Customer Reviews

Ning For Dummies

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Timing couldn't be better for this book to come out. Although my agency has been aware of Ning and are part of a few Ning networks, we've never had the need to build a site on there before. Then a few weeks ago, just as this book came out, a client asked us to put a Ning site together for them. Like I said, perfect timing.

The best part was that 'Ning for Dummies' gave us all the help we needed. It's clear, concise, and makes understanding Ning super easy. I'm not going to lie - I've never been a huge fan of the 'Dummies' series - more often than not, the authors come off like their pandering to morons, and seem more focused on cracking a few jokes than teaching anything of value. So it was refreshing to find that this book was quite the opposite. Hernandez has a good writing style, clearly knows his stuff and has put together an ideal guide for anybody who wants to take full advantage of the growing Ning influence.

I am not a programmer, but I can make label edits in HTML, PHP, and CSS files okay. So, when I needed a book to pull together what could be done to customize a Ning network, I ordered this one. It turned out to be little more than a combination of the Help documentation that Ning already provides plus some light discussion of other material readily available on the Web. I returned it to Amazon--a first for me. I later learned that the book's weakness may not have been the fault of the author; after initially giving its users the capacities to customize various files, Ning has packaged some of the customizations (a good) but then reduced the capacity for further ad hoc customization. This may have forced the Dummies editors to remove deeper material.

This book really covers every aspect of building an online community. It's focused on Ning of course, but in addition to the basics (and advanced options) for using Ning it also gets into methods for promoting and building up your network. Given that it is so easy to set up a community site now, those tips are essential. They come from someone who has built a highly successful community himself.

I also like that the book does not just cover basics, but gets into some of the very advanced things you can do, such as customizing communities via CSS. Again, like the promotional advice, this section has information that is valuable whether or not one is using Ning to build a community.

If you're serious about starting an online community, I suggest you give this a read!

Recently I was privilege to receive a copy of Ning for Dummies to preview and review on my blog. I joined my first Ning group a few years ago. [...]. He had an amazing fire and was very successful in growing his Ning group to what is now 9,000 members! Manny has always been very helpful in answering questions I have had for other support groups I am involved with, later leading to the creation of my own Ning group. It was Manny himself that made Ning so appealing to me. He has always been so generous with his knowledge so I was obviously excited to see him author this book.

Ning provides users to create their own social networks like facebook and myspace. It is a great place to form a support group.


[...]. Manny provides great ideas for customizing your group to fit your needs and great management tools. I think he has covered all the basis. Ning for Dummies makes a great book for those looking to start an online group and can even be useful for those who have already created a group.

Well written, easy to understand. Great guide for getting up and running, and more, on this "instant social network" environment. For anyone who doesn't have the resources to co-locate and hire an admin, NING is a great way to bring like-minded people (in any niche) to the same table. And Hernandez has laid it all out here in a simple, yet detailed, guide.

Michael W. Dean

Easy to read, to use, to enjoy!

I liked so much this book, usefull to my classroom about cyberculture. My students, here in Brazil, using Ning to create personal networks, create and discussing content to web, advertising and social medias.

I used this book to produce a simple tutorial to my students and their first contact with ning.

Great Book!

I got this book because I was interested in setting up a Ning Network for the non-profit that I work for.

Just like most of the "...For Dummies" series, these books aren't exactly flowing narratives that allow a reader to sit down and read from cover to cover.

I found myself reading a chapter or two, and then logging into Ning and trying things out.

The book was really easy to understand, and starts with the complete basics. The thing that I liked was that the chapters and topics are clearly defined, so you can easily skip entire sections of the book if they are not relevant to what you are trying to do, or if you already have the knowledge.

I'm rating this book high because I was impressed with the content of the book, but I was also blown away by the abilities of Ning.

Ning for Dummies is a great resource to have when creating a Ning group. This book is a huge help on learning everything Ning. Each section explains in easy to understand directions on the many different functions built into Ning. There are also screen shots to clearly show what steps to take as you develop your Ning. Example sites are provided to assist in gathering ideas on ways to implement them yourself. If you are looking for an alternative to Facebook; Ning is the place to be. It is a great place for you to set up a Ning group for high school alumni, sports/hobbies, church groups, education, etc.

In the past my experiences with the "For Dummies" books have been wasteful---a waste of money and a waste of time. Until now I have found the books to be little more than descriptions of menus and the author's attempts to be witty. This book, however, by Manny Hernandez is an exception---and outstanding. I have now read the book twice cover to cover. Each time I have learned more.

The writing is clear and focused. The author not only knows Ning well but he has clearly thought deeply about when and if features should be used. My copy of the 342 page book is now highlighted and annotated with comments of "good advice", "try it," and "most helpful." The author has done his homework in suggesting both Mac and PC software add-ons that might be useful. Though I have been using Ning for two years, this book greatly expanded my understanding of how to improve what I am doing (making a private Facebook-like entity for alumni).
In two words, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
David Simpson, Professor of Psychology

I have never read a "Dummies" book before and wasn't interested in starting now. However, as Community Manager for several sites running on Ning, I needed a quick way to learn some of the more obscure features and clear up a lot of confusion I had using the platform (Ning's documentation is sometimes very unclear). As this was the only book about Ning I could find, I reluctantly purchased the book and I am SO thankful I did.

The author breaks down Ning's functionality into organized and easy to read chapters. He gets to the point and cleared things up for me very quickly. Not only does the book cover the nuts and bolts of managing Ning's nuts and bolts, it delves into the grey areas of community management with tips on how to keep your community lively and sections on promoting your community.

I could go on and on about how helpful this book was, but that would take time away from you pressing the "Add to Shopping Cart" button. Go on, press it. You won't be disappointed.