Aug/080
VegasGamers.org is featured on Ning.com!
VegasGamers.org, a social network that we designed, built and maintain, was recently featured on Ning.com. I am pretty excited about the project because it has grown pretty quickly, considering its local focus an niche content. As you may recall, Ning got on my bad side last week and I was not alone. However, Gina and Team Ning moved quickly and decisely to make things right.
In any case, I am pretty stoked about this little feature on VegasGamers.org. It is a great example of the power of the Ning platform and a source of great fun and joy for the local gaming scene! Game on!
Peace,
Doug
Aug/083
Ning, What Should You Do?
While I remain decidedly ticked off over Ning.com’s decision to boot Widget Laboratory, (WL) I thought it might be more productive to actually list some of the things I think Ning needs to do to resolve the problems and move forward. So, here are my top ten Ning fixes, in no particular order of priority.
01. Let me delete/merge users – On more than one network, I have duplicate users. To obtain accurate numbers for advertisers, I need to keep my user list clean. Sure, I could pad my numbers with duplicate and abandoned accounts, but I’d rather just merge dupes or simply remove inactive users altogether.
The current “Ban User” option has a harsh connotation and the consequences for both my network and the “banned” person seem … ominous. And besides, user management is web app 101. I know I cannot delete them from Ning, but let me “delete” them from my network(s).
02. Simple Page/Tab Creation – Why require that this be done procedurally (ie. via Javascript)? I understand if it is simplest to do this for the majority of non-technical Ning users, but there should be a simple override in the source code that allows static HTML pages to be loaded using a Controller. The same applies to tabs.
03. Simple to Find/Edit HTML & CSS Overrides – For that matter, xn_resources should have a folder called “overrides” where one can drop files which then get pulled in to the HTML doc as its formed. For example …
tabs.php, header.php, footer.php, custom.css …
Perhaps that is not possible in the Ning MVC schema, but at least drop in a README with clear paths to all of the files that actually form the wrapper. It would make customization SO much easier. Don’t force me to hunt through the Ning documentation for simple fixes.
Please, no RTFM comments … please. This is a design issue, not a documentation issue.
04. Allow direct edit of customXYZ.css from an IDE – It is sort of crazy that editing customXYZ.css in the source code doesn’t actually do anything. What is the point of code access if you cannot make live changes? If the issue is the Akamai cache, give me a simple command (from the shell or in the Admin UI) that I tap to refresh the cache. In any case, don’t make me cut-n-paste stuff into the “Advanced Customization” pane if I have source code access.
05. File Manager & Library – It would be cool to see a file library that lists all of the files uploaded to my network so I can cull the list as needed and perhaps (on static or simple PHP pages) invoke lists of photos, PDFs, etc. based on tags/keywords.
06. Let me change my network name – C’mon. Is this so hard? If I want to change the name, let me. If the desired name is taken, prompt me to choose another. Think of Gmail’s “Name Available?” feature. It won’t happen often, but when needed, it is important. And, because it is infrequent, the system overhead required to update internal references is not so dramatic. If overhead is significant, just tell me it will take 24 hours to do and schedule it during non-peak hours. I promise I’ll wait.
07. Provide a Sample Application – Download and install Wordpress. Every install comes with hello.php which illustrates the basic structure of a plug-in/module/app. Provide this and update it with a tested/vetted replacement for each new release and issues like those with WL are far less likely to happen.
08. Create a standard themes package – Again, reference Wordpress. Why are Ning themes so fragmented? Collect all of the components in one place. This will greatly increase customization and reskinning, particularly if you pair this common theme framework with an HTML wireframe that captures all of the common page types and the corresponding CSS.
Need an SAS example? Check out the way Shopify.com handles theme development with Vision. Ning may not be a Rails app, but Shopify.com is on to something and there must be a PHP analog.
09. Network Creator Email/SMS Notification – Tonight’s SFTP outage is a perfect example. That sort of thing merits an immediate notification of network owners. While some Network Creators will not care, many/most will. At the very least, give us this as an option to check in our profile.
10. Lose the long URLS used to activate “advanced” features – Really?!? In 2008, should I need to cut-n-paste an obfuscated URL and then append my network name at the end to activate “Add Pages”, “URL Mapping” and such? Is it so difficult to create an “Advanced” pane in the Admin UI for this stuff?
