my list of things ning migrators will mkiss

besides the obvious easy design tools (already switching mind mode from ning to jr so cant think of its name haha oh yea design studio)

people will miss the wysiwyg editor on comments forum post reoplies basicly everywhere theres a text feild

native chat so logged in members will be able to talk and send instant private messages .. a jr 1 could be a much better with embedable vids and photos and perhaps even s room for logged out guests to interact b4 joining

featured content.. the ability to with 1 clock feature any content pics vids music discussions blogs and they apear above all others in that section

so far thats all i can see as far as out of the box with available modules that might be missed
and for some maybe a dealbreaker

oh 1 other thing .. per feature search
but i think...not sure but think..that thats easily done by cloning the search module and having it just search say blogs/

im still new to this but from what im seeing so far these are my list of things that ning users woukd want as standard or at least as easy install modules
part of the ning bundle or standalone i bet other jr users would love the ability to feature anything and the chat

ive installed one paid module as im getting closer to feeling commited to moving here
im tempted to install several more but need a lil more of myh import so i can see how the peices can fit together before commiting large sums of money

my members are excited however so thats what matters
thats not missing hehe

ohhh yea
the final thing i almost firgot
you have a folliwsystem wich ning has too but no freinds system
being more a social network then fan network freinds are what its all about\
were not leaders or folowers were freinds
sure i can rename it but it functions diferent with folowing being able to be 1 way where freinds go both ways
yes u can 'approve folliwers" but that doesnt make u follow them so its not a 2 way street like frendships are


--
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: 07/09/16 09:21:02AM

Just a few thoughts on this.


Yes Ning customers will insist on this- members THRIVE on being able to embed images, videos, style their text and add/select smilies...gotta have wysiwyg text boxes for posts and comments. It's how members add unique and dynamic input and have enriched member experience. It makes all the forums, groups, and comment walls way more interesting and colorful...which in turn brings in more responses and more members.


Totally- should be able to have a dedicated search WITHIN the different separate site areas such as forums, members, blogs, videos, photos, music... that's how a member would say find another member in the Florida area or who plays spoons mentioned on their profile page, ...or a member could find all videos SHOWING traditional dulcimer noter playing style without searching through endless forum posts as well, ...or could find a forum post about a particular dulcimer tuning they vaguely remember from a year ago -without also pulling up all the videos, photos, groups comments, and blogs as well that include the same key word or phrase. Those Ning 3.0 customers currently forced to insert a generic Google single site-wide search bar are suffering compared to the feature-specific search functions that ning 2.0 creators and their site members have enjoyed for years.


I think this is perhaps the MOST important thing Soaring mentions above. Absolutely agree 100%- I myself was noticing how the Follow system here was nowhere near as socially useful or encouraging of human connection. On my network there are NO leaders and NO followers, no 'fans'. We are all: FRIENDS of the Mountain Dulcimer. Mine is a community of musician friends of all levels who want to communicate on an equal basis back and forth, bond, support, share and learn from each other and hang out to have fun, helping and gabbing, laughing and crying together.
Mind you, there are many Ning networks that are more blog-like, more leader-based...with the network owner being the person who posts most of the network content, and the members usually just commenting on it or saying "hey that's really cool, love it!"...true followers. BUT- there are vast numbers of other Ning networks (like mine and like SoaringEagle's for example) that are focused on the members themselves- the members form intense circles of friendships and are sharing every day, they even get together in real life friendship groups after meeting and becoming 'friends' on my site. They make their own hats and shirts with my network name on them, they love it. In these networks it's the members themselves who are posting most of the network content. THEY are the meat of the site, not the site owner/leader. Just look at what goes on on my site at any given hour for example: http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/
I think the 'friend system' (and its accompanying private message system) must be replicated somehow if JR is to appeal to fleeing Ning social network owners. It's the strong glue that holds the 'social network' members together.

One need only take a peek at the commentaries posted by customers on the Ning facebook page to see how badly Ning/GlamMode has dropped the ball over the past year and a half since its Glam takeover. It's really shameful. Jamroom seems to have the heart, creativity, and enthusiasm that Ning lost long ago.

Through their hard work and talents, Jamroom's development team has already brought Jamroom to the verge of being able to offer everything a Ning social network creator would need or want- and more. Done thoughtfully, this would be incredibly exciting to see happen, and real life examples combined with word of mouth are indeed a powerful thing. I'm excited to see what's going on here.


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

its nice when we agree so easily guess we had to get off ning to get along lol
i know u were feeling the streess more then alot due to the music loss and vid uploads loss

so will be great to be helping eachother again instesad of butting heads
or heading butts?
what werre we 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

Thanks for posting this - this is great info. You guys are here really early in this process, so you're seeing the rough edges - this type of feedback is awesome.

I can't say we will have all this stuff done and fixed up immediately, but we're always working to make things better and over the next few months you'll see more updates and modules specifically designed to replicate what you had at Ning.

Some of this too might involve doing things a slightly different way to arrive at the same result - we want to make sure anything we do is intuitive and easy to work with, and so if we can find an area where we can improve or modify an existing Jamroom module, then that is great.

And while it is a little bit early, one thing that is really important to me isn't so much how we replicate existing Ning functionality (which is important of course) but what can we do in Jamroom to make your site better then it ever was on Ning? What are some things about Ning that has frustrated you or features you wished it had that were never delivered?

Our goal here is not just migrate you over to Jamroom but make you enthusiastic Jamroom users - we want you to tell all your friends about how awesome Jamroom is, and in order to do that we need to make you 110% happy with your site. I know that won't happen right now, but over the next few months I know we can deliver that.

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

ok frustrations with ning and mind u i was the biggest supporter of 3.0 and tried hard to quiet the negativity wich i think was what really was killing ning even more then glams takeover and then nings communication blackout

but with ning itself where to start

on 2.0 contstant bugs that were random and not affecting eniugh people to get attention and the 2.0 mobile site killed me!
oh and refusal to listen to seo common sdence like a proper sitemap that listed everyurl not just the 5 features (forums blogs members videos etc it literaly had only 5-10 urls in a sitemasp of a site with 1/5 million urls)
and they had numerouse identicly h1 errors more then 1 h1 on a page issues
id bring these up backed up with statements from the top seo guys in the world and theyd point to a forum post where no nothings were speculating without any knowledge wether it mattered or not

2.0 was slow alot ..bloated really

i paid attention to my network so i caught bugs faster then anyone and i doubt a week went by that i wasnt on the phone with tech support sometimes 2 or 3 times a week and id say less then 1/2 the bugs ifd report got fixed ..some after 2 years seemed to fix themselves

3.0 that hasd (had/has?) alot of potential but they were forcing thier label on it (i didnt mind so much but that caused a riot) and the development times were insanely slow they promiced it would take a few months till i ciuld migrate and id have a year after that to migrate b4 2.0 was shut down so i made both live so my members could get used to it and use it
a year later hardly anything was done and thier prioritization was mind boggling
i mean it had a design studio and it had an activity feed but lacked vids anbd events ..and we ciuld not migrate till the features existed to mifgrate into or lose all our data
so 2 months go by then 3 or 4 and what do they release a new version of design studio ..
then 40-6 months go by and a slkight update toi the activity feed
at wich point they asked us to fill out a poll and tell them what features we believe shiould come 1st and they would post the results next week
the next week they post "we wilol no longer be communicating on the creators forums except to post updates" 6 more monthgs go by..maybe only 4 who knows it still says "we will post tyhe results of the opoll next week" and were working on thed activity feed and api..activity feed being out for minths and api being probably the most time consuming project that less then 1% use or know how to use
so were left in the dark strumelia and oithers started speculating that theres noone left at ning doing anything at all

but thats ning the company
ning the platform

i hated the search results that was the worse and i used the google search i added instead
the built in social stuyff like like buttons hardly ever worked
they took away webdav so i couldnt upload my sitemaps and had to use a subdomain on a seperate server or email themn to suport to upload

i also used webdav for css editss as i went over the css limit (3.0 gave u 6 times as much css space tho)

ohh the low quality vids limited to 10 min and 100 mb
i always used youtube then embed

alotta ppl complained about the delay in the activity feed it usualy wasnt too long but sometimes could be (trying to get into every thing i can think of here) ..on my site in the chat 1st messages to an admin always came up blank unless i reply then hard refresh (then still sometimes were lost) if i didnt reply b4 refreshing theyd always be lost
umm
poor seo control was a big thing

you know when i joined the entrire post was taken and put in the description meta a meta desc should be 160 char max
on 1 page it was over 4,000 words nit chatachters..words
nearly doubling the text size
when i pointed that out to them they said it didnt matter but theyd take a note of it ..i think it was a year or 2 before it was fixed

in 2.0 a ning site looked like a ninfg site looked like a ning site yea style variations but at a glance u knew it was a ning site 3.0 ofered more flexability but still there were i think 5 layout options (as far as hesader with 2 colums below 3 column 2 column left or right sidebar or 1 full page)
at least 3.0 u could have diferent layouts on diferent pages

