How to set up a social network for free

Social networking service Ning.com is stopping its free service in May. What options does your organisation have to set up a free online social network?

Simon Young outlines some options and what to consider when choosing a new platform.

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I think it's fair to say that thousands of people are bitterly disappointed with Ning.com after they made their once-free service a paid-only service.

What is Ning.com? It's a service that allows you to build your own Facebook-style social network, where everyone has their own profile and can put pictures, videos, events and blogs. 

It's been a great service for community groups, businesses or people with a common interest, because of the great features, but also because of the free price tag.

The changes will likely come pretty soon, with Ning announcing they'll be in touch as early as May the 4th.  

For those willing to pay, Ning remains a good option. But for the many groups who don't have any spare budget (or just don't like paying), there are other options.

The first and most obvious option is Facebook, the gigantic behemoth that shows every indication of actually becoming the internet any day now.

Facebook offers organisations the opportunity to set up a page (different from a personal profile) for free. While it's not as powerful or customisable as a Ning network, it does have the advantage of being where most of the people are - and instead of having to bring people back to a standalone website, you'll be right in the news feeds of your people. 

(On a related note, it's a bit difficult to know what to call "your people" on Facebook, as they've made a few changes lately. It used to be "fans", but now people click "like" instead of "become a fan" ... so perhaps "likers"?)

Some other options out there are listed here, here and here. 

Some things to note when choosing a new platform.

Weigh up simplicity versus sustainability. 

Free online platforms are often very easy to set up, but Ning has shown that they are in control, and can change the rules at any time. The same is true of any free service online. 

Open source software, on the other hand, puts you in control - if you know how to download the software, install it on your server, and fix it if anything goes wrong. 

Open source software is potentially great for non-profit organisations, as its free, and supported by a large, worldwide community, but sometimes it can get very complicated. 

If you don't have access to technically adept people, it may be worth looking at a paid option. If you have enough knowledge to be dangerous, a lot of confidence and not much money, test out some open source software.

Integrate Twitter, Facebook and Google

If possible, ensure your social network connects well with Twitter, Facebook and Google - unless you're going for the top secret approach. 

If web 1.0 was all about hyperlinks, the web we've got right now (I'll resist calling it web 2.0 - oops, I just did!) is about connections between people. Like it or not, Facebook, Twitter and (to a far lesser extent) Google are the ways people are connecting online. It's desirable that people can easily participate in your network without feeling like they have to create a whole new profile. 

Of course, depending on how niche your network is, your members may want to create their own profile especially for the network. It all comes back to your strategy.

Own the destination

If the Ning incident teaches us anything, it teaches us to a) spread our content far and wide, so we don't depend exclusively on one platform, and b) own the destination (a phrase I heard a lot at the recent Connect Now conference). That means having control over your domain name and the site that lives there. And perhaps, the social network that your customers, leads and prospects inhabit. 

(Thanks to Penny for the pic!)