How to Create a Ning Group
You can set up a group on Ning.com. Ning groups can be private, with invitation only access, or public, with international membership. Ning groups can be for hobbies or for anything that's fun. Entrepreneurs can set up Ning groups to promote their businesses. It's quick to set up a Ning group, with the choice of a free or a paid group.
- Difficulty:
- Easy
Instructions
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How to Create a Ning Group
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1
Determine what the group will be about, and choose an appropriate group name. No two Ning groups can have identical names. Once the name has been selected, it becomes a part of the URL for the group. The name for the group can be changed at a later date, but the URL cannot be changed.
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2
Decide whether you want a free Ning site or a paid site. Free sites work nearly identically to paid sites.The main difference is that the free sites are populated with Google ads which are tailored to the theme of the Ning site, and the URL includes the name Ning. With paid sites, the group creator can migrate his or her own domain name onto the Ning platform in place of the Ning URL. Paid sites also feature ads which are chosen by the site owner. Many paid Ning sites function as commercial websites for the group owner.
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3
Import the URL and choose ads for the group, if applicable. Owners of paid groups who have purchased a domain name, can import that domain name to use with their groups, and insert ads of their choice on the group page. For free Ning groups, the URL is http://GroupName.ning.com, and the ads on the group web page are Google ads based on the subject or theme of the group.
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4
Name one or more individuals as group members and as managers to assist in running the Ning group. Group managers have similar status to owners, except that owners can demote managers but managers cannot demote owners. Ning provides detailed explanations for each of its features to help group owners put their websites together.
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5
Determine the membership structure of the group. The membership structure choices work the same for free and paid groups. There are three types of Ning groups: open and public, public with membership approval required, or private with access by invitation only. The group owner makes that decision. The group owner or manager also decides which questions must be answered before new members can join the group.
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6
Set up the group website, which works much the same way for both paid and free groups. Ning groups have many features available for its group websites, which is one reason Ning groups are so popular. There are dozens of themes available, or for group owners with advanced web design skills, it is possible to add CSS, Cascading Style Sheets, to the website. If the group owner has a logo he or she wishes to use, it can be uploaded in place of the standard group name banner.
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7
Decide which features to include on the Ning group site. Most Ning groups include features like Forums, Blogs, Photos and Videos, but the choice is totally up to the group owner. You can include RSS, Really Simple Syndication, feeds, widgets and enable members to link their pages to their Facebook profiles.
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8
Invite prospective members to the network. Ning allows group owners to temporarily import their address books from their email addresses, and choose the contacts they want to invite to the group. Ning also provides an email blast feature which allows group owners to send messages to every member of the group. Group owners can also enable group members to send out invitations as well, with the owners retaining the final say about who is actually admitted into the group. For invitation only groups, the owner sends out invitations by email, and members must use the link inside the email to join.
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9
Join the Ning Network Creators group, where new group owners can receive guidance from experienced group owners. The Ning Network Creators group is also where group owners learn about changes to the Ning platform. In addition, If the group owner has questions, she can send an email to the Ning administrators for help.
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