1 pet peave given the nature of mky members
according to nings tos the vatican is a porn shop

mind yiu theres absoluteoky no porn or sexualixzed nudity on my site at all but theres a few of ppl swimming in a creek or a nursing mother or a video documentary of the omo people (find it on my site its beautiful) and just some pf my members will take a photo of thier hair after getting out of tyhe shower and not even realize a niple can be seen on the very edge
but ning if they knew of therse perfectky innocejt photos would pull them

they did have excelent spam protection....most of the time but when it failed wed be swamped in spam

oh unrelated kinda but just popped into my heasd i installed allone social links but havent checked how it works
but 1 thing ive always wanted is a built in social share widget like sharethis or addthis ..but built in since those alweays seem to double load times

back to complaining about ning

id say the absolute biggest disapointment was when they went from :were listening to every suggestion and will try to incorporate them all" to "were not listening or responding at all)

the week they announced 3.0 the president of ning was posting on creatiors daily
before that there were dozens of staff that posted and felt like freinds

and then there was only 1
and then she left

and soon after we were all left wondering whats going on

craziest part of all is daily there were posts about 'nings planning on shutting down" 'they are holding us hostage' "glam only bought ning to destroy it"

and not 1 whisper to set the record straight

it was crazy
like they no longer cared if everyone that came to ning saw pl ranting about nings out to get us

i tried and i tried and i tried to keep as level head and intergect some sensibility and possitivity

but nings silence was overwhelming


factors that lead me to consider jr
1 my mobile trafics between 65% and 85% now
though the sitemap lists 1.5 million pages the mobile sitemap lists 7,000
the mobile sites bounce rates way way higher then the main site
mobile users that did stick around had trouble doing just about everythijng

now 3.0 would solve this ..and i was happy with 3.0
but the waiting.. and not knowing i couldnt wait 6 more months..or a year..i needed a mobile ready solution now

the built in shop potentials a huge plus i offer my members free shops at shops.dreadlockssite.com but zencart shops 99 people requested shops 4 set them up 2 i did all the setup the other 2 about 1/2

when i posted about the fact the new site can have shops and that id offer afar better deal then etsy several righgt away said they would love to move to our site and redirect the trafdic from etsy to us

i love that customixzatiins in our hands even though i dont know how to yet
i love that if we wanbt a module we can create a module and share it

webdav was originaly granted because of a site called scriptsfning that and creators andjensocial and others were a wealth of code help design help etxc
but ning bought scriptsforning then closed it promicing to invcorporate most of the scripts but never doing it

recently those scripts ppl still use stopped working andthey caht access them

oh my point is (no sleep again so rambling and typo-ing like crazy) point is that creators on ning have skills mad skills they love to share
but were limited to some simple js and css and thier hands were tied always waiting on ning for the big features the modules

if some of those real smart coders come here u will see modules coming out that will do all sorts of crazy things


oh jnust to finish off the rant
when creators was upgrading to 3.0 i begged them to alow a design contest or at least let some of the creative creators help make creators creative
when it was released it just semed sterile
like no thought was out into tyhe design whatsoever

ok rant over
im sure ill think of more platform related things later


--
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

oh thought of something since your so responsive
1 when u say monthscan you give a riugh estimate
and can we offer priority suggestions

i think we will get a chat developed on my site so wait and see if we manage on that

freinds..id rank that high
per feature search and editor probly are about even

im betting that the site builder being improved would rank highest fir non coders

and for technophobes and codeaphobics
imporovement in the help rerources
the vids could be more detailed more clear and complete
and explained a lil more in english as aposed to geekspeak

by that i mean slowed down slow the code your working on moreclearly maybe magnified explaain in a dumbed down way what the codes doing etc

several of the vids were helpful and informative but gotto the end and felt like it just fell short of clarification

same goes for the documentation
stuff like
quotas , every profile belongs to a quota some can be signed up into others need to be assigned by an admin

ok..but.. how.. wich ones... why..
its like your looking for an answer and ending up with a question
(no offence the documentation and vids are better then niing offered ..more.. just felt like i spent days trying to search for answers and getting bits and peices

i think alotta ning users are used to simple ..but simples without power a tricycles simpler then a 800 hp dragster or an mig 29

but theres a huge diference in power

i think you need to make the power you offer simpler to grasp and use


--
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

Can you define the difference between 'friends' and 'followers'? I aways though they were pretty well the same thing.
Facebook has 'friends', and when you are one, you get to see your friend's activities pretty well the same as followers do here.


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

I will try to respond to the request but I have to work now for a few hours. Meanwhile, SEagle can continue writing War and Peace. ;D


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

"Can you define the difference between 'friends' and 'followers'? I aways though they were pretty well the same thing.
Facebook has 'friends', and when you are one, you get to see your friend's activities pretty well the same as followers do here. "

On JR, I 'followed' you Paul. But I then go to your page and I can't leave a freidnly comment or question to get your attention or response, I see no place to send you a private message, I can't see your whole list of friends, just a few. And I don't seem to be getting notifications of your latest activities and posts (maybe I'm missing something- or are there no settings for getting email notifications of my 'friends' new activities?).

On your 'profile page' I would expect to see your member photos, videos you may have posted, your blog entries, your personal music clips or playlist, a list of the site Groups you belong to, discussions or forums you have created, and your little bio description about yourself. In short, I see nothing more when I go to your profile page that I don't also see on Pam Givens' profile page- and I have not 'followed' her yet. I'm missing the ability to actually be a 'friend'.

The other thing is, when one requests being someone's firend, that person has to accept it before the two people are 'firends' and can send private messages. This is good, because I feel uneasy when I see a whole bunch of strangers 'following' me. I'd rather have that choice presented to me so I can decide whether or not to include someone in my list of friends that I can interact privately with. It's a much more 'friendly' system than the rather impersonal FB system. Again, I am talking about a social network that has a theme that brings people together to actively interact and share, not a more blog-like 'network' where followers watching passively. hope this helps.


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

well strum u can set it to 'approve followers'
but ill explain the diference as i see it

on fb i have maxed out my freinds years ago and cant accept new freinds (they have a 5,000 freind limit...but im the type person that around 5,0000 ppl call me thier best freind and i cant even guess at the number of freinds i have)
niw when i reached that limit people can still follow me
they get my updates etc ..but i dont necessarily get thiers..or know them or interact with them

in here i could follow strum, but then she might not follow me back
so its not as mutual

ok to put it another way
u click add freind your saying i like you u click accept your saying i like you too
you click follow your sayijng i like you
if u accept but dont follow back its like saying well ok i guess i cant do anything about that but accept it

just like subscribers on youtube you dont nesacarily interact or know weho they are they are just someone who clicked a button


and followers subscribers etc its more about liking the content you shared.. wanting more of the same content
then it is about wanting a relationship with you the person

at least thats how i see it

i told ya i got probly a couple hundred thousand friends and thats cause i take every friendship seriously
a freinds someone you confide in when your abused or hurting or scared
a followers someone turn to when you want a new song or to see what new vids they posted


--
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

@Strumelia - Everything you describe is either how Jamroom 'followers' does work, or is doable. The only reason that you, as one of my followers, is not seeing anything when looking at my profile is that I've not actually created any blogs or performed any (public) actions here - too busy writing code and importing Ning site

Check out my Jamroom site at http://motagator.com Its not particularly busy but there is some interaction going on between users. Signup and post some dulcimer tracks if you like, and follow a few users.

SE is right when he says that following is not reciprocal. Someone you follow does have to actively follow you back, and you can then optionally configure the site that approval is needed by the one followed.

Also, Jamroom does have a PrivateNote module that allows users to communicate with their followers. Its just not been implemented on this site.
hth
Paul


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

Good to know all this. thank you Paul, sounds encouraging!


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

i added private notes

its simkular and with a rename in lanuage edit its functiojs close enough


just the way it can be 1 way not both eways is the primary diference really i supose
followers are great for bands
but then u get a buncha deadheads or juggalos (no offence if your a fan just not a fan of either)

wich certainly isnt the same as freinds
i mean if you try running up to hug your favorite rock idol yoir likely to be beaten down by armed guards

its a subtle diferencve that i for 1 can learn to live with
given all the other things we gain ..minor detail
chats a bigger 1

1 thing
with the chat development id like it a lil diferent then ning

ning alowed public network chat
then private 1 on 1 or instant message type chat
id add 2 other options
1 a freinds (or followers) chat
and an open chat that alowed signed out guests with no memberships to interact before joining where they can ask questions get answers and feel a part of the community before they join

id idealylike if possible
embedable content and photos
(disabled in the guest chat and guest chat stgricktly moderated )

admin option to disable guest chat or any part of the chat lkike private or followers


ohh as much as i despised nings search i think yours has issues too
very often id get zero results
if i searched just ning id get a few not alot
but if i searched say how do you use smarty codes in a template ud get nothing (that might give you results i dint know havent tried)
nings results would be too broad horibly displayed with way too much content in easch result instead of a lil excerpt
but i think yours is too narow with not enough
yea nitpicky
but i think it should be able to give some related results if an exact match isnt found or give results simular to what yiu searched for cause often people dont use the best of search terms

like in anylitics i see stuff like how du i git muh dredz 2 nut stan up onna my hed
and my dreads arent good wat 2 do
so the search should alow for some leway and try to offer results even when the search terms are horrendous


--
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

My opinion on the big functionality differences is - these three items are paramount.

1) The newbies probably think (as I did) that the text boxes are limited in functionality. They are not when fully set up (not default) and jrembed is "the bomb".

Agree with SE - having a wysiwyg editor practically everywhere there is a text field, is a must.

