Social Networking Communities are popping up left and right these days on the internet. MySpace started a feeding frenzy of which many have tried to copy. As internet users, networkers and work at home business owners alike, we create numerous accounts in hopes to "getting the word out" or "finding business partners" or "just plain finding someone to talk to".
Yahoo Groups took over Onelist and created what it is now, a very novel idea, which is a basis that was taken to build the newer models of Social Networking Communities with a whole lotta features.
What if you could build your own Social Network Community, complete with blogs and forum. Doesn't have to be all business, it could be used for your circle of friends, a means to communicate with family or to gather people who share the same hobby. Of course you could use it also to network with other businesses, the choice of usage would be up to you. Would you utilize such a service?
Searching the web a few nights ago, I actually found a site that allows you to do just that . . . create your own Social Networking Community. The site has been online since 2007, currently it boast 7,591 pages containing 20 communities. That's a lot of free social networking communities I've never seen before. I love the fact that it is FREE!
Ning.com a rather unusual name, but this site provides anyone the ability to create your very own community. No html knowledge required.
It provides you with a subdomain set up with http://yourcommunity.ning.com a search engine friendly url.
Choose from various templates or customize it to fit your own needs. The customization process is pretty simple. You can add widgets and your members can create their own blog as well as give each the ability to customize it to their liking, invite friends, etc . .
A forum can also be added and there are other third party widgets that can be installed, such as embedding YouTube videos and a few others.
Why create your own community or network? Why not? Another place to advertise, another place if used wisely that will provide you a backlink or just another place to hang out.
Can you monetize the site? Yes, most definitely. You can add several text box widgets which allows you to insert HTML codes, meaning you can charge for advertisement, create Adsense Revenue or add your affiliate product to these text boxes.
Similar to MySpace you can add photos as well as music. You can also create groups! There are many other additions, that you can check out and use. The site is pretty user friendly with lots of features. You are provided the ability to create as many communities as you choose. A main admin control area is provide to allow you the ability to manage all of the networks you've created from one area. The navigation however, is not that great. Once you venture to managing one network, you need to either use your back button or enter the URL of the main admin URL. A little inconvenient, but otherwise bearable.
You can check out all the features this site provides by clicking here.
As with most free services they also offer "Premium Services". The Premium Services include the option to run your own ads, hide your network's source code, map you own domain name, or buy more storage and bandwidth for your Social Network. I don't recommend upgrading as the prices are rather steep. To run your own adds, the charge is $19.95 per month; to use your own domain name there is a charge of $4.95 per month; to remove the created by ning.com link at the footer of the page this option is an additional $7.95 per month and to add additional quota, the cost is $9.95 per unite per month (1 unit = 10GB storage, 100GB of bandwidth).
Utilize the free portion of the site until you've used up all of your quota. Unfortunately, the site quota for free communities isn't listed anywhere. However, the price to upgrade your quota is a lot cheaper on this site than most current social networks like Ryze ($10 per month with ability to create 1 Forum).
The internet is filled with sites the provide free services. Ning.com is just one such site providing you with the ability to create your very own Free Social Networking Community with your choice of features! Don't you just love the internet??
For more FAQ & Help topics visit the External Link provided below.