Show me a confirmation pop-up if you are worried I’ll break my site. Put a scary skull-n-crossbones on it if you must. But whatever you do, do not add unneccesary steps to the process with web dev techniques from 1996.
The list could go on, but these are the low-hanging fruit. To be clear, I love the idea of Ning and, up until last Thursday, I loved the application of Ning. Why, just last Saturday I was singing the praises of Ning to anyone who would listen at the New Media Expo. Those folks now have my heartfelt apologies.
To Widget Laboratory, I say “good on ya” for your plan to open source all of your apps under the Creative Commons License. It was a smart move for everyone involved even, in the long run, Ning.
To Ning, I say make this right and do it fast. I want to go back to building my business, not searching for alternatives. And, I want to go back to singing your praises. At the end of the day, I am all about the love. Truly, I am.
Peace,
Doug
PS: This post was inspired, in part, by Lisa Bettany’s Twitter, What Are You Doing?” commentary. 
Aug/080
Ning responds. I am impressed.
So, I had some pointed criticism for Ning on the Network Creator boards yesterday. Then, I wake up to discover my comments moderated out. After a round of email with Gina Bianchini, one of Ning’s co-founders, this is how it all worked out.
As posted on the Network Creator’s forums, Saturday Update thread.
To the contrary, I’d like to give Gina and Ning a pat on the back. So, here we go …
First, in a private email, Gina acknowledged that my post should not have been deleted. While offering pointed criticism, my post was constructive in nature and did not violate the Ning’s forum policies. Gina assured me the post would not be deleted again if it were reposted. Regrettably, I maintained no offline copy because I did not think I would need one. As a sidebar, Ning may want to hold deleted forum posts for 24 hours before actually clearing the database. As a Network Creator, I know I would love that feature myself. Everyone makes mistakes, having a way to correct them would be ideal.
To recap my post, the gist was as follows. While Ning certainly had the right to boot Widget Laboratory, the execution of that decision lacked foresight and was not handled well. First, I doubt that WL’s scripts were going to cause an imminent system-wide crash. Even so, if Ning thought there were problems, they should have taken the time to plan for, if not build, test and implement, widgets that would create a seamless transition for WL users. This is the course Ning has taken after the fact, and it is the right course.
If it only takes a couple of weeks to replace WL with native Ning features, those should have been put into place before they effectively blew up hundreds, if not thousands, of networks without notice. At the very least, the transition plan should have been part of the announcement of the WL decision/action. A little more foresight and a little less reaction would have made things smoother for everyone involved, including Ning.
Finally, I mentioned how surprised I was that so many of my fellow Network Creators were just taking the mass disruption in stride. In fact, many were trumpeting Ning’s decision without really understanding potential impact on Ning’s long-term health and reputation and, by extension, their very own networks. It struck me, and still does, as the worst kind of groupthink. We need all need Ning to be a strong, viable platform. Giving them a free pass when they misstep is not the way to help them grow.
Now, why go to the trouble of re-posting this?
First, I hold no illusions that my point-of-view is more important than that of any other Network Creator. To the contrary, there are many folks here that have far more experience and time with Ning than I. However, the act of deliberately shutting down constructive criticism would be, in many ways, a major nail in Ning’s coffin, were that what happened. Rather, someone on the Ning team simply overstepped in an overzealous attempt to maintain focus on positive, forward motion. Gina and Laura have both apologized for the mistake and that is important to me. More pointedly, it should be important to each of you. It means that Team Ning has moved beyond damage control and is now listening and learning. In the long run, that should mean good things for all of us.
In fact, Gina and I have been corresponding most of the morning via email. While we’ve had a couple of misunderstandings along the way, the dialogue has remained open and I’ve come away impressed with Gina and with Ning’s commitment to customer service. Moreover, it leads me to believe that the WL issues, while probably not intentionally malicious, may have been more of a threat to the platform than I originally thought.
To be clear, Gina shared no new information about the reasons WL was kicked. Rather, I get the sense that this was something that genuinely needed to be done. While the questions of timing and communication remain, the question of motivation (necessity/stability/security not greed) has been settled for me.
So, kudos to Gina and Team Ning. Take the many lessons from this event and make Ning stronger. Then, go home and get some much deserved sleep.
Peace,
Doug