Also, adding some to the skins as editable white spaces where "non coder" creators can easily add what they want, is HUGE.

2) Groups and Forums still need a lot of work - especially Groups. Paul added a field for assigning imported discussions and pages to groups, but it doesn't seem to actually move them.

Also, the JR group appears to be nothing more that a profile page with a member's list added to it. It should have it's own pages and forum, plus ability for a member to contact all other members.

You should get rid of the originators profile info and instead make it full width, with it's own group related links and content filling the space. It can still link back to the originators profile. Same with the community forum, put categories and tools, not originator's profile info.

For the main site (or community forums and groups), perhaps they can be an enhancement of the master admins forum and groups, modified to become the "communities" which duplicate the feel of their Ning counterparts. Then you can continue the JR profilecentric approach for the regular members.

3) Easy 1 click content featuring, searching categories, and generating more RSS feeds (especially site activity) are of lesser importance, but still biggies. These are important considerations too, but I can easily see the first 2 issues becoming "deal breakers" for many people (if they are not addressed).


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Thanks Ken for the feedback.

I've got the WYSIWYG editor working in comments, and just have some cleanup work to do and that will be pushed out as an update.

I can't speak for groups, but can you let me know what you feel needs "a lot" of work in the forum? I think it's important to know that we've purposely kept the forum as streamlined as we can - having worked with many, many bloated forum packages over the years I can tell you that 99% of the users do not use 99% of the features. Having used the forum here daily for over a year it works well.

Can you explain what you mean by "1 click content featuring"? JR has an RSS module and can create RSS feeds from almost anything.

One thing I want to avoid (if possible) is bloating up any JR modules to address very specific Ning functionality before we decide that that is the best route to go. Like I mentioned in another post, before we just try to make a "clone" of Ning, let's try to make a better Jamroom that fits your needs instead of just trying to copy features that may never be used.

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Hi Brian,

The basic problem I see with forums is:

1) The left column is showing the originators profile information. Irrelevant to the thread, and a waste of space which could be better put to use linking to other forum categories and such, even ad space, or editable space would be better.

See an example here - http://indiegospel.org/forum

Notice how there are categories in the left column. Each category is searchable independently and has it's own RSS feed... There is editable space in the right column but I wouldn't miss that.

On an actual discussions the left column is hidden allowing a more full screen view. At all times the originators profile is linked so it's still profilecentric, but there is more of a "Community" feel to it all and less obtuse about the profile.

2) Having an RSS module, and having RSS set-up by default in key areas (as already done with blogs) is two different things. Ning migrants (and newbies in general) have enough of a learning curve in front of them, without also have to figure out how to add RSS to the site activity feed and forums, etc.

For instance, I pass my site feed from Ning through a tool to make automated Facebook and Twitter posts, which also drives my Newspaper. All of that will collapse.

3) Jamroom has some pretty cool featuring ability based on quotas and profile numbers. However, Ning had a button only visible to admins which allowed a piece of content, or member, to be featured in their category. What I'm saying is, some will miss that functionality.

4) Groups are a "big deal" will be a "deal breaker" for some. Here are some samples - http://indiegospel.org/groups

Notice how they still link to the originators profile, but feel like a "separate space" not a "glorified" profile page. What they provide, which Jamroom doesn't currently provide is:

- a WYSIWYG editor for the main area.
- a heading area for title description etc.
- The ability for for one member to message all members.
- The ability for members to send invites to their friends/followers
- The ability for an admin to invite all network members.
- A group forum whose discussions are isolated from the community forums and from other group forums.
- Group admin tools like adding deleting members, assigning group admins, etc.
- The ability to make pages which stay isolated to that group and automatically linked within it.
- RSS generation for export of discussions and rendering of RSS for importation of external feed.

Jamroom currently fails on most of these and if you are looking for a way to really have a "selling point" or "drawing card" add group specific chat. That will "make a better Jamroom that fits our needs" and outclass Ning in this area, so as to make migration a "no brainer".


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Thanks Ken for the clarification - appreciated!

1) Those are all design related, and can be done - i.e. we've done it here for our Genosis profile:

http://www.genosisfamily.com/forum

2) I think this could be easily done with a "magic view" - I'll add this to our todo list

3) JR has this, but it's not a button - basically you go into the skin config and set it there - I know that's not quite as easy as a button, but my worry with a button is that adding that to every item is going to require a significant number of template changes, but it's something we can check out

4) I'd have to check out the groups module more in depth, but as far as I know a "group" is just an item that a profile owns (just like an audio file) that users can be invited to, post on, etc. - it's not a separate profile. Maybe some design work could make it feel more intuitive? I believe it already has a WYSIWYG editor for the group, as well as a title. Some of the other features are pretty advanced, and we can definitely check them out for future updates.

Thanks again - the feedback is really appreciated!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

One small but nice detail on my Ning network, over the entire site:
-whenever you see a member's name, (which is a hotlink to their profile page) and if their avatar picture is next to it, clicking on the avatar will also take you to their profile page- so you can click on either the name or avatar. This seems like a small detail, but one can repeat this dozens of times each day and it's really easier to click on the much bigger avatar than to key your pointer on the text name. Doing this hundreds of times in a week really makes a difference in convenience, and I can't imagine anyone not liking something like that, 'ningster' or not. On small or phone screens in particular this makes navigating way easier. My members are mostly over 50, so it's a plus with them as well. Might not be possible, but thought i would just mention it.


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

a group specific chats been a big request for awhile but tgo me your site would need hundreds of thousands of members with at least a few hundreds logged on a a time before even2 ppl would be in the same group at the same time to chat
that in my opinions a case of nning bloat
they always wanted more more more but half of what they wanted was absolutely useless
say you have 20 ppl on att once 200 groups a main forum main blogs main gallery and main chat
its a thousand to 1 that anyone would ever find anyone in a group chat to chat with


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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

Yes yes yes. Groups are a very. big. deal.


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

Hi Brian,

On the groups thing, yes they are still profilecentric in that they originate with someone and link back to them - but just not in an "obtuse" way.

So it "feels" like you are inside a separate space, but I think you could achieve that as a design consideration, without "monkeying" too much with the core.

Currently, a quarter of the page is about the originators profile, not about the group. A simple link back is sufficient. That leaves more space for group specifics and creates the illusion of a "separate space".

In terms of the pages and discussions generated within a group, they need to be isolated and separate from general discussions and pages. They too are still profilecentric in that they link back to their creators, but they are isolated to that group and viewable "ONLY" by it's members.

In other words, they shouldn't get lumped in with other lists like "all pages" except perhaps in an "admin quota" view.

Also, discussions and pages created in PRIVATE groups need to be given due consideration. Not so important on my network, but on some you bring over it could be absolutely critical not to expose them to eyes they were not intended for.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Unless of course you send out a message to group members inviting them to your private chat, on group specifics... Like a directors meeting...

Otherwise yes, a site wide chat feature is OK and I believe Stevex (or someone) is doing something with Skype integration...


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Yes, I have a Moderators Group which is PRIVATE- accessable and visible ONLY to the group members, and only able to join the group by invitation.
That's where we admins and moderators do all our discussing of issues in private, on our group forum, also a Comment Wall there. I have a forum there with threads like "Tricks Spammers Use", "I'll be away during...", "Should we act on this?" (some member doing something questionable), "Questions about Site Settings", etc.
We often have to discuss various members' actions and how to handle them...so it needs to be a private group. I also set the "Prayer Request" Group to private as well, since mine is not a religious site and also they tend to discuss personal life problems there. The members love having that private group where they can pray all they like together!


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

Thanks Ken - besides the profile menu showing on the left, I believe all the rest are supported (the privacy, etc.). There is a "groups" listing on a profile, since a profile can create more than 1 group, and this allows users who are not invited to a group to at least request access to the group (the profile owner of course can say no).

Paul developed the module, so I will let him correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like we can tweak the design to achieve most of what you're looking for.

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Yes - I believe so, unfortunately he's going out of town until the 21st and I need to go live by the 24th or pay another $60 Ning bill. Not to mention, I have private pages showing right now (not good) and my site as the first Ning migration is supposed to be showcasing how Jamroom functions.

In terms of Groups, my network is not a good "showcase" in it's current form. Paul built a tool to move pages and discussions that originated in private groups (on the Ning side) into their corresponding JR5 counterparts, but it doesn't seem to work (yet).

For example if you look here - http://indiegospel.net/ken-rich/group/30/

That group looks more like a profile page with a members list. Besides missing the "feeling" of being inside a group specific space, it is missing the group tools.

More importantly, it is missing the pages and discussions related to that private group. They are mixed in with the general pages and discussions (not good) and not available to group members as they should be.

I'm attaching a picture of the corresponding Ning group. Notice there were 4 pages and 4 discussions, all private by virtue of being created within the private group. Try to find them in the JR5 group linked above and you will see the problem.

I've been attempting to communicate these issues by email with Paul, but I'm not sure if I have been entirely successful to date.

What is your assessment Brian? Is this an issue that can be overcome and what timeline would you put on it?


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

I don't see any reason why it can't work exactly as we need it to - I've not been involved with the Groups module yet at all, but I will get up to speed on it. Are you sure you're running the latest release of the module?

I'm in and out today but am back in my office full time tomorrow and should be able to check it out this week. I cannot guarantee everything will work 100% by the 16th though - I can try but I don't want to promise you something that I'm not 100% certain I can do.

