Has anyone checked out Ning lately? I just found out they've relaunched with version 2 and it looks quite impressive. It allows anyone to create a very functional social networking site for free without technical knowhow. They've seriously improved their service since I checked them out when they initially launched. Obviously, drupal offers more control and flexbility. But Ning seems well suited for non-tech people to offer something that could stand its own next to a drupal powered social networking site. They charge $5/mo if you want to use your own domain name and have other thing you have to pay for like if you need more storage/bandwidth or to remove ads. And apparently you will be able to export your data easily if you choose to leave their platform. They're also looking to add OpenID support.
How far along is Drupal in terms of implementing similar features on a site relatively easily without needing to do extensive hacking and modifying existing code? It would be cool to see a current list of modules that can best accomplish this. From what I can gather, people seem to be using a lot of:
Usernode
CCK
Node images
Buddylist
OG
Privatemsg
Views
Imagefield
Imagecache
Comments
Ning... new joys and pains
Certainly Ning like concepts going to take of some pain out of developing a website and concentrate on 'developing website'... a new concept :) ... and also give new challenges if you get more out of it.
Suitable for a basic social networking and may lead many non developer people potantially out of Drupal or other CMS's if one wants a basic networking site profiled website without becoming coder even you are not and one can just concentrate on you site concept and content from the start...but wait, seems you can do more with Ning although its not completely 'open source' in core like Drupal is
Ning Developer docs.
http://documentation.ning.com/sections/basics.php
you can event get smtp login to your 'webserver' and alter your site + develop webapps onto it
worth to get an account and play with it to experience 1st hand
... and a ning-disappointment
http://www.duperrin.com/english/2007/03/13/ning-disappointment-20/
would be interesting if there is 2 ways of import & export to Ning Drupal verso versa
One thing it shows that the very strenght of the open source concepts -has no 'real' clarity of direction, feedback centrally overloking the whole- 'product' and executing, acting it upon is also etc. is also a weakness
Its worth to watch and learn from Ning and others in terms or how it works -coding and UI concepts as they learn from Drupal or others
~ a wild speculation out of blue
No Drupal.org is never going to become Drupal.com like wordpress.org became wordpress.com the commercial arm ;)
And certainly Ning the giant is not buying it off -as the nearest competitor- in 6-8?? years time paying $1.2 bn :))
I wouldn't know about the Bryte or CivicSpace :)
=-=
I'm unimpressed with Ning. Agreed that the only users who will go in that direction are ones who don't really want to learn how to operate a website and only want to have a website.
a re stock in views.
OK. .. I know that this is an old post but seriously now.
I am looking at posts from people who are not the users of the sitytes but the admins.
the users are many the admin is one or little.
I have a ning website and I have a drupal website.
Drupal requires more admin.
Ning is a better social network tool by far.
you can not control the menu or content in blocks like you can with drupal.
drupal can be made to fit may applications.
they both have their merits. but I am seriously impressed as a user (not admin) of the ning website and its community.
Here's a good example of a
Here's a good example of a Ning site: http://www.brooklynartproject.com
Apparently Ning is about to roll out a music player.
Ning seems flexible enough for basic social networking features and I can definitely see the appeal for this, especially in how quickly you can get going and also considering it is a free hosted service.
A small yet powerful interaction feature on Ning sites
I agree the appeal aspect of it..
I especially like the a small yet great UI feature to get people in that is more than a simple single 'Join US' or Become member' link somewhere on the site
On Ning sites under a photo user get [Add Photos] under a Profile [Add as friend] and [Invite More] Under a video [Add Videos] so on -right there, than if you non member user get the register screen if you are already registered you just do have an option/reminder just there! that is forward thinking
the same can be achieved in Drupal with a small module that inetrprets the content type hook and a snippet injection on the theme possibly.