WidgetLaboratory

Hello EG and all,

I've already started a couple Ning pages and... I don't know. I'm not really happy with them. I was already considering using something like [ExpressionEngine] and it's forum module to create my community, but then there's the development and design and... :P

Ning is pretty good about allowing people to create profiles, but I REALLY don't like their forums... Anyhow, I did a google search for 'ning developer' and I saw the WidgetLab vs Ning news. Reading through it kind of upset me and... Makes me want jump jump off Ning before I get to deeply embedded into it.

That's enough rambling... Here's my story. I made [a YouTube video about my Xbox dieing] that has over a million views now. That and other videos have collected me a bunch of subcribers who are interested in gaming (over 7,000 now). I'm a gamer, but I'm a lot of other things too and I fought against the desires of the public to make gaming videos. I've finally embraced it and have started another YouTube channel that will be dedicated to gaming [MyDeadXbox]. I also want to build an online and offline community of gamers.

I REALLY want to find the right solution for me. I don't have much of a budget, have no programming skill and only posses very basic designing skills. BUT I have a following.

I originally started a forum using [SMF and a mod] I didn't like the way that felt and recently setup [a Ning]. I really want to find a place that I can feel confortable settling with and build a long term relationship. I was thinking it was going to be Ning but reading about all the news with EG makes me want to go back to an open source solutions hosted by myself... *sigh*

Evil Genius, can you help this guy out? Also, I want to get out of my constant "experimental stage" and build something meaningful (the MyDeadXbox community). I'm sure it can be profitable somehow, but that really isn't my forte. I know it's going to be cool and lots of fun though! :D

TIA!

Hi MiltownKid,

sounds like you've already figured out what we've been telling everyone for more than a year -- CONTENT IS KING. You don't need to spend a lot of money... instead you just have to have a good idea, a specific "niche", and you have to make your site interesting enough that people will join and continue coming back.

Gaming is a huge market and probably one of the best things to attract fanatical members. Both Mad Scientist and myself spend WAY too much time every day playing FPS games such as TCE and CRYSIS (great way to blow off steam...).

SocialGO is a great place to build your site because it offers the kind of foundation that one needs to ensure that you can build and grow without interference from "above". That is to say, there are guarantees in place that protect and enforce the rights of the Network Creator... and do so in a transparent and public manner. There will be no risk of arbitrary or caprcious treatment because the CEO has had a bad day...

You've come on board at exactly the right moment... things are just about to launch into the final release at SocialGO, and that will provide a ton of extremely powerful and useful resources for you to utilize for building your site. Likewise, it will allow us to begin our own production schedule for widgets and tools to help you monetize and grow your ideas. The LAB is always available to consult with you as well for the business and marketing aspect of your concept on top of the software and online elements.

So, let's chat further and see how we can help you get it going. First step is to setup your own free starter site on SocialGO, and we can build from there..

Cheers!

EG

Awesome EG. Thanks for the quick reply. I think I'll begin work on moving the MyDeadXbox community here. I haven't done a "full investigation" but you seem to be like a person that operates with transparancy and I like that. You're also a neighbor (I'm in Milwaukee :) ).

I'll be in a position where I (and some users) will be able to test Ning and this place side by side and see who comes out the better (I'll leave the other community over there for now).

I'll post again when I have the test community setup.

Thanks!

MTK

Your videos crack me up! ...

We're at your service

Create it here! I've done EE NiNG DRUPAL BUDDYPRESS KICK APPS and many others and can tell you this will be the easiest to create with loads of options coming. Just the fact that SG has a third party program that will let devs hook into an api says it all.

Thanks for the additional endorsement Ryan. :)

I'm in the middle of moving (I hate moving :P) BUT I got the first step done: [My Dead Xbox on SocialGo]

If there are any basic things you guys think I should do before announcing the switch let me know. I'll probably mess with the options and whatnot Sunday and then blast an email and make a video later that night (before my internet is turned off... :( lol)

This will be fun. :)

if you have any members on NING use WL migration tool.

The link at the migration tool page didn't seem to work. Is it still there? So I made a video and a post explaining the move. That's all I'll do for today. I have an email list I can notifiy. :)

[Here's the post]

Hi,

the migration tool is located right on the upper right corner of the "Latest" tab page HERE

It is a flex application and requires that you have Flash installed and running.