Let me know if that helps.

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

To know you are "on the case" is "HUGE"...

I guess the best thing to do, is for you to check with Paul before he shuts down his computer tomorrow evening and leaves town.

He says he will check mail when possible but he's pretty much going to be inaccessible (or at least restricted) until the 21st.

So if you guys get a chance to "talk shop" on that module before he bugs out, that would be splendid...


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Yeah - we've already done this, so I think I know what the module is supposed to do, I'm just getting up to speed with the actual coding. The hardest part is going to be removing the profile header/footer for group pages - that's not something any other module has ever done in Jamroom, and Jamroom tries to make it really easy to NOT have to worry about that. I think we can do it with minimal disruption to the core but I will let you know.

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Looking through this some more, one thing I want to add that one thing we likely will NOT be able to support is having a separate FORUM that is exclusive to a group - right now Jamroom has no way of running a module "inside" of another module. We'd need to look at alternatives to come up with a workaround that might be able to be a working substitute for the idea.

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

No - Thanks to you and Paul...

We've been getting the "run-around" with Ning support so long, to have competent programmers actually listening and responding is beyond belief... I have to pinch myself to see if I'm dreaming -


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

well the module inside a module capability of groups is a big deal 2.0 had a simple forum 1 category only and a comment wall thats all the group was till pages were added
3.0 groups were the 1 single most amazing improvement alowing multiple forums blogs groups photo galleries pages etc

that made groups like a site inside a site
i mean we had big dreams for that
like a photoigraphy group wwith a gallerry for every type photography basic advanced tips forums a photoshop forum etc
our native americvan cultures group was going to have forums or pages for each tribe and nation with language preservation lessons and whatnot
so just the groups alone being mini sites within a site would blow the roof off the capabilities
'

now a 3.0 like group ..although thats enough to cause a holy crap wow reaction can be a longer term project i mean that took ning manymonths to put out but a simple forum and comment walls to at least have 2.0 functionality is kinda important

i agree on the minimizing the profile field and maximizing a group description and image wich can be tweaked in simple css i think i havent actualy looked at the groups much yet


--
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

If the goal is for groups to be just like profiles (or have the same features) then that's already supported. What you could do is make everyone a "power user" (quota config option in the User Accounts module) - this lets them create additional profiles that they manage.

In turn, they can create a profile that is "followers only" and check the "Approve Followers" option - this makes the profile private. Now the users that are "invited" to the profile will be able to post to forums, create audio items, etc. - basically do everything you can do on a regular profile.

If I was setting up a site I'd really consider setting it up this way if you really want all that power as part of your "group".

A small custom module that added the word "group" to any secondary profile would be easy as well - that way you could see that the profile was a "group" profile.

Just an idea on how to do this using features that are already part of Jamroom and work 100%.

Hope this helps!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Actually thinking about this some more, a small add on module would be needed to allow the followers to create items on the profile (such as audio, etc.) - but it is doable, and would be powerful.


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Hi Brian,

I know nothing about Ning 3 groups - so SE is a better source on their functionality than I.

Paul has also started a Ning 3 site, so if you get him to send you the log-in credentials, you could actually experiment with a Ning 3 group.

========================

I kind of went "bug eyed" trying to follow you through the convoluted process of creating a group the way you describe, and I'm already familiar with quotas and power user options - lol.

However, I do see the inherent power in that approach. It would be confusing for a Jamroom "newbie" to implement, and therefore impractical, but I think I see where you are coming from.

Therefore, if you could make a group module work along those lines, but be relatively easy to set up and admin, that would be "the bomb".

Perhaps a button that launches a "group creation" process, that is "idiot proof" but accomplishes the above steps in an intuitive, user friendly way.

I agree, renaming already existing functionality would have to be part of such a module. Like group instead of a "secondary profile", perhaps "group admin" instead of "power user" - whatever - to make it not so confusing...

Then you would just need to make it seem like a "separate space" by design. Add group photo instead of profile pic, add group description, instead of biography - etc., etc.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

well profile pic group pic profilke desc rip group descrip could be interchangable
the thing being say i have a mauin section dreadlocks forums that has groups within dreasdklocks forums all site members need to be able to create a group or profilke within that group or profile renamed as a group

not only groups within thierprofiles ..wich is fine but groups within the main sire profiles that would be your 'community' space
its a lil rethinking and im thinking woukd need a core adjustment or a coore opotion to install as a social community or fansite


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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 think I see where Brian is going with this and what he is talking about will be "super-powerful" and inherently stable (since it uses existing functionality that is 100% stable).

Now for the Community Group and Community Forum, it could just be the Master Admins profile being used and linked to the main menu.

Perhaps a little design tweaking (like categories) to make it the community (rather than a profile bound space), and voila - Bob's yer Uncle!


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

im just going to have to play and see if it can work the way i hope i mean members wiuld have to be able to create groups (profiles) within my groups but wait i think i getit theyd create thier own groups my groups page woukd use a seamless list to list all groups and featured groups/


its a whole new way of thinking but im getting how it can be done i think...

after a week with no sleep working on this i slept 12 hours last night
so brains more functional but then again that allone setup took a huge chunok of my day away to setup

especialy since im the only human left on earth without a mobile phone so kept having to call freinds to verify certain sites


--
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

A little tip on the mobile phone stuff - I don't have one either. Go to this site and use advanced mode, not regular mode - http://mobiletest.me/


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Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

no u misunderstood
i know my css is responsive thats not the issue
setting up allone several of the services wont alow you to sign up without a mobile or require a text verification code
the 1 required an app be installed just to sign up

when im more ready to go live i will test withthat to be thourough
but i was talking about just setting up allone links


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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

OK - got it. Yes, that registration stuff can be a pain without a mobile. One thing I learned that can save you some time. When you are testing with that site, don't use your displayed network's menu to navigate to another page on your network.

Put the exact URL of the page you want to test in the blank at the top and hit go, then you get a true mobile view (in advanced mode) rather than just a responsive view (there's a difference).


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

I thought about the groups setup long and hard last night, and after working through things to see what it would take to use a full profile as a group, unfortunately it would require too many low level changes to Jamroom's security setup, which I don't want to make.

So what I'll be doing this week is focusing on getting the Groups module as it is right now more flushed out and working how you guys need it to work.

I will let you know if I have any questions - your feedback is appreciated

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

A Quick question about the Groups feature - I've scanned this thread and my goal is to create the simplest to use module that we can, while supporting those features that are most important to a group. Based on that, this is what I am thinking:

- Groups can be public or private (users must apply to be in group) (already supported)

- INSIDE a group any group user can create a "page". These pages will have comments on them so the "page" can be discussed (in reality this is a lot like a discussion forum). Do we need the ability to block comments from specific pages? Or is it OK to just have comments on any page in the group?

- When you view a specific group it will take up the entire page width, and instead of showing profile centered items in the left (or right) column, instead you will see a list of pages available.

I think this would be fairly close to the picture you posted Ken, and just wanted to be sure this would work before I start coding it.

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Have just been talking to Paul and think I have a better idea of what we need. Let me clarify a bit - right now we have a "Groups" module, a "Pages" module and a "Discussion" module. Am I right in assuming that these "pages" and "discussions" occur inside of a group?

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Brian Im so glad you are asking this!

Here is what relevant to my own network:
1- first, we need a centralized place on the site's main page and in the nav links where members can simply click on the "Group" naviagation link and see the various groups at one time, like: http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/groups
(the grid view helps rather than a single column view that I think JR shows, so one doesn't have to click on too many pages to see all the groups...so annoying)
2-then they click to go look at a group, join it,or post in it, and they come to that particalur group's page or location, for example: http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/group/oldstyledronenoterplayers
If you look there you will see some basic group features:
a) a nice list of the group Members (and their colorful hotlink avatar pictures which is awesome- hover over their pic, see the name and then checkout thier profile page)
b) that group's description and information/guidelines at top
c) an optional text box where the group admin or site owner can place interesting things, video embeds, images, text (the text box is nice but not critical if you can put such rich embeds in the upper Description text area)
d) the group's Discussion Forum, where group members can start and hold discussion threads. Supremely important.
e) a group Comment Wall, where members can post QUICK things- quick questions, and joke around but not really needing to start a thread about whatever it is they are thinking. Members LOVE this, especially if they are newbs and don't even know how to start a discussion thread yet.
f) every network is different, but notice here that the "Pages" in this group I've linked only has a few specific instructional pages which were posted by the Group moderator (who I assigned)- otherwise you get hundreds of random weird pages posted by just anybody, about their goldfish's funeral etc.

In my ning site a new group nowadays is created only by me, after considering whether the subject merits a whole group that is not adequately covered or made cohesive through the regular site forums area. Now we have about 60 groups and they are all very focused on certain aspects of dulcimers and dulcimer playing. This creates a site where members can very easily meet others with their particular interests, and also get help faster without getting lost. Too many scattered subject groups just make it harder to find what our members need, so for me I need to be able to be the only person able to actually create a new group. (I often will assign a group moderator who is a member with limited editing power but only can edit/delete/add things in that group, not site-wide. That's a nice touch Ning added) Our biggest most active group is "Beginner players".. not surprisingly.
And yes, I must be able to set private groups.

so for my own situation, the most important group features are the member list, the group forum area, the Comment Wall, and the ability to allow only admins or moderators to create new groups and group Pages.
Having an option for group members to be able to send message to all other group members is very handy too. I myself chose to turn that off long ago because spammers went orgasmic over that ability and were beating down the doors to get in during the time when Ning was having more spam than it does today. But it's a great feature to have as an option. A member in the New Jersey Group can message everyone about a concert in NJ, but not bore members in Germany with that message for example.

