Setting up a Ning

[Eric Fort]

Hi I am in the process of setting up a ning for a group of Integration/Diversity Coordinators across the state and I really like your site.  I think it is a model site for using nings, I have a few set up questions and I am looking for technical advice.  In my tabs and sub tabs when I add text or information I cannot seem to format it in a visually appealing way.  when I add things it is just one big blob of text.  I can't seem to space, double space seperate hyperlinks from the rest of the body or text.   Any advice?  should I be looking at certain Ning apps to import.  Thanks.

[Bryan Berg]

Hi, Eric!

Thank you for the compliment!

One of the drawbacks of the ning interface is the rotten way it handles text that's copied from a word processor and the lack of some basic formatting controls, other than the Bold, Italic and Underline. I know basic HTML, so I use that to do some formatting to make things look nice, and I also incorporate Microsoft Word's capability to save document in HTML formatting (in which case, I then view the source - I can do that within Word - and then copy and paste the HTML source into Ning). The meeting minutes are done that way. In other ares I use the HTML break and paragraph tabs to break up text the way I want to so it looks better. Other HTML coding also works, so you can use the HTML list commands to create numbered lists or bulleted lists as well.

So, that's all I do! It takes a little extra work at times, but it's not too bad! Helps keep HTML basics at the top of my head if nothing else! :-)

Hope that info is helpful! Feel free to throw me a question. I'll do my best to answer!

[Bryan Berg]

By the way, let us know here at SEMTEC once you have your site up! Sounds like it would be a great collaborative resource!