Lots of questions and issues being reported on the Ning forum

I just got done browsing through a lot of posts over here:

http://creators.ning.com/forum/topics/contingency-planning-what-s-yours

and see just a ton of information and mis-infomration on Jamroom being posted, and want to be sure that if anyone has any questions please let us know here - we have no way of following up over on the Ning forum.

Some things I see being talked about are:

1) Jamroom is hard to understand - I think this is a bit like going from a PC to a Mac. Your first thought is "oh wow what do I do". JR is VERY modular, and once you've had 5 or 10 minutes to click around in the admin control panel I think you'll agree that things are all laid out very logically, but like anything new there is going to be a short learning curve before you see how things work. Jamroom is significantly more configurable than Ning.


2) Jamroom is too hard to design for - I think this is going to be true for Ning users that are used to building their site via "drag and drop". JR is template based, and changing your site around is done by tweaking templates. We do have the "Site Builder" system we are working on, but to be clear - you're always going to have the most creative freedom modifying templates.

Jamroom uses Smarty templates which are HTML and easy to change and modify.


3) If you are customizing your site via templates, please make sure and install the Developer Tools module:

https://www.jamroom.net/the-jamroom-network/networkmarket/50/developer-tools

This is going to be included by default in the next release of the Jamroom Core, but for now you can go to the ACP -> Marketplace and install the Developer Tools module. Make sure you set "Developer Mode" to enabled. This will make your site a bit slower, but will bypass caching so you can see your changes immediately.

Next, in the Developer Tools -> Tools section make sure and CLONE the skin you want to customize - that way you're working on your own custom skin and don't have to worry about any updates overriding your changes.

I'm hoping that if anyone runs into any issues that we can get you to post them here rather than over at the Ning forum - that way we can follow up and make sure we can replicate the issue or help you out and get things fixed up.

Thanks everyone!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 07/09/16 09:21:02AM

Awesome... Yes there is quite a bit of misinformation and speculation floating around over there. It's almost a full time job trying to communicate the real facts, when there is so much "noise"... I'll post this and see if that doesn't help a little...

Brian.. You might also want to check out (and possibly post in) a place called excreators.com. Comparisons are being made between different migration paths, but I don't think Jamroom is being given the type of attention it deserves. Perhaps they are unaware of the latest developments and future road map with "Ning to Jamroom" migrations...


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

updated by @ken-rich: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

ill admit at 1st i was confused ande frustrated but once i got the developer tools installed it was smoothe sailing
1 thing though in the css im having to use !important far too often
as if the skin developers didnt want some of the ugliest elements to be easily changed

minor detail but to new coders it mighgt be anoying

as far as ning members figuring iyt the new system
when ning went from 2.0 to 3.0 there was a massive freakout because ppl would have to redesign and alot of the basic themes wenrnt too impressive without at least some coding
but you could do a whole lot in the design studio without coding especialy when they upgraded to designstudio 2 and the 2nd gen themes made for it

you could apply alot of css without coding just using the dozens of controls

there are many coders on creators who love to share code and help the non coders out
but even then there was an uproar even though i showed if you can code you can take an out of the box site with the most basic theme and make it stunning and ready for launch very quickly
i was going to design and launch a freinds site i planned on proving it cfould be done in 4 daysi created a discussion inviting people to watch the process and explaining what i was doing (i did have a non coder helping with the easy stuff like organizing)
unfortunately the site was done in 4 hours flat and noone at all got to see the progress till it was done.

now that im playing with jamroom more im starting to like it ..but im a coder
i see the potential of the quota system and how poeerful it can be but havent really done anything with it except enable options for the "example" admin and members quotas
but even out of the box its fairly functional with just a few clicks to enable stuff

i was seriusly considering that we need an option simular to creators (this forum coupke work but was thinking a seperate site with a vip help section that woukld have our best most helpful coders earn a profit share in the vip membership fee

now
after getting my more positive change of view out of the way (wich i posted on creators but still maintain some codings needed but css and smarty is soooooo easy to learn all they gotta do is try)
i do have a couple notes and concerns

