The ALT (Association for Learning Technology) ALT-MEMBERS and CHAMP-CURRICULUM JISCMail lists have had a flurry of emails recently discussing alternatives for the social networking platform Ning. If you are a Ning user working out where they go or you are considering using social networks in education for your next academic year here are some solutions mentioned by ALT and Champ members (to make this post a quick turnaround where indicated by [G&B] I’ve used descriptions produced by Robin Good and Daniele Bazzano’s ‘Ning Alternatives: Guide To The Best Social Networking Platforms And Online Group Services’ (made available under Creative Commons)):
GroupSite
http://www.groupsite.com/
Spruz
Spruz allows you to create free websites enhanced with social networking features. Blogs, video sharing, photo galleries, forum discussion, shared calendars and member profiles are all standard features of Spruz. Advanced features include: file sharing, permission controls, readily-available templates, chat, analytics, and much more. Your website will also be completely customizable with a drag-and-drop interface and greater control over the appearance of your social site. To ease the transition for former Ning users, Spruz offers a migration script that allows you to transfer your Ning community to a brand new Spruz website. [G&B]
There is a long list of Spruz features here (it is worth checking the free features at the end of this page to make sure it has everything you need). For examples Spruz in education/classroom they have a directory of school/college sites
http://www.spruz.com/
WordPress (with BuddyPress)
BuddyPress is a self-hosted solution i.e. it runs off your institutional servers although it wouldn’t be surprised if someone has a hosted solution (at a price). Examples of BuddyPress can be found in their showcase, you also might want to see the Digital Learning Network.
http://buddypress.org/
Elgg
There are a number of examples of institutional rollouts of Elgg. In 2007 [email protected] won the JISC Outstanding ICT Initiative. (In our region I also know about UHI Communities – there are probably more)
http://elgg.org/
Moodle
Moodle is better known as a virtual learning environment used for managing and delivering courses rather than a social networking platform, but its ‘focus on interaction and collaborative construction of content’ makes it possible to use it in this way. If your institution already uses Moodle then the immediate advantage is it should be an environment users are familiar with (and potentially one less login). There are some limitations in what students can do, for example there may be restrictions on file uploads, but the basic set of social networking features (profile, forums, wiki) exist. There is also the possibility of integrating with other platforms like the Mahara e-portfolio system (Mahoodle) or even Second Life (SLoodle).
http://moodle.org
LearnCentral from Elluminate
LearnCentral is perhaps not as main of the social networking features as other hosted platforms but being ‘sponsored’ by Elluminate it is not surprising that there is integration with Elluminate’s other collaboration services (online meeting etc). LearnCentral describe itself as “more than a social network or a learning community, this free, open environment represents the next logical step of combining asynchronous social networking and the ability to store, organize, and find educational resources with the live, online meeting and collaboration provided by Elluminate technology”. From what I can see LearnCentral is being used more to support educators rather than student networks but there maybe activity going on in the paid for ‘private communities’.
http://www.learncentral.org
Edmodo
Edmodo is regularly described as a micro-blogging service for educational use, but there is a lot more to it than that. Edmodo say their “free network offers a safe and easy way to post classroom materials, share helpful links and videos, and access homework, grades and school-wide notices”. The interface is a cross between Facebook and Twitter and is ad-free. Features which might be of interest to educators include managing closed groups, assignments, files and links and running polls. Designed perhaps more for schools and college students it might also be of interest to HE. If you claim your community, Edmodo allows you to monitor student usage and measure classroom participation as well as customising your community web address.
http://www.edmodo.com/
SocialGO
SocialGo appears to be focused more on the business market than education, particularly with the option to monetize your network with member billing, advertising and reselling (SocialGo is also a UK start-up).
http://www.socialgo.com/
CrowdVine
CrowdVine comes in two flavours one for conferences (used at ALT-C) and the other for groups. The main difference is with the conference version there are specific features for programme management, feedback and a ‘want-to-meet’ feature. CrowdVine for Groups can be created for free and are ad supported, or ad-free by paying $24/month per thousand users. A nice feature of CrowdVine are the customised profile questions, which could be used to nurture early network cohesion. An example of this can be seen in the Stanford Stats 252 CrowdVine.
http://www.crowdvine.com/
The final suggestion wasn’t mentioned on the ALT Member list, but I would like to throw it into the mix is Facebook.
Facebook have come under fire recently over their over complicated privacy settings but I still think it is an option worth considering. A number of institutions already use Facebook to market/support their institutions, services and courses. A common concern I hear when considering Facebook is the social/work divide. That is the perceptions that students prefer to keep their social life and studies separate. Facebook is one of the few platforms where I see research on its use in education (most recently AJCann highlighted recent work from Leicester on student retention and Facebook). Importantly it should also be remembered Facebook was originally created by students for students!
Not surprisingly there is a Facebook in Education page on … Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/
AJ Cann
And much more importantly, since Facebook *is* the river of attention for 95% of HE students, you don’t have to try to drag them off to another ghetto location.
Martin Hawksey
… and it’s socially magnetic (you join because friend’s have joined)
… … and it’s mobile friendly
… … … and after privacy concerns only 30,000 quit on Quit Facebook Day
😉
Tweets that mention RSC MASHe » 9 (+1) alternatives to Ning (suggested by ALT Members and Champ’s List) [Social networking] -- Topsy.com
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Steve Wheeler, Steve Wheeler, Matt Lingard, Sharon Flynn, Zoe Rose and others. Zoe Rose said: If you got caught out by Ning going paid, this is handy RT @mattlingard Replacements for Ning http://is.gd/cyaVx via @A_L_T mailing list […]
Mari Cruz García
I am not sure about how the list has been ellaborated, because most of the “alternatives” for Ning are only used in the UK and the USA only, when the world is bigger than that. For instance: tuenti is a perfectly valid alternative to the Anglo-american Facebook for Spanish speaking countries and it is not mentioned (demographiccaly, Spanish is the third language spoken in the world). I am also surprised that Drupal or Plone are not listed either. It will be interesting to know the criteria chosen by ALT to compile the list.
Regards
(By the way, the link to this post from the JISC RSC main page doesn t seem to be working.
Martin Hawksey
ah but the focus of my world is the North and East of Scotland where a third of the population doesn’t speak Spanish.
The suggested tools listed are in no way an Association for Learning Technology approved list, they just happen to be tools ALT and Champ JISCmail list members either use themselves or know about.
[It’s a bit like if asking the Moodle-UK list if they know any modules that do ‘X’, I’ve collected the Xs to share with the wider community.]
Thanks for highlighting the broken link – should be fixed.