Hopefully others will chime in from their own viewpoints and an overall picture will be clearer.


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

Hi Brian,

- Groups can be public or private

- Yes, pages and discussions occur as separate entities within a group. In Ning 2 pages could have comments blocked, they also had an advanced function that allowed the page creator to insert metadata and even codes to the header. You could also set privacy individually. In this sense, pages were a totally different animal than either a discussion thread or a note. (See attached pic)

- Yes getting rid of the profile info (except for a small link back) is crucial to making it feel like a "separate space" not a "glorified" profile page. Listing pages and discussion categories, and whatever other tools, can fill that space along with the group description.

- I'm not sure how this would work (I'm suggesting using the Master Admin's account). SE suggested "seamless". All I know is the "Community" Groups and Forum linked on the main menu, need to be set-up a little different from the profile groups and forums. Only, in the sense that the site wide groups and discussions need to be represented, categorized, and managed there.

-It's important in all of this to realize that discussions and pages created within (especially private) groups remain only accessible to those groups, and not mixed in with the site wide lists.

- Why do I say "especially". Well even public group stuff can be very specific and themed away from the general thrust of the network. To illustrate, let's say I have an Art group set-up, and one of the discussion threads within it explodes with a thousand posts about Piccaso.

It may be a public group, and the thread's posts might be searchable on site and spidered by Google, and it's pretty benign stuff I don't mind being public.

However, that doesn't mean I want those posts mixed in with my "Community Forum" discussions where I might have four different Ministry related Discussion categories set up, and feeding my front page "Top Discussions".

- Since groups and multiple instances is one of the few things Ning got right in Ning 3, perhaps it would be helpful to see this before you start.
http://cultivate.ning.com/ning-blog/unleash-the-power-of-groups-on-ning-3-0


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Thanks Ken - I just posted here:

https://www.jamroom.net/ning-to-jamroom/forum/announcements/16341/important-questions-about-ning-groups

as I think we have the foundation for this wrong in our current setup, and it is going to need to be changed in order to work properly.

Public/Private is not an issue - many of our modules deal with the same issue.

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

i disabled the send message to group members cause smsarter spammers would join 20 groups send soam mnessages to 500 ppl and be unseen by admins except the sudden mass group joins
having the ability for members to ccreate groups is a must for me cause my members have such widely varied interests

the way ning 3 alows photo galeries within groups is really amazing though i do not expect that right asway but if it can be added in the future then that wiuld be bliss


--
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

This isn't a problem and is already support - just need to update the list template.


All this is what I think as well - this is already here (for the most part)


This would have to be new - we don't a "Ning Wall" module. I wonder if it is really needed? Maybe instead of a wall we have a "default" discussion that anyone can add to? I mean a "wall" and "discussion" are flip sides of the same coin - somewhere for people to post their thoughts.


So do we need the ability to limit page creation to a subset of group users? I'm thinking the profile owner can choose WHO can create pages in the group. And does that need to be different for each group? Or is it global?


Speaking for my own experience from running sites, I'm worried that we are pushing users into all sorts of different places to post their thoughts:

- "site" level forum
- "profile" level forum
- ning groups with individual forums ("discussions") inside
- comments on all items

I understand that this is what you've got right now in Ning 2.0 and you're used to it - but are all these places really needed? We can certainly develop this, but I'd recommend taking the opportunity to see if we can't structure things a bit differently so that once you're on Jamroom you actually have an improved experience. Note that's just my suggestion, and I know not everyone would agree, so if you don't that's no biggie - I know we need to ultimately replicate as much as we can as some sites are going to want things to be exactly as they are, but just wanted to throw that out there.


"Too many scattered subject groups just make it harder to find what our members need" - that sort of reinforces my point above. I want to make sure that we come out of the other end of the tunnel with something that is awesome, and ideally has improved upon what you currently are using.


So I can join a group and spam other users? We actually take a pretty hard line on this with our Private Notes module - you can only send a message to another user if they have FOLLOWED you. This is how most online systems are setup. This is also based on years of experience dealing with JR4 sites that had a heck of a time dealing with spammers that would join just to send bulk private notes to users.


I should have finished reading the rest - I'd prefer to not create that option, as in my opinion nothing good will come from it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to lay things out and clarify things for me - everything I believe is doable, but we're going to need to re-engineer some things here to get it working correctly.

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

another thing that ning 3 offered ws events specific to the group so like instead of message everyone in the nj group about an event post the event inthe events feature

well i mean ning 3 wiuld have that when they finaly finish the events feature sometime around when climate change foreces us to moveto antartica


--
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

Hi Brian,

The ability to contact the members is essential for meetings, updates, etc. Ning made it something the group admin could turn on or off with a check box. Perhaps allowing only certain members (like admins or those they assign) to have that ability would be a better choice. In other words, retain the functionality but restrict it's use - to eliminate the danger.


There was a global option to restrict page creation to admins. Group controls in Ning 2 are shown in the attached pic. They were pretty course, and a finer level of control (like pages and other content creation abilities) would be a step up.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Here is also the admin control of members. I blacked out the email addresses but basically you could assign different status levels - like appoint some group admin.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

!

Actually we may have to move to antarctica before Ning releases an Events feature. Too bad, because people could have used the Events feature to announce the move! lllolloll


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

so true
actualy i came up with this whole idea for a scifi chanel series revolving around that ..that and that stupid law that says corporations are people and money is speach in the series idea corporations were then elevated to natiins alowed to form governments and raise armies ...speaking of wich., disneyland actualy has its own government ..i think technicaly might even be considered a soverign nationbut im nit certain..just odd trivia fact


--
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 like that I have Google maps on my events here - a SteveX innovation - cool...


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

yea thats sweet

i loved that i came up with an off tghe wall idea said i bet ya can do this and paul said yea heres a site that i did just that on..i love the flexibility just wish i could figure out how to use the flecxibility potential haha
ken
your freind that helped u set yours up what would he charge me to help if it wasnt like him deoing it all but like helping me to figure it out maybe doing some of it if im totaly stumped...
justreally feeling liike i could use a lil help from somkeone familiar with the coding


--
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

Well I'm not sure what you mean by helping you with the coding, because once a module is complete, it's just a one click install and some settings.

Mind you, some stuff is brand new and just rolling out. Some from 3rd party developers. If you have issues, that developer might come over and tweak it for you (if you tell them about it) and then adjust his coding so no one else has that issue. SteveX did that for me with his maps module - hoorah!!!

If you are mostly doing something yourself and asking questions when you are stuck - that's what the general support forum is for - https://www.jamroom.net/the-jamroom-network/forum

There is also paid support which is offered, but not mandatory. Someone as technically advanced as yourself, would probably get on fine without it.

Now if you want to hire a developer by the hour, to code something "way out there" - you can do that too. Nate Riggins at N8Flex charges $35 an hour for instance, others are probably charging around the same for custom work.

=============================================

However, as the first migrants from Ning, we are kind of getting custom work done already, since the Ning specific modules are being "refined" based on our feedback. So it isn't so much that Paul was helping me specifically, because as the first guinea pig, everything he developed to make my network transfer applies to everyone else that migrates. Same with what Brian is doing now.

I still had to figure out my module settings, tweak the skin, install my logos, and so on, and when I got stuck - I went to the support forum and asked questions (just like anyone else). Even on Ning, there were some things only you could do (or should do). Here there are way, way more options and the whole "back-end" plus the script is in your control.

There is a certain amount of effort one must put into the set-up, then running it as master admin is relatively easy, since there is so much automation. Even stuff like sifting through your imported youtubes for defunct files - runs on autopilot.

I would suggest to you, that there is enough to do just figuring out all the module settings, setting up your quotas, tweaking your CSS and template layouts, studying help files and so on, to keep you plenty busy while Brian and his team retool their Ning bundle.

Then when your network is fully transferred and operational (and you have your "bearings") you will have time to explore all the configuration options and untapped potential (though I agree that's what's the most intriguing).


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

i know and i did pay for the 1 level of vip suport the 29 ayears since really another 29 a month ontop of everythings just making it rougher on me haga i think im just feeling overwhelmed trying to figure it all out myself

im spending enough time just on the designing and tweaking (check out my new transparent music player and plasylists that truly look integrated now) (thiugh theres a responsiveness issue i think but i checked in browser not in thsat tool)

just not sure i can manage to get it all done on my own is all..
nit in the time id hoped


--
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've had to adjust my time line a couple times now, but I'm cool with that because I know I'm going to a "happy place" - lol.

Can you post the link to your player - I'd like to see that.

I've invited Sandeep from http://html5.svnlabs.com/ to see if he will drop some player packages in the marketplace. I want the social share and pop-out share code functionality like the radio player I bought from him - top of page here - http://indiegospel.net

The Jamroom guys make great players too, but it's not a priority to them right now to dress up the current ones. "Bigger fish to fry"...


