Your Personal Online Community

Creating online environments aimed at connecting a group of users with a common interest  – this defines online communities as we know them. We sign up for something we like and we go to that environment often to connect, share, collaborate, discuss and more. What if you could create your own social networking community? One that was exactly what you wanted and included only the people you wanted, if desired.

Welcome to Webjam and Ning two of the more popular,  free, online services that allow you to create your own personal space on the web and connect with your friends, family, colleagues. You select the topics and resources that interest you and build your very own website or network. Whether you want to:

• manage a hockey team
• share your passion about a subject
• write a professional blog
• showcase your creativity
• talk about issues that concern you
• share your life with family and friends

These services let you express yourself and connect with others. They let you do literally anything online from discussion forums, photos, video, blogs and widgets to adding members, friends, events, groups and managing your profile.

Everything you do can be consolidated into this one environment  – your own personal network.

Webjam has taken this one step further with their Branded Service which allows you to create a branded environment for your members. Example: Cosmo Wedding Communities which lets anyone planning a wedding sign up and create their own wedding site, featured on this brand.

What’s the difference? 

If you’re wondering how this differs from something like Facebook that answer lies in the “custom” nature of webjams. Instead of joining a large, already established online community with millions of users, Webjam and Ning allow you create your own custom experience – your topic, your friends, your content, your groups, your photos, your videos….you get the idea.

Facebook is a one-size fits all solution. Ning and Webjam are best described as the ability to create your own MySpace, Facebook, or Youtube — but around any topic you want, with whatever set of features you want, and as public or private as you want

The Stats

In March 2008 Ning surpassed 200,000 social networks on its platform. With 1000 new networks per day being added, Ning expects to have hit the 300,000 mark already. Ning calculations are based on 0.5%+ day-over-day growth of number of new networks on Ning.

That’s just the networks.

In terms of users, Ning is seeing  a 1.0%+ per day increase.  Over 70% of Nings networks are active (used within the last 30 days) and there are more social networks on Ning than there are on the Internet as a whole.

Summary

For most of us, managing our corporate online environment is part of our daily tasks. Companies invest in their web presence and have the money and financial ability to purchase products and tools to make their websites effective business tools. But for those of you who actually leave the office at a reasonable hour, and have a life outside of work, the opportunity to use the Internet to share your passion is often limited due to financial constraints and segmented into either a blog, or Flickr, or Youtube, or Facebook.

Not anymore.

Go ahead and start your son’s hockey team site or your daughter’s science club online. Communicate with family across Canada and the world, promote your band or save the earth. Share those wedding plans with everyone!