A few weeks ago my friend @loyan asked me to post on why I promote the Ning community tool.  I have been using Ning.com for a couple of years now as a community proponent and connector to help individuals, organizations and companies gather their tribe and give them the tools to build networks.

Over the years we have all seen situations that call for communication and connectivity within a group.  Whether you went to a conference or needed information on a special interest, you probably have had the opportunity to join a web forum.  These sites worked great for simple idea sharing, but they were very limited in scope and usability.  It was difficult to post a video, and your information page was limited to a few links to your webpage and text.  Also, on forums there is a tendency for individuals to hide behind avatars and screen names, taking away from transparency and authentic community participation.

So why do I use Ning? Here are a few of the reasons:

Great tools for admins and members:

Along came the Ning platform.  With Ning a site administrator/leader can easily give their tribe all the tools that they need to build a thriving community.  Ning has integrated video, WUSIWYG (what you see is what you get), chat rooms, extensive profile page customization and tools, as well as ways for groups to form within the site.

Promoting new sites:

When you create a community site, Ning keeps a badge at the bottom showing the site creator’s picture, and a link encourages others to create their own communities.  There have been cases where clients have asked if we should remove the link.  My answer is no.  Keep that control in the hands of those in the community.  Building your own simple site is simple and fast.  If you need to take it to a higher level you can come to us.

Website integration:

Ning has built their platform in a way that allows communities to build their site with the built in features using the Ning provided skins.  Users can go a few steps further by tweaking the css code, paying premium services to remove ads, and linking to a designated domain. Ning has also allowed advanced editing and programming access to firms like us.  We are able to take a client’s Ning site and fully integrate it into their current website.

Ning just keeps getting better every day with new features.  Just this week they released an app that allows for event registration within a community site. Check Ning out for yourself and give your tribe a place to connect, share, and grow.

I am curious about your reasons for using Ning.  Please feel free to add them as comments.