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

basicly justtransparentized it to make it look more integrated into the page instead of a black box just slapped in

music player

http://greentechnologyforums.com/dreadlocks-forums/audio/4157/shilo-circle-sex-is-life

playlist player

http://greentechnologyforums.com/dreadlocks-forums/playlist/1/rainbow-music


--
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

You are doing some cool stuff... Love how your menu looks in particular... I hate my buttons, been think of trying something different with them... Maybe just even going a few shades lighter...


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

ok right off tyhe top of my head without messing with color wich the hover colors gotta go! ewww but try this for the border radius 13px 13px 0 0 / 20px 20px 0 0
thats the top menu i was playin with
gives em a way more interesting shape

if you dont know the border radius can take not only a radius but an offset
if you look at my front page and the lil number ticker thingy under the featured profiles ..thats how i got that shape i dont remember the exact values but was something like 50% to get a rounded corner then who knows like 38% to move the..um how to explain it the corner of the corner? no move the point at wich the rounding begins inward x percent

gives ya more fun control over the shapes


--
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 menu is a little lighter now, yellow is gone, corners slightly more rounded. I can live with it now - thanks.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

made some tweaksto my front page im liking alot


--
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

yea thats a big improvement that yellow was hidious no offence to douglass but some of the elastic skin buttons and stuff were just so ugly such a clashing color

but i always find out of the box skins and templates and themes whatever they wanna call them to really lack imagination or sometimes commin sence unless your going with more premium skins

but then again i can always take the worse of them and make it something beautiful

as soon as i find my card tho im giknna get the nung skin and switch my css over to it and see if i cant make it work for me better then the elastic


--
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

You went a little darker in the boxes?


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

nah remember the .title feild was roubded like the name in the slideshow hanging above the .item area i changed how it looked centered it adjusted it soit was like a perfect fit ..like a cap for the item abnd added the same box-shadow to tye slider etc


--
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

If you show your stats, and you have enough to make them wrap to another line, in IE 11 they break through the container. In Chrome and Firefox, they "wrap" and the box stretches to accommodate - just noticed that one today - trying to fix.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

stats? ie should be banned from ever being used it should be made illegal


--
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

Lots covered already here... far too much for me to wade through. So if this has already been mentioned I do apologise.

Personally speaking, groups are very important for ex-Ning users, and the ability to add pages within the group itself (as well as discussions) is most desirable.

I would like to see this feature made available as soon as this is practicable.
updated by @isleander: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Brian is working on that very thing, and since he is the one who handles the core, I'm sure it will be thought through on all levels.

It's hard to give a time line on this sort of thing, but it could be out as early as the end of the week (at least from what I understand).


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Those Ning modules will work in all skins eventually, but to get full functionality it's probably a smart move to get the Ninja one, if you can't wait. My NingNova skin won't be finalized until Paul gets back, but that's another viable option when it hits the market place.

The thing I would like to see, that hasn't been discussed much, is an enhancement of the existing featuring section in that skin. With just a few tweaks it would look like what our Ning members are used to, but could be running on automatic, and a monetizing option in our quotas.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Sorry, geekspeak is my native language. If the community could provide a translator, that would be appreciated.
updated by @michael: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

That's a great point. You can see the list of what each user posts to the fourms by clicking on the '250 posts', eg yours strumelia https://www.jamroom.net/forum/activity/1045/strumelia

But its not restricted to friends only. It does seam like it should be available via the users profile.
updated by @michael: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

cometchat works with jamroom. Just they havent put it into the marketplace.

http://www.cometchat.com/jamroom-chat
updated by @michael: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

This is a template issue and easily customized. If the image is not there by default in a location, you can add it there by customizing the template for wherever you want it. Was there a specific location you had in mind?
updated by @michael: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

====================

Hi Michael,

I think you maybe missed her point on that one. It's glaringly obvious to Ningsters, but Jamsters seem oblivious - go figure - lol.

So take this as a feature request! Basically it's a profile "landing page" issue.

We are used to a landing page that displays a "sample" of all of our content categories on one page. We had "drag & drop" containers, but we could live without those if the layout was good. Jamroom only shows one category at a time, and you have to switch views to see the rest.

Each small representative category can have a show more button, check this page for an example - http://indiegospel.org/profile/KenRich (or see screenshot attached).

Notice blog and discussion titles in small boxes with "show more". Notice 3 video icons, leading to more videos, notice there is a text box where the member can put whatever they wish using a TINYmce style WYSIWYG editor. There is a playlist style music player (with pop-out embed code), a picture slideshow, etc., - all of these on the same page.

To a Ningster, content on Jamroom seems to be indexed and managed well, but it's highly compartmentalized. One has to click 10 tabs in someones profile to see what they have, instead of one representative page.

We would like a profile landing page that does what the home page does, by pulling up representative samples for display, which lead to the full views.

Does that make sense to you, and is it "doable"? It's no good to say to "non coders" coming over from Ning that Jamroom supports this, but then expect them to modify the templates themselves. They need something already modified, something that works that way "out of the box".


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

i think id like to develop our own chat our own way but i will look into the cometchat
though is that a seperate login or does it alow members to login to chat and the site as 1


and guys

i have begun the very begining of a design studio for profilkes
i mean i posted how easily it can be done and got a start on it
minor start on it
but
i bet i can have a fully functional version that should have easy to install instructions
so yiou can create your own yiur way


--
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 can't even get the current profile customization options to work except for landing page choice, probably because I'm running 3 skins at once with admin skin. Either that or one of my mods killed it - lol.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Cheers Ken. Yep, I did mid-interpret. Sure its possible.

The file your after is:
/skins/(YOUR SKIN)/profile_index.tpl

In the elastic skin it looks like this:

Which is just saying "Show the latest actions on the main page".

But there is no reason you cant add a bit of each of whatever you want in there. You could add whatever you want. Perhaps:
* show 3 of the latest videos
* show 3 of the newest blog posts
* show 5 of the latest forum comments
.....

Whatever you want. Check out the jrCore_list function docs for info on how to get a list of whatever:

"{jrCore_list}"
http://www.jamroom.net/the-jamroom-network/documentation/development/89/jrcore-list

Then perhaps wrap it a check to make sure the module your after is active. eg: a list of this profiles videos:

I used the profile_id in there because you would only want to show videos belonging to this profile in that list.
updated by @michael: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Hi Michael,

That's cool because this is something my members are going to want (or leave me). Problem is, I'm a non coder who will take a few days to implement that by trial and error, if I can pull it off at all.

Many Ning creators are even more technically challenged than I am, which is why I said above:

"It's no good to say to "non coders" coming over from Ning that Jamroom supports this, but then expect them to modify the templates themselves. They need something already modified, something that works that way "out of the box"."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That's also why I said, please treat this as a "feature request". Can it be part of a Ning Bundle, a module, a skin upgrade, become an easy admin panel selection, something along those lines? Maybe the new design module will take care of it?


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Yeah,there are a few ways to handle it. The one above can be done on any skin. Or the skin designer can build it into the skin that is intended for Ning users when its built if its known what should go into that section.

Another way to do it would be to build something like a "Profile Dashboard" module that allowed the profile user to setup that kind of stuff via an interface.

So there are a few ways to accomplish it.
updated by @michael: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

me likey that idea

im hoping tomorrow eve ill be talking with a member whos goingto help me out a bunch

one thing we want to develops a shops entryway that has
featured shops in a slider like elastics featured members slider
shops lists by categories
a most recently added items list
a most recetly purchased items list
and maybe even a most recently viewed items list
and possibly a item randomizer
this way they have multiple aveneues of exposure from the main shops page

but seems like my lack of sleeps caught up with me and im done for the night
micheal if your on the other side of the world like paul and wil be up a few more min can u try to explain what im doing wrong or not understanding in that advanced tip post..cause i really thoughht i had it and now im not so sure...and i want it to be right


jaw cramp from yawning...yea been overdoing it lately but having fun figuring this all out

ken
your not a coder now
but become 1
try to figure it iut
when you learn how to do what yiu wantto do even if u screw up alot at 1st it will start to make sence and you'll be amazed by what you can do once your understanding whats going on

im overwhelmed and confused too but everytime i figure out a tiny lil thing it opens up doors to bigger things (like that bigger yawn that made my eyes water.,yea im done...


--
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

Hi Michael,

I think the "profile dashboard" concept will work well with Ning Migrants. In fact, I think it's a "MUST", and you should run with that ASAP.

For now, can you tell me how to put a rich text box on the profile index page so they can at least have an editable space to play with.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

I was thinking along the same lines. How do I pull everyone's products into one page that I can link to the main menu?


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

- I was sizing that up and the log-in is integrated, plus the Pro version integrated Facebook chat.
- It seems to be text only, not nearly as sophisticated as Skype. To get video chat is $500.
- I think you can get pretty much the same thing they offer with a Skysa bar. It has video chat even on their free version, with a "TinyChat" plugin. The membership integration will almost certainly work (no sign-ins) but you would need to install a code. http://www.skysa.com/page/plans


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

i tried the skysa bar on 2,.0 for many members irt constantly refresghed the page nakingit unusable
i hated it

i dont think we need video chat thoughwouldnt be bad either but embedable vids would be cool
and photos especvialy

and all these things they contact outside servers do they not
i want to avoid http requests to outside serrvers as much as possible nothing slows down a site more then widgets ahd gizmos that have to invoke code fro other servers


--
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

How about the Skype integration - https://www.jamroom.net/ultrajam/networkmarket/112/skype


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

I tried the Skysa bar and their video chats (2) for 3 months and my members hated it and abandoned it for the plain old vanilla Ning chatroom again. Many members had tech problems using the skysa chats...they are on older setups.
Ning support is now telling ning customers to use CometChat...seriously...unfreakinbelieveable as they should have developed their PROMISED Ning 3.0 chat feature at least a year ago already.
I suspect that eventually when you contact Ning support they may just reply that you should install Jamroom. lololol!


