Conversation on Twitter with former Mode Media/CEO, Former CEO of Ning

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 of this platform. Honestly, this is the first time in 2 years I have heard one word from this company, other than support calls, "...working on the issues, updates to come..." AND the announcement: Notice of 2016 Storage Limit and Pricing Plan Changes. I just wanted to share this with you all. If you want to follow on Twitter, click on one of the links, below.

phpFox - Build Your Own Social Community!


I will continue to  design sites on Ning, help maintain existing sites. BUT, I am about to embrace the new version of phpFox! I love what I'm seeing.

This Blog post started out with sharing a very short Twitter response from the former CEO of Ning and Mode Media. It's turned into an active discussion on Ning alternatives. Join the conversation.

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Comment by Steve Cyrkin on May 18, 2016 at 10:16pm

Hi Jen,

Samir Arora is still on the Mode Media board of directors and is the company's second largest shareholder.

Comment by JenSocial on May 18, 2016 at 9:33pm

Good ole Ning 2.0. I tried to move the Latest Activity Module on home page, to top. I can't move any of the feature layout boxes, tried 3 browsers, even cleared cache. :\

Comment by JenSocial on May 18, 2016 at 9:20pm

@Kos, thanks!

Comment by JenSocial on May 18, 2016 at 9:20pm

Answered you, Mr. P. =)

Comment by Kos on May 18, 2016 at 9:10pm

Jen I hope they continue to grow for you (phpfox).  Thanks

Comment by JenSocial on May 18, 2016 at 9:01pm

@Kos, great to see you!  I think I answered all I can for now, about phpFox, in comments to Troy.

On WordPress, over the years I have probably designed as many WordPress sites, as I have Ning sites. And that's a lot. I can't imagine that WordPress would ever stop being my favorite platform to design websites. ABSOLUTELY love it!

The only thing about using WordPress as a Social Community, all the dang plugins. But, realize my point of view is for the sake of Clients and the ability to design their sites in a timely and cost effective manner. If just for me, I'd probably move JenSocial to BuddyPress. And, if phpFox doesn't work out, I'll probably do that, anyway.

More about my thoughts on WordPress and using it as a Social Community:

  • If a new version of WordPress comes out, you have to make sure all your plugins are going to work.
  • To set up a site for a Client, so much to think about, set up, choosing best Plugins for Client's requirements, etc...I prefer having most of the key features within the core product, like phpFox.
  • I enjoy BuddyPress very much, and still design sites with BP, but not that many, compared to WordPress in general.
  • It tends to get bloated, quickly when dealing with member content. Then, you're talking about VPS or dedicated servers for the speed you expect. Don't get me wrong, still at the top of my list. You can build beautiful sites. But performance, so-so.
  • Another thing that attracts me to phpFox, versus BuddyPress, the latter is only Community (Users) supported. phpFox Support comes at a cost, but has both expert support and community support. And last, I love the idea of having the people who actually created the software as my support if I need them, like phpFox.

Best,

Jen

Comment by Neuerotica on May 18, 2016 at 8:58pm

Hey Jen, I sent you a PM, if you have a minute.

Comment by JenSocial on May 18, 2016 at 8:46pm

Great to see you Troy, I was focused on what I wanted to say about phpFox, to-date. =)

Comment by JenSocial on May 18, 2016 at 8:45pm

@Troy, wow! Thanks for sharing this. And, sorry to hear about all these bugs, sounds like a nightmare. I am brand spanking new to this. But, I'll try to articulate why I have good feelings about phpFox. And, hoping all the bugs have been fixed, or darn close. I think I will reference this discussion to phpFox, and see if they have anything to add.

  • I've been watching phpFox for years, was never much impressed. Although, I always admired what the platform wanted to be.
  • Recently I tried their new demo (4.3), and whoa, blew my socks off. It's elegant, smooth, fun, and seems to work flawlessly from a User standpoint. This means a lot.
  • I started conversations with phpFox, and they were incredibly responsive to my emails. This definitely got my attention.
  • I believe that any platform will have it's issues, be lacking in features, etc...but thinking this one may be a huge winner.
  • The feature list is huge, all that Ning 2.0 had, all that Ning 3.0 has for design and responsive, plus a whole lot more.
  • I like the fact that their Team appears to be relatively small, passionate, means they will "care". Yet, they have been around since 2005.
  • I want so badly to sink my teeth into something new, innovative, modern, reliable and fun. I think it fits the bill - - what I've seen so far.
  • 4.3 has some pretty darn good reviews, online.
  • The platform seems to be the perfect mix of the Facebook feel, but with the emphasis on Social Community features.
  • Oh, and of course, thrilled to pursue a platform that is not hosted by the company, and no control over your destiny. THIS is what Ning was promising in the beginning. We had about 75% control of all our code. I was the last person to move over to their hosted version, and only because I was forced to, many years ago.

Hopefully I won't be writing how horrible the experience was, a month from now. I really have good vibes about this, been evaluating software for 25+ years. Time will tell. And, I will tell you all the absolute "truths" when I have gained more time and experience with the platform.

@Troy, if you don't mind me asking, what was the huge bug? I will address this directly with phpFox.

Thanks - - fingers crossed. ;-)

Jen

Comment by Kos on May 18, 2016 at 8:29pm

KingdomX hey bro!!!!!  Long time no see! Yes, I'm still hanging around Ning. Have several WP going but it's tough to let Ning go, you know.   I so miss the old days............

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