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 Website review: Ning
Simone Peinke
Just about anyone with web access is a member of some social network, whether Facebook, MySpace or Twitter.Members range from the teenager who listens to dark rock on MySpace, to the grandmother of five who gapes in horror at Facebook pictures of her offspring’s offspring.
While these social networking sites have proven popular, it is inevitable that the non-like-minded users (like granny and the temperamental teen) will stumble into each other's online social worlds, and exit embarrassed, appalled or severely confused.
But www.ning.com, a social platform that allows users to create, customise and share their own social network, remedies these online social hassles incurred by other social networks.
Ning allows users to create their own social network that deals with issues of interest to them. Using Ning, construction of a customised social site is made easy. Users follow the clear instructions on each page before clicking `launch’, approximately 30 seconds later, to activate their social network. The site allows users to add a variety of features that give the social network an authentic feel.
Once your social network has been created, users can invite members to join, and can link to other groups that discuss related topics.
Some may argue that Ning is no more than a glorified blog platform, and it would be hard to prove them wrong. Many of the Ning features available are reminiscent of some well-known blog hosts. However, instead of followers, you have group members, and the way the site is organised is reminiscent of a Facebook group with heightened customisation ability, rather than a blog.
So, whether you are a grandmother wanting to chat with peers about today's youth, an activist trying to raise awareness, or a Bafana Bafana fan looking for fellow supporters, Ning offers a delightful way to interact with those who share your outlook, without being bombarded by 'friends' or 'followers' whose faces you cannot quite remember, and whose points of view you would quickly want to forget.
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