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

This is exactly right, and what I was trying to get at.

Especially the last part: "It's no good to say to "non coders" coming over from Ning that Jamroom supports this, but then expect them to modify the templates themselves. They need something already modified, something that works that way "out of the box"."

Let's not forget something very important-
Most people who signed onto Ning did so because Ning does all these things for you out of the box, without expecting you to be able to tweak any codes at all. Yes, there are various things we can tweak and code into Ning 2.0 and even more in 3.0...BUT we don't 'have to' in order to get a good looking functional social network going right away. It's drag and drop and that's what people pay Ning for month after month. SO...keep in mind that if a ning customer knew how to do all the stuff they wouldn't be on Ning to begin with- they'd have been on their own site long ago. Even Soaring who knows a lot about CSS has been floundering around in confusion on here for a while and needing lots of help- so if that's the case with him imagine those of us like Ken and myself.
My only point is that I think a feature like this (showing a sampling of a member's various content on their profile page in ONE place, just like on NIing) should be BUILT INTO the main Ning skin BY DEFAULT- in the primary NingBundle that new ningsters will experience when they first open the goodies.
Yes sure, people can experiment with all kinds of skins and template tweaking later when they get their feet wet...and the wonderful possibilities are endless.
But if it's at all preventable, there must not be a moment of feeling your spirit and heart sink like a stone when the customer first installs, imports, and opens their site for the very first time. This can make or break everything.


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

I am with you there. I've seen vast improvements since Jamroom 4 but there still has to be a push for more "user friendliness" and "out of the box" functionality. Simple intuitive interfaces need to replace "hard coding" as much as possible.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

strum
theres a thousand drag and drop website builders out there
some make all the text an image.. so theres absolutely no way in the world theyd ever get a single hit unless they sent out the link as spam

the drag and drop is why nings constantly bweaking nothing ever works right and it takes a year to design a comment feild

jr 5 is brand new
in months there will be hundreds more 1 click install modules

in 2 days i ..with no prior knowkedge of the code or the system hacve got the frameworks for a profile design studio already built and just need to fill in the missing peices

the easier something is to use usualy means its far more complicated to design maintain and diagnose when something goes wrong

anyone ..and i mean anyone can learn this stuff if you just try
at 1st yea yiur confused and lost but the moment 1 thing works a lightebulb goes off that leadsto another and another and in just daysd to weeks your able to modify it with ease

and u just wake uo with an idea in your head and make it happen

2 days ago i had an idea..i knew it could hbe done hell in jr anything can be done
but ihad no idea how to do it

i tried
i had a lil 2 steps forward 1 step bacik progres for a lil bit then it all started to click and now i just know how to do the rest of what needs to be done

it might be alien at 1st but it makes sence and anything your unclear on its easy to look up


create a profile on my site
then modify it
the customize alows the custom logio and background and start page
and the main mod page is the beginning of the design studio

i say begining cause given 2 days i'll build in alot more control like the ability tohide say that members list
or hide certain links exceot for for followers etc ..i mean really any idea you canb come up with..you can do
and you dont need to wait a year fir somete to decide its wiorrth doing then another to build it in

i add a peice to the puzszle as i figure it oiut i can make 10 20 additions a day instead of rolling out 1 in a year

as confusedd as i was at 1st im glad its like a blank slate to build on instead of a limited but structured "out of the box' broken behemoth


if you try you cazn figure out how to do any idea that pops into your head


see thatsd the diference u say 'can we do this ' thed answers yes its supported"
with ning it was 'no not at this time and theres no imediate plabns to add that function but we will let the team know you requested it'


screw requesting it.... do it

and if 5 of the best coders came here ..anything u could requestwoukd be done in a week
anything

we dont have to do it alone
we can help eachother

but we can do it without them


--
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

Well SE, these is no doubt that a template system is more powerful for those who can take advantage of it, but some people are not "cut-out" to be coders.

I spend days sometimes just doing trial and error stuff that doesn't work, when I'm sure somebody competent could make it work in 5 minutes. I simply don't have time to learn it, except for the little tricks I pick up along the way by necessity.

I could lose most of my members by the time I get in place the things I need, so it's not really an option for me. Featuring and proper members profiles are two things I need fast.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Soaring I am not debating the fact that JR5 is capable of doing everything we want and more. It's obviously capable of that. Nor am I debating that non-coding folks can learn to do things in JR and 'lightbulbs will go on in their heads' at some point- i'm sure that's also true. I am all for the whole 'we can do it together' thing, but that's not really what I'm talking about right now.

I think what Ken and I are trying to express is that if it is not too difficult, the "out of the box" specific NingBundle that JR sells should be made by default to feel and look as familiar as possible to those Ning customers who get it installed and their content imported for the very first time. Ken and I are trying to point out here some small but very important ways the Member Pages can achieve that familiar structure that Ning members are comfortable with and expect. These seemingly fussy little changes would go a long way towards instant curb appeal for people fleeing Ning.
I know the JR Fantastic Four is in fact workin' these goals right NOW. We are continuing to point out some of those things that would yield a lot of bang for the buck if included by default in the specific ning-to-JR modules that are being developed as we speak.

How much those same ning refugees will learn or grow after that initial 'look see' on their newly installed JR test site is up to them. And as has been pointed out, JR may not be for everyone and nobody can expect to be spoon fed forever. But it'd be great to not have them run screaming from the (jam)room their first day after opening a JR site.


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

Make sure and check out the latest NingJa skin release and the new Groups modules I have released - while I don't think we are "all the way" there yet, I think we've taken a big step closer to recreating what you have with Ning "out of the box".


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Big, big hugs to you!!


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

i added the new ning itemns but a question
when a ning ski8ns upgraded
that doesnt upgrade the cloned skins does it

im just wondering if i then have to peicve it back together ina fresh clone ofthe new version of the skin


--
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

No - it just upgrades the NingJa skin (jrNingJa). Note that Jamroom has some tools to help you out here - go into your cloned skin -> templates and you can use the "Compare" button to compare your template against the updated NingJa templates and see the differences.

Hope this helps!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

That's so great!


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

wow this forum could do with pagination
updated by @garymoncrieff: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

yea i was thinking paginaqtion would help too so that compare compares to the upgraded skin not the cloned files u changed? so i gueses got to compare everything wether u changed it otr not has the new skin been released?


i swear my yawning is echoing and the beighbours are getting scared so im going to leave that for tomorow

good news is..seems to be the media files are converting smoothly now and hooefully ill have a complete archive soon to import

1 question

on the day i go live
ui should switch name servers send out password resets download a fresh archive and start the impirt
it wont matter that ppl are using it right theres no need to put the site on hold while the finishing off imports being done i assume


--
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

hey i do see theres a 1.01 version of ning skin but how do i upgrade it without payingf again in the site market says already installed in the other market says 15 bucks
i cant find any upgrade options


--
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

Marketplace -> system updates tab
updated by @garymoncrieff: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

hmm i did that earlieronly saw the core update u must have just put it up


--
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

Hey Brian this could help me out with the issue I have with the issue tracker, I need everyone to be able to post to the tracker on the community profile.
updated by @garymoncrieff: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

@brian
had some trouble with upgrading the skin only cause im so damn tired wasnt thinking straight at all
but after upgrading still have every member in the list inder profile photo saying online and linking to my profile

i ran integrity check

is this a database issue


--
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

Thats something that will need to be looked at as its a bit different from the normal.


It will be an issue with the template. Check to make sure it uses the same format as the default template.

If you want to open another thread to talk about that and paste the code your using I'll try to help out. Looking at this page: ( http://greentechnologyforums.com/soaring-eagle/audio/4157/shilo-circle-sex-is-life ) It looks like you might have typed your URL inside the FOREACH loop so its always pointing to you. Just a guess though. Show me the code you have in an new thread.
updated by @michael: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

1 thing missing from the menu thats very important
photos
link to the photo gallery

on my site the forums are prime we cant do without them thier value is unmeasurable
but besides the forum the photos are another top feature

and although u can access a list of users galleries there must be a link to a all in 1 listing of every photo in every gallery with a featured photos option


additionaly ..if possible a responsive non flash slideshow option on front page and profiles


that can be long rainge plan the slideshows i mean but the menu link to 1 centralized gallery of every photo is a must

if you cant get to it in the next couple weeks i understand and ill try to wotk out my own solution and post how we managed it

but many ning sites will really need this


remember ninfgs always been about community
where you excell at the look at me ..showing off my band..my goods etc nings always been more look at we.. well just mean more centralized so a centralized photo gallery that is just a chronological mix of individual galleries pulls us all together


and ill say i cannot thank you enough for how hard and fast and responsively youve worked on this

i am so greatful
and loving my site more every day
and whats more..my members are excited.. very excited

they want to move in today


--
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

Today might be a little early, but we'll try to get everything smoothed out and functional. I'm sure together we can.
updated by @michael: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

i dont know how that can be i mean it happens in every skin
and i didnt do much template editing really when i upgraded the skin i deleted 1 line of code and pasted 1 lil if block and another in a tag

before that the only other thing i did was fix the discuss to discussions link

wich template would that be in but ill post in my bug reoort thread


--
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

haha i know i wont be even close to ready for a couple weeks i think
but
im tryin hard to get it ready andmake it amazing quickly


--
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

Thank you for the recent NingJa updates Core and Modules.