1 ir 2 of which maybe just due to the incomplete import and some setting or module ive missed
but
1 a member joined as a test and posted a photo album all looks great except the > on the right that id expect to advance to next photo instead kicks you back to the 1st photo
im guessing thats possibly due to the incomplete import? or a bug

next theres no tinymce editoer on like blog comments

this is silly but seems really rediculouse to need 2 additional modules to add the upload photo and embed video buttons to tinymce when that could have been added when building the editor as a default

hmm what was the other questions and concerns ohh yes thats it a big 1
i see you needto buy a "private notes" to get basic messaging functions.. thats fine but i see no modules whatsoever that could add a chat function

is there a chance or way to easily add a chatthat will function on any device


and last question
if you look on ww3.dreadlockssite.com on the profiles in the profile bio box i got a sleek custom scrullbar
that was the only place ii managed to get it to work i tried in vain to get it to function on the tinymce editoir and since i did so much styling on the tinymce that was very unique that scrollbar would have looked so sweet there
but anyways the point being is there a wayto use that on say the members online list in the profile
and if so can it also be applied to anything that uses a scrollbar as the standard browser supplied ones just look so ugly with the styling im doing


--
soaringeagle
head dreadhead at dreadlocks site
glider pilot student and member/volunteer coordinator with freedoms wings international soaring for people with disabilities
updated by @soaringeagle: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Yep, it's getting really hard to hear anything.

Brian- and Ken- Yes Excreators.com has been where some of us unhappy Ning customers have been quietly investigating alternatives to Ning over the past year, and testing them....without the noise...lol. The site is run by Troy, the friend I told you and Paul about. Troy and I are very much aware of what's going on with your JR-to-Ning project right now. I got Troy to add a new section there on Jamroom a few days ago, but we don't really have much to add there until we see how my test network comes out.
Paul, I sent you an email again last night concerning a few final details and small questions before proceeding, but I have my archive ready and am looking forward to getting started I know that the JR Team is very busy right now, ...I'll be here ready whenever you are. Thanks!


--
...just another satisfied Jamroom customer.
Migrated from Ning to Jamroom June 2015
updated by @strumelia: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

I echo the above - (hello, Creators, I feel like I'm cheating on someone!) at first stab I felt lost and confused, but sitting down and calming down, I feel no different to when I started on Ning - except that because of Ning, I already know the kinds of things I was looking at.

I'm getting there, and it's cost a few quid, but no more than three months of Ning 3 subscription.

My only experience worth sharing was that I jumped in with the PhotoPro skin, and tried to customise off the back of no Jamroom experience. This was a mistake. I've now cloned an Elastic skin, and am working with that. It's a much better way to get your head round it (if you're not importing into a Slate skin).

I'm feeling less stressed about the future.....

EDIT: Meant to say, Firebug is an essential tool....
updated by @iamtimbo: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

strum
my imports probly going to take awhile and being a large network its a test of the migration tool on a network my size
i have a sttrong suspicion that youdbe abole to do your migration yourself easily enough

paul might still say hed rather do it since they are still looking for issues
but if you dont want to wait you might as well try it and then report issues if you run into them

i looked at the import tool and it looks like it should be very easyy to use
and check the report errors box and anything that does go wrong will be easily reported


that would also be a very very important test to report to excreators since i know your a non coder and if your able to handle an import yiurself with ease that will be very worth reporting


--
soaringeagle
head dreadhead at dreadlocks site
glider pilot student and member/volunteer coordinator with freedoms wings international soaring for people with disabilities
updated by @soaringeagle: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

do you have jr installed
do you have the archive uploaded to a ningtojr folder or simular

do you have the ning bundle added and activated
if the 3 or was it 4 modules are activated and everythjhing else ready go to the ning importer and then tools and try it yourself
try to figure iyt out (it looks extremely simple) besure to check error reporrting..and try it
(check report progress too so you can watch how its progressing)

i believe you can do it and if so thats going to make alot more ppl more confident in trying


--
soaringeagle
head dreadhead at dreadlocks site
glider pilot student and member/volunteer coordinator with freedoms wings international soaring for people with disabilities
updated by @soaringeagle: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Cool... I did not understand this before, though perhaps you told me and it flew past..

