Ning, the leading free social media platform provider has recently lost not only its CEO, but also about 40 percent of its workforce. For its nearly 20 million monthly visitors, this means a rate increase.
Freshly-appointed CEO Jason Rosenthal posted last week, Ning will now "double down on our premium services business." He continues: "So, we are going to change our strategy to devote 100% of our resources to building the winning product to capture this big opportunity. We will phase out our free service."
Where does that leave those of us who need a free-for-use Ning alternative?
At Forum One, we periodically examine dozens of collaboration platforms. Here are some of the more interesting low-cost solutions we've evaluated or used:
A customizable social network with a wide variety of fun and sophisticated add ons.
Hosting: Online.
Profiles: Personalized user profiles with ability to import contacts from Outlook.
Messaging: Available to members.
Directory: A full member directory with a listing of friends, similar to that of Facebook.
Admin: An easy-to-use back end, with a wide variety of customizable themes, with minimal design control.
Additions: Photos, wikis, video, search, email notifications, and chat.
Pricing: Free version comes with 1GB of storage and is ad-supported.
A social networking tool similar to an intranet, specializing in online collaboration.
Hosting: Online.
Profiles: Dual profiles for both professional and social uses.
Messaging: Available to members.
Directory: A member directory for both profiles.
Admin: A full admin interface, boasting ease of use, and navigation.
Additions: Photos, email notifications, email blasts, and calendaring features.
Pricing: Free version is ad-supported and provides upto five subgroups.
A social media environment that maximizes WidgetBox for optimal customization.
Hosting: Online.
Profiles: Profiles which can be personalized.
Messaging: Available to members.
Directory: Using the "My Friends" module, ability to view others photos, and information.
Admin: A full admin interface.
Additions: Photos, video, search, and a chat add-on widget.
Pricing: Free version has a 50-user limit and is ad-supported.
In addition to these hosted services, BuddyPress and Elgg are worth a look. While these downloadable open source softwares protect you from meandering software company business plans, they require more technical time to install and support.
With a such a rich variety of other useful, valuable and most importantly, customizable solutions out there, there is still hope that cheap online social media platforms will continue to be availalbe. Go forth, and socialize!
Additional Reading
The following were both collaboratively edited by dozens of people across the internet:
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Comments
Other Alternative
You can also try http://www.zonkk.com which was launched in beta yesterday. It is an elgg based social network creator and comes with loads of applications and options. Signup to Zonkk is free and you can also subscribe to paid upgrades if you wish
Nice alternative with mobile apps
http://www.shoutem.com is our alternative to Ning. We are focused on mobile apps and the whole service is quite simple and modern looking. Check it out.
Perfect timing for this post
Perfect timing for this post as we are looking for alternatives to Ning.
Elgg is the option that looks the most flexible and being able to do our own install and extend its functionality is a definite plus. For those less technically savvy, Elgg says a hosted version is coming soon.
Hey guys, just to let you
Hey guys, just to let you know SocialGO is now offering UNLIMITED storage and bandwidth for Premium & Concierge network owners! www.socialgo.com
Another alternative from the Swiss Alps
May I shamelessly suggest our platform for your Social Action / Social Collaboration? The name of it is Amazee, we are based in Switzerland and offer a free migration service for Ning Networks whose members aren't willing or able to pay for the new payment scheme Ning has come up with. You can find all the necessary information and a link to the migrator here: http://blog.amazee.com/welcome-ning-refugees-2/. Don't hesitate to ask questions, if you do have any!
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