Just to add a note here.

1.Menu tabs missing on Header Menu (especially "Home").
2. Existing Groups and Discussions do not appear in front page box (association between older Discussions and new config?).
3. It would be very helpful to upload images 'from computer' into Pages and Discussions by right-clicking.
4. Still the issue with missing template via activity comments.
updated by @isleander: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

1 the profile list when you click profiles should have the name below the image, possibly location
2 when doing debug i noticed feilds from old ning profiles like about me and other profile questions i assume we can duplicate those form questions and add ain if exists (new format) else use the imported for an about page

3 there neeeeds to be a top level menu link to a photo galery..not a list of users galleries a combined sequential gallery of allusers

4 optional and low priority for future thought a photo (non flash mobile freindly) slideshow that can be added to front page (featured photos) and profile pages..the profiles photos

otherwise..good job


--
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 believe the image support for tinymce alows uploading images using the tinymce editor

was that added
is there somwhere it has to be turned on


--
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

Yes, I think that may not have been approved in the Quotas. Thanks
updated by @isleander: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

u found where let me know also can u look at mine on a mobile www.greentechnologyforums.com
on mobile does the menu look and work right

if so i want to add back some code and retest
all the emulaters ive tried seem to be messed up

and i dont got a mobile at all
but i want to move the menu up into the header area to make room for an ad in that space
but dont want to screw up mobile accessibility


--
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

Soaring said: "and although u can access a list of users galleries there must be a link to a all in 1 listing of every photo in every gallery with a featured photos option
additionaly ..if possible a responsive non flash slideshow option on front page and profiles
that can be long rainge plan the slideshows i mean but the menu link to 1 centralized gallery of every photo is a must
if you cant get to it in the next couple weeks i understand and ill try to wotk out my own solution and post how we managed it
but many ning sites will really need this"
===============================

Yes absolutely- very important to be able to click to a general 'member photos' area where one can see a grid and lookthrough/clickto all member photos in one place, not just have a list of members where you need to go to each member's photo page in order to see their photos.
For example here's what one sees when they click on my Ning site's "Member Photos" link at top main navigation bar of my site: http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/photo
(notice it also has it's own search function in photos only, and also has 'sort by' choices.)


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

This is already supported - just go to:

http://yoursite.com/gallery

It's not a "grid" but it has all images on there - you can browse through them and if you want to see a specific image, just click on it.

Hope this helps!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

I just pushed out a new version (1.0.2) of the NingJa skin that now has the site images as a "grid" (plus some other small bug fixes).

Let me know if that looks better to you.

Hope this helps!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

well brian the problem is here u see
http://greentechnologyforums.com/gallery/p=2
a list of members galleries and a few images as a preview of what might be in thier gallery but can be a poor representation of the gallery as the 1st 490 images can be photos of thier dreadlocks or of stuff they made or whatever and the last 5 pictures of thier cat or a spider they saw and it doesnt represent nor invite you to click to see what eklse isthere


ok i think the best way to explain how we would prefer them to be organized is
u click gallery and at toop u have a single row of "featured" images with a see all featured then below that say 6 rows or so of cronologically artanged photos the newest pics 1sat ..preferably with a title and username link
clicking title or image brings up the full view
and the thumbs at the top still lead you in the full site galery chronological order
but clicking the users name in either main list or full view brings yiou into thier galery

as it is not all but i think 4 or 5 of each gallery is hidden till u enter it
then have to back out into the next gallery
it just doesnt invite streamlined sitewide browsing


--
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

See my reply above ^ - I've changed it to a grid layout that should be closer to what you're looking for.

Hope this helps!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

oh side note after installing group discussions ..its empty
is there a way to reasign group discussions to the groups


--
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

damn your good let me set it up and get back to you

but seriusly wtf is up with ning taking a year to do things when u do it in seconds on demand


--
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 built the Jamroom Core to be a rapid development platform, and I know it really well, so changes like this are really easy


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Actually Paul built a tool for this already but I'm not sure if it's hooked up to the new groups, let me test.


--

Ken Rich
indiegospel.net

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

Make sure you follow my guide here:

https://www.jamroom.net/ning-to-jamroom/forum/announcements/16739/upgrading-from-existing-ning-pages-and-discussions-modules

after updating or your dicussion groups will be empty.


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

i saw a new groups modules out installing it


--
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

hmm i started the update..got the spinner going but thats it..
hesitent to try refreshing and restarting


--
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

If your updating the core, it takes a little longer the the other modules to update. Let it go for a bit and see what happens. If after a while its still spinning, try refreshing the page.


--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos
updated by @douglas: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

off topic cache question
the other day it said 3.41 gigs cached images now 241 megs i did disable the cloud module as it was messing up my conversions

is the drastic cache diference due to cloud being disabled or did it happen when i upgraded the skin

is there settings to adjust cache settings or is it all auto


i know its all unimportant behind the scenes stuff ..just curius


--
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

wasnt updating the core and i refreshed only the skin installed btw...love it!

need a lil tweak as tyhe title sometimes wraps to aq2nd line and screws up the grid
but
yay
great job and impressivly fast


on the install note ifits not finishing ill restart my hbrowser chances are i git 200+ tabs open again


--
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

minor issue

wrapper background wont take
i think it was a class not id?


--
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

no it was always id but i uploaded a new backgroundfor tyhe wrapper and its not showing up

nevermind it was my css

i did all my edits in header and site mostly site so i always rename them sitebak then upload mine


--
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

can anyone verify my menus are working the way they are suposed to on mobile
www.greentechnologyforums.com


--
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

It works on my Android phone, but it looks like your using the old script, there is a newer version in the latest skins, I believe the Ningja skin has the latest version as well.

Hope this helps!


--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos
updated by @douglas: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

i am/ i just upgraded the skin

i do have a couple coments and such though on this skin as magnificent as it is

the menu overlaps the admin menus in modules and such


i wanted to add an ad space at the top and bottom
but no matter were i put the ad space theres an anoying grey background i cant seem to figure out where its coming from
but say i increase the spacer height and change the color it seems to be that though cant set it to none or transparent
though putting the ad code above and below i still get the grwey background
odky enough it doesnt show on profiles with a background added by profile tweak

yea the menu needs moving on profiles withno cover photo it overlaps the heading name


can you add a responsive ad space
in the header and footer
to usethe responsive adsence code


and move the menu between the header and content but without that grey background...wheres that coming from i cant seem to find it


--
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 grey background color is coming from the html.css file, and it is the html class at the top of the file.

The reasons your seeing it is because your not putting your ad code inside the site header,wrapper or content div.

Hope this helps!


--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos
updated by @douglas: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

yea the only sensible place to put the ad code is right inside wrapper but then the menu is behind the ad

and i cant seem to getthe menu to work anywhere sensible


--
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

Try adding a z-index to the #menu_content in the menu.css file.




--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos
updated by @douglas: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

If that doesn't work, try adding it to the #menu, #menu ul entry.




--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos
updated by @douglas: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

neither work not even both i think ads are usualy set to z-index 99999 to ensure they are ontop but wether i get it ontop or not doesnt really solve the issue ir shouldnt be ontop or behind the ad but above or below

well wait i got a wrapper div on the ad maybe with margin -21 or whatever the max is when iyt comes up against the header


--
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

Can you change the z-index on the ad? does it have to always be on top?


--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos
updated by @douglas: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

margin-top -21 on menu and topad padding-top 21 worked out just fine


--
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

well having the menu over the ad i thinks a violation


--
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

oh douglass i think it was brian might have been micheal..actualy..yea think ir was micheal was trying to help me figure out an odd issue inm having
the name list under my profile pic
every link links to my profile and cant find why

theres nothingin the files that control that


--
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

If it were me and that was the case, I wouldn't use the ad code at all.

My suggestion would be to put the ad above the menu in the header section...

Change this:

to this:




--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos
updated by @douglas: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

Without having access to your templates, and admin login, I'm not sure how much help I can be here.

I'm not seeing any issues on my dev site.


--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos
updated by @douglas: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

ill give ya admin access
but the above code doesnt show any ad at all i think only on mobile i liked my after the wrapper solution

email iriesoaringeagle at gmail


--
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 above code has two places for your Ad code, one for mobile and one for PC's.

Send your info to douglas[at]jamroom[dot]net and I'll take a look for you.

Thanks!


--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos
updated by @douglas: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

I guess I should have asked how big the Ad is?

It may not fit in the header if its too big.


--

Douglas Hackney
Jamroom Team - Designer/Developer/Support
FAQ-Docs-Help Videos
updated by @douglas: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM

its responsive ad code it changes sizze based on device


--
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've closed this thread - it's just gotten enormous

Please open new threads (1 topic per thread please) as that makes it easier for us to link to and track suggestions and questions.

Thanks!


--
Brian Johnson
Founder and Lead Developer - Jamroom
https://www.jamroom.net
updated by @brian: 12/29/14 09:23:54AM