Well, it seems that Jamroom will get a fair hearing afterall - lol...

That's very good to hear... and that's a great concept for a site... comparison checks will help filter everybody into the best homes for their networks, so that is a useful project you have going... It will ensure all the programming teams bring their "A" game too...kudos...


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

updated by @ken-rich: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

I should emphasize that excreators.com is entirely Troy's site, not mine. He's been very kindly helping me. But yes we want to use my current Ning2.0 to create a good sample network on JR to show other folks wanting to leave the Ning/Glam/Mode debacle. And if all goes well my hope would be to take it live.


--
...just another satisfied Jamroom customer.
Migrated from Ning to Jamroom June 2015
updated by @strumelia: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Hi, my ning site has been migrated to Jamroom, I am just checking it out, 2 big problems so far:
- The oldest data is showing up as newest on main page and when I added a new event it did not show up as first in the list on page one but as last on page 25, nb there does not seem to be a quick way for users to jump to page 25. I have puzzled about how to reorder it but just cannot work it out
- How do I add a text editor to comments so users can add video, images and links in a discussion?

My users are mainly elderly and not too tech savvy so I want to make the new site as familiar as possible
updated by @bree: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Hi Bree
When you say the 'main page' do you mean the http://susanboylekeepingitreal.co.uk page?
Imported items take their 'created' date and time from the data in the Ning archive and are shown on this page 'newest first'. Which ones do you think are out of order?
With the default 'Elastic' that you are using, profile events are shown oldest first but there is an easy fix for that which I have done by editing a template.
The Elastic skin you are using is functional but there may be another that will work better for your site 'out-of-the-box'. Let me upload something else for you to try. Its late now so I'll do that tomorrow and let you know, then we can sort out your other queries.


--
Paul Asher - JR Developer and System Import Specialist
updated by @paul: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

let me know how to change elastic to be newest 1st too or just let me know what will work better

im wondering about the text editor too but i think theres a way let me just see if i can guess


--
soaringeagle
head dreadhead at dreadlocks site
glider pilot student and member/volunteer coordinator with freedoms wings international soaring for people with disabilities
updated by @soaringeagle: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

I recall reading months ago one of the Ning moderators said (when they actually used to be around and helpful on Creators forums) anyway they said that when importing a 2.0 archive into a 3.0, the history items in the 'activity feed' on the main page would show up oldest first. They said there was no fix for that but that it wouldn't be an issue as soon as members began to add new content which would then be added to the top of the feed and soon the old activity list items wouldn't be seen anymore anyway as they sunk way down as new items kept getting added. As long as new items get added to the top, we won't need to worry about the older stuff that gets pushed down further and further anyway.


--
...just another satisfied Jamroom customer.
Migrated from Ning to Jamroom June 2015
updated by @strumelia: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Ning activity feeds are not present in the Ning Archive, so none are imported.
Jamroom has its own activity lists so as with above, they will show as the site is used and people upload new items and make comments etc.
hth
Pa


--
Paul Asher - JR Developer and System Import Specialist
updated by @paul: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

and cant u use the seemless module to custom creater a activity feed like just yiur folowers activity or just shop sales or just the music thats most listened to or whatever
at least i think thats 1 use of seemless right


--
soaringeagle
head dreadhead at dreadlocks site
glider pilot student and member/volunteer coordinator with freedoms wings international soaring for people with disabilities
updated by @soaringeagle: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

The jrSeamless module allows you to mix different Jamroom items in one listing, so, for example

{jrSeamless_list modules="jrVideo,jrYouTube,jrVimeo" order_by="_created NUMERICAL_DESC" limit=20}

would list the 20 latest uploaded video type items.


--
Paul Asher - JR Developer and System Import Specialist
updated by @paul: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

yea pretty much what i thought kinda a custom activity feed specific to some tems


--
soaringeagle
head dreadhead at dreadlocks site
glider pilot student and member/volunteer coordinator with freedoms wings international soaring for people with disabilities
updated by @soaringeagle: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM