Want to create a smaller "group" with social media?

Hi, my good friend Sharon asked me today "What is Ning?".  (www.ning.com).

We have had several people ask is about web solutions when they want to have more of community with a subset of their online "friends".  I think there are 2 good options that I know of (I am sure that there are more!)

1) Use a Facebook Group

2) Use Ning

According to Ning they are:

Ning empowers people to create and discover new social experiences for the most important people and interests in their lives.

Ning was started with a simple premise: when people have the freedom to create a new social experience online, uniquely customized for the most important people and interests in their lives with no effort, no cost, and infinite choice, the world is a better, more colorful and certainly more interesting place in which to live.

It is a neat social networking tool in which YOU the user can create a CUSTOM social network for a group that YOU want to connect with.  For example, Elizabeth and I are members of the group: 100 articles in 100 days.  The organizer of the group, our good friend Jeff Herring (he is THE article marketing guy…check him out at: http://fromthedeskofjeffherring.com/).

….set up the group to connect people who had "taken his challenge"….. (Don't ask me how I am doing….I am a little behind on just a few things this spring…ugh!)

To set up a group in Ning is VERY simple.  Once you have an account, in the upper left, you just click on "create a social network"…and you get a screen to enter just 2 things: 1) The name of your network, and 2) the webaddress of your social network (something.ning.com)

So, what is good about Ning.  It is very easy and simple.  The setup and options remind me a LOT of Twitter.  There are just enough options that you can do what you want and NOT so many options (like Facebook) that it is difficult to get the setup just the way you want it.

What is bad….it is ONE MORE social network for you to maintain and be part of….but then again if you are using Ping.fm  (http://ping.fm) to update ALL your social networks, maybe this is not too much of a problem.  (We talk about this in our first Social Media session that we held last winter…yes the FREE replay is still out there…hint, hint…under http://newprimetime.com/programs/).

So, what about my first option above, Facebook Groups? Remember Facebook has 3 types of "presences". 1) You have your personal "Profile"…which can be for personal AND business.

2) You can set up a "Page"….for marketing your business or if you are a famous personality….for example.

3) You can set up a "Group"….which is a simple virtual conference room.

How do you use Facebook Groups?  These are simple to set-up or join. You just go to the way bottom left of your Facebook page and select the 2 little heads to the right of the word "applications"….you then have the option to search through existing groups to join….or you can create your own.

Groups can be open (meaning anyone can join) or closed (meaning that the creator or an administrator of the group must accept you).  Then you can post information, ask questions, make comments and do all the things that one can do in Facebook.

The things that you do inside the group are just visible to THAT group.

The good thing about Facebook Groups?  They are pretty easy to use and you do NOT have to register and maintain ONE MORE social network.

The bad thing?  You have to be on Facebook to join them.

So, if you are part of a "second half of life" community and only some of your friends are yet using Facebook, you have to convince the REST of your friends to jump on the Facebook bandwagon. NOT A BAD THING AT ALL….but still additional work to do to get your "Group" going.

So, there you go….Barb's thoughts on ways to create "smaller" communities in the Social Media world….hope you found this helpful.

Oh, and one last thing….Elizabeth and I are launching a new teleseminar next week which is a VERY content rich 90 minute session that we have tailored to the community of Dr. Patrick Williams….as a pre-cursor for a longer 4 week course that we will be offering in late May.

The session next week is being deeply discounted for $20 and net proceeds are going to charity…

…and of course, we will be teaching in our best "make it easy for our students" style….so every question is VERY welcome and we are ALL ON THIS JOURNEY together to use the Web and Social Media!!!

We are offering a couple of bonuses for our NewPrimeTime.com community….so CLICK HERE to check it out TODAY.

Barb