at today. Never forget. Freedom isn't free........

Announcement from Creators.ning.com (Ning):

Exciting News About Ning + Cyndx LLC

We are pleased to announce that Cyndx LLC entered into an agreement with Mode Media to take over the operations of Ning Inc from Mode Media immediately.  The Ning and Cyndx teams together are bigger, stronger, and better positioned to…

Feel free to discuss. I have little to say, so disappointed in this company, on so many levels.

Announcement on Creators, CLICK HERE. …

Jamroom is a modular open source Community CMS that is uniquely customizable and powerful. 

Running on your own server, you have 100% privacy and control of your own system. 

It has been powering thousands of sites worldwide since 2003.

A few months ago we were approached by a Ning user,…

May 18, 2016

For what it's worth, finally "heard" from someone involved with Ning, the former Ning CEO - - and (just found out today, Former of Mode Media/CEO, as well), Samir Arora. It wasn't much, but great to hear he is listening. Does this mean Ning will improve their communication dialogue with Ning Creators? Who knows? But, maybe, just maybe, they will start listening, or at least tell Ning Creators their plans for the future…

Take pictures at EVERY event that you host for your group.  Do not worry about the quality, just do your best.  Why? Pictures of people at your events will attract more Members (for free), get more opens when you send out a newsletter, attract more viewers on Facebook, and so much more.  In most cases, pictures will cost nothing more than your…

So you are starting a group (or maybe you already have one going) and you are not sure if you should charge Membership dues or not.  I can help.  

When I first launched my social group, Membership was free.  Two years later I moved to a new platform that allowed me to have two Membership levels: Basic (free) and Premium (yearly dues).  Three…

If you want your Members to feel warm, cozy, and welcomed, make sure you have a designated host at your event.  I have been to events where I was not greeted by a host and it always left me asking myself questions such as “Who is part of the group?”, “Are we gathering here for the night or moving to another spot?”, “Can I eat the food over there?”, etc.  Unanswered questions leave Members with a sense of feeling unsure.  Yet, you want your Members to feel comfortable so they will be likely…

I cannot tell you how many times my group was in the news and I was not even notified. Instead I found out via Google Alerts (a totally free, easy, and awesome provided by Google).  What is Google Alerts?

Google Alerts as Defined by Google:

“Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your queries. Enter a search query you wish to monitor. You will see a preview of the type of results you'll receive.” …

Only recently did I realize I was making a HUGE mistake with my 5,000 Member social group.  I was constantly driving traffic to my website, but I failed to effectively capture the email addresses of those who were not ready to pay dues. Sure, I had a standard sign-up form (generated by Constant…

Every website should have these 6 things. If anything might be missing, make it your goal to audit your website and put these in place within a month:

1. Contact Information – Do not make it hard for people to contact you.  You could potentially miss out on new Members AND potential sponsors (who want to give you money).

Hello Jen, all, 

I visited the testimonial page on JenSocial today but didn't see how to reply and add to it.  

Wasn't sure where was appropriate, so decided to try a blog post.…

Do our children benefit from today's Technological world?

Are our children's brains being developed correctly by the use of computers, mobile phones and other devices?…

1.
Download and Install CS6


2.
Download Toolkit for CreateJS
…

How to Create a Chrome Extension for your Network

I really debated with myself on whether or not to share this because I think its amazingly cool, but my site would not be what it is if it wasn't for me sucking up free tips from people willing to share so here it is :). Plus, I'm hoping if you guys think of some cool ways to utilize this, you'll share them with me.

If you use Google Chrome as your browser, you may be familiar with Extensions. Google describes…

Google + Plus v Facebook

Is Google Plus, sometimes written as g+, a serious challenge to Facebook’s Supremacy as a Social Network?

When Google Plus first arrived on the Social Network scene people were calling it the “Facebook Killer.” I never considered that Google would trounce Facebook. It is not a “Hare & Tortoise” race. Actually, Google is not by any means a Tortoise.

Were this competition…